This is the first of three profiles of candidates worth watching in this year’s election cycle. This week we present the answers to questions emailed to William Prempeh, a Republican Party candidate for New Jersey’s 9th Congressional District.
William “Billy” Prempeh’s parents immigrated to the United States from Ghana, West Africa in the 1980s, and William has been a lifelong resident of Paterson. He served in the United States Air Force and is now a self-employed website builder.
What shortcoming(s) in the Congressperson currently representing your district prompted you to run for this Congressional seat?
Congressman Pascrell has failed us on safety, education and jobs, while he supports the extreme policies of defunding the police and the anti-America policies that lead to crime, chaos and high inflation. Lifelong politicians quickly lose their desire to help their constituents as they trade the people’s interests for their own. My 8-10-12 plan will set strict term limits and we intend to take government reform to a new level and end the waste and corruption my opponent has embraced.
If elected, what are your top three priorities for when you take office?
First and foremost, we need to save our kids and our schools—my Freedom of Education plan will ensure that our kids have the best opportunities to succeed in a highly competitive world, and are taught the skills that will enable them to be the highest paid workforce in the world. Our schools should be transformed into career superhighways and we need to stop using our kids as political pawns for the benefit of enriching the elite class.
Second but no less important is safety. We can no longer allow our friends and family to be killed and robbed in our streets while we also allow the assaults on our police. We have already seen murders in 2022 extend their record pace for civilians and police as well.
Third is government reform. Our country is transforming itself away from the spirit of freedom we were founded on, and towards elite class rule. One of the best things we can do is set term limits to take away the opportunity for creating careers in civil service. But term limits are not enough. We need to place restrictions on how access to power is sold by politicians like my opponent. No more stock trades with insider info, no more cushy jobs for family and friends, and no more rules for us that they do not follow.
What are your thoughts on the importance of the U.S./Israel alliance? What would you do to improve the situation in the MIddle East? Do you have an opinion on the BDS movement?
Israel is a true democracy and one of our best friends and allies in the world. The U.S. has been a strong supporter of Israel and our last administration proved that standing up for Israel could yield great results. The Abraham Accords are a perfect example of how otherwise hostile countries can find their way to peace and even prosperity.
We need to continue this support if we want to see the trend continue to improve and see additional peace deals with other nations in the Middle East. Peace through strength has been an effective and efficient method to end hostilities and bring about historical changes.
The BDS movement is one of the most disgusting initiatives, and seems to be based in hatred for a free country and people. Israel continues to be singled out for punishments, while some of the most dangerous regimes in the world are left to commit atrocities without mention. All nations have issues we could criticize, but the BDS movement is much more about the people who hate Israel as opposed to what Israel is doing.
What do you think Congress can do to counter the alarming rise of antisemitism in the U.S.? What could you do, as a Member of Congress?
Congress could start by rebuking antisemitic comments and policies coming from sitting Democrats. Too often we find harsh rhetoric and antisemitic comments coming directly from Democrat officials, with no criticism from their own leaders. The false narrative created by Democrats paints Israel in the worst possible light, and they seem to reserve this extreme behavior for the only democratic state in the Middle East. If I am fortunate enough to be elected, I will stand up for our friends and allies and push back on the ugly comments and outright antisemitism coming from any elected officials or groups. If hate truly has no home, we should not give it one in the U.S. Congress.
What role do you see the federal government playing in managing the impact of COVID-19 on the economy and on schools?
While it is understandable that we initially overreacted to COVID, we often heard the cure can’t be worse than the virus. The government’s job is to provide us with all the tools and information available to combat
this virus and allow us to choose the path we deem best. There are so many variables from one person to the next that our current one-size-fits-all solutions have made the situation worse. The government should not be forcing vaccines as a requirement for employment, and the government should not be mandating masks. Both have proven to be somewhat ineffective, and the freedoms we were granted by our Creator are in direct contradiction to the tyranny we see today. America is where individual freedom and liberty were enshrined in our constitution and this virus should not destroy that.
By Harry Glazer
