James Oswald
Republican | Pennsylvania
Candidate Profile
Leans Conservative
BIOGRAPHY
Name
James Oswald
Party
Republican
Election Year
2022
Election
General
Race
State Rep., Dist. 126
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
My Penn High School, Reading, Pa, Diploma, 1981
WORK & MILITARY
US Navy Seabees, CM1, 20.5
AFFILIATIONS
Lower Alsace Ambulance, Asst. Director of Operations, My. Penn Fire Co
Chief Engineer, Captain, Lieutenant, Lower Alsace Fire Co, Volunteer Firefighter
Friedens Lutheran Church, Church Council, leader in food pantry, Miller Keystone Blood Bank
30 gallon donor, Central Berks Regional Police Commission, Board member
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Twp Supervisor, 17
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
(Candidate did not provide)
Race
ENDORSEMENTS
CONSERVATIVE (1)
Berks County Republican Committee GOP
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (1)
Local, County, and District Republican Organizations (2021)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (1)
Local, County, and District Republican Organizations (2020)
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?
I believe abortion should be allowed up to 16 weeks and in the case of rape, incest or protecting the life of the mother.
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Strongly Agree
I support 'aid in dying' laws which legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Neutral
ECONOMY
What changes, if any, should be made to the tax code?
I am not an accountant and would have to rely on people more knowledgeable than I for an answer.
What government spending would you reduce in order to balance the budget?
1) Municipalities that rely on State Police need to start paying a fee for service so that monies dedicated to infrastructure repairs, stay there. 2) I believe that we need better control over our public assistance programs, to stamp out fraud in our welfare, unemployment and Covid distributions. 3) Fix the Pa Turnpike toll collection program, which currently has $155 million in unpaid tolls.
Taxpayer-funded public education should be guaranteed through college.
Strongly Disagree
We need to control the cost of higher education to make it more affordable, but I do not believe it should be guaranteed.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Strongly Disagree
Under what circumstances can government close churches?
Did not answer
HEALTHCARE
What most closely matches your view on healthcare: A) Healthcare for all should be guaranteed and funded by the government with no private healthcare option. (includes "universal healthcare," "medicare for all," etc.) B) Healthcare insurance funded by the government should be available for all who want it, along with private healthcare options. C) Medicaid and Medicare should remain available, but no other taxpayer-funded programs are necessary. D)Tax-payer funded health care should be abolished in all forms, and Medicaid and Medicare should be de-funded.
Private sector businesses that offer healthcare for their employees are a good thing. Government Insurance for those that don't have healthcare available to them elsewhere is also good. But I believe there are other issues that also have a great effect on the healthcare system.
Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?
At this point I'm not completely sure where I stand on this, I myself tested positive for Covid only a few short months after receiving my vaccination, so I'm not sure if I was sold a bill of goods or what.
NATIONAL SECURITY
What should the United States do to help eradicate the threat of Islamic terrorism?
Control our borders, properly vet those wishing to come into our country and education.
I support the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement to pressure Israel to withdraw from occupied territories, remove the separation barrier in the West Bank, allow full equality for Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel, and promote the rights of Palestinian refugees.
Disagree
IMMIGRATION
The U.S. should do more to physically secure the southern border.
Strongly Agree
We need to do a much better job controlling our southern borders for a multitude of reasons. Dangerous people, illegal drugs, human trafficking and many other issues.
Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?
My grandfather immigrated to the US in the early 1900's through Ellis Island. I have no issue with people wanting to make a better life for themselves, but the U.S. can only handle so many immigrants before we have more than we can deal with. Also, immigrants should not be treated better than U.S. citizens and Veterans that are homeless.
EDUCATION
I support school choice, including voucher programs, tax credits, charter schools, private schools, and home schools.
Neutral
I believe if we invested in trying to make all schools equal, this would be a mute point. Instead of having rich schools and poor schools, if we had fair and equitable funding for all schools, I believe we could resolve a lot of these issues. Of course if we eliminated school property tax, it would easier to accomplish this task.
VALUES
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which is necessary for our system of limited government.
Strongly Agree
I support adding gender identity as a specially protected class in non-discrimination laws.
Disagree
Marriage is a God-ordained, sacred and legal union of one man and one woman. No government has the authority to alter this definition
Agree
I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.
Strongly Disagree
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
Did not answer
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
What laws would you propose to change present voting practices?
Did not answer
EQUALITY
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
First you have to know the definition of racism, prejudice or discrimination against anyone different than yourself. So yes, I believe there are those in government and outside of government that fan the flames of racism to push a narrative. We should be working together instead against each other.
Reparations should be given to people on the basis of race.
Strongly Disagree
Only if you were the one directly affected.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Which comes closest to your view? A) Stricter environmental laws and regulations cost too many jobs and hurt the economy. B) Stricter environmental laws and regulations are worth the cost.
There has to be a common ground between common sense environmental laws and killing jobs. Currently our government seems to be doing all it can to kill jobs, the U.S. already has strict environmental laws but our president has us picking up the slack for the rest of the world. The American public should not have to shoulder the expense of countries like China that have no concern for the environment.
I support the use of hydraulic fracking to extract oil and natural gas resources.
Strongly Agree
ABOUT YOU
What do you think is the general purpose of government?
Government is in place to make sure the citizenry has essential services, a judicial system to see that laws are followed, but to big of a government can be equally as bad as to small of one.
When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and religious liberty, which of the following best describes you overall?
Conservative
Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).
Did not answer
Have you ever been convicted of a felony or been penalized in either civil or criminal court for sexual misconduct? If so, please explain.
NO
What else would you like voters to know about you, including your legislative priorities?
1) End pensions for politicians. 2) Shrink the size of Pa.'s government. California has far more people and land mass yet has half as many State representatives. 3) I believe we need to consolidate school districts, we do not need 500 districts. My 17 years as a Township Supervisor and 30 plus years in the fire and EMS world have prepared me for the many challenges that would lie ahead but have also shown me where the state could use some improvements.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
Police officers should be personally immune from prosecution for conduct consistent with departmental policy (qualified immunity) while on duty.
Strongly Agree
I support redirecting funds from police departments to mental health and community programs.
Strongly Disagree
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
Why is it when a drunk driver kills someone we blame the driver, but when someone is killed by a gun, we blame the gun. There are more guns in this country than people, if guns were truly the issue we all would be dead. We have a mental health crisis in this country that needs to be dealt with.
Victims of gun violence should be able to sue firearms dealers and manufacturers.
Strongly Disagree
Are we going to sue the car manufacturer when a drunk driver kills someone? I believe that is a rabbit hole you don't want to go down
