John J Hosta: Candidate Profile

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Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioQA Bio City: Spring GroveWebsite: https://johnjhosta.comOffice sought: 14th District U.S. Representative Age: 54Family: Six childrenOccupation: Business OwnerEducation: B.A. Business AdministrationHope CollegeMerrill Lynch Series,Series 7 LicenseCivic involvement: Candidate did not respond.Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoQuestions Answers Why are you running for this office? Is there a particular issue that motivates you, and if so, what is that?I am a business owner and I have seen and experienced firsthand, like myriads of business owners across the country, the direct result of our weak trade policies. Trade policies like Free Trade Act With Asia, the newly proposed Free Trade with China, NAFTA, and the newly proposed Transpacific Partnership have wiped out American manufacturing jobs. Quality manufacturing jobs have always been an economic foundation of our country and this is why the founding fathers and our leadership have always protected American Industries. Unfortunately, in recent years our leadership has embraced free trade with countries that exploit labor which has had a direct and serious impact on our economy. Weak foreign trade policies have increased government spending, decreased revenue and financially crushed middle class families. Our current political dissentions, increase spending, increase deficit, debt, and government shutdown are simply symptoms of our loss of quality jobs in the United States that have been exported to foreign competition. We need leadership that will steer our country back to the traditional economic policies American leadership has always embraced since the inception of The United States.What differentiates you most from your opponents in the race?One difference which deviates me from my opponents is that I consider myself a moderate with the goal of bringing unity within our government. I do understand the concerns of both parties and I do believe that both parties bring viable concerns just as they have in regard to the Affordable Care Act. Unity is the key that keeps our country strong. A united approach with the focus of strengthening our country is what can take a policy such as the Affordable Care Act and make it work for the benefit of America. The egotistical approach that "we won" on a particular issue simply will not work. We must place the ultimate goal of "what is best for our country" above "what is best for my particular party". I believe that my across the board political positions reflects that. Another difference which separates me, especially, from the current incumbent is that the incumbent in my district has voted, not only to shut down the United States Government, but also to default on the national debt. The repercussions of defaulting on the national debt would be economically catastrophic. If I might simplify the gravity of the situation by using the example of a common household that would decide to default on credit card payments, mortgage obligation and utility bills. The immediate affect would be a weakened credit rating and an immediate increase in interest charges. This political irresponsibility would literally cost trillions of dollars to the American Taxpayer. It seems ironic that the incumbent claims to be concerned about the national debt yet votes to default on the national debt which could soar the debt upward. Furthermore, the incumbent continues to press toward free trade with foreign countries which is a drastic economic blunder.Do you support moving ahead with the Affordable Care Act? Why or why not? Which parts of the law, if any, would you change?This is a great example of what I have been talking about. There are two major dichotomies that appear to be at odds with one another. The first is the great problem of the uninsured in our country. Almost everyone understands the need for affordable health coverage for everyone within The United States. The second is the infringement on the freedom and rights of the people who do not wish to be included within the program. I, in good conscience, will not force this program upon everyone within our country. Therefore, the Affordable Care Act must be constructed to allow everyone who needs health insurance to acquire it and meet that need by offering affordable health insurance. I would (would have) begin by fulfilling the promise that old health insurance policies be grandfathered into the A.C.A regardless of quality to current healthcare policy holders and allow certain adjustments to be made without requiring the policy to be cancelled. I would continue with the exchange program allowing the insurance companies to compete alongside the government programs that are currently available within those exchanges. Then as the Affordable Care Act continues to move forward; make adjustments and manage the program to improve it. Again, this is a program which can work and has been proven to work once the parties involved are united in the cause.What specifically would you do to end gridlock and partisan infighting in the U.S. House and promote cooperative problem-solving?The first step of ending gridlock and partisan infighting has already begun. The people of this country have finally expressed enough annoyance with the situation that they are ready to make a change. I am willing to step up to make that change happen. I am willing to support term-limits which will help ease gridlock. I am willing to understand both parties' concerns on all issues for the ultimate benefit for the country. I am willing to understand that getting a good bill to pass is not a win or lose "for the party" situation. I will always place the country first before party interests.What should the U.S. House do, and what specifically will you do, to avoid another government shutdown?I believe that this power of avoiding another government shutdown rests with the voting people of this country. Again, the people have now become annoyed enough to make some real changes in office. The proof of that is illustrated by the fact that the House is moving quickly toward a new budget agreement and is willing to compromise. My goal would be to keep the public in my district well informed of the policies that are being brought to the House and the political roadblocks that create gridlock. I will not support "fast tracked" policies on any issue. All policies must be carefully reviewed by all critics to insure that the best interests of the country are being upheld. This is the time to begin making changes in political leadership to insure that government shut downs and needless gridlock ceases.Do you favor measures included in Senate Bill 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013? Specifically, which segments do you support, if any, and which segments do you oppose, if any? Are there other proposals related to immigration that you support or oppose?The Senate Bill 744 is a prime example of bipartisanship working together to achieve a common goal. This bill was primarily put together by Republicans and Democrats such as John McCain (R-AZ), and Richard Durbin (D-IL). I do support this bill which would include strong safeguards of U.S. borders and ease exploited labor in the U.S. I do have concerns of the costs of this program, however, strong deficit cuts can be made to allow this program to go forward.On what issues would you break with your party, or have you broken with your party, and why?I have broken with the Democratic Party on two major issues. The first is that I am a Pro-life candidate due to my personal conviction. I do believe that this is the time that Democratic Pro-choice advocates need to work alongside Pro-life supporters to allow women richer options. I am also a strong advocate of the second amendment. The constitution is clear and I will not refute it. I do understand people's concerns about guns however, because of my introduction to guns at an early age I am very comfortable with American Citizens owning them without infringement as stated in the Second Amendment.Should federal spending cuts known as the sequester be continued in their current form? Why or why not? Where specifically would you cut the federal budget, if any? What areas, if any, would you exempt from cuts?Before I begin to address the issue of what federal budget cuts that I would propose, let me comment briefly about the sequester. The sequester, which is broad, across the board, spending cuts, would hurt many good programs along with many good people. It is simply another policy passed that was not given much thought and is a symptom of professional politicians focused on the success of a party rather than the success of a nation. Having said that, I would look at some budget cuts that make sense. First I would drastically reduce, if not eliminate certain government funded agencies that are geared toward simply giving away tax dollars to politically energized interest groups. We can begin budget cuts in programs like these and then trim down many wasteful agencies or eliminate them if they are proven to be ineffective. It has been estimated that we could cut as much as 50 billion dollars in costs with this approach alone. Second, I would cut funding to segments within the financial markets that receive approximately 70 billion dollars of American Taxpayer Money and then pass that taxpayer funding to shareholders. This would save American Taxpayer about 70 Billion Dollars a year. Third, I would eliminate funding to many international agencies. The federal government does not need to be involved in interests that belong in the private sector. I simply do not see the need for American taxpayers to support foreign international agencies. A fourth area which needs immediate attention is to reform government assistance programs such as Welfare and Food Stamps. This is a time that we must be more thorough in our screening to qualify recipients. It is not lowering the qualifications. It is being sure that the people receiving benefits are truly in need of those benefits. Finally, we need to make our budget more transparent to the public. We need to expose all of our spending habits to the general public for public review. I know of no better way to get the results for a quality, workable budget that our nation so desperately needs than to be utterly transparent to the voters of The United States.How would you vote on cutting Social Security and/or Medicare?As far as, how I would vote on cutting Social Security and Medicare? I would never vote to cut them. Intelligent budget cuts, budget prioritizing, and conservative revenue programs, all of which would not affect middleclass families, can be realized to ensure that cuts in Social Security and Medicare for senior citizens is completely unnecessary.Finally, is there anything we haven't asked about that you feel we should know?Yes, there is one thing that I would like the people to know about me. In order to be placed on the ballot, I collected all of my own signatures and support. I was willing to go face to face and in some cases, toe to toe to present my positions on issues and to hear your personal issues that concern our government. I did not pay anyone to 'buy' my signatures. I went in person. It was a great experience to do this and if elected I will again go out again in two years, face the public, and gather my own signatures,, face to face, and in some cases,, toe to toe. You asked for change. Here I am. I will not betray your trust.