Debate Open Thread

I missed the beginning. What I heard follows:

Tax Swap:

Barbour: It'll Hurt municipalities.
Eaves: Those concerns were addressed and you vetoed it anyway.

"Why do you want to be Governor?":

Eaves: I had to run because we need a governor who will serve the people of Mississippi and kick the moneychangers out who are holding us back.
Barbour: I ran to bring Mississippi back from a state worse than that of the depression with lost jobs and "lawsuit abuse."

Insurance Crisis on the Coast:

Barbour: We need the federal government to require coverage. We put federal money in the wind pool.
Eaves: We need a governor who will stand up to the insurance companies and not be afraid of their claims that they'll leave. Local companies will take that business.

Barbour's question "Do you think the state of Mississippi has done a good job in response to Hurricane Katrina and what would you have done differently"

Eaves: I would have stood with Gene Taylor and forced the insurance companies to pay the claims and I wouldn't have signed housing wavers that allowed housing money to be spent on other things.

Barbour's response: I'm proud of the progress and there are still issues. "Not one person's second home" was eligible.

Eaves' rebuttal: 1 person in a FEMA trailer is too many when it's been 2 years.

Barbour's rebuttal: I trust the people on the Coast, I trust their judgement to decide correctly.

Eaves' question "The people of Mississippi deserve to know who you serve" explain the inconsistencies of your trust:

Barbour: I put all my assets in a trust. I appointed the best lawyers to put it together and manage it. The ethics committee says it's alright. My opponent doesn't want to talk about a, b, and c.

Eaves' response: In the federal system blind trusts are monitored by ethics folks who can see what's in the trust and the administrator is independent and not a childhood friend.

Barbour's rebuttal: "He's got no" nothing. Liberal special interests.

Eaves' rebuttal: "Again I've asked the question; what are you hiding Governor?" "If it's not a big deal just tell us..."

Public School Funding:

Eaves: We need time for school prayer. We will fund education first and fully fund it every year. "Our children need an excellent education; not simply an adequate one." Raise teacher pay. A 2% tax on casinos will give us the funding we need to pay for teacher raises every year.

Barbour: Schools are being funded at the highest level ever at all levels including K-12, Universities, Community Colleges, and Workforce Training.

Eaves' rebuttal: The school funding increase was passed legislatively under Governor Musgrove and we should spend on pre-kindergarden.

Barbour's rebuttal: My fear is that trying to get prayer in school will get religious groups kicked out of the schools.

What will you do for Bay St. Louis and Waveland to get them where you'd like them in 5 years?

Barbour: We need the seawall back in Waveland. The people are "gritty, determined" and that's the best thing for building back any community.

Eaves: We need a governor who'll stand up the insurance companies so that people can get the money to rebuild.

Barbour's rebuttal: We will never tell you how to rebuild. If insurance companies don't fulfill their contracts they ought to be sued, they ought to get their tails kicked.

Eaves' Rebuttal: We need a governor who will stand up for people.

Eaves Closing Statement: Barbour and I agree on one thing. This should be about his record. Our unemployment rate is higher, our dropout rate high, our cigarettes cheap and our kids hooked. We need a governor who will take on big tobacco and oil and provide good healthcare, education and jobs.

Barbours' Closing Statement: My opponent's campaign is nothing but negative attacks. People are doing better than ever. My opponent doesn't have any ideas and he introduced his health plan on the same day as Hillary Clinton, a monday.