Cameron Parsons

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Cameron Parsons

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 8, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

University of Virginia's College, Wise, 2012

Personal

Birthplace

Lebanon, Va.

Religion

Baptist

Profession

Feedstock coordinator

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Twitter

Cameron Parsons (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Tennessee's 1st Congressional District. He lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Parsons completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Cameron Parsons was born in Lebanon, Virginia. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia's College at Wise in 2012. Parsons' career experience includes working as a feedstock coordinator.

Elections

2022

See also: Tennessee's 1st Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Tennessee District 1

Incumbent Diana Harshbarger defeated Cameron Parsons, Richard Baker, and Matt Makrom in the general election for U.S. House Tennessee District 1 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Diana Harshbarger (R)	78.3	147,241
		Cameron Parsons (D)	19.7	37,049
	Submit photo	Richard Baker (Independent)	1.3	2,466
		Matt Makrom (Independent)	0.7	1,247

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 188,003
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 1

Cameron Parsons advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 1 on August 4, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cameron Parsons	100.0	6,099

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 6,099
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 1

Incumbent Diana Harshbarger advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Tennessee District 1 on August 4, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Diana Harshbarger	100.0	43,761

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 43,761
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Chuck Miller (R)
• Austin Wyatt (R)

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Cameron Parsons completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Parsons' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am Cameron Parsons. I am a father, a husband, and my family is my life. I enjoy learning new things, solving problems, and being outdoors. I have worked mostly in scientific research and analytical chemistry. I approach issues logically, and with an open mind. I have very conservative friends and very liberal friends. I don’t see politics as a winner take all competition, but a way for multiple ideas to be vetted and compromises achieved.

I wanted to run for Congress because this country is continuing to pass bloated budgets, elect corrupt leaders, and allow our rights to be trampled. I see so many of these issues going unfixed because of partisan politics. I will work with anyone that is willing to do so. I have tangible ideas to make everyday life better for all Americans. We can fix this, and get our government working for the people again.

For the better of this country, we must stop the culture wars, celebrity worship, and identity nonsense. We are putting our future and our freedoms in danger to promote petty arguments. I want to focus on the issues, and deliver policy decisions that make us better.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Families across the country are under more pressures than ever before. We have to be able to talk openly about these issues, identify solutions, implement those solutions, and work to make the future a better place. Abortion is one of those issues that everyone feels very strongly about. I want to work with both Democrats and Republicans to strengthen families, make adoptions easier, help protect children, and reduce the number of abortions in this country. Everyone agrees with that message, but no one is acting on it. My highest priority is helping the families of this country.
• The economy is engine that brings us peace and prosperity. The government is the guide and the guardian of our economy. It should do just enough, that people can enjoy freedom and independence, but not be robbed or mistreated. Our government has been one of the biggest supporters of innovation and technology in the world, and we have enjoyed a long period of unmatched prosperity. Our government should do more in that area, but cut spending that is wasteful. Before enacting new laws, our government should review existing regulations, make it easier to follow, and flexible enough to not smother businesses. In other words, our government should work for the people of this country to make life easier, not harder.
• Politicians on both sides are growing more and more out of touch with regular people. We can fix a lot of Congress’s issues by protecting the integrity of our elections, cracking down on corruption, reforming campaign finance, and establishing term limits. This is 2022, our elections should be free, fair, and accurate. Insider trading has disgraced our incumbent Representative and members of both parties. No one is above the law, and these people must be held accountable.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am personally interested in balancing the federal budget, reducing abortions, fixing Social Security, and making sure that the United States remains the most innovative country in the world. All of those things are achievable and would make a positive, tangible impact on everyone. I am excited for the opportunity to fix these pressing issues.
I am passionate about efficiency, fixing problems, and leaving things in a better state than when I found them. Government seems to be doing none of those things anymore, and we the people, deserve better. We have to get our budgets under control, we have to defend our Constitutional rights, and we have to support Americans and their economic interests. The reason no one is doing this is that it is hard to do those things. I am putting in the work to find key policy areas, look for solutions, and to find some consensus on those those issues we can change. Keep checking my website, TN1.us, as I work to make more of these ideas visible to the voters.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I love history, so I could talk about this for a long time. Two of my favorite Founding Fathers are Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine. Those men were two of the greatest writers to ever live and played a huge part in the early success of our country. Theodore Roosevelt started his life as a sickly child, but became one of the greatest Americans through determination and drive. As far as role models go, those are some of the best.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

One of the most important principles for anyone is integrity, unfortunately, it is also the most rare in members of Congress. Money and power have become the driving force for so many promising officials. Most negotiations appear to be occurring in bad faith, lies are more common than the truth, and members are ignoring the best interests of voters. We must hold members accountable. Honor is something that I want to return, as it has disappeared from our Representatives. It involves respect for others and respect for yourself. We would all benefit if our leaders did that a little bit more.

What legacy would you like to leave?

By running for office, I get the chance to show that politicians can be good and decent people. A chance to leave this world a better place for my family. I could be known as the person that corrected many of the wrongs that have gone on unchallenged for too long. However, the only legacy I can fully control is the one that I leave for my family. I want them to know that I loved them very much, I always tried to do the right thing for them and myself, and that they should always be good and decent people.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I was born in 1989, so I was 3 when ‘Skins won their last Super Bowl and 9 when Tennessee won their last National Championship. I remember the Presidency of Bill Clinton fondly, but the most important event of my lifetime was 9/11. Our 6th grade classroom had turned on the news to see the events unfolding in New York City just in time to see the second plane strike. That terrorist attack changed the course of our country. I love history, so I could talk about this for a long time. Two of my favorite Founding Fathers are Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine. Those men were two of the greatest writers to ever live and played a huge part in the early success of our country. Theodore Roosevelt started his life as a sickly child, but became one of the greatest Americans through determination and drive. As far as role models go, those are some of the best.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was as a lifeguard during high school and college. Altogether, I was a lifeguard for 6 years.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Plague by Albert Camus. This book is a classic, and it was the basis for at least three of my major term papers in college. I only now realized the overlap with the story and the Covid 19 epidemic. It is the story of a city ravaged by plague and an allegory of the horrors of WW2. Despite the worst situations one can imagine, “there are more things to admire in men than to despise.”

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Phillip Marlowe, the classic hardboiled detective from the 1930s and 40s.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

The theme song to Mickey Mouse's Clubhouse, thanks to my 2 year old.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

The House is unique in that it is and average citizen’s closest representative in the federal government. Each member of the House represents about 700,000 people on average, every pair of Senators represent each state’s population, and the President represents every American. For a long time, it was the only directly elected official that the people had in the federal government. The House remains the government entity that is most directly connected to the will of the American people.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

Obviously, experience is one of the most beneficial attributes for any position. Looking at Congress now, I can safely say that no one’s experience is adding any benefit to the American people. The most important attributes are a willingness to work, maintain integrity, and the ability to make the good decisions on the behalf of the people. Those are the attributes that I would bring to Congress.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

My great grandmother was born in 1918, and I loved to talk to her about the events in her life, the Great Depression, WW2, and so on. She lived to see some of the most profound changes I can imagine. For better or worse, time continues to progress and so does our technologies. Rapid advancements in artificial intelligences, robotics, computing, communications, could change life as we know it within such a short period of time. It is both frightening and encouraging. That is our greatest challenge, to not shy away from the difficult moments, but to take them head on, and make ourselves better in the process. I know that we can do, because we have done it before. We can beat Communist China, we can beat the political pundits and celebrities waging culture wars, we can fix any wrong that exists in our system of government. The people of the United States will take on any challenge and be successful.

If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

The most important committees are Appropriations, Rules, and Ways and Means. Those three touch nearly every significant action in Congress. I would be honored to be a part of any of those important committees. My personal interests would be in the Budget, Ethics, and the Science, Space, and Technology committees. I have expressed desires to balance budgets, make government efficient, and ensure the United States leads the world in innovation. Those committees would be the best places to work on those goals directly.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Yes, two years is the correct term length. The main problem is that most members of Congress spend most of their time fundraising instead of doing the job they were elected to do. Fixing term limits, campaign finance, and other corrupting influences will make Congress more representative.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

We must establish Congressional term limits. Unfortunately, many politicians become corrupted by money and power. Term limits at least put some level of control on the situation. Additional steps would be to fix gerrymandering, limiting out of control campaign contributions, ensuring free and fair elections, etc.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

My list is too long, so I will limit it to current Representatives. Mike Simpson (R) of Idaho, Mike Garcia (R) of California, and Liz Cheney (R) of Wyoming are three really good conservative leaders. Tennessee is lucky to have two good Democratic Representatives, Jim Cooper and Steve Cohen. Abigail Spanberger and Jennifer Wexton from Virginia are also really good role models. Not in the House, but Senator Tammy Duckworth is one of my favorite politicians. She should be a household name in this country.

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

I have received a lot of positive feedback about my campaign, because it focuses on the most important issues facing our country. The economy, corruption in government, and balanced budgets are all things that we agree on in Northeast Tennessee. The most important thing I hear about is family. Our families are the reason we want this country to be successful. It represents the best possible outcome for anyone. You can be who you want to be, say what you want to say, and have the freedom to not worry about a repressive government tell you what to do. That is why families stick out to me. We can’t always agree on policies, but we all agree that families need better from the government. That is what keeps me encouraged.

Tell us your favorite joke.

"Why are cows the best dancers? ... They have all the best Moo-ves" - my 6 year old

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Modern politics has skewed a lot of people into thinking that compromise is a bad thing. Compromise is necessary and desirable. No one person or party is capable of knowing every outcome, every need, or every detail of a problem. It is the main reason that intelligent people seek diversity, to learn new things. The United States government was established as a compromise, it survived based on compromise, and we live in a society based on daily compromise. However, compromise is never easy. It has alway been difficult and challenging. That is why we elect these Representatives, to do the hard work on our behalf. Any member of Congress that is unable to compromise and make decisions in the best interests of the American people is unfit to serve.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

Balancing the budget is one of my top priorities. We pay more than enough in taxes to cover every need in this country. We should investigate every dollar to determine if it can be used more efficiently in some other situation. We should prosecute those that are stealing or wasting the government’s money. American businesses need clear guidance and support if we are serious about competition on global markets. Business tax rates should be close to the 15% global minimum that was recently agreed on. American people are taxed enough as it is, and those rates should be lowered as much as possible. The growing deficit is absolutely terrifying, and both sides are to blame. We have to fix that before it becomes a disaster.

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Campaign website

Parsons' campaign website stated the following:

“	Abortion Abortions have a long documented and controversial history in this country. It has become one of the most divisive issues in the last 50 years. For too many women, it is the most difficult decision of their lives. Both parties have used the issue as a political football. Instead of continuing this fight in which no one wins, we could immediately take action to reduce the total number of abortions in a bipartisan manner. Congress has the power to encourage adoptions, provide aid to newborn children, and assist expectant mothers. The new Texas abortion vigilante law has made life harder for women, doctors, and care givers. In some cases, medical emergencies may result in the death of the mother and/or the child. Difficult medical decisions should not be forced on families due to the misguided principles of self-serving politicians. Life and health are too complex to be guided by blanket laws. We should do what we can do to help families overcome these challenges. A pilot program in Colorado that provided family planning and birth control to expectant mothers, cut abortion rates in half within 5 years of implementation. This should be the model for the rest of the country. This has the potential to be a turning point for the United States. Whether you are pro-choice, pro-life, or anything in between, we can all agree that fewer individuals seeking abortions is a good thing. We can overcome this useless partisan fighting, and eliminate the need for abortions all together. Budgets It seems that Republicans and Democrats have both ignored the problems associated with spending beyond our means. I support measures to stop the deficit spending that continues to pile up debt. Future budgets should be limited to our ability to pay. Looking back, both parties have severely damaged our economic certainty. The only way for us to dig out of this mess is to return to responsible governance. I want to see Democrats return to the party of balanced budgets, and I will lead that effort if no one else steps forward. The greatest argument to be made for fiscal responsibility is simply the security of our country. We have all enjoyed the benefits of this post-1945 Pax-Americana era. The majority of this time saw our country operate under balanced budgets. Something that often goes under-appreciated is our excellent credit rating. During times of conflict, every major country utilizes credit to win wars. Paying soldiers, building weapons, feeding citizens, are all threaten when a nation cannot pay or borrow. This great reserve power of credit we have is one of our greatest assets, and if we lose it, we may never have an opportunity to recover. Although I support balancing budgets and stopping our current debt spending, I do believe in the power of good government programs. Our combined financial resources in the form of taxes are controlled by Congress. We have established great programs like Social Security, Medicare, the Postal Service, TVA, Amtrak, etc. Those all take in funds, but multiply them across the country to provide benefit beyond what any specific person or organization would ever be capable of doing. All government programs are capable of working efficiently and being economically beneficial. TVA is one of my favorite projects, and has such a simple goal of achieving the best quality services for the least possible costs. The best part is that we are the owners, shareholders, and the main customers. We must not allow Congress to allow these great programs to fail. Every dollar invested in these programs have been proven to directly correlate in increased GDP. Through strong fiscal guidance and reform, these programs will continue to grow and help the next generations of Americans thrive. One of my favorite examples is the squandering of the Oliver Hazard Perry class of frigates. The Navy built 51 ships from 1977-2004, at a cost of $122 million each. Compare that to the new Constellation class at $1 billion each, with only one completed so far and construction lagging. A navy study found that for about $100 million, each OHP frigate could be updated to be almost as capable as the new class of ship. The decision to me seems obvious, but Congress decided to spend more money to have fewer ships. I hope to bring some common sense to decisions like this in the future. Guns Like abortion, guns have become one of the most divisive issues in American politics. Personally, I build guns, suppressors, and reload my own ammunition. I was raised to be a respectful and responsible gun owner, and I always will be. It is part of being a good American, and I am teaching my children those same values. I support HR-38 and HR-95 to protect gun rights, and I will always support the 2nd Amendment. I do not support the Democrat's assault weapon ban, or the outlawing of certain components by Republicans. Those laws do nothing to prevent crime. Most of the disagreements on guns come from those that have no knowledge of the safe practices of firearms ownership. I will help fight this ignorance and be a voice of reason. A prime example of government overreach is the ongoing management of the ATF. As a policing force, the ATF should not be allowed to change laws or how to enforce them based on who is in charge. I would support rolling part of the ATF into the DEA to assist with protecting consumers. Any firearm issues can be handled by the FBI. Additionally, we can also take steps eliminate overlap and more directly enforce our existing laws. One example would be combining US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the US Customs and Border Protection. The average cost associated with a local police force to respond to, investigate, and make an arrest in a violent crime is around $11k. The average cost to make an arrest for a DEA officer is nearly $100k, while the ATF spends over $136k per arrest. Conservation When I think about conservation, I think about how lucky we are to live in this country. We have some of the best land, water, and air in the world. Plentiful game, fertile land, and endless opportunities for exploration. However, if current projections hold, the United States will be the last nation on Earth to have a supply of clean drinking water. Everyday, news stories show disastrous air quality, famine, and great environmental disasters. We must use common sense to keep our country pristine for future generations. Hunters, hikers, and farmers can all achieve the same goals. Conservation is the natural area for conservatives and liberals to unite in this country. We are traditionally divided between urban liberals and rural conservatives. However, both sides have come to recognize that we only have one chance to keep our pristine natural environment. Compare this to the unbridled expansion in China that has destroyed vast swaths of the environment, generated unbreathable air, and undrinkable water. What kind of future will be left for the next generations if hunters have nothing to hunt, if fishers have no fish to catch, if hikers have no trails to take, if photographers have no natural wonders to capture? We have some basic issues that need ironing out, and we need strong leaders to do just that. Terrorism The war on terror has consumed our public conscience for the last 20 years. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have been killed or wounded in this senselessness. Soldiers and their needs have been ignored, terrorists are armed with American weapons, the rights of citizens have been eroded. Steps should be taken immediately to correct these actions. Americans need to know that we are being taken to prevent more situations like this from taking place in the future. In addition to the irreplaceable loss of life, vultures have taken advantage of our predicament to lie, cheat, and steal fortunes from the government. The Pentagon has received over $14 trillion since 9/11. We have spent more than $3 trillion on counter terrorism. We have spent another $2 trillion in the Afghanistan War, with as much as half of that total going to defense contractors. An alarming percentage of this money has disappeared without trace into the pockets of political donors. That is money fighting terrorism, and doesn't show the staggering lack of support that our veterans desperately needed. While Afghanistan maybe over, we still need to maintain a vigilant watch on groups around the world. This will require maintaining our strong military. Unfortunately, I have found Congress's support to be lacking. Despite record levels of monetary support, our VA hospitals are still overwhelmed. Our veterans deserve better than partisan bickering. I have written additional ways to save money and keep military readiness at even greater levels in the Budget and Infrastructure pages. Perhaps the most important job that Congress has is the security of the country by maintaining a strong military presence. The United States has had the strongest military in the world since the early 1940s. That is something the world hadn't seen since the United Kingdom ruled the seas from the defeat of Napoleon to the start of WW1. This is an expensive task, and must be handled in a precise and efficient manner. I can safely say that Congress has failed to do that, and is something that I would dedicate myself to fixing. Law and Order Recently, basic principles of law and order have been under attack. Strong rhetoric about defunding police has done nothing to make people in this country safer. Token statements of support for the police have proven to be equally lacking in action. Neither side seems willing to drop the grandstanding and actually take action to help. We must stop politicizing and help. Congress can provide support with training, equipment, and other support. Our police and first responders are entrusted with our lives on a daily basis, and they should be supported as much as possible. Too often hidden behind these arguments around law enforcement is the lack of readily available mental healthcare. Most perpetrators of violent crimes have some underlying mental health issue. This is not a problem that having more police, more prisons, or more punishments is going to solve. Congress must take measures to help treat this unchecked mental illness problem before it destroys our society. We have a strong base of support for law enforcement from both Republicans and Democrats, but the major disagreements come from purely political positions. The federal government can play a supporting role by establishing national standards for training, providing support to officers, and establishing a positive culture for policing. Infrastructure In 2016, Donald Trump's main bipartisan initiatives was infrastructure plan. Both parties are aware of the benefit that having a modern infrastructure system can have on an economy. However, misplaced priorities left that deal dead. I support the new bipartisan deal to fix our aging transportation systems. I strongly support the initiative to expand public rail transport to the Tri-Cities. We are very close to finally restoring passenger service to Bristol, and I also believe that we should also expand that to Knoxville. Having all of East Tennessee connected to the East Coast will open up our area to countless new opportunities to local businesses. A recent US Army exercise found that we are not currently capable of deploying an active duty armored battalion in a timely fashion from home bases. Poor infrastructure surrounding bases was a major component. It is imperative that we include our armed forces in this transportation improvement. We have the greatest military in world history, but that will not matter if we do not support them. Reform George Washington was correct in his Farewell Address prediction that political parties could tear apart our democracy. The predominate ruling parties both share blame in allowing these fractures in our government to exist. With all of our technical innovations and advancements, we should never be in a position in which we have to recount votes. Congress should require that votes be counted correctly, only from those that are legally allowed to vote. Voting should only be the counting of legal votes from eligible voters. There should be no scenario in which the results are in question. Every person that votes should know that their vote has been counted for the person that they voted for. It is as simple as printing out a receipt at the voting booth. This is so simple that it should be corrected as quickly as possible, and not dragged out by partisan fighting. I support Joint Resolution 12 which is a bipartisan proposal to establish Congressional term limits. People stay in Congress too long. Although the position requires votes to be reelected, some politicians have made it a career to consistently do just enough to be reelected. The easiest way to correct this is to establish limits. I support HR-1422, which is an attempt to solve some of the issues around campaign finance. Money should not be the barrier to citizens that have clear policy concerns from voicing their opinions. My campaign will be a shinning example of that. I hope to be open about where campaign money comes from, and where it eventually is spent. This is a simple step to eliminate a common source of corruption. I also support Joe Manchin's framework for a bipartisan voting reform bill. It is a good start in correcting some of these other voting problems. Members of Congress should be banned from profiting on stocks, receiving bribes, or be able to sale our country out to the highest bidder! Profiteers have no place in our elected government, and they should all be removed from office. Both parties are part of the problem, but individuals like us will have to take a stand against this corrupting influence. I will fight against Nancy Pelosi, Diana Harshberger, or any other corrupt member of Congress continuing this practice. Finally, our Representatives in government must be held accountable for their actions. The list of crimes committed while in office is almost unbelievable. I will force Congress to be more transparent, more responsive to constituents, and to face consequences for illegal actions. Like our current Representative, they spend millions of dollars per year to hide their transgressions. We will block loopholes in campaign finance regulations, limit political donations, and guarantee free and fair elections. We will not have our government held hostage by crooks and criminals any longer. The Economy Americans born in 1940 had a 90% chance of living a better life than their parents. By 1980, that number had dropped to 50%, and it keeps decreasing every year. The solution is not going back to the way things were in 1950. You never step in the same river twice, the river is not the same, and you are not the same person you used to be. The world is rapidly changing, and we need to do a better job of keeping up. How will we respond to truck drivers losing their jobs wholesale to self-driving cars? The true answers are in the future, and we can't keep ignoring these problems. We need answers from our leaders now. The most likely threat to our continued economic prosperity in the near future is China. That country has grown from a sleeping giant to a regional superpower in a very short period of time. They are continuing to extend their influence across the world. While previously based on cheap labor and raw materials, they have copied our technology-driven, innovation based marketplace system. Unfortunately, they will pass us by if we continue to stifle American innovation, creativity, and leadership. Our government can and should be protecting our interests abroad and promoting our economy at home. As I have mentioned before, Congress has done a poor job of being the responsible steward of our country. In 2020, our government spent $6.6 trillion, and only took in $3.4 trillion. That is a deficit of $3.1 trillion, with emergency Covid spending only being $1.3 trillion of that. As the Panama Papers and recent data from the IRS reveals, a significant portion of that deficit comes from top earners using loopholes to avoid paying taxes. Another portion of that is wasteful government spending. The true key to successful government spending in this country is to make it specifically targeted, efficiently managed, and supportive of broad economic growth. For far too long, we have suffered from terrible mismanagement, reckless spending controls, and inexcusable waste. I will continue to identify these issues and provide concrete solutions to remedy the problems. One way that the government can stimulate local economies is consolidating foreign bases, and in some case, moving those bases back to the United States. An average sized military base directly results in local jobs, and millions of dollars directly into the local economy. One study showed that every individual on a military base is directly supported by 1.5 civilians directly off of the base. According to the Department of Defense, about ¼ of our foreign bases are redundant. Moving those bases home would be an instant economic boom. Like my naval OHP frigate example in reducing the federal budget, the A10 Warthog has been the subject of a much similar fight in the Air Force. Famously defended by John McCain, around 700 aircraft were built at a cost of $16.4 million between 1972-1984. Compare that to the F-35 at $80 million per unit, and an aircraft that may not even be as capable as the A10 that it is trying to replace. That doesn't include the billions of dollars spent designing and proofing the concepts. I worry that our Congress has started to spend our money for the sake of spending it, and not truly responding to our needs. Healthcare Healthcare for profit has destroyed our once great healthcare system. Before 1973, it was unheard of to operate a for profit healthcare company. However, by the early 1990s only 68% of money spent on healthcare was actually going to medical services rendered. Before the ACA was passed, some insurance companies were paying less than 50% of their income on paying customers health care bills. Now, they are capped at paying at least 80%, but is that really enough? For comparison, Medicare pays 98% of its budget towards health care expenses. This siphoning of money from doctors, nurses, and hospitals to executives, members of the board, and shareholders has made the American healthcare system a worldwide laughing stock. No other country spends so much to receive such little healthcare in return. Medicare spending has exceeded $1.1 trillion per year and is on pace to go insolvent in about 5-10 years. Congress has many options to solve this problem. Cost sharing can be simplified, prescription drug coverages can be simplified, allowing competitive bidding, and non-essential payments can be modified. Any action would be preferable than allowing this program to fail. Although this is highly controversial, I do not support mandatory vaccines requirements by the federal government in this country. Individuals must take control of their own healthcare choices. Vaccines are safe, effective, and the best defense we have against most of the worst diseases in history. I would encourage anyone to get vaccinated, but that is a decision between an individual and their doctor. All prior healthcare history, allergies, conditions, family history, etc. have to be taken into account when considering treatment. Our government is not capable of making these choices for us. Immigration Immigration is just another political football that neither side takes action on to preserve votes in future elections. The government has all of the resources necessary to secure our borders, check all travelers, and stop criminals from entering our country. We must have an modern immigration system keeps us safe and promotes economic success. The rally to build a wall, in reality, was a hollow political cry. We must have logical solutions to these complex problems. Immigrates typically cross our borders looking for good paying work. However, it is illegal for employers to hire these immigrants. To stop them from coming, you must start there. We have been arguing to solve this symptom, when we need to solve the cause of the problem. If we have a true worker shortage that requires immigrates, then issue permits for them to work here and go back. Or, if they have shown themselves to be capable of being good citizens, all them to become citizens. Stop allowing politicians to feed this false narrative around immigration. Something Americans typically ignore is that we have the longest unprotected border in the world with our neighbor to the north, Canada. I would hope that our politicians would start spending time with their Mexican allies to fix our southern border like our Canadian one. We can leverage our position as a world leader to alleviate many of the issues that force illegal immigrants to cross the border. Social Security The Social Security Act of 1935 established the first major social insurance program in the United States. It is a needs based entitlement, which means that individuals pay into the program during their working years, and can withdraw the money during retirement or if they become disabled. It has been one of the most successful government programs ever created. Despite years of record profits and growth, the government has allowed Social Security funding to become another partisan issue. If no action is taken, the Social Security trust fund will be depleted in 2034. For years now, Republicans have threatened to cut or dismantle Social Security altogether. Millions of Americans depend on Social Security to survive. I will not allow the Republican party of anyone else to destroy this great program. I support the Democratic Social Security 2100 legislation that will ensure the program remains stable for the rest of the century. That legislation would lower benefits for public workers, pension holders, and other individuals that are independently wealthy. It would also force those high income earners that have avoided paying Social Security tax to begin funding the program. Another way we could help to save Social Security is to reduce the taxes on the actual Social Security benefits paid. We have a lot of options to make this work, and I will explore every one to make sure future generations enjoy the protections of the Social Security Administration.	”
—Cameron Parsons' campaign website (2022)

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U.S. House Tennessee District 1

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Footnotes

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Tennessee's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Marsha Blackburn (R)

Bill Hagerty (R)

Representatives

District 1

Diana Harshbarger (R)

District 2

Tim Burchett (R)

District 3

Charles Fleischmann (R)

District 4

Scott DesJarlais (R)

District 5

Andy Ogles (R)

District 6

John Rose (R)

District 7

Vacant

District 8

David Kustoff (R)

District 9

Steve Cohen (D)

Republican Party (9)

Democratic Party (1)

Vacancies (1)