Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board questionnaire responses

Legislative priorities:

Q) What are your three top legislative priorities for the country?

Repeal the un-Constitutional and un-Affordable Care Act.  Reduce cost by restoring free markets in the Healthcare sector: a) for all products (e.g. prescription drugs) including international trade, b) portability of insurance across state lines and from employer to employee, c) tort reform, d) equalized tax free treatment of insurance/health care costs for the individual purchasing insurance and health care in the private sector, since this has long been afforded to employers e) expand and allow all Americans to directly participate in tax-free Health Savings Accounts with no annual surrender period

On Immigration and Amnesty.  We need to stop the influx of foreign national immigration, both Legal and Illegal and enforce the law.  There should NOT be another Amnesty Program.   We need to limit immigration to fair and equal partnerships only with those countries who share our values of economic freedom and Liberty, or those that are making immediate and effective progress towards freedom and individual liberty in their own countries.  

Tax Reform, balance the Budget, and put us on a plan to pay off the national debt. Eliminate federal bureaucracies or federal functions which are not within the scope of the enumerated powers of the Constitution. Balance the budget.  Fix the tax code, make it flat and simple, and slash the size, scope, and authority of the IRS.  It is time to STOP giving our treasury to foreign countries, crony capitalists, and end the “Corporate” welfare.  We the American Taxpayer Citizen are over taxed and Washington D.C. is running up an un sustainable debt, putting the nation on the verge of bankruptcy.  It is time to end the corruption and incompetency that abounds in Washington and Federal agencies and return to constitutional, limited government, and a free market economy.  We need to enact a Zero-based budgeting system in all government agencies to provide the incentives to remove waste and inefficiencies in government and to drive all federal agencies towards both its core mission and efficiency.  At its core, zero-based budgeting is about agility and making the government run in a more cost-efficient manner and improve the performance and the efficiency of all government agencies

Q: What are the three most important issues in Illinois on which you believe the federal government needs to act?

 We need to return to a federal government that is focused on its core goals functions as defined in the Constitution of National Defense and Security and those limited enumerated powers; Treasury funds that are not working towards those goals should be shifted into paying down the national debt and funding those essential and constitutional functions.   

E) 2nd AMENDMENT.  I firmly support the right to bear arms as unequivocally stated in the Bill of Rights: “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”  I am a NRA and ISRA Member. 

Q) What is your biggest fundamental difference with your opponent(s)?

A)  Two numerous to mention all the differences, in summary my Opponent is a big government spender and supporter of government control into all aspects of the lives of each and every American Citizen, from restricting the 2nd Amendment, invading citizens privacy,  to controlling your Health care.

Transparency:

Q) Will you pledge to make public: a) your campaign schedule; b) your fundraiser schedule and the names of all fundraiser hosts ; c) if elected, your daily schedule of meetings? If not, why not?

A)  I can state that I am doing my best to make known my campaign schedule and fundraising events through both social media and our website, however in many cases events come up on short notice and it is impossible to make know beforehand due to logistics, availability of staff, time of the day, etc.  So all public events, we make our best efforts to make them known, if not beforehand, then after.  Typically events that are not ours the host is making known that I am attending.  As far as fundraisers, per FEC regulations, all donations of $200 or more must be reported to the FEC and this is then made publically available by the FEC and my campaign will follow the proper procedure as filings as required and correct and issues with filings as quickly as possible.   We have had no fundraiser hosts or events, who wished to remain anonymous, and my campaign has no plans to work with any person or organization which does not want to be publically supporting my campaign.

Q) Please list all relatives on public or campaign payrolls and their jobs on those payrolls.

A)  My wife is the only relative working on a direct role on the campaign and she is currently the Treasurer, she has an accounting degree and has worked many years as a tax preparer and bookkeeper in previous jobs and has served as treasurer of several charitable organizations. The fact she is the treasurer is already publicly available on the FEC website according to forms filed on my campaign committee.  I have other family members that are supporting the campaign and its efforts in a variety of ways.  None are currently part of the core staff or official positions of the campaign 

National security:

Q) What are the most important actions the Senate can take to reduce the threat of ISIS abroad and at home?

A)  Do not bring any Syrian Refugees into the United States.  Call a Vote to reject the un-constitutional Corker-Cardin bill which circumvents the Constitutional authority of the Senate to advise and consent on treaties, with a two-thirds majority vote for passage.  The Senate is now left out of both parts of the advise and consents parts of their responsibilities.   Subsequently, the Senate needs to vote and reject the Iran Deal, pouring billions of Dollars into the largest state sponsor of terrorism under the guise of a peaceful nuclear program with Iran, is and unmitigated disaster, not only for the United States, but all of our friends and allies in the region and around the world. The Senate needs to review and assess the Commander in Chiefs actions which seem to be supporting our enemies and not our friends, are they harming our national interests? And Congress should act in the event we need to send our Armed Forces into harm’s way with an up or down vote on a Declaration of War, specifically stating the enemy and the specific goals and principles behind any such action, before we send our nation’s finest men and women anywhere to defend our liberty and national interests.

Q) What bans, if any, do you support on Muslim admissions to the United States? Please explain your position.

A)  We should not allow any foreign nationals, not on the basis of ethnic or religious background, but on the basis of association with terrorist organizations , a national of a terrorist states, and nationals of state that are in treaties or alignment with either terrorist organizations or states.

Q) Specifically, how would you have, or how did you, vote on the American Security Against Foreign Enemies (SAFE) Act of 2015 and its efforts to make it harder for Syrian and Iraqi refugees to enter the U.S.? Please explain your position.

A) I would vote in Favor of the Bill.    Any bill to prevent the importing of foreign nationals who are terrorists on American soil, should be supported!

Q) Do you support a Syrian no-fly zone or the U.S. enforcement of Syrian humanitarian safe zones? Why or why not?

A)  Yes, under the right circumstances, we should support the ability of Syrian’s to remain safely and freely to live and remain in their own native.   We should work with our international allies and those Syrians who need to be helped to protect themselves from ISIS and terrorists as well as a despotic government.    Each person should be afforded the right to bear arms, and an unalienable human right to defend yourself and your family from the state or terrorists threats.

Q) Regarding the House Benghazi Select Committee, should its investigation remain open-ended, or should the panel be given a deadline to complete its work? Please explain.

A)  Yes it should remain open to find and discover the whole truth and what happen that lead to the death of 4 Brave Americans.  There was something seriously wrong with the events that led up to that tragic day on the anniversary of Sep.t 11th as well as the lies and cover up the immediately commenced the very next day.    No deadlines should be imposed on seeking the truth.  A deadline would only serve the Obama Administration, the State Department and former sec. of state Clinton the ability to delay and stall and hide the truth from the American people.

Q) What measures, if any, do you support to give U.S. authorities access to encrypted or “dark web” communications about potential terrorist plots? Please explain.

A)  We should not be expanding the authority of any agency to spy on Americans or collected data without specific warrants to support specific targets of investigations. Any measure need to respect the bill of rights afforded to every American citizen.

Q) Do you support transferring the detention of terrorism suspects from Guantanamo Bay to the United States? Why or why not?

A)  No.    There is no reason to move enemy combatants to the United States, they have no rights under the Constitution of the United States and under the Geneva Convention all the rules applying to enemy combatants are being respected.

Gun violence:

Q) What is the single most important action the Senate can take to reduce U.S. gun violence?

A)  Support the 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms and stop any measure to restrict that right and the promoting of that right throughout the United States.  Education and training of the American people, in this respect of both purpose and lawful use and carry.  When confronted by a violent aggressor, and seconds matter, help is only minutes away.   

Q) Do you support or oppose the ‘‘Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act?” Please explain your position.

A) Oppose.  This act is an egregious violation of the due process clause with respect to the 2nd Amendment.   I certainly would not trust the judgement of the current Attorney General to proper administer such a power.

Climate change:

Q) Do you believe there is scientific evidence of climate change, and is it caused by human activity? What is your position on the Paris climate change agreement?

A) There is not specific, concrete evidence that human activity has a significant impact on the “theory of man-made climate”, while in contrast there is direct evidence implicating those responsible for promoting that theory of fabrication and falsification of data and evidence to support their claims.   There is much evidence to support that climate change occurs naturally and has been for ages, from one ice-age to another, via a multitude of factors.

Economy:

Q) What changes, if any, to the U.S. tax code do you support and why?

A)   Fix the tax code, make it flat and simple, and slash the size, scope, and authority of the IRS.  The tax code is a monstrosity, which virtually no one can grasp and understand in its entirety.  It is costing business and family to comply and driving jobs overseas.

Q) What are the most important actions the Senate can take to ensure the solvency of Social Security?

A)   First, current recipients who paid into the system need to be guaranteed for the remainder of their lives to receive benefits they paid for and a mechanism to ensure that needs to be part of any plan.  The system needs to be restored to its original and stated purpose for those who wish to remain in it.  Anyone who did not pay into the system needs to be removed from it.  Next this entire outdated, antiquated and controversial system needs to be replace with a modern system that encourages saving and investment growth and market based investments as opposed to the current model.  Finally no one should be forced to participate, if the system is good it will be sustainable to those who wish to participate. And not those individuals who do not wish to participate.  This would immediately free up a very large percentage of future liabilities which are bankrupting the current system.

Q) Do you support a “risk fee” on big banks? Why or why not?

A)  No.  We need to deregulate our banks and get the government out of the business of forcing banks to fund social engineering “visions” of government bureaucrats and politicians.  

Health care:

Q) Should Obamacare be overturned, left intact, or changed — and if so how?

A) The unconstitutional un-Affordable Care Act needs to be eliminated entirely. Constitutional and market based reforms need to be enacted. The formerly free Private insurance market has been devastated by the ACA. Prices have soared affecting millions of American Families, like mine, now in excess of 100% since the passage and limited enactment of the ACA, while the employer mandate has been illegally deferred by the Obama Administration and gone unchallenged by congress in breech of the law. Senator Kirk voting “NO”, again with Senator Durbin (D-IL), in spite of promises dating back to 2010 to repeal the ACA. Senator Kirk does not get that it is NOT OK for the Federal Government to demand of its citizen's that they must purchase a “product” in a government manipulated and controlled market-place. A “product” which you cannot see, hear, touch, smell, nor taste, which cannot guarantee any services, which comes with exorbitant ever increasing manipulated prices and deductibles, which no working American can afford. If one fails to comply, the formerly free American citizen, is now a criminal, subject to fines and imprisonment for failure to pay said fines, with the full force of the IRS bearing down.

There are numerous common sense ways to solve the problem of health care costs and accessibility: tort reform, portability across states lines and portability from employer plans, individual access to group plans, health savings accounts, and opening prescription drug markets to competition. It’s a complex problem, mostly created and worsened by government intervention.

Q) Do you favor stripping federal funds from Planned Parenthood? Why or why not?

A)  Yes, no one on either side of the aisle should be in favor of federal funding any organization whose takes any part in the taking of an innocent life. Especially an organizations who practices have been exposed of selling aborted babies part in violation of federal law.

Immigration:

Q) President Obama used his executive powers to prevent the deportation of "DREAMers—youths who came to the U.S. illegally as children with their parents. Would you support legislation to prevent DREAMer deportations? Do you support putting DREAMers on a path to citizenship?

 A) No, No. We have existing immigration laws, there is a lawful path to citizenship, and it should be followed by all.  President Obama has created a human travesty in his illegal actions where foreign nationals are now caught up in with cartels and coyotes who sexually abuse, sell into slavery, and put in harm’s way immigrants and even children traveling without parents.  Many are literally being abused or dying in the process to come to America because they have been encouraged by the unlawful actions of this president.

Education:

Q) What reforms do you favor to address America’s student loan crisis?

A)  As implied by the question, President Obama and the democrat controlled congress in the first 2 years of his administration change the laws governing student loans.   This federally managed and orchestrated program has turned into an unmitigated disaster.  It main effect is to drive up the college costs and drive up the debt and liabilities owned by students and parents, alike, with 4 adult children and two in college currently. I am very aware of the problem created.    We need to get the federal government out for the business of doing things badly which it is not intended by the constitution nor equipped to do well.  The more the government intervenes into higher education, the more the cost rise, and effectively in part paid for out of the pockets of many who choose not to pursue a higher education, rather to choose trades, or business or other professions.

James T. Marter

Political/civic background: Kendall County Republicans - Precinct Committeeman Oswego 22, Volunteering: Church Education Commission, Midland Dolphins Swim Club (5 yrs.): board member & Vice Pres., Meet Director - Saginaw Valley State University, Boy Scouts of America - Adult Leader (17 yrs.), Club & USA Age Group Swim Coach (8 yrs)., Middle School Basketball Coach Boys/Girls (5 yrs.).  Knights of Columbus #7247 charity & faith based organization (7 yrs.) Parishioner St. Anne Catholic Church, Oswego.

Occupation: Business Owner: Marter Enterprises, LLC (est. 2002). Professional Mgmt. & Software consulting specializing in ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) Software Project Management, Process re-engineering and consulting.  National and International practice

Education:  Education: Purdue University BSIM Industrial Management, Computer Science (84), CPIM Certified in Production & Inventory Management by APICS (95), Limestone Comm. High School (81) Bartonville IL.

Campaign website: www.Marter4Senate.us