Vernon Parker's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)
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Issue Positions
For Presidential and Congressional candidates who refuse to provide voters with their positions, Vote Smart has researched their public records to determine their likely responses. These issue positions are from 2012.
- Vernon Parker. On the Issues. 6 September 2012. "I believe all life particularly that of the unborn is sacred and deserves our protection." (vernonparker.com)
- Vernon Parker. 2012 Phoenix Arizona Election Questionnaire for Congress. Responded "I am pro-life." to the question: "Where do you stand on abortion and women's access to reproductive services?" (www.azcentral.com)
- Vernon Parker. 2012 Phoenix Arizona Election Questionnaire for Congress. Responded "I don't believe the President has been clear about his vision for our commitment in Afghanistan. The on-going instability in Pakistan is not reason enough to stay." to the question: "What should be the U.S. policy toward Iraq and Afghanistan moving forward?" (www.azcentral.com)
- Vernon Parker. Issue Position: National Security. "While our economy is in recovery, we must not forget that we are fighting two wars and that we have men and women deployed around the world in service to our country. The protection of the citizenry from foreign attack is the sole responsibility of the federal government, and we must remain vigilant. Members of the US military and their families will have my unwavering support for the training, equipment, and funding they need to complete their mission." (votesmart.org)
- Vernon Parker. Video: Vernon Parker on KFNN 1510. 3 August 2010. "When do we get away from the idea that taxation is a good thing? ¦ We have this mentality that if we tax people, we're hurting the rich. No, we're not; we're hurting poor people." (youtu.be)
- Vernon Parker. Issue Position: Debt. 1 January 2012. "As mayor of Paradise Valley, I cut spending by 30%, reduced staff and streamlined government when we faced a budget shortfall, and I opposed all efforts to raise taxes. I will put this experience to work in Washington to address our fiscal crisis." (votesmart.org)
- Vernon Parker. Issue Position: Economic Recovery. 1 January 2012. "We need tax cuts, not deficit spending, to unleash growth in America [¦] Provide income tax relief for working families by reducing the lowest individual tax rates to give families more control over their own money." (votesmart.org)
- Vernon Parker. Issue Position: Jobs. "Provide income tax relief for working families by reducing the lowest individual tax rate from 15 percent to 10 percent and from 10 percent to 5 percent." (votesmart.org)
- Vernon Parker. 2012 Phoenix Arizona Election Questionnaire for Congress. Responded "The real issue in the election is not the taxing of a few, but rather who has the vision and the policies to increase the wealth of the American working family. Millions of American do not have the opportunity to be employed to their highest potential. We need to get to work establishing stable tax and regulatory policies, and get Americans back to work. Too much time is spent on whether we should tax the wealthy, as opposed to getting Americans back to work." to the question: "Should wealthy Americans pay more in taxes?" (www.azcentral.com)
- Vernon Parker. Issue Position: Debt. 1 January 2012. "Parker will oppose any efforts to raise the federal government's "credit card" limit. We must cut spending and start paying down our debt immediately [¦] As mayor of Paradise Valley, I cut spending by 30%, reduced staff and streamlined government when we faced a budget shortfall, and I opposed all efforts to raise taxes. I will put this experience to work in Washington to address our fiscal crisis." (votesmart.org)
- Vernon Parker. 2012 Phoenix Arizona Election Questionnaire for Congress. Responded Looking forward, I wouldn't support bailouts. Perhaps an argument can be made that the recession would have been worse without government intervention, but government intervention alone was not enough to restore our economy. The government should not be in the business of picking winners and losers. Perhaps if we had taken more of a free market approach, the recovery would have been stronger." to the question: "In retrospect, were the federal bailouts of the financial sector and the automobile industry good or bad decisions?" (www.azcentral.com)
- Vernon Parker. On the Issues. 6 September 2012. "Obama's $787 billion Stimulus legislation failed. The continuing implementation of Obama's policies and deficit spending are a further drag on the road to recovery." (vernonparker.com)
- Vernon Parker. Twitter: @VernonBParker. 17 July 2012. "Senate should pass GOP #jobs bills. Cap, cut and balance! No tax increases!" (twitter.com)
- Vernon Parker. On the Issues. 6 September 2012. "We must lower our corporate tax rates to allow small business to reinvest and create jobs [¦] create a Small Business Tax Deduction equal to 20% of their income. This will give small businesses"the driving force in our economy"more money to invest and hire workers." (vernonparker.com)
- Vernon Parker. Video: Vernon Parker on KFNN 1510. 3 August 2010. "There are agencies I believe shouldn't exist like the Department of Education. The reality is that education should be local. Why are we sending billions of dollars to a bureaucracy like the Department of Education for them to set up and theorize on what should happen on a local level?" (youtu.be)
- Vernon Parker. 2012 Phoenix Arizona Election Questionnaire for Congress. Responded: "I believe that education would be more effective if it were localized. We send too much money to Washington and to the Department of Education. I believe that the money would be better spent if it stayed in the state." to the question: "What should the federal government's role in education be?" (www.azcentral.com)
- Vernon Parker. Energy. 19 September 2012. "We need: Increased production of American-made energy." (vernonparker.com)
- Vernon Parker. Issue Position: Energy. "We need leaders who will block cap and trade legislation. Adding a tax on carbon emissions to our fragile economy is a bad idea, which I will vigorously oppose." (votesmart.org)
- Vernon Parker. 2012 Phoenix Arizona Election Questionnaire for Congress. Responded "No" to the question: "Would you support a cap-and-trade-style measure to address climate change?" (www.azcentral.com)
- Vernon Parker. On the Issues. 6 September 2012. "I am a strong advocate for the right of citizens to keep and bear arms, a right our founders protected. I grew up in a neighborhood plagued by drugs and violence. However, criminals will find a way to obtain firearms and Congress should not infringe on the right of law-abiding citizens to own them for self-defense or recreation" (vernonparker.com)
- Vernon Parker. Video: Arizona Horizon Video- Eight Arizona PBS. 31 July 2012. "The assault weapons are not the killers in our society; it's the people who shoot them. I really do believe that we must protect the Second Amendment rights of all American citizens." [Time: 17:52] (www.azpbs.org)
- Vernon Parker. Signed Independent Women's Voice: ObamaCare Repeal Pledge. "I pledge, if elected, to vote for all bills which seek to REPEAL the health care bill, HR 3590, signed into law on March 23, 2010.* To that end, I would now and will in the next Congress endorse and vote for all measures, including discharge petitions, leading to its defunding, deauthorization, and repeal. I shall do so whether those measures are taken for the whole of the bill or those component parts that impose mandates, restrict patient and doctor choice and access, violate individual freedom and privacy, reduce healthy competition, increase costs, or raise taxes. *The healthcare bill is defined as consisting of: 1) The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590), signed into law on March 23, 2010; and 2) The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (H.R. 4872), signed into law on March 30, 2010." (votesmart.org)
- Vernon Parker. Phoenix Arizona Election Questionnaire for Congress. Responded "No" to the question " Would you support some sort of a pathway to legal status for illegal immigrants who are already in the country and in many cases have been here for years?" (www.azcentral.com)
- Vernon Parker. 2012 Phoenix Arizona Election Questionnaire for Congress. Responded " I believe marriage should be between one man and one woman." to the question: "Do you support or oppose gay marriage? And should the federal government maintain or repeal the Defense of Marriage Act?" (www.azcentral.com)
- Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
- Vernon Parker. Video: Vernon Parker Politics Unplugged, Phoenix, 9/2/12. 2 September 2012. "We have to honor the contract we have with seniors. I am not going to cut Social Security." (youtu.be)
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