McCain 'straight Talks' To Toledo

This story was written by Kristen Vasas, The BG News

With only 16 days remaining until the presidential election on Nov. 4, Sen. John McCain promised supporters at a rally in downtown Toledo yesterday that he will continue to fight for a better America by focusing on the needs of the average citizen.

"What America needs right now is a fighter," McCain said. "Someone who puts all the cards on the table and trusts the American people."

After promising to talk straight with the crowd in attendance, McCain focused on the collapse of the housing market - which he said would be the highest priority of his party if elected.

By buying up bad mortgages and refinancing them, McCain noted home values will inevitably rise, restoring at least a facet of the failing economy.

"[The American people] deserve to own their home and stay in their home," McCain said. "I am willing to fight for what's right for America."

For Bowling Green resident Matt Ludwick, McCain's promise to focus on issues that affect average Toledoans, such as mortgage rates, made him the more promising of the two candidates.

"We need someone who faces challenges and is not looking at an [economic] crisis for the first time in their career," McCain said. "He has been through an economic crisis before, and he has an outstanding record of both service in the military and service in Congress."

The Arizona senator also promised to increase efforts towards keeping small business taxes where they are in response to Democratic nominee Barack Obama's 95 percent tax cut, which McCain said would raise taxes on the 84 percent of Americans employed by small business owners.

Bringing up the now infamous "Joe the Plumber" - an uncommitted voter from Ohio who heatedly discussed Obama's tax plans at a rally last week - McCain noted that with his own plan, the wealth would not be spread around but instead focused on the American citizen.

"We learned more from Joe's questions than we learned in months of campaign trails," McCain said. "Raising taxes makes the economy much worse, and I plan on making the government live on a budget just like you do."

By freezing government programs that don't work for the American people, McCain said he plans on restoring the American economy by creating jobs across the United States.

If elected, McCain promised new markets would be opened to goods made in America, making sure that jobs created in America would stay in America.

"I would make sure I would help workers who lost their jobs," McCain said. "They will come back to find a new job that won't go away."

McCain also said he plans on creating hundreds of thousands of jobs in America by refusing to delay drilling for oil and gas, a tactic which Obama has said he would "consider."

Bowling Green State Univeristy College Republicans Chairman Quinten Wise, who attended two McCain rallies previous to yesterday's, said McCain's grasp on the failing economy would probably make a substantial impact on college students when it comes time to vote.

"McCain will make sure jobs are out there to get, and that's important for students getting ready to graduate," Wise said. "We're gonna be the ones paying for this in the future."