SPECIAL PRESENTATION.

EYEWITNESS NEWS AND "THE

PROVIDENCE JOURNAL" BRING YOU

LIVE COVERAGE.

NOW A CAMPAIGN 2012 U.S. SENATE

DEBATE.

RIGHT NOW FROM RHODE ISLAND

COLLEGE, THE FIRST LIVE SENATE

DEBATE, BETWEEN SHELDON

WHITEHOUSE AND BARRY HINCKLEY.

WE HAVE A LOT OF IMPORTANT

ISSUES TO DISCUSS TONIGHT AND

WE'LL TACKLE MANY OF THEM AS WE

TRY TO HELP YOU FIGURE OUT THE

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO MEN

LOOKING FOR YOUR VOTE.

OVER THE NEXT 60 MINUTES, WE'LL

BE GOING IN DEPTH.

THIS DEBATE IS AIRING LIVE RIGHT

NOW ON WPRI, AND ON LINE AT

WPRI.COM.

I'LL BE MODERATING THIS DEBATE

ALONG WITH TED NESI AND EDWARD

FITZPATRICK.

WE WILL BEGIN WITH ONE-MINUTE

OPENING REMARKS.

I WANT TO ASK EVERYONE TO PLEASE

HOLD YOUR APPLAUSE UNTIL THE

VERY END OF YOUR DEBATE SO

EVERYONE CAN HEAR THE ANSWERS.

THE ORDER FOR OPENING STATEMENTS

WAS DETERMINED BY A DRAWING.

WE BEGIN WITH BARRY HINCKLEY.

MR. HINCKLEY IS THE FOUNDER OF A

SUCCESSFUL SOFTWARE COMPANY,

PRIOR TO THAT HE HELPED RUN HIS

FAMILY'S BOAT-BUILDING OFFICE.

MR. HINCKLEY YOUR OPENING

REMARKS.

GOOD EVENING, AND THANK YOU

SO MUCH FOR SPONSORING THIS

EVENT, CHANNEL 12, AND "THE

PROVIDENCE JOURNAL."

THANK YOU ALL IN THE AUDIENCE

HERE AND AT HOME FOR TAKING TIME

OUT OF YOUR DAY TO LEARN MORE

ABOUT THESE TWO CANDIDATES.

SENATOR GOOD TO BE HERE WITH

YOU, ALTHOUGH I AM A LITTLE

UNCOMFORTABLE BEING TO YOUR LEFT

HERE.

I DIDN'T THINK THAT WAS

POLITICALLY POSSIBLE.

BUT WE'LL SEE WHAT WE CAN DO

TONIGHT.

ON A MUCH MORE SERIOUS NOTE,

TIMES ARE VERY, VERY DIFFICULT

IN RHODE ISLAND.

I HAVE BEEN SPEAKING TO RHODE

ISLANDERS ABOUT THE PREDICAMENT

WE FIND OURS IN.

A LAST-PLACE TEAM RHODE ISLAND

IS 50TH IN BUSINESS

FRIENDLINESS, AND WITH THAT

COMES HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT HERE AND

IN OUR LEGISLATURE.

TONIGHT YOU WILL HEAR TWO

DIFFERENT PLANS TO SOLVE THE

PROBLEMS AT OUR FEET.

SENATOR WHITEHOUSE WILL MOST

LIKELY SPEAK ABOUT HIS PLAN,

WHICH IS MORE GOVERNMENT, MORE

TAXES, AND MORE REGULATIONS.

THANK YOU, MR. HINCKLEY YOUR

TIME IS UP.

NOW SHELDON WHITEHOUSE.

MR. WHITE HOUSE WAS ELECTED TO

THE U.S. SENATE IN 2006.

PRIOR TO THAT HE WAS THE

ATTORNEY GENERAL FROM 1999 TO

2003.

MR. WHITEHOUSE YOUR OPENING

REMARKS.

THANK YOU, TIM, THANK YOU

TED, AND ED, AND THANK YOU RHODE

ISLAND FOR HOSTING US, AND THINK

YOU TO THE VIEWERS FOR TUNING

IN.

LISTENING.

LISTENING IS PROBABLY THE MOST

IMPORTANT THING I DO AS A U.S.

SENATOR, AND I HAVE HEARD LOUD

AND CLEAR, AND I UNDERSTAND HOW

DIFFICULT THE SITUATION IS IN

RHODE ISLAND RIGHT NOW.

HOW HARD THE ECONOMIC TIMES ARE

FOR MANY PEOPLE IN RHODE ISLAND

THIS HAS ACTUALLY BEEN A TIME OF

SUFFERING, AND THAT NEENS WE

HAVE TO PRESS HARFOR JOBS AND

ECONOMIC RECOVERY, TO SUSTAIN

OUR COUNTRY'S ECONOMIC RECOVERY

AND ACCELERATE RHODE ISLAND'S

ECONOMIC RECOVERY.

IN DOING SO, WE HAVE TO DO THAT

FROM THE MIDDLE CLASS OUT.

WE HAVE TRIED PUSHING ALL OF THE

BENEFITS TO THE TOP AND HAVING A

TRICKLE DOWN.

THAT'S WRONG, AND IT DOESN'T

WORK.

AND AS WE DO THIS WE HAVE TO

PROTECT THE BASIC MAINTAINS OF

THE MIDDLE CLASS, MEDICARE,

SOCIAL SECURITY, AND PELL GRANTS

FOR UPWARD MOBILITY.

THANK YOU, MR. WHITEHOUSE.

GENTLEMEN LET'S DIVE RIGHT INTO

THE TOPICS AT HAND.

WE'RE LOOKING FOR AN OPEN AND

HONEST DISCUSSION OF THE ISSUES.

WE ENCOURAGE BACK AND FORTH AS

LONG AS IT'S WITH THE TOPIC AT

HAND.

IF I FEEL YOU ARE GOING TOO LONG

OR NOT ANSWERING THE QUESTION, I

WILL JUMP IN.

LET'S JUMP IN.

GENTLEMEN, OUR POLLS SHOW THE

BIGGEST ISSUE FOR VOTERS RIGHT

NOW IS JOBS.

SO LET'S START THERE.

MR. WHITEHOUSE WE'RE GOING TO

BEGIN WITH YOU.

WE HAVE THE SECOND HIGHEST

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IN THE

COUNTRY.

WHEN YOU CAME INTO OFFICE

UNEMPLOYMENT WAS 4.8%.

WE STAND HERE TONIGHT AT 10.5%.

DEMOCRATS HAVE HAD COMPLETE OR

PARTIAL CONTROL OF WASHINGTON,

D.C. THAT ENTIRE TIME.

FOR A RHODE ISLANDER LOOKING FOR

A JOB, WHY NOT GIVE THE REINS

BACK TO REPUBLICANS?

ACTUALLY DEMOCRATS HAVE NOT

HAD CONTROL OF WASHINGTON DURING

THAT ENTIRE TIME.

WHEN I GOT THERE PRESIDENT BUSH

WAS IN CHARGE AND IT WAS AT THE

END OF HIS TERM THAT THE BIGGEST

ECONOMIC CALAMITY TO HIT THIS

COUNTRY SINCE THE GREAT

DEPRESSION TOOK PLACE.

AND I THINK THAT EXPLAINS WHAT

HAPPENED TO OUR ECONOMY.

WE HAVE NOT SPRUNG BACK AS FAST

AS WE SHOULD HAVE.

THE STRATEGY WE HAVE TO FOLLOW

IS PRETTY CLEAR TO COME BACK,

INNOVATION, MANUFACTURING, AND

INFRASTRUCTURE, ARE THE THREE

AREAS WHERE WE NEED TO FOCUS,

AND THAT'S WHERE I HAVE PUT IN A

LOT OF MY WORK.

IF YOU DRIVE BY THE PROVIDENCE

MALL, YOU'LL GO OVER A LAND

BRIDGE, IF YOU GO UNDER IT,

THERE ARE PLANKS ACROSS THE HOO

BRIDGE TO KEEP THE HIGHWAY FROM

FALLING IN.

WE NEED TO IMPROVE OUR

INFRASTRUCTURE, THE SOUTHBOUND

LANE, BECAUSE OF THE

[ INAUDIBLE ] IS ABOUT TO BE

RESTORED ANOTHER PIECE OF

LEGISLATION THEY WORKED FOR ONCE

FUNDED WILL ALLOW THE NORTHBOUND

LANE TO GET DONE.

WE HAVE A KNEW CRANE AND PIER AT

KWAN SET THAT ARE OPENING UP

KWANSET --

MR. WHITEHOUSE --

WE'LL LEAVE IT THERE, BECAUSE

WE CAN COME BACK TO

MANUFACTURING AND INNOVATION

LATER.

AND YOU HAVE LISTED OFF OF

SUCCESSES IN INFRASTRUCTURE, BUT

IT -- MIGHT RING A PRETTY HOLLOW

TO ONE OF THE 60,000 PEOPLE THAT

ARE STILL UNEMPLOYED.

RHODE ISLAND IS BEING LEFT

BEHIND IN WHAT THE REST OF THE

COUNTRY IS SEEING AS A RECOVERY.

SO WHY IS IT GOING TO BE ANY

DIFFERENT IN THE NEXT SIX YEARS?

LOOK, WE ARE SEEING A VERY,

VERY SLOW RECOVERY.

IT IS PAINFULLY SLOW, AND FOR

THE 60,000 PEOPLE WHO ARE STILL

UNEMPLOYED, IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE

A RECOVERY YET.

AND THAT'S WHY WE NEED TO DO THE

THINGS THAT CONTINUE TO PROVIDE

JOBS, AND THE CORE THING IS

INFRASTRUCTURE, BECAUSE WE NEED

IT.

WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT BUILDING

BRIDGES TO NOWHERE.

RHODE ISLAND HAS SOME OF THE

WORST INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE

COUNTRY ON ROADS AND BRIDGES --

LET ME WRAP UP WITH YOU HERE,

IN SIX YEARS IF WE'RE ON THIS

STAGE AGAIN, WHAT IS THE

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE GOING TO BE IN

SIX YEARS IF WE GIVE YOU ANOTHER

TERM?

WELL, I DON'T THINK WE'LL

HAVE ANOTHER ECONOMIC MELTDOWN

BETWEEN NOW AND THEN.

THE TREND IS TOWARDS RECOVERY.

I WOULD SAY 6%.

TO PROMOTE GROWTH YOU CALL

FOR REDUCING THE CORPORATE TAX

RATE, EXPANDING ACCESS TO PELL

GRANTS, PAYING TEACHERS MORE,

ALL WHILE CAPPING SPENDING AT

8.4% OF THE GDP.

THAT'S JUST A TASTE.

YOU ARE MAKING A LOT OF PROMISES

HERE MR. HINCKLEY.

HOW DO YOU PLAN TO PAY FOR ALL

OF THAT?

YOU PAY FOR IT BY GROWING THE

ECONOMY.

AND THAT'S SOMETHING WE DON'T

TODAY.

YOU DON'T HAVE INFRASTRUCTURE,

TEACHERS, FIREMEN UNLESS YOU

HAVE PEOPLE IN THE PRIVATE

SECTOR WORKING AND PAYING TAXES.

A HUNDRED THOUSAND RHODE

ISLANDERS HAVE MOVED OUT IN THE

LAST TEN YEARS BECAUSE WE HAVE

DEVASTATINGLY HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT.

EVERYTHING SINCE THE SENATOR HAS

BEEN IN OFFICE HAS ALMOST

DOUBLED, UNEMPLOYMENT, OUR DEBT,

AND IT -- IT'S NOT WORKING FOR

RHODE ISLANDERS TODAY, SO WHAT

DO WE NEED TO DO?

TO GET OUR ECONOMY GOING AND

GROWING SO WE CAN RAISE MORE

REVENUE AS MARCO RUBIO SAID, WE

DON'T NEED MORE TAX, WE NEED

MORE TAXPAYERS.

WOULDN'T THAT BE A LONG-TERM

SOLUTION TO A PROBLEM THAT

PEOPLE ARE FACING RIGHT NOW.

YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT RAISING THE

REVENUE BY IMPROVING THE

ECONOMY.

WE NEED TO MAKE RHODE ISLAND

AND AMERICA THE MOST ATTRACTIVE

PLACE IN THE WORLD TO DO

BUSINESS.

END OF STORY.

BUSINESSES AND CAPITAL MOVE

WHERE THEY ARE A TREATED WELL.

HOW DO YOU DO THAT?

WE NEED A TOTALLY NEW TAX

CODE HERE IN RHODE ISLAND.

WHICH I CANNOT EFFECT DIRECTLY,

BUT I CAN CONSTANTLY TALK ABOUT

IT.

OUR CONSTRUCTIONAL DELEGATION

NEVER PUSHES SMITH HILL TO BE

BUSINESS FRIENDLY.

WE HAVE THE HIGHEST TAX RATES IN

THE WORLD --

CORPORATE TAX RATE.

CORPORATE TAX RATE.

WE HAVE MASSIVE REGULATORY

PROBLEMS.

IT'S INCREDIBLY EXPENSIVE TO PUT

PEOPLE TO WORK IN AMERICA --

WHAT SHOULD THE TAX RATE BE?

IN THE 20S.

WHAT ABOUT PRESIDENT OBAMA

HAS PUT ON THE TABLE 28%, WOULD

YOU VOTE THAT UP OR DOWN.

SIMPSON BOLE HAS THE SAME

THING.

THEY SPENT TWO YEARS

MASTERMINDING A MASSIVE NEW

2,000-PLUS PAGE ENTITLEMENT

PROGRAM, AND TALK ABOUT THINGS