Whether it was because of the upcoming election, because he hadn’t done it before or because he wanted to hear what Lake Havasu residents had to say, U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., opted to host a traditional Town Hall meeting Monday.

More than 120 residents packed city council chambers in the police facility for McCain’s visit looking to ask questions from health care to the economy to veterans’ affairs and party leadership. The hour offered residents a rare opportunity, as it marked McCain’s first Lake Havasu City visit this year.

“I am very happy to be back here,” McCain told the crowd. “I love Lake Havasu City and I know you do too as most of the people in this room have chosen to come live here from somewhere else.”

Mayor Mark Nexsen said he was pleased McCain found time to offer his ideas and “remarkable leadership” to the residents in attendance.

“He has championed an agenda to reduce federal spending, lower taxes and end loopholes for special interests,” he said. “Quite frankly the senator has been a great source of advice and council to me over the past years with mutually explored solutions to end the high cost of our sewer system in Lake Havasu City.”

Before taking questions from the audience, there were several important issues McCain wanted to speak of first.

The Economy

The biggest economic problem, McCain said, was the amount of borrowing from other countries that is increasing debt.

“I know the economy is in tough shape,” McCain said. “The state of Arizona is hurting in ways like never before in its history. … Did you know that 43 cents out of every dollar is borrowed? And who is paying for that? Our kids and our grandkids.”

McCain attributed to the biggest problems to what he referred to as “generational theft.”

“The greatness of America is that we’ve always handed off a better nation than the one we inherited,” he said. “Can you honestly think with this kind of spending we’re going to hand off a better America to our children and grandchildren? …”

Health Care Reform

McCain also criticized several “earmarks” in the recently passed 2,000-plus page health care reform bill, which is meant to provide insurance and affordable health care to those previously denied easy access to medical treatment.

“It took us a couple of weeks to find the unsavory deals and the sausage-making in it,” McCain said. “There’s $100 million in it to build a hospital in Connecticut. Why? Why not build one here in Lake Havasu?”

Another problem with the bill, McCain said, is that companies and corporations “will be having to write off huge amounts of money because of provisions in the bill.”

“This is supposed to stimulate the economy? I don’t think so,” he said. “I don’t think that does anything for jobs and America.”

McCain also advocated medical malpractice reform and said the country needs to “repeal and replace this health care thing because it’s not going to work.”

Immigration

“Look rounding up people and taking them back is fine,” McCain said in response to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who calls himself “America’s toughest sheriff.” “But what you need to do is make sure that any employer that hires someone in this country illegally is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Then two things happen. One, employers stop hiring them and two, they go back to the country they came from.”

Foreign policy

McCain said he was proud of the US Military, adding that the fights in Afghanistan and Iraq are necessary.

“Afghanistan is going to be very tough, but we cannot afford to have Afghanistan become a base for attacks against the US,” he said. “We have got to build up the Afghan army and we’ve got to have them take over as the Iraqi military took over in Iraq.”

Social Security

“There were predictions that by 2016 there was going to be more money going out than coming in,” McCain said. “That’s happening this year.”

McCain added that money for social security is now coming out of the general revenue and that the government “is going to have to address that.”

“That’s been the big problem. While Lake Havasu City and Arizona had to make tough budget cuts never made before, in Washington they were spending money like it’s going out of style. … Wall Street is doing fine, while Main Street is doing terrible.”

Lake Havasu student Devon Mills asked McCain why so many Republicans have announced that they have “given up and not going to work with Democrats anymore.”

McCain said he would not work with Democrats on their own agenda.

“I’m not going to work with the Democrats for what is in the Democrat interest,” he said. “I will work with Democrats when I think it’s in national interest to do so and that’s it.”

Mills later said he was happy to hear McCain’s response.

“It’s not often you get to see someone of importance and ask him a question,” Mills said. “It was interesting to see his personal reflection. … It was short but it worked at building up his character in my mind to say that.”

McCain was also asked about creating jobs in Lake Havasu City. In response McCain said he agreed with a recent proposal from Scott Brown, R-Mass., that would help small businesses pay down lines of credit through the stimulus fund.

“Why not extend lines of credit to small businesses so they can hire people?” McCain asked. “Instead we’re taking care of Wall Street. … The creator of jobs in America is small businesses.”

You can contact the reporter at nbruttell@havasunews.com