Bill Rood
Other | Minnesota
Candidate Profile
Leans Liberal
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Bill Rood
Party
Other
Election Year
2020
Election
General
Race
U.S. Rep., Dist. 1
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, BA, math, 1969
Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, MS, math, 1973
WORK & MILITARY
Detroit Public Schools, teacher, 1969-74
LTV Aerospace, application programmer, 1974-77
IBM Corporation, system programmer/admin, 1977-2015
AFFILIATIONS
1st Unitarian-Universalist Church of Rochester, member, Libertarian Party (1982)
member, candidate, DFL Party (2004-08), member, delegate
Republican Party (2012), member, delegate, Independence Party
member, Green Party, member
citizens advisory group on transport (1980?), member
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
(Candidate did not provide)
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
State Legislator, 1982
Race
Previous Races
ENDORSEMENTS
OTHER (1)
Grassroots Legalize Cannabis Party
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (1)
Grassroots - Legalize Cannabis Party
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
LIBERAL
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (2)
Bernie Sanders (2016)
Tulsi Gabbard (2020)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (0)
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Human life begins at conception and deserves legal protection at every stage until natural death.
Neutral
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive taxpayer funds or grants from federal, state, or local governments.
Disagree
I support the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which requires health care providers to provide life-saving treatment for infants who survive an attempted abortion.
Neutral
Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?
1) A woman who has been raped has an unalienable right to abortion. 2) A woman who becomes pregnant due to consensual sex has a moral obligation to carry the baby to term, but law should not restrict her choice during the first two trimesters. 3) A woman who learns of a significant birth defect or a danger to her own life has a right to abortion if the medical professional(s) she has chosen agree that abortion is the best course under the circumstances.
ECONOMY
It is the government’s responsibility to ensure everyone has a livable income.
Disagree
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Agree
How would you guarantee Social Security benefits for future generations?
All retirement plans, without exception, depend on the productivity of the younger generations. This is because even retirement plans that are "actuarially sound" must invest their assets, and those assets must be worked by people who are not retired. Therefore, Social Security benefits can be guaranteed only by protecting the productivity and economic health of our children and grandchildren. War and plunder of other countries will not do that. We must educate and protect the health of our children. That's the only way.
What government spending would you reduce in order to balance the budget?
The military, CIA operations, USAID (which now does a lot of what the CIA used to do), government funding of so-called NGOs, foreign military aid such as to Egypt and Israel, corporate bailouts.
Under what circumstances should taxpayers help pay off existing student loans?
1)Loans should be paid off in full if fraud is proven, or if the borrower has problems that should have alerted that success was unlikely. 2) In other cases, interest and penalties should be forgiven as long as the borrower is making a good faith effort to repay. 3) Meanwhile, student loans should be dischargeable through bankruptcy. This will remove moral hazard from financial institutions. They will be more careful, perhaps requiring a co-signer.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Governments should not discriminate against individuals, organizations or small businesses because of their belief that marriage is only a union of one man and one woman.
Strongly Agree
Religious liberty is at risk in the United States and deserves the highest level of protection in the law.
Strongly Agree
I promise to protect the freedom of Christians to share the Gospel and to practice Biblical principles.
No Answer
What does "separation of church and state" mean to you?
It means no establishment of a particular religion or sect and no prohibition of any particular religion or sect. In addition, churches must not use tax free funds to participate in partisan politics.
HEALTHCARE
It is the government’s responsibility to ensure everyone has health insurance.
Strongly Agree
I support the elimination of private healthcare insurance.
Strongly Agree
How would you promote healthcare coverage that is adequate, affordable and accessible for all?
Single payer with no duplicative coverage. You choose your provider, and your provider is paid a standard fee for the service provided. Administration of the insurance must not be profit oriented and employees should be paid on a GS scale. No excessive compensation for executives of the single payer plan. This can probably be best achieved through Medicare for All and an expansion of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
NATIONAL SECURITY
The best way to maintain peace is through a strong military.
Strongly Disagree
What should the United States do to help eradicate the threat of radical Islamic terrorism?
1) The United States should stop bombing and killing people to protect their human rights 2) The United States should stop funding, arming and otherwise supporting radical Islamic terrorism and all other forms of terrorism. 3) The United States should stop encouraging Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Countries to fund, arm and support terrorist or to bomb neighbors such as Yemen.
IMMIGRATION
I am in favor of construction of a wall and other necessary infrastructure on our border that gives complete control over entering and exiting the United States.
Agree
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should be abolished.
Strongly Disagree
State and federal funds should be denied to any public or private entity, including but not limited to sanctuary cities, that are not in compliance with immigration laws.
Disagree
Employers should be required to use E-verify to confirm the eligibility of their employees to work in the United States.
Agree
Who should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. and under what circumstances?
Anyone who demonstrates that they and their dependents can live without government assistance should be allowed to immigrate, with their dependents, as resident aliens eligible for citizenship. If they have been promised a job on arrival, the employer must show an extensive but fruitless search for an employee of the necessary skills with no limit to compensation. Ie, they must be paying more than the "usual and prevailing" compensation. No H-1b or "guest worker" programs. The only exceptions would be verified asylum seekers.
EDUCATION
Taxpayer-funded public education should be guaranteed through college.
Agree
VALUES
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality which is necessary for our system of limited government.
Strongly Disagree
I support adding sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression as protected classes in non-discrimination laws.
Agree
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
1) The purpose of life is the survival of one's species. Since a diverse gene pool helps a species survive, we must treat all human beings with respect and dignity. IOW, follow the Golden Rule. Thou shalt not kill. No war outside the boundaries of our nation. 2) Since our continued existence depends on the fertility of the planet, we must preserve and protect the health of Earth and all its life. We must protect the environment, not pollute it. 3) Just as diversity helps sustain a species, the diversity of species helps sustain life on Earth. So with concessions to our need for food, we must treat all life with dignity and respect by growing our food without cruelty, with respect and compassion, and kill only to eat. We must not eradicate another species. 4) We have a right to kill in self-defense, with regret in its necessity.
ABOUT YOU
When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and immigration, which of the following best describes you overall?
No Answer
Please provide publicly available information validating your answer to the previous question.
One only need read a few comments on the internet to understand those terms have totally lost their meaning. I want to conserve what's good about America. Does that make me conservative? But I want to change what's wrong. Does that make me a liberal? I'm certainly not a moderate who is willing to go along with either conservatives or liberals. In the US, "moderate" has come to mean a corporate, establishment Democrat or Republican. In Syria, a "moderate" is one who kills Christians, Shias and Alawites humanely.
Have you ever been convicted of a felony or been penalized for sexual misconduct? If so, please explain.
No.
Is there anything else you would like voters to know about you?
1) Restore Bill of Rights a) end all censorship including by corporate platforms. b) end the surveillance state c) end civil forfeiture d) no medical totalitarianism with mandatory vaccines, tracking or chips 2) End regulatory capture through revolving doors and corporate donations to specific agencies. 3) Devolution of power to states, repeal NCLB, end "qualified immunity," nationalize the Federal Reserve.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
Mandatory minimum sentencing should be required and enforced for violent crimes.
Disagree
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
Background checks with no exceptions. Private sales should require certification by an independent background check agency such as a government agency. I believe there's already a law against fully automatic weapons and restricting heavy weapons.
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
I support BDS (boycott, divestment, and sanction) against Israel if they refuse to allow the creation of a Palestinian state.
Strongly Agree
I support the legalization of recreational marijuana.
Strongly Agree
Reparations should be given to people on the basis of race.
Strongly Disagree
The Electoral College should be abolished.
Neutral
In priority order, what three areas of legislation do you propose to author or sponsor if elected?
1) End wars and interventions, making it possible to cut military spending to less than 1998 levels. 2) Restore Democracy through a 28th Amendment clarifying that Corporations are not “persons” and money is not “speech.” Follow with campaign finance reform. 3) End the War on Drugs by legalizing cannabis and similar natural substances wile holding people accountable for real crimes and treating addiction medically, including those who must be confined for violent acts.
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
Yes. Real racism, such as victimization of minorities through redlining, racial profiling, policing of truly minor offenses such as selling "loosie" cigarettes, selective prosecution of drug laws etc create real victims and real resentments that divide us as nation. On the other hand, teaching young people that racism exists today in situations where it doesn't, or that minorities "can't be racist" because they're "not in power" is also divisive. POC who gain a bit of power either through position or through numbers are every bit as capable of discrimination based on race as whites.
