Candidate Name: | James Foster |
Office Candidate is running for: | US Congress House District 1 |
Campaign Website: | https://www.facebook.com/JamesFoster2014 |
# | ISSUE | ANSWER |
CANDIDATE COMPARISON QUESTIONS | ||
Please answer "yes" or "no" to the following questions. The optional explanations will be included in your Individual Candidate Guide. | ||
1 | Do you support drilling for oil and natural gas on public lands and waters? | Yes |
I would prefer that most public lands & waters be sold. | ||
2 | Do you support the EPA conducting aerial surveillance on agricultural operations? | No |
3 | Do you support the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act allowing the U.S. Military to arrest and detain ANY "suspected" terrorist without trial, legal counsel, or accusation of wrongdoing? | No |
4 | Do you subscribe to the theory that human activity has a significant impact on climate? | Yes |
While the evidence seems to support this I'm not convinced that the proposed solutions are desirable. | ||
5 | Do you support a public audit of the Federal Reserve System? | Yes |
The Fed should have less discretion | ||
6 | Do you support the IRS demanding group membership lists? | No |
7 | Do you support the FCC monitoring newsrooms and the internet? | No |
8 | Do you support closing Guantanamo Bay? | Yes |
9 | Do you support increasing taxes for higher income families? | No |
I would prefer to close loopholes and reduce rates overall. | ||
10 | Does the federal government have constitutional authority to regulate schools? | No |
Except on federal lands (D.C.) | ||
11 | Do you support federal secret service agents being assigned to local schools? | No |
12 | Do you support dismantling the U.S. Department of Education? | Yes |
The constitution does not give Congress authority over schools. | ||
13 | Do you support Common Core State Standards? | No |
I have no objection to the standards, just to the federal involvement. | ||
14 | Do you support a constitutional amendment to enumerate the already existing natural rights of parents? | Yes |
Such an amendment should not be necessary, but I see little harm in the effort. | ||
15 | Do you support restrictions on the ownership of guns by law abiding citizens? | No |
"the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." | ||
16 | Do you support the direct election of the president by popular vote? | Yes |
This can be done without a constitutional amendment (http://www.nationalpopularvote.com/) | ||
17 | Should the federal government return to the states land it owns for the purposes not authorized by the Constitution? | Yes |
18 | Do you support free trade agreements with foreign nations? | Yes |
We should remove restrictions even without formal agreements. | ||
19 | Do you support requiring all employers to verify employee eligibility to work in the United States? | No |
Employers should not be forced to enforce federal laws. | ||
20 | Do you support securing the borders before any form of amnesty is legalized? | No |
These are two separate issues. | ||
21 | Do you support spending public funds to benefit illegal immigrants? | Decline |
Certain public funds (such as roads) benefit both citizens and immigrants. | ||
22 | Do you support automatic citizenship to children born in the U.S. when both parents are not legal residents? | Yes |
No need to change this part of the Constitution. | ||
23 | Do you support the Federal "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" (Obamacare)? | No |
The Constitution does not provide authority to regulate healthcare. | ||
24 | Do you support paying for the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" by cutting Medicare services and reimbursements? | No |
We should transition to a private healthcare system. | ||
25 | Do you support subsidizing insurers for lack of enrollees in the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act"? | No |
This is another excess of the PPACA. | ||
26 | Do you support legalizing genetically altered marijuana? | Yes |
The federal government should leave these issues to states. | ||
27 | Do you support the First Amendment right of business owners to run their business in accordance with their religious beliefs? | Yes |
As long as the government is making a host of exceptions, one more has little impact. | ||
28 | Do you support spending public funds on abortion services? | No |
29 | Do you support repealing the Supreme Court decision in Roe versus Wade? | Yes |
It would have been less controversial if we left the issue to states. | ||
30 | Do you support the federal funding of embryonic stem cell research? | No |
Not to protect embryonic stem cells but to reduce the federal role in science. | ||
31 | Do you support the Humane Society of the U.S. and the U.N. to make all animal cruelty laws a felony? | No |
I'd leave the issue to states. | ||
32 | Do you support adding the Oregon Spotted Frog to the endangered species list affecting Oregon ranchers and farmers and recreational areas? | Decline |
I have not researched this specific species, but in general I would hold the regulators to a high standard of proof. | ||
33 | Do you support preserving Israel's existing borders including occupied territories? | No |
I believe that Israel is strong enough to defend itself without our involvement and that we cause more harm than good there. | ||
34 | Do you support U.S. aid to Israel to ensure it can defeat its enemies? | No |
I believe that Israel is strong enough to defend itself without our involvement and that we cause more harm than good there. | ||
35 | Do you support laws that exempt government officials from laws that apply to private citizens? | No |
36 | Do you support replacing Social Security gradually rolling over to private retirement plans for future beneficiaries? | Yes |
The present course is not sustainable and changes must be made. | ||
37 | Do you support raising the Medicare eligibility age? | Yes |
The present course is not sustainable and changes must be made. | ||
38 | Do you support enforcement of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)? | No |
The federal government should not interfere with state actions in this issue. | ||
39 | Do you support the use of presidential executive orders that changes law? | No |
The legislative power is vested in Congress and the President should not pretend to change laws. | ||
NARRATIVE QUESTIONS | ||
The following questions will not appear in the Candidate Comparison Guide, but will be included in your Individual Candidate Guide. | ||
40 | How would you ensure the land-use rights of rural Oregon and how would you protect their ability to farm and ranch? | |
The federal government owns more that half of Oregon's land and so far as possible this should be transferred to private or state ownership. | ||
41 | How would you propose to strengthen the checks and balances of the federal system? | |
Congress should not delegate its legislative power to executive agencies. Congress should be more aggressive in challenging executive overreach. |