by Rebekah L. Sanders - Sept. 19, 2012 09:55 PM
The Republic | azcentral.com
Standing in front of heavy equipment at a small business in industrial Phoenix, Republican congressional candidate Vernon Parker promised to push for changes in Washington to help companies hire workers if voters in District 9 elect him.
Parker was visiting Arizona Hi-Lift as part of a "Road to Prosperity" tour he is taking of businesses to talk about creating jobs. Though two of Parker's visits were in the swing district, his west Phoenix stop on Tuesday landed him in Democrat U.S. Rep. Ed Pastor's district. Parker's campaign says policies in Congress affect all businesses, no matter the district.
Parker and his District 9 Democratic opponent, Kyrsten Sinema, are courting voters concerned about the economy in pursuit of the newly created toss-up seat, which covers north-central Phoenix, part of Paradise Valley, south Scottsdale, Tempe, west Mesa, west Chandler and Ahwatukee Foothills.
Sinema also touts ideas for spurring job growth. She released a detailed, 12-point plan during her primary bid, which she won Aug. 28.
While Parker and Sinema agree that families and small businesses need help, they offer differing opinions on what the government should do, reflecting the partisan debate taking place in the presidential election, as Arizona's 8.3 percent unemployment rate hovers near the national rate of 8.1 percent.
Parker, following the GOP platform, advocates lower taxes, fewer federal regulations and replacing the Affordable Care Act. Sinema, taking cues from Democratic talking points, calls for raising taxes on the wealthy, offering tax breaks for technology research and investing in infrastructure.
Business groups echo Parker's call for cutting red tape.
Farrell Quinlan, Arizona director for the National Federation for Independent Business and a former Republican lobbyist, said that some regulations are important but that others merely make doing business harder. He said that although states and cities also make regulations, it's the federal rules that have ballooned.
"We could regulate ourselves right out of any recovery from this recession," Quinlan said.
But critics say regulations are essential to protecting health, worker safety and the environment. Washington Post fact-checkers note that the Obama's administration has issued fewer regulations in the first three years than the same period under President George W. Bush. However, the number of "economically significant" rules increased under President Barack Obama.
Parker, flanked by Arizona Hi-Lift owner Doug Click and Republican state Treasurer Doug Ducey, blamed the sluggish recovery on "uncertainty" caused by regulations.
"There are certain things that get under my skin," Parker said. "When you have a regulatory system that is uncertain, coupled with the highest corporate income tax in the world, jobs are fleeing America and they are going overseas. When I get to Congress, I am going to work with both parties to ensure that we bring jobs back to America and that we preserve small businesses such as this."
Parker added that the federal deficit and Obama's health-care reforms stifle job growth.
The economy has improved since Obama took office. Since the worst of the crash, about 4.6 million jobs have been created and the pace of private-sector job creation is now greater than the pace in either of Bush's terms, according to the New York Times.
Republicans say that the recovery has not been fast enough and that their approach will lead to greater job growth. Democrats say that the country is on track but that it is taking time to come back after such a steep recession.
Though Parker plans to add detail to his proposals after the job tour, his basic plan is to reduce the corporate income tax, implement a small-business tax deduction and reduce the lowest tax rates for individuals. He wants to replace the health-care law with "private-sector initiatives" such as risk pools and buying insurance across state lines.
Parker wants Congress to vote on all federal regulations and to implement a moratorium on federal agencies creating new regulations during the transition between presidential administrations.
Sinema's plan addresses taxes and regulations but in different ways.
She believes the Bush tax cuts should be allowed to expire for Americans making more than $250,000 a year. She calls for eliminating tax breaks for companies that send jobs overseas, increasing federal loans to small businesses, offering tax incentives for companies to invest in research and spending more on infrastructure.
On regulations, Sinema advocates a streamlined federal website so businesses can apply for permits in one place.
Quinlan said that doesn't solve the problem of burdensome regulations. "A better-fitting and streamlined straitjacket is still a straitjacket," he said.
Sinema argues that she is pushing for "common sense" solutions to help struggling families and small businesses rather than benefiting corporations.
Sinema spokesman Justin Unga said Sinema's plan would "create good-paying, high-tech jobs here in Arizona" while keeping "taxes low for 98 percent of Americans."
20 Sep, 2012
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Source: http://www.azcentral.com/community/chandler/articles/2012/09/17/20120917parker-sinema-press-economic-prescriptions-district-9.html
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