Jun

6

Vern McKinley’s Vote Smart Quiz Answers Now Publicly Available

Filed Under 2008 Election, Abortion, Energy Policy, Gun Control, Health Care, Media, Regulation, Republicans, Taxes, big government | Leave a Comment

Vern McKinley is the first Republican candidate in Virginia to make his Project Vote Smart Political Courage Test answers publicly available. If you had or have any questions about where Vern stands on a particular issue this is a great place to start your research. It includes his views on abortion, capital punishment, taxes, spending, regulation, gun rights, and more. Two general themes can be discerned from his answers: Follow the Constitution and limit the size and scope of the federal government.

View Vern McKinley’s Political Courage Test answers here.

May

22

Vern McKinley Speaks Out Against Court Decision On Abortion

Filed Under Abortion, Press Release, Regulation | Leave a Comment

Ashburn, VA – Vern McKinley spoke out against the US Court of Appeals’ (4th Circuit) decision, which said that Virginia’s law on late term abortion was unconstitutional because it is more restrictive than what the Supreme Court approved last year.

McKinley has always been someone that has championed pro-life positions. He would support and cosponsor the Taxpayer’s Freedom of Conscience Act of 2007 (HR 1095), the Sanctity of Life Act (HR 1094), and the Right to Life Act (HR 618). Vern believes in a federalist approach to the abortion problem and would remove federal jurisdiction which would return the issue to the states.

“There is no authorization in the Constitution that permits the federal government to interfere with state restrictions on abortion,” McKinley stated. “With the Supreme Court’s injudicious ruling in Roe v Wade, the court is legislating from the bench instead of respecting the will of the people through their legislators.”

More information about Vern’s stance on pro-life issues can be found at http://mckinleyforcongress.com/issues.html#pl

For further information please contact Michael Parrish at 540-539-7733 or mparrish03@gmail.com.

McKinley is a financial expert who advises foreign countries, has worked for the FDIC, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, Treasury Department, and has done policy analysis for the Cato Institute and the American Enterprise Institute. He is running for the Republican nomination in the 10th District of Virginia for the House of Representatives. The primary is scheduled to be held on June 10, 2008.

Apr

24

New Vern McKinley Interview On Economics Available

Filed Under 2008 Election, Economics, News Items, Regulation | Leave a Comment

Vern McKinley’s interview with The Mortgage Lender Implode-O-Meter is now available online. The subject matter is economics, specifically, Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac, the housing “bubble”, central banks, credit regulation, and bankruptcy are covered.

Read the interview at The Mortgage Lender Implode-O-Meter.

Apr

18

McKinley Interviewed on Winchester ABC TV 4/18/2008 [Video]

Filed Under Earmarks, Economics, Foreign Policy, Media, News Items, Regulation | Leave a Comment

Vern McKinley was interviewed this morning on ABC TV 3 in Winchester, Virginia. He covers why he is running, the stumbling economy, earmarks, and the Iraq war.

Check out the interview video at the TV 3 web site.

Mar

18

What Should Be Done About the Mortgage Market?

Filed Under Economics, Press Release, Regulation | 1 Comment

Contact: Brad Jansen

703-470-9893

vern@mckinleyforcongress.com

The mortgage market bubble has burst and in Washington efforts continue to find the right solution to falling real estate values that have brought on a weakening economy. The most common spin on the mortgage market has been that private markets have failed and now government intervention is needed to straighten everything out.

This focus on market failure has led to a number of proposals to make fundamental changes to the mortgage market. One such reform is the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act of 2007 which relies on increased federal involvement in the mortgage process. This legislation, championed by Chairman Barney Frank of the Committee on Financial Services, has passed the House and now awaits action in the Senate. The Bush Administration has come out strongly against it noting it would cause greater uncertainty and increased litigation which would worsen the current credit crunch.

The reality is that government meddling contributed to the housing bubble. Government policy since the early 1990s, whether it was the Clinton Administration with its “National Homeownership Strategy” or the Bush Administration, which largely continued these policies, has had its almost sole focus to boost homeownership rates. This focus has seemingly had little concern for whether homeowners could actually afford those homes.

As evidence of this push, homeownership rates (p. 4) were for most of the 1980s at a level of 64% to 65%. The increased aggressiveness of government programs of the Clinton and Bush years, such as the Federal Housing Administration, Housing and Urban Development, and Community Reinvestment Act, artificially pushed this rate up to 69% by 2004. With the collapse of the housing bubble this rate is now headed downward.

Congressman Wolf of the 10th District was the only member of the Republican House delegation in Virginia to vote for the Mortgage Reform Act. Vern McKinley, Congressman Wolf’s Republican primary challenger, has argued for a number of years that a wide range of government programs such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the Community Reinvestment Act have put too much emphasis on directing credit to the mortgage market. “The lack of demand for housing is likely to get worse in the years to come rather than better. Aging baby boomers will be selling their homes in future decades as they downsize or move out of homes. The mortgage market will need to retain its flexibility to absorb these continuing changes in demand,” McKinley concludes.