McCain's Tough Talk to Auto Workers
(WARREN, MICH.) John McCain gave an abbreviated version of his economy speech tailored to Detroit – singing the praises of General Motors development of the Chevrolet Volt, an electric-gas hybrid that GM hopes to bring on the market in 2010. But he also gave some answers that the employees here at this town hall meeting held at GM headquarters probably didn't want to hear on the issues of ethanol and the future of automakers.
While supporting tax credits for people who buy hybrid vehicles, he also said that the current business model of American carmakers in unsustainable.
"You can't compete with other automobile manufacturers if you lay somebody off and pay them full salary for the rest of their life. Can't do it. That's not going to be competitive," he said, adding that he would try to help workers who lost their jobs.
"I will be glad to assist, including education and retraining of workers that have been displaced workers from their jobs."
He also said he did not support ethanol subsidies, which has been a sore spot among automakers, who have invested in cars that run on ethanol.
"Most experts today will say because we subsidized ethanol, it has distorted the market and now contributed to inflationary pressure in our country, which are very, very dangerous, to say the least," McCain said.
"So I'm all for encouragement and whatever is necessary to make sure every vehicle is flex fuel, that every gas station has a pump that says E-85 on it, and it's clear to me that ethanol, corn based as well as sugarcane based, as well as bio-fuels, as well as other alternative sources of energy that come onto the market be made available and I would devote a lot of my efforts in that direction."