1
“Globalization is here, globalization is an opportunity, but globalization will not automatically (benefit) every American,'' McCain told an audience at the Hispanic Business Expo and Economic Summit, hosted by the HBA on Sept. 28, 2007.
“We must remain committed to education, retraining and help for displaced workers, regardless of whether their job went away because of trade, technological innovation or shifts in consumer spending patterns.”
The four-term Arizona senator and Vietnam veteran returned to Michigan after joining several of his GOP rivals Sept. 22 and 23 at the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference. State Republicans who attended gave McCain the second most votes after Mitt Romney in an unscientific straw poll.
McCain also led a town hall meeting in Macomb County at a Veterans of Foreign Wars post Friday afternoon.
McCain was the only Republican presidential candidate who accepted an invitation by Univision for a presidential debate in Spanish. The Democratic candidates accepted.
McCain credited Latino entrepreneurs with helping to power the economy. He said nearly three quarters of Latinio business owners ``staked their personal savings on their success,'' and only 1.5 percent secured a government loan. That, he said, represents the lowest percentage of any group in the U.S.
He said that entrepreneurial spirit is important in Michigan, where automotive industry cutbacks have led to the nation's highest unemployment rate.
``Economic freedom is at the heart of our ability to transform tough times to boom times,'' he said. ``We have succeeded in the past. We will do so again.''
McCain also used Friday’s speech to sound broader economic themes, such as his support of repealing the alternative minimum tax and flattening the tax structure. He also criticized what he called wasteful government spending and vowed to ``veto every pork-barrel bill Congress sends me.''
He brought those messages to the town hall meeting in the Detroit suburb of St. Clair Shores, which primarily drew veterans and other supporters. But he spent much of his time discussing Iraq—defending his support of the seven-month troop escalation and rejection of a proposed timetable for withdrawing troops.
During the question-and-answer session, Michael Loomis asked McCain why he believed more time would solve problems in Iraq after 3½ years, and especially with the Iraqi government's inability to reach an accord with Sunnis and other minority groups.
McCain said he was frustrated with Prime Minister Nouri al-Malaki, but said the troop surge has been successful and he fears that chaos and genocide would return if the military leaves.
``When you have a secure environment, the political process can move forward,'' McCain said.
Loomis, who lives in St. Clair County's Cottrellville Township, said after the event that ending the war requires a political, not a military solution. He compared the situation to Michigan lawmakers, who are negotiating with Gov. Jennifer Granholm over a budget plan to fill a $1.75 billion shortfall and avoid a government shutdown on Monday.
``More time doesn't force them to do the job,'' said Loomis, who described himself as an independent, but not a McCain supporter. ``If there's a deadline, they reach a compromise.''
Rico de La Prensa contributed to this report.
|
