James Marter, 14th Congressional District Republican candidate profile

His top priorities include jobs, lower taxes and protections of individuals’ land and property rights.

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James Marter, 14th Congressional District Republican primary election candidate, 2020

James Marter, 14th Congressional District Republican primary candidate

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Candidate profile

James Marter

Running for: U.S. Congress in the 14th District

Occupation: Software Consultant / Entrepreneur and business owner with 34 years’ experience in Information Technology, Project Management, and Business Process Implementation

Education:1984 graduate of Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Management, minor in Computer Science finishing his last two consecutive semesters on the Dean’s list. He competed at the NCAA collegiate level his freshman year as a Boilermaker on the Purdue University Swim Team. Professional certification (CPIM) in 1995 from APICS, the American Production and Inventory Control Society.

Campaign website: Marter4Congress.US

 Facebook: @Marter4Congress

 Twitter:@Marter4Congress

 Instagram:@Marter4Congress


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The Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board sent candidates for the U.S. Congress a list of questions to find out their views on a range of important issues facing the state of Illinois and their districts. James Marter submitted the following responses: 

Please tell us about your civic work in the last two years, whether it’s legislation you have sponsored or other paid or volunteer work to improve your community. 

Completed serving term as the Kendall County Republican Party Chairman and during the 2019 Consolidated Elections managed team of Republican Candidates who swept all 3 Trustees Seats and Village President in Oswego.

Over the last 30 years served on my Parish Church’s Education Commission, as a BSA Lake Huron Area Council Cub Scout leader, and USA Swimming program Team as Assistant Coach, Committee Member, Meet Director, and served as Vice President of the organization. In Oswego my wife Jill and I are active parishioners at St. Anne Parish. I continued my community involvement in the Oswego and Aurora region, serving as a coach for both Boys and Girls Basketball teams. And 15 years serving in the Boy Scouts working with adult leaders to guide Scouts.

What are your views on the decision by the U.S. House to impeach President Donald Trump? Has the impeachment process been fair or not? How so? If, in your view, the president should not have been impeached, would you have supported censure? Please explain. 

The Impeachment by the partisan House Democrats, was an Unconstitutional Sham, with Fake Evidence, presented by no witnesses of any direct knowledge of anything, everything presented was entirely Hearsay or worse completely irrelevant biased opinion with no basis in fact. It started on the premise of a Fake Dossier crafted by the Hillary Rodham Clinton Campaign in the 2016 election cycle, under President Barrack Hussein Obama’s administration with FBI and DOJ officials lying to FISA Courts and spying on a Presidential Candidate, all in a collusion with one another to commit a conspiracy to stop the election of Donald J. Trump, then used to attempt to overturn the election of 2016. It is an act of Treason by the process and fake charges and completely partisan.

How would you reduce the federal budget deficit, which now stands at about $1 trillion for 2020? What changes, if any, to the U.S. tax code do you support and why?

I will be relentless in the pursuit of cutting the size and scope of government, eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse from government and cutting government bureaucracy and agencies which are neither necessary at the federal level nor constitutional. Balance the Budget. Fix the tax code, make it flat and simple, and slash the size of the IRS. Stop giving our treasury to foreign countries, crony capitalists, and end the “corporate welfare”. I applaud President Trump and Rolling back regulations, at an astonishing rate of more than 20 to 1. 

Repeal the PPACA or as I know it the un-affordable care act. This will eliminate 159 bureaucracies, agencies, and programs created by it, and save hundreds of billions of dollars. Cut much of and/or eliminate the Dept. of Education, NPR, sell Amtrak, Dept. of Energy, etc.

What changes would you like to see made to our nation’s healthcare system? Would you shore up the Affordable Care Act or work to repeal it in full? What’s your view on Medicare for All? And what should be done, if anything, to bring down the cost of prescription drugs?

The unconstitutional un-Affordable Care Act needs to be repealed. The formerly free Private insurance market has been devastated by the PPACA. Prices have soared affecting millions of American Families, like mine, now in excess of 300% since the passage of the PPACA. It is NOT OK for the Government to demand of its citizen’s that they must purchase a “product” in a government manipulated and controlled non free market-place, 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. Constitutional and market based reforms need to be enacted: a) restoring free markets (e.g. prescription drugs) b) portability of insurance across state lines; from employer plans to employee c) tort reform d) equalized tax free treatment of health care costs individuals. e) allow all Americans to directly participate in tax-free Health Savings Accounts.

Medicare and Medicaid costs continue to spiral. Congress has granted benefits to people who were never intended by covered, like immigrants legal and illegal, this practice must stop. Both programs should be limited to American citizens. Congress has repeatedly added benefits and services with any capability to pay for those services. Both programs need an independent financial and forensic audit, to determine the scope and scale of its insolvency.

Much like the Obamacare fiasco or as I know it the un-affordable care act, the solution is to enact market-based health care reforms, allowing the vast majority of American to provide for their own care throughout their lifetime. Instead of creating an ever increasing pool of people relying on the government to take care of them, we need to free up the health care market to allow most Americans to provide for themselves.

The Trump administration is awaiting a ruling from the Supreme Court as to whether it can end the DACA program — Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals — which shields young undocumented immigrants from deportation. Do you support or oppose DACA and why? Should a path to citizenship be created for the so-called DREAMers? Please explain.

I fully support the NumbersUSA.org ten-point plan. I support the federal and constitutional immigration process.

1. Enforce existing Immigration law.

2. No DACA and No Amnesty

3. End LBJ’s Chain migration immigration.

4. End the practice of birthright citizenship for illegal aliens and foreign visitors.

5. Enforce the Border, deport when an illegal immigrant is detained. End catch-and-release. Require state and local law enforcement to report affirmatively all non-citizens in custody to ICE, make ICE detainers mandatory, and require ICE to pick up and remove deportable aliens.

6. End Sanctuary Cities and States, enforce the law against elected officials and bodies who are in violation of federal law.

7. Enforce the law against employers who are knowingly breaking the law and hiring illegals. Ending the Diversity Visa Program.

8. Cap and reduce all Immigration levels significantly, until we can overhaul the immigration law in its entirety process

I am against DACA. I am for American Citizens pursing the American Dream, those are the Dreamers I support. There is no compelling need for a change from an American Citizen perspective, and there is a process available to each person affected. My question to them is why not choose the legal path?

The facts of the Illegal Immigration problem in American, observation of the social environment we live in today, including many communities throughout the 14th district bear evidence that we have an illegal immigration crisis which is hurting working class Americans the most. According to Cata.org. “DACA applies only to immigrants who entered before their 16th birthdays and who have lived in the country continuously since at least June 15, 2007 — more than a decade ago. No one entering now can apply.”

What are the three most important issues in your district on which the federal government can and should act?

1) Jobs, 2) High Taxes, and 3) Government abuse of individual land and property rights, affecting farmers and all property owners.

Unleash the economy by eliminating regulations, lower taxes on individuals and businesses by implementing a 10% flat tax on both. Repeal the un-Constitutional and un-Affordable Care Act. Thereby repealing the largest tax increase in American History. End both unnecessary and unconstitutional bureaucracies and functions of government, end the vast majority of foreign aid, cut the size and scope of the federal government, pass a real balanced budget and a BBA. Eliminate the regressive tax code and nearly all of the income tax regulations and most of the IRS, significantly reduce the size and scope and its authority.

What is the biggest difference between you and your opponent(s)?

On day one of my campaign, I am only candidate who pledged to join the House Freedom Caucus. I am the only candidate who has supported President Trump un-apologetically since early 2016, puts America First, will STAND and FIGHT for your 2nd Amendment rights, respects the Flag and our Constitution, fights for Conservative values: Pro-Life & Pro-family values. I will ensure we Secure the Border, and I support Immigration limits and reform including blocking immigration from terrorist states, eliminate Sanctuary cities and states, cut spending and “Big” Government Bureaucracy and return to a Limited Government in Washington D.C. I have a record of taking on the fight to defend our Conservative American values and will be relentless in the pursuit of cutting the size and scope of government, while eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse.

I am a leader you can Trust with 34 years’ experience in international business, manufacturing, & industry. An entrepreneur and small business owner who meets with workers on the factory line, in the warehouses, factories and labs, in the office, and executives in the boardroom. 

My adult leadership includes more than 20 years of guiding youth in scouting programs & sports as an age-group swimming coach and a basketball coach. Most of all I value God, faith, fellowship, and family above all else, been married to Jill for 34 years and blessed with our four children (now adults) and their first granddaughter!

What action should Congress take, if any, to reduce gun violence?

Congress job is to firmly support and defend the 2nd Amendment against federal, state and local efforts to infringe upon it. 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.” It is the 2nd Amendment which protects the 1st Amendment and all other Rights of the American Citizen. If you want to reduce violence by any means whether firearms or not, a well-armed and regular citizenry has proven time again, to reduce crime and violence wherever it is protected.

Is climate change real? Is it significantly man-made? Is it a threat to humankind? What if anything should Congress and the federal government do about it?

There is not specific, concrete evidence that human activity has a significant impact on the “theory of man-made climate change”, 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.

I learned long ago in public school, that Carbon Dioxide is plant food. In a process called “photosynthesis,” plants use the energy in sunlight to convert CO2 and water to sugar and oxygen. Science has yet to prove otherwise. The nonsense of the Obama EPA declaring CO2 a toxic substance when it is a naturally occurring gas and exhaled by every living animal and that the federal government should tax and regulate it, as if it has the wisdom or knowledge to do so is ludicrous.

That said, the government has a role, more so at the State level, via-a-via the 10th amendment to ensure clean air and clean water, to that end we should have common sense and applicable controls on emissions to ensure a clean and healthy environment for all Americans. Powers not delegated to Congress vie the enumerated powers, must be left to the states, and we need to get Washington out of the business to “save the planet” and start actually focusing on its limited federal roles and functions.

 What should Congress do to ensure the solvency of Social Security and Medicare?

The Social Security system is currently a Ponzi scheme. If any bank or financial institution were caught selling you an “investment” like social security they would be arrested and convicted for perpetrating a fraud on their customers. A complete Repeal and Replace is in order. First and foremost we MUST protect Seniors and all current existing recipients and those close to retirement that have no other options should be ensured their payments will continue. Then the system should be replaced with a completely optional private ownership option, where all FICA taxes payed and interest earned belongs to the SS recipient who paid the FICA tax and/or their heirs, not a promissory note written on the tax payers backs of future generations not born.

On Medicare. First, repeal Obamacare (PPACA) and restore the funding stolen by PPACA. We need to unleash the Free market in healthcare and on the same part reduce benefit areas that are optional in nature, and a host of other privatization options. We have to evaluate what is a federal role, and what role state, county and local governments should play. Most every state and county have local clinic as well as many healthcare providers are serving the needs of many patients and we need to support the expansion of that and get the government out of a role of financial failure which will lead to less coverage and not more.

What should Congress do to address the student loan crisis? Would you use the word “crisis”?

A manufactured crisis by Congress and past Administrations where the Obama Administration took away the free markets in Student loans and federalized them, to the benefit of wealthy tenured college professors and administrators and to the detriment of students and hardworking middle class American families who dream for themselves or their children is a college degree and career in the field of their choice.

We need to eliminate the federal role in funding and controlling college student loans and programs the work against the free market in education. There is no reason that two thirds of Americans who never go to college should be bank rolling a broken and corrupt education funding system controlled and managed by Washington D.C. bureaucrats

What should our nation’s relationship be with Russia?

I support the President Trumps policy on Russia who is not an ally, however we should be working to always try to turn enemy’s into partners and allies as the President is always working towards as a goal. Cautiously, with negotiations, and with verification, not trust, with agreements on trade, military engagements & alignments, and dealings with rogue and terrorist nations. Russia has gone backwards since the fall of communism and the Soviet bloc in 1989 and has become an illegal aggressor and occupier of Crimea and hostile towards Ukraine and others in the region. We need to stand strong against the Russian aggression and illegal occupations of nation states.

What’s your view on the use of tariffs in international commerce? Has President Trump imposed tariffs properly and effectively? Please explain.

First and foremost we should seek Free and fair Trade, a tariffs is simply a tax on the consumer who ultimately pays the price of the tariff. But Congress and past Presidents have supported completely lopsided trade deals which are bad for America in favor of global corporatists and even hostile regimes which don’t respect America’s sovereignty, nor American patents or Intellectual property. President Trump has properly and effectively imposed tariffs to re-negotiate Trade deals to put America first. A good deal in business is one where both sides benefit, the President has stood strong for American on our negotiations and reworked bad trade deals to make it more competitive on the global markets for American made goods and services.

Does the United States have a responsibility to promote democracy in other countries? Please explain.

No, we have a responsibility to promote LIBERTY, protect all human LIFE, to promote Freedom, and God Given individual rights based on Natural Law. We should be promoting republican limited and constitutional governments of the people by the people for the people in every nation where tyrants and dictators have come to power through historical monarchies or socialist revolutions.

What should Congress do to limit the proliferation of nuclear arms?

President Trump already did the first and most important step, got the United States out of the un-constitutional Obama Iran Deal pouring billions of Dollars into the largest state sponsor of terrorism under the guise of a peaceful nuclear program with Iran, was an unmitigated disaster, not only for the United States, but all of our friends and allies in the region and around the world.

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

James Marter II – Oswego Village Trustee.

What historical figure from Illinois, other than Abraham Lincoln (because everybody’s big on Abe), do you most admire or draw inspiration from? Please explain.

President Ronald Reagan. Born and raised in Illinois as well as attending High School and Collage, Reagan is the epitome of the son of hard working American family trying to make ends meet, with their own faults and trials. Growing up in small town Illinois and America, worshipping and practicing their Christian faith. Applying those values to his work and Adult life and learning and educating on other on the Principles of our founding, LIFE, LIBERTY, and the pursuit of happiness. The American dream and American values of God’s given natural law and individual rights. He had the greatest love for American and all fellow Americans and shared his optimism and youthful demeanor through his entire life. 

What’s your favorite TV, streaming or web-based show of all time. Why? 

Happy Days, circa 1980’s - just good American family and Midwest values and entertaining. 

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