John McCain Will End Wasteful Government Spending In Washington. John McCain will veto every bill with earmarks. He will seek a constitutionally valid line-item veto to end pork-barrel spending once and for all. John McCain will lead broad reforms that remove the many corporate tax loopholes that are costly, unfair to small businesses, and inconsistent with a free-market economy.
John McCain Will Veto Any Bill That Serves Only The Special Interests And Corporate Welfare. On his watch, there will be
no more subsidies for special pleaders, no more corporate welfare and no more throwing around billions of the people's money on pet projects. from
http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/News/PressReleases/read.aspx?guid=0109eb5b-68d1-42c3-a280-f601ac417dafMcCain says he'll help Michigan's auto industry
by The Associated Press
Wednesday September 17, 2008, 11:07 PM
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The state's image as the world's automotive capital can be restored under a John McCain presidency, he said Wednesday at a campaign rally with running mate Sarah Palin.
McCain, who visited a Detroit-area General Motors Corp. plant earlier in the day, pledged his support for a loan package for domestic automakers he'd previously looked at with a skeptical eye.
Several thousand supporters turned out for the latest of McCain's "straight talk town hall meetings" in the Ford Field House at Grand Rapids Community College, an event that last about an hour and 15 minutes.
"The working people of this great state of Michigan are the hardest working, the best skilled, the most productive, the most competitive in the world, and they are the backbone and the foundation of our economy," McCain said.
Outside, hundreds of people protested the Republicans' appearance. Many held signs expressing opposition to McCain's support of the Iraq war or claiming that a vote for him would be a vote for continuing President Bush's policy in Iraq.
A large banner across the street from the field house said "Outsource McCain!" Brittany Wellman, 24, of Grand Rapids, held a sign that said, "Palin: Finally, a woman who's not afraid to hate other women."
Her friend and fellow protester, Sara Waalkes, 24, of Grand Rapids, said she can't imagine anything worse for the country than McCain and Palin winning the election.
"I'm just so terrified about what might happen if they were elected," said Waalkes, who described herself as an abortion-rights supporter. "They're the most anti-choice ticket ever."
Back inside the auditorium, Palin said she and McCain expect a tough fight to win Michigan in the presidential election. It's going to come down to which candidate has the best track record and can be trusted the most, she said.
"It's going to be a hard-fought contest here in Michigan, we know," Palin said. "It's such an extremely, extremely important state."
She also said she has a fondness for Michigan because her oldest son, Track, lived in the state for a time while playing in a hockey-development program. He spent about six months of his senior year at Portage Central High School in 2006-07.
After the event, Grand Rapids resident Susan Dunn said her support for McCain had been re-energized by his appearance. She planned to help his campaign this weekend by delivering literature door-to-door and making telephone calls to potential voters.
"I am so geared up to hit the streets on Saturday," said Dunn, who wore a "Women for McCain" button on her blouse.
But Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor said in a statement afterward that McCain and Palin didn't offer any answers about how they would fix the economy or explain McCain's thoughts on the strength of the nation's economy.
Before their campaign stop, McCain and Palin visited the grave site of President Ford on the grounds of Ford's downtown presidential museum.
The Alaska governor, flanked by McCain on one side and her husband, Todd, on the other, walked slowly to a gateway at the grave site. They paused and talked quietly for a minute or two, then picked up a bouquet of flowers and laid them at the site.
On their way out, the trio paused and read an inscription that was said to be a favorite Bible verse of Ford, from Proverbs, Chapter 3, verse 5: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding."
Earlier, while speaking to about 100 workers at the Orion Township plant in Oakland County where Chevrolet Malibus and Pontiac G6s are produced,
McCain said he backed a plan in Congress to give automakers $25 billion in federal loans to help them retool for cleaner cars. He then took a jab at troubles in the nation's financial sector.
"We are not going to leave the workers here in Michigan hung out to dry while we give billions of taxpayer dollars to Wall Street," McCain said during brief remarks to reporters at the plant. "It's time we get our auto industry back on its feet. It's time for a new generation of cars and for loans to build the facilities to make them."
U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a supporter of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, told reporters in a conference call that it was "an insult" for McCain to talk about helping workers when he supports trade policies that have cost Michigan jobs.
Stabenow, D-Mich., also criticized what she said was his sudden get-tough policy on Wall Street firms, noting that McCain has called himself a "deregulator" in the past who "wants government out of the way" and has opposed more regulation for the financial sector.
Democrats were making a concerted effort during McCain's visit to the state to remind Michigan voters of the ways they say McCain would be bad for the economy. They brought Harley-Davidson motorcycle riders and drivers of American-made hybrid cars to Grand Rapids to criticize the Arizona senator for opposing many "Buy American" proposals.
"There is absolutely no reason that we can't continue to be the manufacturer of these products ... if we have a president who gets it," Stabenow said.
Republican U.S. Rep. Candice Miller of Macomb County's Harrison Township said in a conference call that McCain's comments were a signal to President Bush and Republicans on Capitol Hill that supporting the $25 billion loan program for the domestic automakers is a good idea.
"It really is pivotal in making a reality these $25 million in auto loans that we must do," Miller said.
Obama supports the loan plan and has said he would back $50 million in loans, if needed. On Monday, Obama running mate Joe Biden toured the Mazda Motor Corp.-Ford Motor Co. joint auto assembly plant in Flat Rock, telling workers and managers that the auto industry is crucial to America's economic future.
During McCain's stop Wednesday at the GM plant, about a dozen workers wearing Obama pins or T-shirts were among the workers listening to McCain. The United Auto Workers union has endorsed Obama, and some at the plant weren't buying McCain's pitch.
As the senator and his wife left the plant, a brief "Obama! Obama!" chant broke out.
from
http://www.mlive.com/elections/index.ssf/2008/09/mccain_says_hell_help_michigan.html
