Hear Dr. Chris fact-check his opponent, Representative Jim Banks. Please see below for the transcript.
Hello. I am Dr. Chris Magiera from Warsaw, Indiana, and I am running for the United States House of Representatives from the 3rd Congressional District of Indiana. The Founders created the Constitution to secure these inalienable rights. My contention is that our federal government is NOT functioning as dictated by the Constitution, and that a change is needed.
There is a Republican Congressional Primary election in May June of 2020. In order to help the voters of the 3rd Congressional District of Indiana with that choice, I have made a series of video presentations. This is Part 2 of “Jim Banks – Mythbusters,” an analysis of claims made on his campaign literature. In the first episode, we looked at claims 1-4. Today, we resume with:
Number 5: “Voted to Defund Planned Parenthood.” This statement takes spin to a new level. In a previous presentation, it was documented clearly that on 3/22/18 Jim Banks voted in favor of HR 1625 – Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018, which continued the Title X Family Planning funding of Planned Parenthood. So, is this another case of flip-flopping? You either support human life, or you don’t. Confusion and indecision are not optimal qualities for a member of Congress.
Number 6: “A+ Rating with the NRA.” Well, that may be true, but what of Banks’ “yes” vote on HR 1625, which also contained the infamous “Fix NICS” provision? This “fix” will infringe the 2nd Amendment rights of up to 168,000 law-abiding Veterans. And there is the fact that he is on record saying that he will judge the effectiveness of Red Flag Laws by observing the experience in Indiana. As stated repeatedly, I will vote with the Constitution 100% of the time, and I am committed to the principle that it is the prime duty of every member of Congress to, first, consider the constitutionality of a bill, not its utility. And speaking of constitutionality, I want to state unequivocally that, there are no constitutional firearms regulations. So I ask my opponent, what does he think of the 2nd Amendment? As for me, I am guided only by the Constitution—not the NRA, the Party caucus leader, or even the President.
Number 7: “Fought to Expand GI Benefits for Veterans.” In the 115th Congress, there were 25 bills concerning the VA and Veteran’s benefits that became law. In the 116th Congress, there have been 5 such bills signed into law as of 11/22/19. Of these 30 Veteran related laws, there is only one, S 2679 – Veterans Small Business Enhancement Act of 2018 (signed 1/3/19) for which there is some concern. The bill gives instructions to the Small Business Administration (SBA), but the SBA is unconstitutional. Aside from this concern, Veteran action is appropriate. While we all owe a great debt to our brave Veterans, we must be ever vigilant that this honor and gratitude is expressed along constitutional lines. If elected to Congress, I would seek to honor our Veterans through a vision of comprehensive reform, to include transferring the entire VA system to the Department of Defense, and to eliminate government worker unions in the VA system.
Number 8: “Led Effort to Preserve Funding for Shepherd’s House in Fort Wayne.” As detailed in a 9/3/18 article in the Journal Gazette, Shepherd’s House did receive a grant through the VA Grant and Per Diem Program for transitional housing. It also offers addiction treatment. The initial application had been denied. Again, my only comment here is that the entire VA system is a dysfunctional, largely unaccountable, and unresponsive bureaucracy, which needs the comprehensive reform that I would propose if elected to Congress. As part of medical training, I have worked in VA hospitals. I know what is wrong, and how to fix it, not with “Band-Aids” but with a constitutional “cure.”
In summary, the campaign rhetoric of Jim Banks does have a number of areas of high-grade, political “spin.” So, I implore the voters of the 3rd Congressional District of Indiana to consider a change, a change to a Representative who is not now, nor will ever be, a career politician—a change to a Representative who will always vote 100% with the original intent, understanding and meaning of the Founders’ Constitution. Vote to secure your God-given Natural Rights and Liberties. Vote for The Constitution Solution. Vote for Dr. Chris Magiera for Congress in 2020. Thank you.