As the Castle Campaign continues to sink in the polls, he is desperately digging up issues to distract voters from the fact that he voted with President Obama on just about every major spending bill this summer.

Sad but true, his tactics have dominated a whole news cycle distracting some reporters from the real issues, like how we’re going to get private sector jobs back in Delaware or why he voted for Cap and Trade.  Because of this, I am amending the “Christine Counters” section of my website to clarify their latest accusation.

Mike Castle is making an issue of the fact that it took me 12 years to pay off my tuition bill and as a result my diploma was delayed.  As you can see from the picture below, I participated in my school’s Cap and Gown ceremony in 1993.  Yet, the “diploma” in my hand is actually a bursar’s bill for outstanding tuition payments.   It took me over a decade to pay off that bill as well as my student loans.

Once the bill was paid in full over 10 years later, the question of whether or not my credits had expired became an issue that even further delayed the awarding of my diploma.

In the meantime, I was awarded a 2002 Graduate Fellowship in Constitutional Government from the Claremont Institute in Claremont, CA.  This fellowship was awarded based on professional accomplishments rather than academic achievements.   I was upfront with the Claremont Institute about the status of the degree, yet it was not an issue because my professional merits stood on their own.

After a very long process, my undergraduate credits finally have been re-instated and I am a proud alumna of Fairleigh Dickinson University.

As your senator, I will focus on stopping the Mike Castle supported Obama agenda, including being the 41^st vote in the upcoming lame duck session voting against cap and trade, and further budget breaking stimulus.

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As the O’Donnell for US Senate team continues to gain momentum and rise in the polls, my political opponent is making an issue of the fact that, unlike him, I am not a multi-millionaire. His surrogates are generating stories based on half-truths and twisted facts. Perhaps this is a desperate move on his part to distract from his liberal voting record.  Perhaps he really believes only multi-millionaires or incumbents should run for office.

Whatever his reason for spreading rumors, please allow me to set the record straight so we can get back to the business of discussing the issues and serving the folks in Delaware.

1. My opponent claims I owe money to the IRS.  The IRS says the erroneous tax bill was a “computer error.”

During my previous campaign against then Sen. Joe Biden, I was audited by the IRS – so were some of my family members and a campaign worker.  (Let’s chalk that up to a coincidence.) After a long appeals process, this was supposed wrap-up this past spring.

Yet, in March, rather than a letter finalizing the appeals process, I received an erroneous tax lien claiming I had not responded to their previous correspondence.  The IRS admitted the letter was a mistake, issued a Certificate of Release of Federal Tax Lien on May 19, 2010 and chalked it up to a “computer error.”  The remaining balance was paid in full on May 16, 2010, clearly proving yet again that my political opponent is desperate and because of which he is ignoring the facts and circulating copies of the erroneous lien to reporters and bloggers.

Please find below, a copy of the letter from the appeals officer assigned to my case.  You will notice that it is dated just weeks before the erroneous lien and clearly demonstrates I had been cooperating with the IRS and heading towards resolution.

IRS Appeal Letter

On a side note, whether this is foul play or really just a computer error, it is big government at its worst – the IRS’s “computer error” should not be able to cause such a nightmare in a citizens’ life.

This is exactly why I have pledged to work hard to reform the IRS and simplify the tax code. The IRS has become a burden on too many families and businesses.  We need to shrink it, not expand it as proposed by the Obama/Reid agenda.

2. I sold my home in 2008.  My opponent claims I lost it in foreclosure.

Please find below, the letter from Citimortgage proving my home was privately sold in 2008 through a realtor and private mortgage company, not a public foreclosure.  Yet, my opponent is circulating a supposed foreclosure notice.   Could this document be the result another “computer error?”

citimortgage letter

Although I did not have the misfortune of facing a home foreclosure as my opponent alleges, millions of Americans – including scores of Delaware families – ARE facing just that right now. Catastrophic unemployment rates are robbing the American dream from so many who want to work, but can’t find a job.  In trying to “smear” me with false accusations of being involved in a foreclosure, Mike Castle is smearing the character of every American family facing foreclosure.  Not everyone is as lucky as Mike Castle who has been living on the taxpayer’s tab and a cushy government payroll since 1969.

3. My opponent is trying to start a rumor that I am not a Delaware resident.  This is simply not true.

During my 2008 campaign, both my home and campaign office were vandalized, broken into, files were stolen, threatening messages were left and nasty names were scrawled across my front door and porch.  For security reasons, I simply do not want my home address made public this time around.  Most common people understand this.

Thank you for taking the time to read my response.  As we continue to gain in the polls, no doubt new accusations will come.  I will continue to remain open and honest.  It is my goal to earn the trust and support of Delaware’s voters.  Thank you for giving me the opportunity to do just that.

– Christine