Joseph Atura Jr.
Democrat | New Jersey
Candidate Profile*
Liberal
*Additional information appears below for educational purposes; however, only data received prior to the candidate deadline was considered during Panel Evaluation.
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Joseph Atura Jr.
Party
Democrat
Election Year
2023
Election
General
Race
General Assembly Dist. 9
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
St. Peter's, Jersey City, NJ, BS, 1990
WORK & MILITARY
Not a vet - I was classified 4F(extreme myopia) during the draft era.
AFFILIATIONS
Stafford Township Democrats, President
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
None
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
None
Race
ENDORSEMENTS*
*These endorsements were received after the deadline and were not considered in the Panel Evaluations and are for additional educational purposes only.
LIBERAL (6)
Free Thought Equality Fund PAC
Gun Sense Voter
New Jersey League of Conservation Voters
Freethought Equality Fund
*Planned Parenthood New Jersey
OTHER (1)
New Jersey League of Conservation Voters (NJLCV)
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (1)
NJ League of Conservation Voters, Center for Free Thought Equality PAC, Health Professionals and Allied Employees (AFL-CIO)
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?
I believe that whether or not an abortion should be performed is a choice to be made by the woman in consultation with her physician, at any point in the pregnancy. Bear in mind that more than 99% of abortions are performed prior to fetal viability (approx. 21 weeks). Abortions performed later are 1) less than 1% of the total and 2) never elective. Abortions performed after the 22nd week are never elective. Late-term abortions are performed only as a medical necessity. Anti-abortion groups frequently describe abortions as being legal up to occurring just before the moment of birth. I have yet to see a single example of such a procedure occurring for any reason other than 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 Disagree
Regardless of your feelings towards abortion, bear in mind that Planned Parenthood does a lot more than perform abortions. In some areas, it is a patient's primary access to medical care.
I support 'aid in dying' laws which legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Strongly Agree
I appreciate where opponents are coming from - life is a precious thing. However, I feel under some circumstances (strictly defined by law) assisted suicide can be a matter of respecting the individual's right to make decisions regarding end of life.
ECONOMY
What changes, if any, should be made to the tax code?
Billionaire's and corporate America should start paying their fair share. As a Democrat, I believe in progressive taxation (and no, I am not trying to "punish success" as the wealthy are fond of saying. Leaving more money in the hands of low wage earners contributes to building the economy from the bottom up, which gives more people an opportunity to get onto the economic merry-go-round. The conservative approach - slashing taxes for the wealthy, expecting that they will invest the money not taxed in such a way that benefits will "trickle down" to lower income brackets has NEVER worked. We've been waiting since the Reagan administration - it hasn't happened yet.
What government spending would you reduce in order to balance the budget?
Tax payer funded subsidies to corporate America - especially gas and oil producers and corporate agriculture. Conservatives believe in rugged individualism for poor people, but welfare for corporations. I disagree.
Taxpayer-funded public education should be guaranteed through college.
Strongly Agree
Absolutely. There is no better investment in a society than education. Conservatives believe all aspects of life should be run as profit-making businesses, subject to the forces of the marketplace. They want to do for education (for-profit charter schools and crippling interest on student loans) what they have done for healthcare: made it inaccessible to millions.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Strongly Agree
A business is a public accommodation, just like employment or housing. If a customer has the money, the proprietor may not discriminate. It works both ways. Somewhere out there is a bakery that does not want to bake a cake for someone wearing a MAGA hat, but that is illegal.
Under what circumstances can government close churches?
I assume your question is in response to government action during the pandemic. If a religious practice places the rest of society at risk by gathering in large groups, and thereby helping to spread a deadly virus, I believe government can require the closure of churches, temples, etc, until such time as a public health emergency is over. Religious freedom does not give you the right to place your fellow citizens at risk - please remember, well over one million of your fellow Americans have died from Covid.
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.
I'm a Democrat. I believe in universal healthcare, supported by taxes - exactly the way I feel about public schools. Insurance companies do not exist to provide healthcare. They exist to deny healthcare in order to improve their bottom line, which keeps their stockholders happy. As with education, I do not support for-profit healthcare.
Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?
Vaccinations should be mandatory under any circumstance that benefits public health - such as eliminating childhood polio, or the Pentagon protecting the health of the country's fighting force. Your religious or other personal beliefs to not give you the right to put your fellow citizens at risk - especially school children.
NATIONAL SECURITY
What should the United States do to help eradicate the threat of Islamic terrorism?
We've just spent twenty years and 7,000 American lives (15,000 if you count private contractor deaths) trying to eradicate radical Islam, and have failed. War obviously won't get the job done. What does seem to get the job done is police work - thwarted terrorist attacks have been, for the most part, the result of local police all over the world. Supporting police efforts is the much more effective way to go.
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.
Agree
I do not support boycott, divestment, or characterizing Israel as racist. I support a two state solution, with an assurance from a new Palestinian state that Israel has a right to exist.
IMMIGRATION
The U.S. should do more to physically secure the southern border.
Strongly Agree
Our country has the right to secure its boarders. Immigration is good for America (that's how all of our families got here) but it must be LEGAL immigration.
Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?
Any immigrant/refugee who conforms to American law.
EDUCATION
I support school choice, including voucher programs, tax credits, charter schools, private schools, and home schools.
Strongly Disagree
The term "School Choice" certainly has a nice ring to it, but is camouflage for siphoning public money into private schools.
VALUES
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which is necessary for our system of limited government.
Strongly Disagree
I am opposed to any religious test to hold public office. Keep your religion's dogma within your house of worship and out of the voting booth. The mix of religion and politics is always poisonous.
I support adding gender identity as a specially protected class in non-discrimination laws.
Strongly Agree
People are not responsible for the brain chemistry they were born with, just as people are not responsible for the color of their skin. Similar protection should exist.
Marriage is a God-ordained, sacred and legal union of one man and one woman. No government has the authority to alter this definition.
Strongly Disagree
Your religion does not give you the right to dictate public policy. Government has every right to define the legal requirements of marriage - not preachers. If your religious beliefs are opposed to same-sex marriage, don't marry someone who is the same gender as yourself, but don't create barriers for others based on your religion's dogma.
I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.
Strongly Agree
Slavery is this country's original sin. This country and many fortunes were built on the free labor of slaves. From the Constitution originally saying that Black people were only 3/5 of a human being, to our legal and financial systems to whatever aspect of society you care to mention, Black people have been on the receiving end of a raw deal since day one. By the way, CRT is a GRADUATE LEVEL field of study. It is not taught in lower grades.
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I'm sure you can tell by now that I am a Humanist, unaffiliated with any religion. I do not believe in a political test to hold public office. I also think that if He were here, Jesus would be a liberal Democrat. He did, after all, advocate taking care of the least among us.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Disagree
Just to be clear: there is NO evidence of any wide-spread election fraud, but I have no problem with a government-issued picture ID issued when someone registers to vote - as long as there is no fee. Being able to vote should not depend on income.
What laws would you propose to change present voting practices?
I am in favor of Ranked Choice Voting. The frequent outcome in jurisdiction that use RCV is that everyone's second choice usually wins. The result is a compromise everyone can live with - a much healthier situation than the polarization that is tearing our country apart.
EQUALITY
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
Racism is definitely a security threat. When millions of citizens feel that the police are an occupying force that murders them with impunity, protests are bound to happen. For a protest to turn into a riot is inexcusable, but so is an arrest turning into a murder. Police reform, such as mental health professionals being deployed with police on certain types of calls, can only help.
Reparations should be given to people on the basis of race.
Disagree
Government assistance should be based on financial need, not race. How would we determine who would be eligible for slavery reparations? How would someone prove they are descended from slaves? I don't know anyone who has ever owned a slave. I don't know anyone who has been a slave. I don't think such a program will ever become a reality.
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.
Stricter environmental laws help all of us not to live in a polluted environment. That's a public health benefit. It will also be a good thing if our coasts are not underwater. Employees who's jobs lost to environmental protection should be eligible for government tuition assistance to be retrained.
I support the use of hydraulic fracking to extract oil and natural gas resources.
Strongly Disagree
Fracking leaves behind poisoned water tables.
ABOUT YOU
What do you think is the general purpose of government?
To provide for the security, protection, and health of its citizenry.
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?
Liberal
Republicans have very skillfully turned the word "liberal" into a pejorative. I wear the label proudly.
Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).
I'm a first-time candidate. I don't have a public record to share with you.
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?
If elected, my legislative priorities will be making NJ affordable, the protection of women's healthcare, and to push back against the authoritarianism that has taken over what used to be the Republican party.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
Police officers should be personally immune from prosecution for conduct consistent with departmental policy (qualified immunity) while on duty.
Agree
I agree. I can't think of one case in which a police officer was prosecuted for conduct consistant with departmental policy. I am aware of several cases in which police have been held responsible for not doing so - such as killing unarmed suspects. I know police have an impossible job, but an arrest should never turn into a murder.
I support redirecting funds from police departments to mental health and community programs.
Strongly Agree
Absolutely. Doing so will help police not to have to deal with situations they should not have to deal with in the first place.
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
With rights come responsibilities. Can't we at least have age limits on purchases? Can't we require training and a test to make sure you're competent before you walk out with lethal equipment? How about universal background checks (including private and online sales)? How about Red Flag laws, so the macho bully named in a restraining order by his terrified wife or girlfriend has to at least temporarily surrender his weapons? How about requiring safe storage and trigger locks so children stop accidentally shooting themselves. Responsible gun owners who follow the law say, "what's any of that got to do with me?" I don't know the answer, but I do know the seemingly endless slaughter of innocent people (including children!) must be stopped. The people who say nothing can be done and that mass murder is the price of freedom are wrong. By the way, why do gun rights advocates always ignore the "well regulated militia" portion of the Second Amendment.
Victims of gun violence should be able to sue firearms dealers and manufacturers.
Strongly Agree
Absolutely. The intentional marketing of semi-automatic rifles (put a bump stock onto an AR-15 and it IS an automatic weapon) to those wanting to earn their "man card" by wielding deadly power is beyond unconscionable. The sales of easily installed conversion kits to make weapons even deadlier is a matter of profits over people. Those who profit from that kind of callous indifference to the slaughter they make possible should be held accountable.
