McCain Proposes War on Poverty

(CBS)

John McCain reaches out to rural voters in eastern Kentucky today, proposing government funded Internet access as a way to help people return to the workforce. "I think we should establish a 'People Connect Program' that rewards companies that offer high-speed Internet access services to underserved, low-income customers by allowing these companies to write off the cost of this service," he will say, according to excerpts provided by the campaign.

On day three of his tour, McCain will appear at the Martin County Courthouse in Inez, Kentucky, where over forty years ago Lyndon B. Johnson declared the "War on Poverty."

Today, this rural patch still struggles. "I have no doubt President Johnson was serious and had the very best of intentions when he declared the war on poverty in America," McCain said. "But the army he enlisted was mostly drawn from the ranks of government bureaucracies."

"I cannot claim that the circumstances of our lives are similar in every respect. I am not the son of a coal miner. I wasn't raised by a family that made its living from the land or toiled in a mill or worked in the local schools or health clinic," he said, acknowledging his privileged background. "I was raised in the United States Navy, and after my own naval career, I became a politician. My work isn't as hard as yours. I had an easier start in life and an easier time since than many folks in Martin County. And although I pride myself on being a pretty resilient man, I cannot say that I have half the strength and determination of people in Inez."

McCain will tell the people of Inez that they deserve just as much attention as special interests are shown in Washington so they can achieve their goals and desires toward the American dream.

He continues his push for improved job training at community colleges along with the development of new technologies while creating and new jobs. McCain will promise to return to Inez and their issues if he is elected president.