Bill Rood
Bill Rood (Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota) ran for election to the Minnesota State Senate to represent District 25. He lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Rood completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Bill Rood was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan in 1969 and a master's degree from Wayne State University in 1973. His professional experience includes working as an information technology specialist at IBM. He was also a public school teacher in Detroit from 1969 to 1974.[1]
Elections
2022
See also: Minnesota State Senate elections, 2022
General election
General election for Minnesota State Senate District 25
Liz Boldon defeated Ken Navitsky and Bill Rood in the general election for Minnesota State Senate District 25 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Liz Boldon (D) | 58.5 | 19,673 |
 | Ken Navitsky (R) | 39.4 | 13,251 | |
 | Bill Rood (Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota)  | 2.1 | 699 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.0 | 10 | ||
| Total votes: 33,633 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Liz Boldon advanced from the Democratic primary for Minnesota State Senate District 25.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Ken Navitsky advanced from the Republican primary for Minnesota State Senate District 25.
Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota primary election
The Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota primary election was canceled. Bill Rood advanced from the Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota primary for Minnesota State Senate District 25.
Campaign finance
2020
See also: Minnesota's 1st Congressional District election, 2020
Minnesota's 1st Congressional District election, 2020 (August 11 Republican primary)
Minnesota's 1st Congressional District election, 2020 (August 11 Democratic primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House Minnesota District 1
Incumbent Jim Hagedorn defeated Dan Feehan and Bill Rood in the general election for U.S. House Minnesota District 1 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Jim Hagedorn (R) | 48.6 | 179,234 |
 | Dan Feehan (D) | 45.5 | 167,890 | |
| Bill Rood (Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota) | 5.8 | 21,448 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 284 | ||
| Total votes: 368,856 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Hans Tinsley (Unaffiliated)
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Dan Feehan advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 1.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Ralph Kaehler (D)
- Mark Schroepfer (D)
- Rich Wright (D)
- Johnny Akzam (D)
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Jim Hagedorn advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 1.
Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota primary election
The Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota primary election was canceled. Bill Rood advanced from the Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 1.
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Bill Rood completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Rood's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I was born in Cleveland, OH. Earned a BA in mathematics from U of Michigan and an MS in mathematics from Wayne State U. I taught in Detroit PS for 4.5 years, then worked for LTV Aerospace (a contractor to NASA) in VA for 3.5 years. I moved to MN in 1977 to work for IBM in Rochester and retired from IBM in 2015. I ran for state legislature as a Libertarian in 1982, but today I believe the Libertarian Party fails to take into account that corporations are chartered and empowered by the State. I consider myself a left-libertarian, staunchly for individual rights and limited government. I believe the federal government is totally corrupted by big money and has usurped powers that were reserved to the people or states according to the 10th Amendment to the Constitution. They routinely violate that and the rest of the Bill of Rights that were enacted to protect the unalienable rights of individuals (not of corporations).
- I'm running for MN Senate so that voters have a real choice. I'm not looking to steal votes from either the Republican or the Democrat, but to provide an alternative for those who refuse to vote for the "lesser evil." Neither Democrats nor Republicans "own" your vote, nor can it be "stolen." It must be earned. Vote for the candidate that most closely supports your positions on issues.
- I support a 28th Amendment to override Citizens United: a. Corporations are not people b. Money is not speech Individual rights must not be swamped by corporate power chartered by government, so I support using the threat of a Convention of States to force Congress to formulate such an amendment and send it to the states for ratification.
- My top priority will be restoring and protecting your rights as described in the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
I will work to re-assert MN sovereignty as specified in the 10th Amendment, to
a. Legalize natural, unprocessed substances like marijuana and qat. What's been proposed so far gives advantage to corporate interests, most from out of state.
b. Make drugs that are safer than Tylenol OTC (HCQ, IVM). Tennessee has taken the lead on this
c. Free doctors of interference from federal and corporate bureaucracies, state licensing boards and the Centers for Medicare/Medicaid Services (CMS). Nebraska's AG has taken the lead on this.
d. Protect the Bill of Rights through statute at the state level. Texas has passed a law forbidding tech monopolies from censoring the speech of their customers. MN should do the same.
e. Protect the Guard from deployment in undeclared wars by passing "Protect the Guard" legislation.
f. Protect minors from 1) dangerous Covid "vaccines" by prohibiting mandates and upholding parental consent and 2) puberty blockers and genital mutilation. Such decisions should be delayed until adulthood.
g. Declare MN independence from CA emissions and auto sales diktats.
h. Use statute to encourage the AG to prosecute those who violate our rights.
We must restore confidence in elections. This has been a non-partisan concern since before the 2000 "hanging chad" debacle.
We must increase ballot/debate access for alternatives to the duopoly.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
2020
Bill Rood completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Rood's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I've voted for Democrats most of my life when there were anti-war candidates, though I've never felt a partisan commitment. I caucused with Democrats to support Dennis Kucinich, but four years later I caucused with Republicans to support Ron Paul. Neither of them came close to winning nomination because if there's one thing Democrats and Republicans can agree on it's war. The only difference is that Republicans, like President Trump, will honestly admit they think war is OK if you take their oil, but Democrats insist on perfuming the excrement of war with claims they are protecting democracy or human rights even when they back an openly fascist coup in Ukraine or takfiri terrorists in Libya and Syria.
In 2018, I had a Hobson's choice between a) the scion of a Republican, who had worked as an aid to former Rep. Arlan Stangeland and at the Treasury Department, and b) a Pentagon employee backed by the DNC who had given me what I considered an unsatisfactory answer about the Afghan War. Both were Washington insiders, and I held my nose as I voted. In 2020, it looked like we would have the same choice if nothing were done. I wanted the my neighbors to have a better choice, so I called the chair of the Grassroots - Legalize Cannabis Party and we decided I should file.
I realize now this is not about the opposing candidates, Washington insiders or not. It's about the leadership of the two parties. Even idealistic freshmen eventually bend to the will of leadership.
- End Endless Wars, Abolish CIA, NGO and State Dept. covert ops. Spend savings on American people.
- Restore Democracy. Enact 28th Ammendment: Corporations are not people and money is not speech.
- End the War on Drugs.
1. End Endless Wars
a. Stop killing people to protect them.
b. Abolish covert ops.
c. End unilateral sanctions.
d. Military budget less than 1998 levels.
e. Close most foreign bases.
f. No first use of nukes.
g.Use savings to benefit the US people.
Essential to achieving all the preceding goals, we must
2. Restore Democracy
a. A 28th Amendment: Corporations are not "persons," money is not "speech."
b. Limit individual and prohibit bundled (PAC) campaign contributions.
c. Verifiable paper ballots, ballot access reform, Ranked Choice Voting and include all candidates in debates.
3. End War on Drugs.
a. Legalize cannabis and similar natural substances.
b. Regulate concentration and purity.
c. Hold criminals accountable.
d. Treat addiction medically, including while in confinement.
4. Restore Bill of Rights.
a. No censorship by government or proxies.
b. Continued respect for 2nd Amendment.
c. No surveillance violating the 4th.
d. No civil forfeiture.
e. No mandatory masks or vaccines.
5. Ending bribery and corruption.
a. No private funding of government functions.
b. No dual employment or revolving door.
6. End the tyranny of government and entities it charters.
a. Revive federalism.
b. Hands off education except to prevent discrimination or segregation. Repeal NCLB and derivatives.
c. Pass Medicare for All or encourage states to do so.
d. Eliminate conditional immunity
e. Nationalize the Federal Reserve.
1) Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has been courageously telling the truth against entrenched liars.
2) Ben Swann because he tells the truth and went independent in order to do so.
3) Pam Popper and Peggy Hall because they are fighting to inform Americans so they can protect their rights.
4) Ralph Nader because he's been fighting for right all his life.
"Unstoppable" by Ralph Nader, https://www.amazon.com/Unstoppable-Emerging-Left-Right-Dismantle-Corporate/dp/156858525X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=22BM8E93WG07A&dchild=1&keywords=unstoppable+ralph+nader&qid=1601221265&sprefix=nader+unstoppable%2Caps%2C192&sr=8-1
Nader draws a lot from "Who Owns America," published in 1936 and edited by Herbert Agar and Alan Tate. I've read that, too. Many of the ideas in that anthology - the nature of corporations and monopolies and from whence they draw their power - are very relevant to solving civilization's problems today.
Honesty and integrity. Incorruptibility.
Integrity, curiosity, open to new information, independent thinker not afraid to challenge orthodoxy
Protecting the rights of individuals while advancing the general welfare and helping the most vulnerable.
Making the US more democratic.
Restoring the Bill of Rights.
Restoring social mobility to the US.
Improving race relations in the US.
Peace.
I remember my dad talking about the Korean War when it started, and the Army-McCarthy hearings. I was 3-4 at the start of the Korean War and about 5 when the hearings started.
Stocker for Sterling, Lindner Dept Store in Cleveland, OH. Held for one summer in HS. Rehired following summer.
Catch-22, because it exposes the horrible truth with humor. He exposes the suckers' choice we are all forced to make: to plead insanity, which proves we are sane and must fly the mission, or to willingly fly the mission, which means we are insane and could get out of the mission if we would just plead insanity.
Edmond Dantès, protagonist of The Count of Monte-Cristo
"Istanbul" not Constantinople
Now it's Istanbul not Constantinople
And if you've a date in Constantinople
She'll be waiting for you...
In Istanbul!
I have too often taken the easy road.
It's up to the states, but I personally think states should consider electing their delegations at large if possible, using proportional representation. This would make the House more responsive to the people's will.
The House is not unique or "exceptional." There are parliaments and legislative bodies in almost every country.
Not necessarily.
1) Reining in the power of corporations and oligarchs so that our Republic can be restored.
2) Eliminating force and coercion from our foreign policy.
3) Acknowledging what's wrong with our country and its history so we can be proud of what's right.
Defense, Foreign Policy, Intelligence.
I oppose writing them into law. Voters can always limit a Representative's terms.
Certainly not in my first term.
Tulsi Gabbard, Dennis Kucinich, Mike Gravel, Justin Amash, Walter Jones after his conversion to peace.
I heard of a black woman who moved to Rochester after her husband got a job there in the late '70s. She had just graduated from a well-known university and had a teaching certificate. She applied to several school districts in or near Rochester, as well as to her husband's firm, but heard back from none of them. This went on for several months. She and her husband were surprised and frustrated, especially given the recent focus on affirmative action and the predominantly white teaching staffs around Rochester. Finally, her husband wrote a memo to the personnel department at his firm. She was interviewed immediately and started work the following Monday. Affirmative action didn't help them at all, but nepotism worked just fine.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 27, 2020
