From www.AionaFinnegan.com
The Aiona-Finnegan campaign is setting the record straight on false statements made by our opponent during the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce's 2010 Governor Candidate Forum.
Our opponent flip-flops again on appointed school board
MYTH
Our opponent has a clear position on appointed school boards.
FACT
Our opponent finally admitted that he originally supported the ballot proposition for an appointed school board early on in the gubernatorial campaign before he changed positions during the PBS Hawai‘i Island Insights debate, where he voiced his opposition to the ballot proposition for an appointed school board. Our opponent's position against an appointed school board was in stark contrast to the bipartisan support the proposition has received from four of Hawai‘i's Governors and other education officials. His position was in line with the leadership of the Hawai‘i State Teachers Association (HSTA) which is contributing to his campaign.
However, our opponent again changed his position at the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce's candidate forum. He flip-flopped again to say, after being asked a second time in one night, that he supports the ballot proposal for an appointed school board. This latest flip-flop comes on the heels of a news conference Duke and Lynn held to point to our opponent's inability to show he is willing or able to stand up for education reform. And it came after Duke and Lynn released a web series video to highlight the importance of public education reform.
Our opponent still opposes a comprehensive, independent audit of the state Department of Education, which hasn't been conducted since 1973 - nearly 40 years.
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Council on Revenues projections change
MYTH
Our opponent said he was astonished that the Lingle-Aiona Administration would submit a budget in October to the State Legislature with numbers that may change, which he believes is wrong.
FACT
What is really astonishing is that someone who refers to his experience as a chair of the state House Finance Committee, before his 20 years in Congress, doesn't understand the budgeting process. In response to the Senate Ways and Means Chair's Information Session, an updated six-year financial plan - not a budget - was submitted. These six-year financial plans are based on the six-year revenue projections of the Council on Revenues. It is a well-understood fact by anyone who is familiar with Hawai‘i's state budgeting process that these revenue projections are updated quarterly by the Council on Revenues, and they will change.
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Our opponent has no answer for furloughs
MYTH
Our opponent incorrectly quoted Duke Aiona as saying on O‘ahu that he promised to restore all furloughs.
FACT
Duke Aiona has never said he would restore all furloughs. He has said that public school furloughs on instructional days will never occur. Our opponent, on the other hand, has said that he would restore all public worker furloughs, but when Duke Aiona challenged him to explain how he would make up the more than $190 million resulting general fund shortfall, our opponent would not say where he could get the money. Our opponent's inability to say how he'll fund his promises leaves open doubt as to whether he'll cut other programs, raise taxes or fail to deliver on his promises.
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Federal government has $1.27 trillion budget deficit
MYTH
Our opponent said the federal government of which he's been a part of for 10 terms and 11,000 votes has a balanced budget.
FACT
According to the White House Office of Management and Budget, the federal government has a $1.27 trillion budget deficit. If our opponent can't account for $1.27 trillion, how can the people of Hawai‘i expect that he would operate any differently in Hawai‘i, where we can't print money or run up the deficit.
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HCEI Unprecedented Federal Partnership
MYTH
Our opponent says there are ample opportunities for the state to work with federal agencies on energy.
FACT
Hawai‘i has already entered into the only state partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy. Since then, Hawai‘i has entered into partnerships with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The Hawai‘i Clean Energy Initiative is an unprecedented, innovative partnership formed in 2008 between the Lingle-Aiona Administration and the U.S. Department of Energy to generate 70 percent or more clean energy by 2030 through energy efficiency and such clean, renewable resources as solar, ocean, wind, biofuel and geothermal energy.
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Our opponent doesn't have a specific jobs plan
MYTH
Our opponent said he has a specific plan to create jobs.
FACT
Nothing in our opponent's plan would immediately create jobs in the private sector. Duke and Lynn's plan, to the contrary, will immediately create jobs by expediting $946 million of capital investment projects and use the small business preference and set-aside to expend over $200 million on local procurement. They will drive down the costs of doing business by reducing the pending unemployment insurance premium increase, cutting business fees and assessments, reducing the cost of new hires through a tax credit and opposing tax increases.
In addition, Duke and Lynn will reduce regulatory barriers by imposing and enforcing time limits on state government approvals and permits and further increase transparency and certainty through online real-time tracking of permit and approval status.
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