FOSTER, RALPH

Meet the Candidate

Running For:
State House of Representatives
District:
15
Political Affiliation:
Republican

Survey

Response Legend

  • SSStrongly Supports
  • SSupports
  • OOpposes
  • SOStrongly Opposes
  • *Comment
  • −Declined to respond
  • †Declined to respond, Position based on citation

Question Response Comments/Notes
1. Public School Funding in Montana is at an inadequate level. S
2. Parents should have greater freedom to choose how and where their children are educated, including options such as education savings accounts, tax credits, vouchers, or other school-choice mechanisms. S
3. Parents should be allowed to homeschool their children without additional state regulation O* A quality public education should be afforded to the public that is paying taxes for such. Those that do not attend public school as well as those in public schools should have to pass a test administered by the County Superintendent for graduation from 8th grade because of socialized passing and complacency caused by teacher tenure. Two diplomas for upper grades should be given one backed by an achievement test and one for those that attended but were not on course for additional schooling because colleges use class rank in their admittance criteria.
4. Curricula based on Critical Race Theory (CRT) should be prohibited in Montana public schools S
5. Comprehensive sex education should be taught in public elementary schools, beginning as early as kindergarten. O* While controversial topics and such as CRT and Sex Ed should be covered in public schools the manner that they are presented should be highly scrutinized and they should not be mandatory or take the place of the family.
6. Montana’s income taxes are too high. O
7. Montana’s property taxes are too high S
8. Montana’s corporate taxes are too high SS* It is not about being taxed but how we as the government spend those tax dollars.
9. The Second Amendment protects the right of law-abiding citizens to own firearms for self-defense. S
10. Montanans should not be discriminated against or treated differently based on their vaccination status. S* the rights mentioned above are protected by the constitution as should remain that way. The only time that one should even question that status is when the public good outweighs the need of the individual.
11. Climate change is a serious problem that requires increased government regulation. O
12. Environmental regulations in Montana are currently too restrictive. S* As a state that has relied heavily on natural resources, we need to find ways that does not take away from the character of what made Montana. In many instances the cost of development does not show all the hidden cost because of the use of overseas companies for development. Basically, mining equipment in a third world company isn't any cleaner or more effective. It is merely, "Out of sight, out of mind."
13. Abortion should be illegal at all stages of pregnancy. O
14. Abortion should be legal only in the early stages of pregnancy and restricted after a specific point, except when necessary to save the life of the mother. S
15. Abortion should remain legal at all stages of pregnancy, without restriction. SO
16. Individuals and organizations should be allowed to opt out of abortion-related mandates, if those mandates violate their religious or moral convictions. S
17. Physician-assisted suicide should be legal in Montana. S* These issues have been decided by the courts and will continue to change with the courts as the courts reflect the changing values of the American populous.
18. Biological males who identify as transgender should be allowed to compete in women’s and girl's athletic competitions. SO* In regards to transgender and identity issues I find it a double standard that if your brain is not fully developed to make decisions regarding alcohol and cigarettes then how can this be any different. And I am sorry just you wish to change your sex it does not change your chromosomes thus you are what you were born.
19. Medical procedures intended to change a minor’s sex or gender should be prohibited. SS
20. Same-sex couples should be permitted to adopt children. S
21. State and local nondiscrimination laws should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity in the same manner as race, religion, and national origin. SO
22. Montana’s marriage laws should be revised to reflect the U.S. Supreme Court’s legalization of same-sex marriage. S* While the biblical interpretation of a marriage is man and a woman, the fact that the Supreme Court has ruled to allow same sex marriages means that we do not have to approve but as a state we should meet that standard.
23. Objective moral truths exist and should inform laws and public policy, rather than shifting cultural preferences. S
24. Government should be limited in scope, with most decisions best made by individuals, families, and local communities rather than centralized authorities. S
25. Homosexuals and transgender people should be allowed to adopt children: S* Never turn down adoptions as this should give someone without a loving home one. However, we need to remember that the values of the parents/family do not always become that of the children.I know many radical liberals that have conservative adult children and vice versa.
26. Personal responsibility and self-governance are more effective at solving social problems than expanded government programs: S
27. Parents—not government institutions—are the primary authority responsible for the education and moral formation of their children: S