John Munter

John Munter was born in Albion, New York. He received a high school diploma from Duluth East High School, a bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota, Duluth, in 1972, and a graduate degree from the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary in 1988. His career experience includes working as an author and for Delta Airlines before retiring.[1][2][3]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am an unabashed activist. When Line 3 hearings said in the EIS old pipelines could not be removed, I single-handedly did a study from Swan River to Grand Rapids proving they could be at Enbridge expense and won!

I support Wartime taxes on wealthy and corporations and cutting the Defense Budget by 30% to reduce the deficit and fund initial costs of Medicare4All, block grants for 3.2 million new single family starter homes, Federal guaranteed job programs for weatherization, childcare, eldercare, funds for rapid transit, offshore wind turbines, geo-thermal energy, and farm programs to support cover-cropping, feed supplements for cattle to reduce methane emissions, dry storage of manure to re-till it back into the land as well as regenerative agricultural. I oppose copper-nickel mining because it threatens twice as many jobs as it creates that only last for 20 years, then leave piles of toxic waste that always leak. I oppose the Hermantown Data center because it will destroy something in the order of magnitude of 2-3000 jobs and has known health effects on people and animals 1/2 mile out as well has concerning issues with energy and water and is not transparent about issues of surveillance and benefit to humankind. Young people in China are complaining about lack of jobs. I graduated from Duluth East and UMD with a degree in Philosophy and from U of Dubuque, Theological Seminary with an M.Div and retired from NW-Delta in Chisholm after 17 years with a union pension.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Jobs, Housing--this why I oppose copper-nickel mining and the data Center--they threaten more jobs than the create, We should be supporting 350 jobs with Mesabi Metallics in Nashwauk, Pulsar Helium in Babbit--200 jobs, Helienne in Mountain Iron-solar panels, 8th Fire Solar making solar side panels, and the local consortium--Critical Metals Recovery--for $9 million facility to separate out e-waste stream for metals. There is also a new technology to heat up coal fly ash or any waste stream to obtain rare earth metals called Metallion or ARECHousing-I support Tep Ro Khanna's vision to produce 3.2 million more starter homes with block grants with his 10-year plan to spend $12 trillion less on the military and increased taxes on the wealthy. I also support past and current legislation to remove private equity from the single-family housing market and make them divest their holdings on a 5-10 year schedule. Subsidies and tax breaks could maybe be given to companies who manufacture homes inside factories for a cheaper product. Tariffs on lumber from Canada should be reduced or eliminated. Support could be given to non-profits who collaborate together on rental housing projects.Health Care--I support some kind of single payer health insurance. It would us half the money we spend. Initially it would cost $2-300 billion more with the added demand and phase out or phase down of the Medicare Advantage programs which are expensive. This is why, initially, we need wartime taxes or windfall profits taxes on fossil fuel companies making huge profits on Iran War. And, there is NO reason why the Federal government should not be doing joint buying of all drugs to reduce the price. I support medicinal use of psychedelics for PTSD and much more drug treatment intervention in prisons to reduce costs.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

NO aide to Israel or Ukraine. It was stupid for the US-NATO to push NATO nukes on Ukraine which is 6 minutes fly time from Moscow and an existential threat to them--just like the Cuban Missile Crisis was for us! Putin did not invade Crimea until AFTER we overthrew the Ukraine elected government in 2014. Even after Putin invaded in 2022 there were negotiations in Turkey that we nixed because we preferred war. Gaza is obviously a war crime. Those running for national office should advocate for the trumpers being rounded up for war crimes trials in the Hague for also killing boat people off Venezuela and the voluntary war in Iran.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to Ro Khanna because he (along with Thomas Massie) has been the only one to accomplish anything in Congress in years with Epstein legislation and who has an excellent forward vision of progressivism with his $12 trillion in spending cuts

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Thinking independently and creatively. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie worked across party line to release the Epstein files. Trump has stabbed MAGA in the back on foreign wars, Epstein, FISA spying, gas and tariffs, data centers

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Ethical voting--I will not vote for any bill that sends money of any kind to Israel--and communication to the District about where I stand and why and for feedback

What legacy would you like to leave?

No data centers or copper nickel mining but improvements in employment, housing, and health care.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked for Jeno's Inc for 3 months before college

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Finding hero's in the political world after the murder of JFK, RFK, MLK, death of Wellstone.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

They have the power of the purse and are closer to the people

What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

The collapse of the Empire and onset of autocracy with voter suppression, media take-overs, court takeovers, Democrats bought off by the Israeli lobby, domestic and foreign concentration camps--all bad for business creating a downward debt spiral and high treasury rates which are bad for mortgage rates.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

We theoretically could collaborate on Epstein bills, no foreign wars, No FISA spying, and banning, moratoriums, or severe restriction on data centers which have become a huge national issue as well as getting private equity out of single-family housing

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

None

What was the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember?

The Viet-Nam war which began a long stream of violence wasting our blood and treasure from Central America to Iraq twice, Afghanistan, Iran War an the current ubiquitous violence.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I won 6,199 votes in 2022 8th Primary. I am married with four children living retired after 17 years with Delta on an ancestral hobby farm in Warba near Grand Rapids. My opponents are way too timid and beholden to their parties. I am accepting no donations with money being the bain of politics. My web site is MUNTERforCongress@substack.com where I have a long list of opinion pieces published in the Duluth News Tribune, Grand Rapids Herald Review, and the Reformers expressing my many different viewpoints which differ from both major parties often. I consider both parties corrupt and beholden to AIPAC (the Israeli Lobby), Big Pharma (trying to pass an international Pandemic Treaty robbing us of national sovereignty), Big Tech (which has colluded with Democrats to suppress free speech), Big Ag (which is wasting 1$ billion a year on non-ecological ethanol subsidies, and the Defense Department (which should be producing more 155 mm mortar shells and not wasting money on a reboot the ICBM system or useless air craft carriers).

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

We need to rebuild the Middle Class which was well over 60% of us when I was a kid and is now well under 50%. The home mortgage income tax exemption has been the biggest wealth generator for the Middle Class. We need to ban Wall Street practices such as buying up 25% of homes last year and flipping them to rentals. We need for HUD and USDA to back low interest, no down payment mortgages for first-time home buyers with good credit scores and a home owners course. We need to lower the Canadian soft lumber tariff and provide block grants for cities and towns to develop building sites with water, electricity, and sewer.Administrations for decades have been arrogant and incompetent in pushing NATO borders right to Russia's border resulting in the failing Ukraine War and aligning themselves with the genocidal right-wing government in Israel in another failed war. 'Destroying Hamas' cannot be done and now we risk a wider war with Lebanon. The biggest funder of Joe Biden is AIPAC--the Israeli lobby-$11.2 million over the course of his career. AIPAC also funds about 400 of the 535 House seats and this Israeli lobby has promised to spend $100 million in this election cycle to defeat all of its enemies who are trying to hold Israel accountable to the laws of war and towards a positive outcome such as a two-state solution instead of ethnic cleansing.Big Farmers as a requirement to obtain insurance and to assist small farmers in remaining competitive with them need to 1) Maintain cover-cropping on all their crop land 2) Do dry storage and composting of manure 3) Feed a seaweed supplement to all their cattle to reduce methane emissions. Only a handful of asparagosis seaweed a day can reduce their methane emissions by 80%-99%. These three measures would substantially reduce carbon and methane emissions from agriculture.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

If elected I will go door to door to all my Congressional colleagues to work on legislation on a bipartisan basis to increase the supply of single family home ownership which is essential for the Middle Class to prosper. Something has to be done! Whole neighborhoods are bought up with cash on the barrel-head and flipped to high-end rentals since 2008. Now even the 'build-to-rent' number has gone up last year from 5% to 10%. Builders have no incentive to build Middle Class homes so we need to provide the building sites, the cheaper limber, and the financial backing to make that happen

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I admire Marianne Williamson for the insightful policies on her web site

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

See my many opinion pieces on MUNTERforCongress.substack.com where I address climate, the Gaza War, Medicare Advantage, critical minerals, agriculture, near-shoring our supply lines and industry from China to Central American, as well as a large bucket list of things we can do for single family homes and rebuild the Middle Class.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

It is most important to think independently without being bought off by special interests and corrupt greed.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am not bought and paid for and I am more engaged in the public issues important to the 8th District than my opponents.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To live a life of integrity.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to destroy corporate investment in the single family home market.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The re-election of Eisenhower in 1956

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked on the assembly line making Jeno's pizza rolls.

What is your favorite book? Why?

My own...I wrote a book on the Gospel of Thomas: 'The Integral Gospel of Thomas Made Easy' in 2016 on Amazon.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Frodo living in the Shire

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

I quickly forget them.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Every strenuous work out at the Y.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

It is closest to the people where someone in a big city or Congressional district can run and win without a lot of money.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

No, in fact, it has a tendency to be corrupting.

What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Without the Middle Class we will not remain a democracy.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Yes.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

A three term limit might given lobbyists more power but it would free up members at the end of their term to vote more freely.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

WE have had lots of great DFL reps in the 8th District who have brought a lot of projects into our district. WE have the jobs here. We need to bring good policies into the district so families can find homes.

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

I know a single person in my district who has worked at a high-paying IT job for a decade and still has difficulty finding a home to buy. On the other hand, nearby, I see a 1920's farmhouse with two bedrooms and one bath and a nice old barn on 40 acres in the middle of nowhere on the market for $350,000. This is nuts.

Tell us your favorite joke.

Attorney General Garland after he was censored by Congress should indict himself to show how non-partisan he is.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Compromise will be necessary to defeat big corporate interests.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

I would lobby vigorously against pork barrel Defense and Space projects and funding for Israel. Ukraine is more nuanced where we don't want to see them collapse but they need to negotiate an end to the war. Finland gave over 1/3 of their country to the USSR after World War II, people moved, and now they are voted the happiest country in the world for the past 7 years. This is a model. Ukraine is not going to defeat Russia. This is ridiculous.

How should the U.S. House use its investigative powers?

It should investigate Big Pharma's corruption and incompetence. It should intelligently investigate our true defense needs.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

none

What committees interest you?

Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs==where I can impact policies favoring single family home ownership. Agriculture--where I can encourage ecological farming. Budget--where I can work against wasteful defense spending as well as work to cancel the Artimus Mars Project which is a huge waste money since radiation in space is too toxic for the human body to develop space colonies.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Congressional members should be prohibited from buying or selling stock. The Supreme Courts should have a mandatory code of ethics. All campaign financing should be transparent and corporate funding should be banned with a constitutional amendment.

Campaign website

Munter’s campaign website stated the following:

Short 'Rebuild the Middle Class' Stump Speech

Democracy cannot survive in America without the Middle Class which was well over 60% of us when I was a kid and is well under 50% of us now. The greatest engine of Middle Class wealth accrual has been the income tax home mortgage exemption, yet last year Wall Street bought up 25% of single family homes and flipped them to rental property. ‘Build to rent’ homes also increased from 5% of the market to 10%. This trend has got to stop! First time home buyers are being priced out of the market by high interest rates and cash on the barrelhead.

In this short video-taped stump speech I outline what need to be done:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DjWwcZEBTE2FdxmW7BKxnaaTuMgKb40C/view?usp=sharing [4]

—John Munter’s campaign website (2024)[5]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I oppose the Party-endorsed candidates because they think copper-nickel mining is ecological. It is not. Stauber voted against all infrastructure and supports state legislatures over-riding the popular vote. His party wants to sunset Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and raise taxes on poorest 60%. Schulz is beholden to special interests. 6 supreme Court Justices should be impeached. But, no abortion in third trimester. No vaccines for children. Trans youth should be affirmed but no chemical or surgical intervention for minors. I graduated from Duluth East, UMD, UDTS with an M.Div, retired after 17 years with Delta, live on a hobby farm in Warba with my family.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Schultz and Stauber both think copper-nickel mining can be ecological. It cannot. The copper, nickel, cobalt, and magnesium can all come from the Pacidic ocean bottom collected from potato-sized nodule picked up by robots in tI oppose abortion only in the third trimester, covid vaccines for kids who are at no risk, and chemical and surgical interventions for minors.Housing--downsize I-35 by half for affordable housing, promote USDA no down payment mortgages in rural cities and towns and modular housing.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Climate change--The few super-emitter wells three times more polluting than coal mines should be capped. Biden should invoke the Defense Production Act to spur making electric heat pumps to reduce emissions, USDA should be empowered to provide a handful of asparagopsis seaweed to all cattle per day to reduce their methane emissions by 80-99%, tariffs should be place on imports from Brazil until they stop destroying the rain forest which is near the breaking point. Cities and towns should all be encourage to develop a solar plus battery garden to cut off the peak monthly rate and save money for the citizens, the city, and the utility

In addition, corn should not be grown for ethanol which is not ecological but a Big Ag subsidy. Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) booming exports to Asia should be re-routed to Europe and the US to reduce gas prices.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt and Frances Perkins.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Putting people and the environment first.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I had to pass Greek and Hebrew in Seminary.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Realizing that the earths climate is being destroyed and we face the threat of fascism in our democracy

What legacy would you like to leave?

A healthier earth and happier people.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

Grass roots candidates can run for a Federal office in a limited geographical area and have a chance of winning.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

No. Office holders are too beholden to campaign donations from special interests since the Republican Supreme Court has made money 'speech' and made corporations 'people'.

What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

The Supreme Court case next November of North Carolina re-districting where the Court may affirm the 'independent state legislature ' theory giving state legislatures free reign to gerrymander at will without state courts constraint. Since Republicans control 30 of 50 state legislatures this may permanently enshrine them in power in Congress. Secondly it could so empower them that they would be willing to choose their own Presidential Electors regardless of whatever the popular vote is just based on frivolous and spurious 'stolen election' charges...or they could delay: "We need to recount more" past deadlines and stealing Democratic Electors.

If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

That would take a concerted study, but I would want to work on climate issues. The Ag committee would be a natural for my district

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Yes, new blood is good.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

Oppose.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Jack Kennedy was a fresh and courageous leader

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Obviously. But Republicans since Gingrich and McConnell have been completely stone-walling Clinton, Obama, and Biden and have stolen four Supreme Court seats--two by 5 Republicans on the Supreme Court in 2000 (who had severe conflicts of interest) and who stopped the Florida Supreme Court Recount which would have correctly elected Al Gore....and two seats were stolen by Mitch McConnell who refused to hold hearings on Merrick Garland for a full year, then violated his own protocol hypocritically and pushed through Barrett at the end of Trumps term.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

We need to reverse the Trump tax cuts. Additional revenue should be obtained from financial transaction taxes on the order of .1 to .5 percent per transaction which would raise $7-38 billion a year. To fix Social security we should remove the earnings ceiling so that all income is taxed for Social Security.