Week in Review

News Release from Hawaii Republican Party October 4, 2014

This past week saw Senator David Ige on defense for the Abercrombie-Ige policy agenda over the past four years on a number of fronts, including taxes, education and the state hospital fiscal crisis.

IN THE NEWS...

Civil Beat Had A Q&A With Duke Aiona Where He Discussed His Message Of Changing The Status Quo And Tackling The Cost Of Living.

"Becoming a grandfather really inspired me to be part of the solution to problems like our high cost of living, homelessness and education. It’s clear continuing on this path is simply not an option for most people in Hawai‘i. More of the same is simply a recipe for disaster. I have innovative ideas and I’m prepared to hit the ground running on day one."

Duke Is Up With His First General Election TV Ad, Discussing His Plans To Lower The Cost Of Living And Turn Hawaii Around.

"Duke Aiona, the Republican nominee for governor in Hawaii, is going up with his first ad of the general election today — a warm, positive spot with straight-to-the-camera promises for affordable housing and a better quality of life for residents of the islands. 'Staying on the path we’re on now, that’s just not an option,' Aiona says."

Ige Told Civil Beat He Doesn't Regret Killing A Slew Of Bipartisan Education Bills That Would Have Helped With The Hot Schools And Carter School Funding.

"Still, Ige doesn’t regret his highly scrutinized decision to kill a series of key education-related proposals this year. The state, he reasoned, simply couldn’t afford to fulfill those promises, something he realized after the Council on Revenues’ downgraded forecast."

Two Days Later, A Poster Child For Ige's Education Failure At The Time Was Back In The News.

"Some students at a Hilo charter school are using fishing buckets as chairs. One parent called Action Line to voice her frustration. Shirleen Simons learned about the seating arrangements for the 4th and 5th grade classes at Ka Umeke Kaeo Charter School from her daughter. 'She sits on a white seven-gallon bucket with a black top,' Simons said. 'I’ve never heard of that going on anywhere. We sit on chairs wherever we go.' Simons says the bucket seat was causing her daughter to suffer."

A Honolulu Star Advertiser Editorial Slammed Ige And His Colleagues For The HHSC Debacle.

"Shamefully, legislators have known about this impending implosion for years, at least since late 2009, when a state-commissioned report outlined in dire detail the myriad, intractable problems with this broken public model. It estimated, for instance, that privatization of the workforce would save about $50 million annually."

A Star Advertiser Column Followed The Day After.

"Ige shot back that, he knew about the problem and has been on it since way back when he was Health Committee chairman. 'I did pass a measure that restructured the hospital system and the boards. It does have the opportunity for transition to public-private partnership. I got consensus and I moved it forward,' Ige said. Well, that was five years ago and even Ige had to admit that back then, no private partners wanted to play."

During The KITV Debate, Ige Again Found Himself On Defense Over His Failed Leadership On The State Hospitals.

"Hannemann and Aiona both hammered Ige for his role in the financial problems facing Hawaii Health Systems Corp., the state's network of public hospitals. Hannemann said Ige's committee didn't pass a bill in the past legislative session that addressed creating public-private partnerships. 'What happened, and why couldn't you exert your legislative influence to move that bill forward?'"

A New Ad This Week Reminded Voters Ige Tried To Raise The General Excise Tax 25 Percent In 2011 Before His Own Party Revolted.

"The super PAC aligned with the Republican Governors Association has dropped a new television advertisement in Hawaii targeting state Sen. David Ige, this time hitting the Democratic candidate for governor on taxes. The American Comeback Committee's ad highlights Ige's support for a general-excise tax increase to help the state get through the recession. Ige's colleagues on the Senate Ways and Means Committee refused to advance the bill, however."

During The KITV Debate, Ige Didn't Deny Raising Taxes On Hawaii Families And Small Businesses.

"Aiona pivoted, saying that during the past four years when Ige has chaired the Senate Ways and Means Committee, the state increased spending by over $1.2 billion and increased taxes by more than $800 million. He pointed out that the overspending could put Hawaii in the red by 2016. Ige didn’t respond directly. Instead, he brought up extreme measures that the Lingle administration took to balance the budget."

A New Pro-Ige Ad Touts His Experience, But Omits His Record Of Failure.

"Not surprisingly, Hawaii Republicans don’t care for the new video, which first ran on Sept 22. 'If Democrats consider a worsening fiscal outlook, the second most overtaxed middle class and the dubious distinction as the worst place to make a living as reasons to support the Abercrombie-Ige policy agenda, then it is clear they are out of touch with the day-to-day struggles of Hawaii families,' said Blake Parsons, the executive director of the Hawaii Republican Party, in a press release the same day the ad first aired. Parsons continued: 'After four years of Governor Abercrombie and Senator Ige’s policies, it’s time we elect leaders like Duke Aiona who offer common-sense alternatives to the broken status quo.'"

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