Brian Bengs is running for US Senate in South Dakota. He was kind enough to sit down with the Sisters and answer some questions.
Women’s Reproductive Health
What is your opinion on the overturn of Roe v. Wade?
The court got it wrong. The Roe standards were right the first time, and I support the Roe standards.
What will you do to ensure access to critical healthcare to save the lives of
women, despite recent restrictions on reproductive services?
Well, I’m running for federal office, so it’s somewhat of a step back, but I’m fully in opposition to the proposed federal ban on abortion after 15 weeks. And I support the codification of Roe, by virtue of the fact that the United States is party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. And that has been interpreted to require access to safe and affordable reproductive healthcare to qualify to meet our international legal obligation.
In 2006 and 2010 the people voted to keep access to abortion safe and legal for all who need it in South Dakota, yet the elected officials in Pierre have allowed a
trigger law banning abortions. What is your plan to honor the voters?
Well, the situation right now is that the legislature has overridden the will of the people, which it does a lot of times on a lot of different things. So again, I’m running for the United States Senate, not a state office. So, I can advocate for and state my position, which I would be doing, but I don’t have an active role in this state process. So, that’s more of a Jamie Smith question.
Social Justice
What will you do to combat the violence against Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls?
Well, I’ve been visiting all the reservations in South Dakota and talking to people. And one of the big concerns that I’ve heard at every single one is law enforcement shortage. Pine Ridge should have about 150 law enforcement officers, given the size of the
reservation. And they have a total of 35. So, that is a question of funding. And maximizing the funding to get the number of law enforcement officers that they should have by virtue of their size is an issue that I’m already planning to pursue, amongst other things. So, at a minimum, that.
What will you do to combat the history of racism and oppression against the Indigenous people of South Dakota?
Well, I invite you to take a look at my Native American policy statement. I come right out at the front end of it and acknowledge that the doctrine of discovery as a legal matter in the United States has been the standard since the beginning. And it has resulted in immeasurable hardship, individually and collectively, on Native American groups. So acknowledging it and saying, “We’ve done wrong and we need to fix it.” For example, the forced assimilation through the boarding schools and trying to eliminate the culture was wrong from the start. It was well-intentioned I suppose, but it was wrong from the start, and it’s had horrendous impact. So, trying to double down and reinforce the reculturalization of the Native American folks, with their language and their culture being incorporated as part of the education of the youth, so they know who they are and where they came from.
What would you do to make sure LGBTQ+ and BIPoC feel safe in South Dakota?
My position is that everybody should have equal opportunity to lead a life with meaning and purpose, whatever that is to anybody. So, in terms of making them safe, I’ve been to a variety of events. And in terms of what I would do in office is oppose any of the efforts to pick on basically, or bully individuals for the choices that they make. If they’re not hurting somebody else, they should be able to do whatever they want to do.
Environment and Climate Change
Currently, access to exploratory drilling has been granted to mining groups above Pactola Reservoir. What is your plan to protect our natural resources in South
Dakota, such as fresh water, clean air, and the environment?
Well, we have laws on the books already. And they could be stronger, but they could also be weaker in the sense that they are being attacked because they impede the ability to make money. And we should not be pursuing making money at any cost because the costs are not born by those that make the money; they’re born by the people that live in the area. So, I’m a proponent of maintaining and strengthening environmental regulations.
Some South Dakota’s top industries are agriculture, forestry, mining and power, manufacturing and transportation. What steps will you take to ensure these
industries operate responsibly when it comes to environmental protections and preserving South Dakota’s pristine beauty and its natural resources?
Maintaining the current standards and strengthening them. But one of the issues that was related uniquely to indigenous individuals is that my position is we’re in the area that it was part of the Great Sioux Reservation originally. And to the extent that we have federal lands in areas that were part of the Great Sioux Reservation, that produce revenue for the federal government from mineral extraction or lumber or anything like that, I proposed having 50% of the revenue produced go to a tribal development fund for South Dakota tribes. And I’d also support the concept of getting them more involved in the decision making for the management of such industries, like the lumber industry, on federal lands.
Where will protecting the environment and addressing climate change fall on your list of priorities once you take office?
Well, the experience that we were having, we’re kind of on the downside of it now, but the experience with the gas price shock has created, I think, a unique perspective, if we want to pursue it, to address two things with one approach. So climate, obviously burning fossil fuels and everything, is the issue there. But when we talk about American energy independence, which is the big issue for why gas prices are so high, and the Republican plan is to, “We need to drill more, drill more, drill more, drill more here.” But that doesn’t solve our problem because oil’s a global commodity, and whoever’s going to pay the most gets it. If it’s from here, if it’s from Russia or from anywhere else, it goes on a boat to whoever’s giving the most money for it. So we have the opportunity to create American energy independence by considering it a national security problem, which it is, and focusing efforts on renewables.
South Dakota has the third most active winds in the country. Solar; we actually used to be called the Sunshine State before Florida took it over. So, there’s a lot of things that-
… we could be doing more. Florida. So, the two-for-one bang for your buck on that one, we throw money at national security problems. So, to the extent that we can convince people that it is a national security problem, because it is, we can maybe start opening the pocketbook a little bit and throwing money at renewables.
Mental Health
Our generation has lost far too many of our peers tragically to drugs, suicide or violence. How can we make young South Dakotans feel safe and like they have a future in our state?
Well, that’s been a longstanding problem. The efforts that we’re going to now, to try to minimize bullying, which they didn’t exist in my… I was bullied in high school. They didn’t exist then. And they’re hit and miss, I think, based on my observations, to certain schools are going forward actively and others are not. But just trying to, and this is probably more so a state question, but trying to make sure that all schools are adhering to certain minimum standards of, “Okay, if something’s happening, then you need to take action, and here’s the courses of action you should be taking.”
How can we break the cycle of incarceration and poverty for those exposed to violence, drug/alcohol abuse, trauma at a young age?
That’s a tough one. Yeah, the cyclical nature, intergenerational poverty, and crime and everything… I guess the best way, from my perspective, would be to maximize the opportunity for individuals. And it’s going to be education. I am where I am today… I grew up in a working-class family, so education has put me where I am today. And without that, I don’t know where I would be. So, we’ve always had the mindset in the United States that, “Oh yeah, everybody has equal opportunity.” And that’s not true. It’s true in theory, but it’s not true in reality because of disparities between different schools, where you live, the quality of the education, the teachers, the programs. And trying to maximize that… And it’s again, more so a state question. But federal government does have a role in trying to equalize that.
In 2020 suicide was the 10th leading cause of death in SD among ages 10 to 19. In 2019 South Dakota had the 8th highest suicide rate in the nation and our indigenous population is committing suicide at a rate that is 2.5 times higher than Caucasians. Simply put, many of our generation and specifically your indigenous neighbors are finding end-of-life more desirable than living. What can be done to combat these statistics?
Quality of life. Quality of life. I’ve been to the reservations. I’ve seen it. I was disappointed that the quality of life is such for people in the 21st century, on the reservation. The United States government is failing in its obligations. Just in South Dakota, at least, the reservations were created and carved out. And there’s obligations the United States government undertook as compensation for land, for the rest of the land that is now being denied to the Native folks. So, we need to act in good faith. And it
doesn’t mean just, “Oh yeah, we’re funding education,” or “We’re funding healthcare.” It means we need to act in good faith to fund it in a meaningful and effective way. And that is what’s not being done. And that would go a long ways to fixing that.
Marijuana Legalization
Do you think that marijuana should be decriminalized?
Okay, from the state, I support democracy. So, if the voters want it decriminalized, yes, it should be decriminalized. And we did say that we wanted it decriminalized. So, before the state was suing itself to prevent it, that was the decision. So, I expect it will pass again. And then, there’s the answer. Now ,from the federal level, we have, I think it’s 39 states that have decriminalized medical marijuana. I think South Dakota might be number 20 that would have, if it passes, decriminalized recreational marijuana.
So, given the number of states that are now making their own decisions, I think the best recourse for the federal government would be to decriminalize, at least for the personal use. Not for shipping 50 pounds of marijuana, but for the personal use aspect of things.
Two years ago, The people of South Dakota voted to legalize both medicinal and recreational marijuana. What will you do to honor the voters’ wishes?
Do what the voters say.
What should happen to individuals who are currently incarcerated or on probation for marijuana related offenses if/when marijuana is decriminalized?
From the state level, again, now, if you’re shipping 50 pounds of marijuana, a massive thing, then you deserve to be in punishment. But for the personal aspect of things, then I would support letting them out.
Gun Safety
Do you support gun safety legislation?
I prefer to call it “gun safety” legislation. And I’ve stated in the past that I think I own probably more firearms than John Thune. Now, my experience with firearms is shaped by my military experience. The attributes of a firearm that make it the most dangerous and the most popular for mass shootings are rate of fire and capacity of fire. The faster
you can shoot through a large number of rounds is what makes a weapon most harmful. So, weapons that have those attributes, and I’m talking about assault rifles, should be more controlled than they are. And I would support the idea of basically treating them like automobiles, where you have to have a license to operate them to have them. And if you have them, you have some insurance requirements that, if something happens, you’ve got it covered. And the insurance industry can then set its own standards of, “Okay, you need to keep them locked up or whatever for your insurance rate.”
If we treat it like that and restrict the access to them, because there’s absolutely a significant number of people who should not have access to those particular weapons. Now, if we’re talking about just a hunting shotgun, then I do not support restrictions on that.
What can be done to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous and mentally unstable people while protecting the rights of responsible, law-abiding citizens?
Yeah. Well again, I support universal background checks, just because there should be universal background checks. But I support, as I said, restricting the access to the weapons that meet the two criteria: the rate of fire and capacity of fire, the assault rifles. And you don’t see a lot of homicides, mass shootings, committed by individuals using what would be the better weapon, a fully automatic weapon, because there are stringent licensing requirements for that. So, to the extent we adopt, you can still get it if you are a qualified and capable and trained individual, licensing requirement, more power to you. But restricting everyday people from just walking in and saying, “I’ll take that one,” and then tomorrow going and shooting up whomever is something we absolutely need to do.
Healthcare
Currently our state has many residents who lack access to necessary healthcare services either because they cannot afford insurance, are underinsured or face social or cultural barriers. What steps can be made to correct this imbalance?
Okay, well, Medicaid expansion, the first thing. And I’ll be voting for that. And in terms of should it not pass, my fallback, my position, should I be elected, is that I would advocate for, there’s pending legislation to create a opportunity for individuals in states, and there’s 10 or 12 states that don’t have Medicaid expansion, to create federal legislation, allowing them the opportunity to purchase subsidized insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces. So, I would support that. In terms of more access, the healthcare system in the United States is broken fundamentally. That’s the biggest
problem. We pay the most, and we get, at best, adequate results for the top dollar that we pay.
But I’m in favor of a public option in the sense that individuals should be able to buy into, for example, Medicare. And you set the rate of the thing, and it’s going to be more competitive than private insurers and say, “All right, if you need insurance, here’s this opportunity as well. You’ve got private insurer A, B, and the public option.”
Many South Dakotans are one health emergency away from financial ruin. What can be done to prevent citizens from severe poverty simply for seeking necessary healthcare?
Yeah. Fundamentally, we just need to overhaul the healthcare system in the United States. That’s the real answer. I believe medical debt is the number one cause of personal bankruptcy, as you know. So. It should not be as expensive as it is. It just should not So, we need to talk big picture. And I don’t have a plan for big picture, but I support big-picture reform.
To Conclude
How can the voices of our generation be heard and honored in South Dakota?
Well, social media has a unique aspect in the sense that you get to communicate and connect with an unlimited number, functionally, of individuals. Traditionally, obviously voting [inaudible 00:18:39] I think, was traditionally not big voters. But to the extent that you can use social media or other media or any opportunity to motivate people to get involved, that is the big detriment, I think, of democracy in the United States, is that individuals are free to watch from the sidelines and not get involved, as democracy takes responsibility. And that responsibility is you have to be involved. And we’re just not seeing that.
How can we (the young people in South Dakota) help you to achieve these goals?
Well, my goal is to be elected, so you could vote for me. That’s the easy one.
And then, once I’m elected, help me keep in touch with the regular people that I need support from and push forward ideas. My approach, if elected, will be to rely upon input from regular people to say, “This is what we need.” We’re not getting that right now. So, I’m going around talking to people and hearing about, “Healthcare is a big problem.” And yet, the individual I’m running against does not seem to think it’s a problem. The fact that
the Affordable Care Act exists seems to be what he thinks is the problem. So, just maintaining a respectful connection, I would say. Not just a, “I hate you, you’re bad” sort of thing with individuals in the position of authority to make some changes.
Is there anything else you would like us to know about you as a candidate that we neglected to ask? What do you want to make sure our generation knows about you before they cast their vote?
So fundamentally, we just need to fix that. My goal is not to just be another politician. My goal is to put forward some ideas that 10, 20 years ago would be considered crazy, but given what’s going on now, which is crazy, that we need to fix it. So, democracy is it for me, democracy. And the problem that we have is not democracy. It is the representative aspect of our democracy that refuses to do and fix the problems we have. So, I’m running to try to put forward ideas to enable people, individuals, to fix the problems that they know we have, but they’re not getting addressed because the people that benefit from them not being addressed don’t want them to be addressed.