Jackson Free Press

Bill Marcy is a history buff and cites articles of the Constitution when making his case for the role of government. The Chicago native will challenge incumbent U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi's second congressional district this November.

Marcy, 64, worked as a police officer in Chicago during the 1968 Democratic Convention riots. He later worked for a private security business. He moved to Meridian in 2001, and in 2008, he ran for U.S. Congress for Mississippi's Third Congressional District, but lost to Gregg Harper. He is moving to Vicksburg this month to make his second attempt for a congressional seat. Marcy is a member of the tea party movement and prides himself on his conservative values.

The tea party has been characterized as an angry movement in which members have used racial epithets toward blacks and immigrants. Why do you choose to ally yourself with the Central Mississippi Tea Party?
That depiction that you have described is not the tea party that I have been associated with, and I believe I have been associated with the tea party since its beginning. The people who say those things have obviously never been to a tea party. ... What you find is older people in their 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. You find veterans, and you find people who have a love for the Constitution. And these are not the radicals that I hear people talking about.

But didn't tea party protesters use the N-word recently to describe Democrat Rep. John Lewis of Georgia recently?
I don't know that. All I know is that the tea party has reached out to Bill Marcy not only from an emotional but a financial and political (standpoint). ... I would not be a part of an organization that used racial epithets.

Do you think the federal government should play a role in desegregation and racial issues?
That's a complicated question. I believe what you're saying is: Should the federal government protect the rights of all its American citizens from discrimination? And to that question I say yes. ... It's interesting that we had to pass the ... '64 and '65 civil-rights bills even though there were existing bills on the books of 1867, 1869 and 1871. ... The problem was the role of government to enforce (the bills) and protect citizens.

Can you explain how you see the role of government?
My belief is that every individual has an equal opportunity in this country. I believe that success should be between the individual and the marketplace. If I open up a restaurant and no one wants to come to that restaurant, I should shut my doors. If I open up a restaurant and people come because I have good service and good food, then I will succeed. I don't think there is a role for government in that. ... I don't believe that I need "Big Daddy" to take care of me. Big Daddy's responsibility is to make sure we all have a level playing field.

Most people would agree with you that the government shouldn't bail out a restaurant owner who doesn't have a successful business model, but aren't things more complicated than that?
You have to have an understanding of government and American history. ... Our founders were very careful; they didn't not want big government or a nanny state. That leads to dictatorships and total control of individuals.

Do you think this is happening now?
I think there is a trend for people who want to be taken care of.

You support domestic drilling. How does the oil spill impact your position, and do you think the government should have better regulated off-shore drilling?
I'm sure you drove into work today...

Actually, I rode my bike.
God bless you. I'm sure someone in your office drove to work today. ... We need oil. I believe that oil is better acquired from people who are not out to kill us. We acquire our oil from most countries that do not like American values. Domestic drilling only makes sense. My only concern is that our environmentalist friends think that drilling in 5,000 feet of water makes more sense than drilling a shallow well, so if that something happens like the Gulf oil spill, they have a better chance of plugging the leak.

Wouldn't the sight of oil rigs hurt tourism?
It's a lot uglier that we have oil washing up on our shorelines.

What about investing in alternative forms of energy?
I think it makes sense, but we all know that won't be able to power America for the next 20 years.

You are a resident of Meridian—that's not exactly in the Second Congressional District. Why do you think you represent the residents of the second district?
We need to go back to the Constitution. The Constitution says—in Article One, section two—to be a representative of the United States, you must be 25 years old. The second is that you have to be a U.S. citizen for seven years. I am 63 years old, and I have been in the U.S. all that time. ... The question is: Do people in the second district vote for an individual who now lives out of the district but is moving into the district before the election? I'd say they do.

Can you tell me any suggestions you have for improving our national deficit if you are elected. Would you make more budget cuts in military spending or social services?
The budget is a little broader than just military or social services. But with that being said, obviously the Constitution—-besides the holy Bible—is our second most sacred document. That document gives the responsibility of national defense and protection to the federal government. We need to protect ourselves, and if I am elected I will take an oath to defend America from enemies both foreign and domestic. So defense is the number one priority.

Only one in three residents of Greenville, Miss., in the Delta, have health insurance. Why don't you support the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act?
(The state) already provides free excellent health care to over 700,000 people through Medicaid. The rest of the people, another 700,000 people, are on Medicare—benefits from paying into the system for 45 years. That leaves about a third of working and insured people. ... But regardless of your insurance status, if you are sick in the state of Mississippi and you go to any hospital or clinic, you will be treated regardless of your ability to pay. But do I think a single-payer system is the best system of providing care to our people? I say no. We do not need to continue the nanny state.

The people who fall through the cracks will still be treated, but won't the cost of it put them into debt?
The largest number of people who filed bankruptcy in this country, (are) rising out of debt because of (lack of) medical insurance. When a person files for bankruptcy they keep their cars, tools and their house—they keep just about everything that they have worked for. When they file bankruptcy for medical bills, the only thing that the bankruptcy court eliminates—besides credit cards—is medical debt. I don't understand when people say that folks are saddled with debt.