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| 09-29-2004 | Previous edition: 09-28-2004 |
        
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Printer-friendly version Governor, opponents debate Indiana issues
City Editor Franklin, Ind. — Taxes and the ability to fund state programs with the economic deficit were scrutinized as the underlying problems for nearly every issue the candidates discussed during the Indiana gubernatorial debate on Tuesday. Several hundred people gathered at Franklin College to listen to the first of possibly two debates between the 2004 gubernatorial candidates, Democratic Governor Joe Kernan, Republican candidate Mitch Daniels and Libertarian candidate Kenn Gividen. While the candidates discussed a number of issues ranging from safely distributing drivers licenses at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to providing adequate health care for Hoosiers, the issue of whether the state could fund some of these programs was regularly addressed by Daniels. He said the fact that Hoosiers only receive 88 cents per dollar earned and the disappearance of a $2 billion surplus were reasons enough why Hoosiers wanted a fresh start after 16 years of control by the Democratic party. "If this is a good record, what would a bad one look like?" he said. However, Kernan adopted an attitude of optimism and said his plan, "Action Indiana," has detailed how he will pay for all of Indiana’s programs in the face of economic adversity. "It is a positive view for our future," he said. While Kernan and Daniels sparred over their differing perspectives of whether Indiana was capable of funding state programs, such as all-day kindergarten and how best to alleviate the state’s deficit woes, Gividen’s primary concern was abolishing taxes. Gividen said no property taxes would entice more businesses to relocate here and would pay the government through income taxes. Instead, people in retirement will be paying $300 to $500 just to live in their homes, he said. "Property taxes are inherently evil and immoral," he said. "I am the only candidate that wants to stop property taxes." Daniels said improving Indiana’s economy would also come from the introduction of new businesses to Indiana, possibly by using tax abatements, but there should be a strong emphasis placed on helping small business owners with tax phase-ins. But Kernan asked where the money would come from to cover the abatements. "Who will pay the bill?" Kernan and Daniels also disagreed on the appropriate means of lowering drug costs. Daniels said he does not support a policy of reimporting drugs from Canada to lower costs due to potential health risks and the threat that Indiana residents could be ripped-off more by rapacious middlemen. He said new state programs would best solve the problem. But Gividen and Kernan said they supported reimporting drugs from Canada. Kernan said he would do so if no other better solutions presented themselves. "The argument it is unsafe is nonsense," he said. Gividen said overregulation by the government caused the high prices in drugs and pushing government away would lower their costs as well as importing them. "If we can get it for a lower price, why not get it?" Printer-friendly version |
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