McCain discusses economic policy at Fairgrounds rally

Sen. John McCain promised to cut taxes and government spending during a rally in Albuquerque on Saturday.

About 1,000 people attended the rally at the State Fairgrounds, likely McCain's last stop in New Mexico before the election.

Congressional candidate Darren White, Rep. Heather Wilson and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham also attended the rally.

"John McCain has been fighting for America all of his life," Graham told the crowd. "Let's fight for him now."

McCain asked the crowd to continue working for his campaign and stressed his resilience, despite Barack Obama's lead in nationwide polls.

"We're a few points down, and the pundits have written us down," McCain said. "But they forgot one thing - they forgot to let you decide."

McCain criticized at length Obama's proposed economic plan, which he said includes unnecessary spending.

"If I'm president -" McCain began, and then corrected himself, "- when I'm president, I won't spend nearly a trillion dollars of your money. Sen. Obama will."

McCain also said Obama's tax plan will not benefit most Americans.

"As he told Joe the Plumber back in Ohio, he wants to spread the wealth around," McCain said. "He's more interested in controlling the wealth than creating it."

Some supporters wore shirts emblazoned with "Plumbers for McCain," a reference to Joe Wurzelbacher, an Ohio plumber who questioned Obama about proposed tax increases for small businesses.

Bill Howland, president and CEO of Affordable Service Plumbing in Albuquerque, said he has much in common with Wurzelbacher.

"I can relate to Joe the Plumber," he said. "I understand where he's coming from, except I'm kind of at the opposite end of the deal from Joe. Joe doesn't have his own business yet."

Howland said he was once an aspiring small-business owner like Wurzelbacher but that now his company has more than two dozen employees and has been profitable during its 23-year existence.

"I've already achieved that income level that would be taxed very, very heavily under the Obama plan," he said. "I've worked very hard to get where I'm at. No one put a silver spoon in my mouth."

Howland said he's voting for McCain because he believes Obama's plan would prevent him from reaping the benefits of his hard work.

"I've definitely paid my dues, and I guess I just don't appreciate the idea that the money that I've worked so hard to achieve ... will be redistributed to people that haven't worked for it," he said.

Angela Elliott, secretary of UNM's College Republicans, attended the rally and said McCain understands Southwestern issues because he's from Arizona.

"I think he probably knows New Mexico pretty well. I think it's great that this time we have a regional candidate," she said.

McCain pledged to support the Sandia and Los Alamos laboratories and said he understands land, water and American Indian issues.

"Those labs contribute to the national security of our country," he said. "My friends, I'm a fellow Westerner. I understand what the Southwest is."