Schwarzenegger to Michigan: Get off your butt

WASHINGTON — California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger pulled no punches Wednesday in telling Detroit automakers to “get off your butt” and increase the fuel efficiency of their cars and trucks, saying they are “still lagging behind.”

Schwarzenegger’s comments came as he responded to a billboard that went up last month along Interstate 75 in Detroit that criticized him for mandating vehicle emission caps in California that will be costly for Detroit automakers to meet.


The billboard, from U.S. Rep Joe Knollenberg, R-Bloomfield Hills, reads: “Arnold to Michigan: Drop Dead.” It features Schwarzenegger’s photo and drew widespread attention.

“Now, there’s a billboard in Michigan that accuses me of costing the car industry $85 billion,” Schwarzenegger said at a speech in Washington. “The billboard says, ‘Arnold to Michigan: Drop dead.’ The fact of the matter is what I’m saying is, Arnold to Michigan: Get off your butt. Get off your butt and join us.”

Detroit News