VIDEO: David Ige 2.0 Event Highlights Record Of Failed Policies
Senator Ige Leaves Door Open For More Excise Taxes, Jokes About Hot School Crisis
News Release from Hawaii Republican Party
HONOLULU (October 26, 2014) -- Senator David Ige demonstrated this evening during his David Ige 2.0 webcast that his failed policies over his 29 year legislative career would only continue if he were in Washington Place. During the event, Senator Ige left the door wide open to further General Excise Tax revenues from Oahu residents for the rail project and even managed to crack jokes about the hot school crisis he failed to fix earlier this year.
"Senator Ige doesn't seem to understand that his same policies of the last four years will only give the same results. Middle-class families in Hawaii are demanding real change, and are certainly not going to benefit from even more taxes and jokes about the dire need for better school infrastructure." --Hawaii Republican Party Communications Advisor Ted Kwong
WATCH: Senator Ige leaves the door open to more excise taxes for the Honolulu rail project:
WATCH: Senator Ige jokes about the hot school crisis he refused to help fix earlier this year:
BACKGROUND:
The Hot School Crisis Is One Of The Top Problems Facing Teachers. “For many teachers at hot, poorly designed schools, having a plan isn’t enough. ‘The single biggest factor in my job dissatisfaction beyond anything else is the lack of AC,’ said Jones, the Radford High teacher. ‘It has a major effect on teachers’ stamina, their capacity to do their job, and that in turn ultimately results in less results for the students.’” (Alia Wong, “Classes Off to a Hot Start in Schools Without Air Conditioning,” Honolulu Civil Beat, 9/16/14)
Senator Ige Still Doesn’t Regret Killing The Bill To Help With The Hot School Crisis. “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. The bills would’ve cost an additional $90 million, he said. That legislation included a bill that would have required the DOE to survey schools’ classroom needs and develop a ‘master cooling strategy.’” (Alia Wong, “Aiona, Ige Largely Like-Minded on Needed Education Reform,” Honolulu Civil Beat, 9/30/14)
At The Time, Senate Education Committee Chair Jill Tokuda Was “At A Loss” Over Why Ige Killed The Bipartisan Measures. “Even Sen. Jill Tokuda, who chairs the Education, was at a loss as to explain what happened at the end. But it seems as though Ige and Luke failed to notify Tokuda that they were conducting last-minute deliberations on bills with committee chairs, and Tokuda missed her opportunity to jockey for the bills, she said. ‘We were on the other side — we weren’t part of the procedures,’ Tokuda told Civil Beat. Shortly before 6 p.m., Tokuda warned that the bills would likely die. ‘We have no authority, and we do have a clock unfortunately that will get to 6 at some point,’ she said. Tokuda said she was very disappointed, particularly because many of the bills had garnered mutual support from groups that normally disagree on issues.” (Alia Wong, “Hawaii Legislature: Procedural Mixup Dooms Key Education Measures,”Honolulu Civil Beat, 4/26/14)
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