Morning Edition; Steve Chentnik

It's morning edition on K-R-P-S. The primary election season is upon us in both Kansas and Missouri, taking place Tuesday, August 4th. This week, we are focusing on Missouri's 7th Congressional District. Today, we meet Republican Steve Chisnik. He has had a 40-year career in manufacturing, including work in his operations manager for Liggett and Platt. He resides in the Branson area. I first asked Steve to introduce himself to voters. I'm Steve Chisnik, and I live in Branson, Missouri. One of the main reasons I'm across the Congress. I've been involved with politics often on for many years, not in a public life standpoint, but in a background standpoint. That's 40 years in manufacturing, basically, for two different companies. Originally, it dropped an area since 2001. It dropped a website, or no. And we moved to Branson about three and a half years ago. My wife and I, and we'd always talked about we run for some type of all. And unfortunately, after we got here about six months into home living here, my wife was like, no, small-so-long cancer. Obviously, this was my last day,

so I started campaigning long this night. And I started at grassroots level, basically, daughter-to-daughterly buddy that was listening to me. Decided I was going to finance myself. So I was just trying to get my name out there. Because I think people are really wanting for change. And they really want change. And it's just a matter of your principles and the things you believe in, and what you're passionate about falling in line with with voters, you know, the conservative values. And if they do, then obviously they'll vote for you. I think people are ready for change after nine years of the incumbent. I think they're ready for it. Steve is pro-life, pro-second amendment, and is against judicial overreach. While at the same time, he believes that the health care system needs to be heavily reformed and is for term limits. And believes that Congress people and senators should not be able to become lobbyists until between three and six years after they leave office. Next, I asked Steve if elected what he hopes to get accomplished. And I'm going to tell you, we've got to have help very soon. And I went through this process with my wife from 800 some thousand dollars for her treatment over two years.

We settled, I think for 400, some thousands from my company. Of course, Medicaid paid about a third that medical care paid about half that. And if people's private service paid the full amount. So it's all over the court. All different hospitals. And they really need a level thing. You feel when it comes to medical, you should charge one price for one thing. You know, if the panel knows 12 bucks then we need to talk about that because that's a surprise. And we need to negotiate a price out of it. Yeah, I don't like government oversight on everything. And I don't like big government. But I think we're being taken advantage of. Not only by the health care system, but by the pharmaceutical companies. I mean, these guys, these patents keep getting extended and so forth. They're different drugs and stuff. And the lobbyists in Washington, I think we've got a lot of issues. They're lobbyists. I like to do something with the lobbyists. Something with healthcare reform, including the pharmaceutical company. We definitely need to get turned ones from the fight to turn ones. You're never going to get Congress to vote themselves out of a job with companies. But there are ways to do it by past Congress. Through petitions and getting on about states. There is a way to do it legally and get turned ones in place. And if there's enough push on that publicly, then I think I think that could be done.

As election day nears, Steve has been on the campaign trail for nearly a year. I asked what he's learned from knocking on doors and meeting with voters across Missouri's seventh congressional district. How people are strong. Their strong opinions are a permanent term limits. Term limits and forced to live in a conservative area. So I hear a lot of people like you know, which I agree with. But permanent people are passionate about term limits. They're so tired of queer politics. And they really, they're just... I've had people actually say, I don't know much about you, but since you said term limits, you had... You had, you handed me a brochure. It just said your favorite term limits. And you had me. You said, I don't want you to do about it. But he said, just the fact you want to do it. And bring it to the forefront. The attention to American people. You've got to get it done. That's probably the biggest one in healthcare. People are very, very concerned about their healthcare. Our seniors are scared to death because politicians get immediate scars and that's what it comes back. Social security benefits in healthcare

and those type of things. Finally, I asked Steve to give you his best pitch of why he deserves your vote in the August 4th primary in Missouri's seventh congressional district. Because I'm a fighter, because we're losing this country. And we need somebody in Washington. It's not just going to punch a ticket in a button and say I vote for this or that. We could send anybody in the world for Washington to represent the seventh district as long as they vote the way we want it to vote. And a 77% voting record in Congress, which my phone has, is pretty good. That's three out of four people agree with his voting record. I'm not going to debate that because that's a voting record in Congress. Now, I have 25% approval rate. But anybody can go to Washington and punch a button to vote. Yes, for no one thinks it's in line with the conservative values of the very. We're beyond that. We need, we need people in there willing to fight. We'll only get out there to forefront in the media and in the public and fight for what's right. And you know, the old saying is squeaky wheel gets graced. So that's what happened right now in this country. I don't believe this country

is as far left as in our case is what we're seeing on the news. I think those are squeaky wheels that are getting graced. And I think we need to stand up and then as a side of the majority is fighting. Steve Chinnick is running in the 7th congressional district primary taking place on Tuesday, August 4th. To learn more about his campaign, to hear this interview again or the extended interview, visit krpsnews.com.