League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Ventura, Los Angeles County, CA June 5, 2012 Election
	Linda Parks Answers Questions Candidate for United States Representative; District 26

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of California Education Fund and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. In this time of high unemployment, what are the most important steps that should be taken to improve our nation’s economy?

Congress needs to stop the brinkmanship politics and work together to balance our nation's budget and restore our bond rating. This will give businesses the certainty they need to invest in capital projects and expand their workforce. This in turn will create demand for goods and services that will buoy our economy. If Congress can't pass a budget on time, they shouldn't be paid.

Here are the step to improve our economy:

1. Reduce payroll tax for new hires.

2. Control the debt that brings uncertainty to the economy.

3. Increase job training programs in growing sectors of the economy.

4. Invest government resources in infrastructure ‑ e.g. Sacramento Delta levies.

5. Keep agriculture a viable industry with reliable water supply and farmland protection policies.
6. Provide tax incentives for emerging technology and start‑ups without subsidizing foreign competitors.
7. Support our Naval Base, protecting it from closure and respecting the Military Influence Area.
8. Attract businesses with our area's high quality of life (low crime, low congestion, good air quality, great schools, low sales tax, etc.)
9. Streamline bureaucracy so business expansions and new projects can move forward faster and workers can get on the job sooner.
10. Invest in higher education to train the next generation of scientists, technicians, innovators and entrepreneurs.

2. How should the federal budget deficit be addressed, now and into the future? How should budget priorities for defense and domestic programs be adjusted?

We need real solutions that will bring our budgets into balance and put our financial house in order. We must stop borrowing against our children's future to pay for today's excesses. As a former Thousand Oaks Mayor and Councilmember and current Ventura County Supervisor, I've worked with my colleagues and balanced budgets year after year. As your Representative, we can take that same kind of budget discipline to Washington. We could immediately reduce multiple billions of dollars in spending by changing the way we deliver health care, by closing corporate loopholes, and bringing our troops home from Afghanistan.

3. What are your priorities with respect to our nation’s energy policy? Should there be an emphasis on clean energy and reducing carbon emissions, and/or on reducing our dependence on foreign sources?

Our nation needs to wean itself from oil from the Middle East not only for the sake of our economy but also for our national security. We can also reduce our dependence on fossil fuels by encouraging investment in renewable energy including solar, wind, geothermal, biofuels and hydropower. While government should not be in the business of picking winners and losers (like they did with Solyndra), we should encourage innovation, research and development. Our country currently exports more refined oil than the crude oil we import, a demand and supply paradigm that leaves Americans with high gas prices and a sluggish economy. Marshaling our own oil reserves in environmentally friendly ways, keeping more of the oil we export here for Americans, and transitioning to non-fossil fuel sources will lead to energy independence, a more robust economy, more dollars in people's pockets and a strengthened national security profile.

4. What, if any, changes should be made to federal health care policies or programs?

Our nation needs common-sense healthcare reform that puts patients first, protects Medicare, improves access, lowers costs, and strives for quality care. We need to look to new ways to deliver services with higher quality and lower cost. We need to reduce the cost of prescription medications. For example, Ventura County cut the costs of prescription drugs by $6 million a year by buying in bulk and partnering with the private sector. Providing the option of in-home care can increase the quality of life for the ill and elderly who would otherwise end up in nursing homes. We can encourage preventative care that keeps people's health in check and avoids expensive emergency room visits. We can empower patients to be good consumers and prod health care professionals to end needless medical tests and procedures. We can and should crack down on Medicare fraud.

The gains that have been achieved through the Affordable Care Act, i.e., allowing for people with pre-existing conditions to get health care insurance and having children up to 26 years of age covered by their parent's health insurance, are tremendous benefits that must not be lost. However, the healthcare reform legislation as enacted is far from perfect, and the Supreme Court will likely overturn the individual mandate. As your representative in Congress, I would work to eliminate the unacceptable expenses and inefficiencies of the system while providing high quality care.

5. What, if any, changes should be made to federal rules on campaign financing?

The influence of big money special interests diminishes the voice of the people. The answer to ending special interest influence is simple -- don't take the money. Linda is not beholden to any special interests. She is running for Congress to fix the system and to do so she is not going to get rich off special interests, she is not going to take contributions from unions, she is not going to take money from corporate political action committees (PAC's), or from political parties. Linda is running for Congress with the support of people instead.

One of Linda's goals if elected will be to end the influence that special interests have on decisions of government and help rectify the impacts of Citizens United on campaigns. An advocate for fair campaigns, Linda has written the first campaign reform law for the City of Thousand Oaks and ushered in the first campaign reform in the County of Ventura. She incorporated into both laws a requirement to disclose on campaign material the major contributors who funded it.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. References to opponents are not permitted.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: May 24, 2012 14:17
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