Mickie Lou Banyas
Republican | Tennessee
Candidate Profile
Leans Conservative
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Mickie Lou Banyas
Party
Republican
Election Year
2018
Election
Primary
Race
U.S. Rep., Dist. 1
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Pepperdine Law School, Malibu, J.D., 2000
Harvard Extension, Cambridge, B.A., 1993
Assabet Valley Nursing School, Marlboro, L.P.N., 1980
WORK & MILITARY
Navy, 3rd Class, 8
AFFILIATIONS
W.O.M.E.N.S, Inc., Board of Directors, Republican Party
Contributor, Volunteer, Member, Kingsport Republican Women, Member
Veteran Administration, Volunteer, Missionaries of Charity
Volunteer, Contributor, Tennessee Right to Life, Member
Moms Demand Action, Member, Americans for Prosperity
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
(Candidate did not provide)
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
(Candidate did not provide)
Race
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
Human life begins at conception and deserves legal protection at every stage until natural death.
Strongly Agree
I am in favor of construction of a wall and other necessary infrastructure on our border that gives complete control over entering and exiting the United States.
Strongly Agree
Governments should not discriminate against individuals, organizations or small businesses because of their belief that marriage is only a union of one man and one woman.
Strongly Agree
Governments should define marriage as between one man and one woman; no other definition of marriage should be legalized or supported with taxpayer or public funds.
Strongly Agree
It is the government’s responsibility to be sure everyone has a livable income.
Disagree
It is the government’s responsibility to be sure everyone has health insurance.
Disagree
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which permitted our system of limited government.
Strongly Agree
More restrictive gun control is needed to protect public safety.
Agree
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
Additional regulations are needed to prevent climate change.
Disagree
Religious liberty is at risk in the United States and deserves the highest level of protection in the law.
Strongly Agree
The United States should help defend Israel from attack by its enemies.
Strongly Agree
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive funds from federal, state, or local governments.
Strongly Agree
Islamic law (Sharia) should take precedence over national and state laws where there are Islamic majority communities in the U. S.
Strongly Disagree
Congress should pass a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.
Strongly Agree
People should be allowed to use public restrooms, showers, and changing rooms based on "gender identity."
Strongly Disagree
I support sanctuary cities.
Strongly Disagree
It is OK for Congress to exempt itself from compliance with laws applicable to all citizens.
Strongly Disagree
I support the death penalty.
Neutral
Tuition-free public education should be guaranteed through college.
Disagree
The United States should protect its sovereignty from the United Nations.
Strongly Agree
The best way to maintain peace is through a strong military.
Strongly Agree
I voted in these primaries and general elections:
2010 General Election, 2010 Republican Primary, 2012 General Election, 2012 Republican Primary, 2014 General Election, 2014 Republican Primary, 2016 General Election, 2016 Republican Primary
Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?
If the mother's life is at risk, she and her doctor can make the decision. I consider the situation similar to the law of self defense.
What should the United States do to help eradicate the threat of radical Islamic terrorism?
The U.S. should stop supporting and enabling organizations and governments that commit terrorist acts, which include Iran, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria. I would like to prosecute Obama for sending 40 billion in cash on pallets to Iran. We will be fighting that money for years, fighting against radical Islamic terrorism, which was funded with our own tax dollars! That was the most treasonous political act I have witnessed in my life! Dissolve these Islamic training camps in the U.S. Those training camps should not be protected by the 1st Amendment, under the guise of religious freedom. Gun target practice at a mosque should not be protected under the 1st Amendment, because it incites violence.
What in the nature of mankind caused America’s Founders to carefully define, separate, and limit powers in the Constitution?
America's Founders created constitutional mechanisms, with the goal of separating and limiting powers in the Constitution, to check the thirst for power inherent in the nature of man, preventing government from becoming oppressive and tyrannical.
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I am a Christian. I was raised Protestant, but converted to Catholicism when I was 25, after working with the Missionaries of Charity. I believe it is very important to give to the needy, in volunteerism and financial contributions, as a witness to Christ. I volunteered in Calcutta, India, Atlanta, Boston, and Los Angeles, with the Missionaries of Charity. I travelled twice to Israel, which made me feel closer to Christ, walking in the same steps Jesus walked. There is a Banyas, Israel, where, I was told, Jesus and his disciples would rest and vacation!
When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and immigration, which of the following best describes you overall?
Conservative
Please provide publicly available information validating your answer to the previous question.
I am pro-life and pro second Amendment. I am a member of the Tennessee Right to Life Group. I am a member in the group "Moms Demand Action", which is pro-2nd amendment, but wants tighter background checks. I find nothing incongruent with protecting 2nd Amendment rights and wanting a safer America for students.
How would you promote healthcare coverage that is adequate, affordable and accessible for all?
The federal government should be able to negotiate drug prices. There is leeway on drug prices. Why is it thyroid medicine at Walmart is $4. The same medication at Walgreen is $34. Allow U.S. citizens to buy drugs and medical devices from other countries. I had a rash in Mexico. The cream I bought from a pharmacy in Mexico was $3. When I came back to the U.S., the cream was $70, for the same ingredients. I can buy clothes and electronics from other countries. If I am willing to risk a drug that has not cleared the FDA, from another country, it is my choice. The government should stay out of it! Prevent pharmaceutical companies from incentivizing doctors from using the most expensive drug they sell by giving them bonuses for prescribing their medications. Encourage telemedicine, especially in rural areas. When patents run out, encourage generics. Also, make it easier for a new patent to be created for a medication.
What role should government play in boosting the economy?
The government should play a role in boosting the economy by protecting our legal structure, continuing tax reform, and managing our national debt.
What changes should be made to the tax code?
Regarding the recent tax code changes: The temporary tax cut provisions are estimated to be 2.8% larger if they were made permanent. If the tax cuts were made permanent AND expenses to all investment were expanded, the Heritage Foundation estimates that the U.S. GDP would increase by 4.3%. Actually, I would like to dissolve the IRS. We survived 130 plus years without the IRS. The way to do that is with the Fair Tax bill. I have asked accountants, and they said this is the only way to dissolve the IRS. If we used the Flat Tax, we would still have to have the IRS manage tax revenue. With the Fair Tax, the taxes would be collected by the State and sent to the Federal government for distribution. I don't love the Fair Tax bill, but I LOATHE the IRS. In 2016, the cost of operating the IRS was $11.4 billion. We need to streamline the federal government and this is one way.
What is the best way to bring down unemployment?
The best way? Throttle immigration, legal and illegal. U.S. citizens come first! H-1 B visas for specialty workers need to be lessened. We need to train our citizens for the specialty jobs, so we do not recruit from other countries. We need a computerized system, connecting H-1 B visa requests by employers, with people on unemployment, with the same skills. We have to get serious about lessening immigration, because we have the robot revolution staring us in the face. By 2050, 40% of the U.S. work force is predicted to be robots, while the U.S. population is predicted to be 400 million. Robots are presently picking crops. We won't even need migrant, seasonal workers, at this rate. We need to act now, to prevent massive, creeping unemployment in the future.
How would you guarantee Social Security benefits for future generations?
I say "LOCK BOX" on Social Security surplus! I guarantee I would NEVER vote to use the $2.9 trillion surplus in Social Security funds to pay for another bill's cost. I guarantee that the Social Security's surplus will be held in trust, segregated from the general fund of the federal government. I would NOT vote to use Social Security surplus to be offset by revenues like Congressman Phil Roe did, to be used for the BBA, Balanced Budget Amendment. He was one of 233 members of Congress who voted to use the Social Security surplus for the BBA, but, thank God, it was not passed by the Majority. I would not vote to default on Social Security's $2.9 trillion worth of Treasury bonds, for another politican's pet project. Social Security is the taxpayer's money they earned for themselves! I guarantee I would NOT be a politician with her hand in the taxpayer's cookie jar!
What education or experience qualifies you to hold the office for which you seek election?
My law degree included the study of the Constitution, which is very important in understanding the laws of the land. I understand the basis from which the Supreme Court makes their decisions. I understand how Congress should use the Constitution in considering issues. My 8 years of military experience is very valuable in understanding military, national security, and veteran administration issues. When I vote for matters relating to the military, I will remember the faces seared into my mind. Before I vote to send men and women onto the battlefield, I will remember the Marine I nursed at National Naval Medical Center who lost all his limbs in an IED. He was only a torso. War is no theory to me. The consequences of war are engraved into my mind and heart and I will base my decisions accordingly. We need the warrior heart of a veteran in office!
E-mail address and phone number for voters to reach you:
Banyasmickie@hotmail.com Mickie@banyas4congress.com (423) 732-9368
Is there anything else you would like voters to know about you?
I have been questioned as to why I am single. No, I am not gay. I loved a man, Joseph Thomas Brown, but he ran off with another woman and then he died. He had a fatal heart attack at the age of 29! He was the love of my life. I read once that you know your true love if your heart of dust would leap to hear his voice 6 feet above the ground. My heart of dust would leap to hear Joseph's voice.
