Rod Lingsch

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Rod Lingsch

Republican Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

March 5, 2024

Education

Associate

Central Texas College Police Academy, 1995

Bachelor's

University of Pittsburgh, 1981

Graduate

Embry-Riddle University, 1999

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Air Force

Years of service

1981 - 2003

Personal

Birthplace

McKeesport, Pa.

Religion

Lutheran

Profession

Pilot

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Campaign YouTube

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Rod Lingsch (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas' 35th Congressional District. He lost in the Republican primary on March 5, 2024.

Lingsch completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Rod Lingsch was born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1981 to 2003. Lingsch earned an associate degree from the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics in 1976, a bachelor's degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1981, and a graduate degree from Embry-Riddle University in 1999. His career experience includes working as a corporate pilot, police officer, and business owner.

Elections

2024

See also: Texas' 35th Congressional District election, 2024

Texas' 35th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 Republican primary)

Texas' 35th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Texas District 35

Incumbent Greg Casar defeated Steven Wright in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 35 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Greg Casar (D)	67.4	170,509
		Steven Wright (R)	32.6	82,610

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 253,119
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Clark Patterson (L)

Republican primary runoff election

Republican primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 35

Steven Wright defeated Michael Rodriguez in the Republican primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 35 on May 28, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steven Wright	50.1	1,082
		Michael Rodriguez	49.9	1,077

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,159
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 35

Incumbent Greg Casar advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 35 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Greg Casar	100.0	28,830

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 28,830
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 35

Michael Rodriguez and Steven Wright advanced to a runoff. They defeated Dave Cuddy, Brandon Dunn, and Rod Lingsch in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 35 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Michael Rodriguez	27.1	4,085
✔		Steven Wright	24.6	3,715
		Dave Cuddy	20.4	3,079
		Brandon Dunn	17.9	2,700
		Rod Lingsch	10.0	1,514

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 15,093
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 35

Clark Patterson advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 35 on March 23, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Clark Patterson (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= 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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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Lingsch in this election.

2022

See also: Texas' 37th Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Texas District 37

Incumbent Lloyd Doggett defeated Jenny Garcia Sharon, Clark Patterson, and Sherri Taylor in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 37 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lloyd Doggett (D)	76.8	219,358
		Jenny Garcia Sharon (R)	21.0	59,923
		Clark Patterson (L)	2.2	6,332
	Submit photo	Sherri Taylor (Independent) (Write-in)	0.1	176

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 285,789
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Benjamin Ovard (Independent)

Republican primary runoff election

Republican primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 37

Jenny Garcia Sharon defeated Rod Lingsch in the Republican primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 37 on May 24, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jenny Garcia Sharon	59.1	6,923
		Rod Lingsch	40.9	4,791

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 11,714
= 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

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 37

Incumbent Lloyd Doggett defeated Donna Imam, Christopher Jones, and Quinton Beaubouef in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 37 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lloyd Doggett	79.3	60,007
		Donna Imam	17.7	13,385
		Christopher Jones	2.0	1,503
	Submit photo	Quinton Beaubouef	1.1	804

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 75,699
= 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Hasani Burton (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 37

Jenny Garcia Sharon and Rod Lingsch advanced to a runoff. They defeated Jeremiah Diacogiannis in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 37 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jenny Garcia Sharon	46.8	9,087
✔		Rod Lingsch	27.8	5,403
		Jeremiah Diacogiannis	25.4	4,938

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 19,428
= 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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Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 37

Clark Patterson defeated Nazirite Perez in the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 37 on March 19, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Clark Patterson (L)
	Submit photo	Nazirite Perez (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= 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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2020

See also: Texas' 34th Congressional District election, 2020

Texas' 34th Congressional District election, 2020 (March 3 Democratic primary)

Texas' 34th Congressional District election, 2020 (March 3 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Texas District 34

Incumbent Filemon Vela defeated Rey Gonzalez Jr., Anthony Cristo, and Chris Royal in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 34 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Filemon Vela (D)	55.4	111,439
		Rey Gonzalez Jr. (R)	41.8	84,119
		Anthony Cristo (L)	1.6	3,222
		Chris Royal (Independent)	1.1	2,247

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 201,027
= 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

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 34

Incumbent Filemon Vela defeated Diego Zavala and Osbert Rodriguez Haro III in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 34 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Filemon Vela	75.1	39,484
		Diego Zavala	18.5	9,707
	Submit photo	Osbert Rodriguez Haro III	6.5	3,413

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 52,604
= 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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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 34

Rey Gonzalez Jr. defeated Rod Lingsch in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 34 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rey Gonzalez Jr.	56.3	10,665
		Rod Lingsch	43.7	8,271

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 18,936
= 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.

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 34

Anthony Cristo advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 34 on March 21, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Anthony Cristo (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= 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.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Rod Lingsch completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lingsch's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I grew up poor, on welfare, with domestic violence. By any standard, I should not have been successful in life, but God blessed me with exceeding my life goals. During college worked as an engineer in Radio and TV. 22-years USAF F-111D/F Aircraft Commander and AETC Instructor Pilot. Deployed into combat as a pilot and later on the ground with the Army. Thrived mentoring junior officers in leadership positions as a Flight Commander, Operations Officer, and Instructor Pilot. After USAF, owned a successful business. Worked as a Texas Police Officer. 2010-2021, Defense Contractor with a TS clearance. Flew with CBP agents in Texas and Arizona for DHS. Provided ISR overwatch for the military and State Department in Iraq and Afghanistan. Last 6 years as contractor trained 777 SMW Afghan officers in ISR operations at Kabul, Afghanistan. My mission ended there on April 17, 2021. As a lifelong learner and researcher, I developed solutions for America’s problems, people loved them. I offered my solutions for America’s problems to hundreds of politicians from both parties across the U.S., and none ever expressed interest. Due to the deep partisan division in America, I feel compelled to run for Congress in Texas’ 35th District.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Restore America’s free market economy and pay off the federal debt. America is broken because the people we entrusted to run our government have bankrupted it. Politicians put our country $34 trillion in debt with $183 trillion in unfunded liabilities. The federal government has no revenue to fix anything, so they keep printing money adding $5 billion per day to the debt, stealing from our children’s future. My tax program eliminates every current federal and state tax, removing the tax burden from workers and businesses. My tax program is a flat tax that restores taxation to its Constitutional mandate. It will raise $75 billion per day so we can pay off the federal debt. Paying down the debt will enable economic reform we desperately need.
• Welfare reform that lifts people out of poverty and saves $2 trillion per year. The federal government has 83 welfare programs. Include the states, and that number jumps to more than 600. The welfare bureaucracy is too expensive and requires people to remain in a substandard government-subsidized way of life. Since 1935, $40 trillion has been spent on welfare and poverty remains at 11-13%. My welfare reform is a single program that replaces every federal and state program, saving up to $2 trillion per year. My program is not welfare, but a system that increases worker compensation and immediately lifts people out of poverty, providing them hope for their future. Please go to www.USCF.Life to learn more.
• I want to end the power that the wealthy and politicians have over our lives. When those who have power over us have no accountability to a higher authority, they will subjugate us. If you read Plato's and Aristotle’s political works and contrast them with what is happening in America, you will truly understand what they meant when they said some people should never be allowed to hold power. America desperately needs my solutions to fix the problems politicians and the wealthy created, which includes major political reform. We can heal America by holding those in power accountable; then, we can begin to fix other important issues like education, poverty, homelessness, immigration, crime, the criminal justice system, and much more.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about the ideals of America, and I have faith in the American people. I wish I could say there is a public policy of the current administration that I could be passionate about. Policies exacted have been the complete opposite of what needs to be accomplished to fix any of America’s problems. All political rhetoric this century is embroiled in deep lies that are determined to destroy America. As a pilot, I have talked with thousands of people across America and worldwide. I lived in other countries for more than a decade. I can tell you unequivocally that America is the most diverse and least racist country on Earth, and Americans are the friendliest and least racist people in the world. Besides aviation, a passion throughout my life is to learn and understand objective truths to eliminate human pain and suffering. The culmination of more than 5 decades of study and research, I have mapped out solutions to solve America’s problems, so that all Americans can have equal opportunity to fulfill their American dream. Please go to www.USCF.Life to learn more.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My mother and God’s grace. As a single parent, my mother worked two jobs and put herself through nursing school while caring for her five children. Growing up poor on welfare was difficult, and it seemed everyone around us used that as a reason to make our lives more difficult. My mother’s courage and conviction inspired me while growing up. No matter how desperate times became, her strength to persevere through any difficulty showed me that there is nothing that we can’t overcome if we put our mind to it, as she would often say. I contribute the success in my life from the values instilled by my mother. When life is hard growing up, education does not seem as important as survival, but children still dream of their future. My dream was to become a pilot. While everyone struggles with life’s ups and downs, it’s what we learn and how we respond to those struggles that defines who we are. It’s not the lack of money that makes us poor, but the failure to follow through with our dreams and aspirations. By not dwelling on the past, my eyes were opened to future possibilities, and it was God’s grace that showed me the path to my success.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

John Locke’s First and Second Treatise of Government and Montesquieu’s The Spirit of Law are the foundation of my political philosophy and the true destiny of proper government. Our Founding Fathers understood this and built our Federal Republic on those principles. Starting in 1830, President Jackson set things in motion, turning America into a Democracy. Historians claim the Civil War solidified the Federal government’s power; I’m not so inclined to agree. The 16th Amendment solidified the federal government’s power over the people through taxation. Citizens vigorously opposed it; however, as usual, Congress ignored the will of the people. Our Founding Fathers made Senators accountable to their States and Representatives to their Constituents. This balanced the power between Senators and Representatives and between the states and the federal government. The 17th Amendment stole away the State’s power to appoint its Senators, having them elected by constituents just as Representatives. This solidified the federal government’s control over the states. Montesquieu and John Locke, in their works, both relate the importance of balancing the division of powers between the branches of government as fundamentally necessary to secure the liberty of the people. Liberty is the division of power. Tyranny is a concentration of power.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

How about starting with speaking the Truth? We all know politicians lie; however, it is particularly sad when voters seek comfort in living by their lies. As Elena Gorokhova expressed living under Soviet rule, “The rules are simple: they lie to us, we know they're lying, they know we know they're lying, but they keep lying to us, and we keep pretending to believe them.” Some politicians even claim that the “Speech and Debate” clause in Article I, Section 6 of the Constitution gives them the right to lie. They insist they would not be able to pass a single bill if they could not lie; how pathetic. During hearings, politicians will scold civilians called to testify with the threat of a felony if they don’t tell the truth while those same politicians themselves blatantly lie. Representative Harry Reed gleefully admitted on national TV that he lied, stating that it served its purpose by undermining an opposing party's campaign. Now, he has an airport named after him.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Besides my depth and breadth of experience, as a lifelong learner and researcher, I have always worked to solve problems in search of objective truths. I understand issues from both a conservative and liberal perspective. While there is some validity to liberal concerns, their solutions are the exact opposite of what needs to be accomplished to fix America’s problems. The culmination of 5 decades of study and research, I have mapped out solutions to restore America’s free-market economy, end income inequality, replace all state and federal taxes while paying off the federal debt, welfare reform to end poverty, restore quality education, reduce healthcare costs while improving quality of care, end homelessness, end illegal immigration, fix naturalization, reform the criminal justice system, mitigate crime, reduce prison population, political reform and more. Please go to www.USCF.Life to learn more.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Allegiance to Country, Constitution, and Constituents in that order. Any elected official who puts loyalty to party, elitists, or self above their country, constitution, or constituents has demonstrated that they are not worthy to hold the office. All government officials swear allegiance to the Constitution and that they will defend it against all enemies. The people we elect to office are expected to uphold the Constitution as it is written as the Founding Fathers intended. It is not continuously evolving based on interpretation as President Biden stated. Elected officials serve all their constituents, not just the ones who voted them into office. They must represent their constituents with truth and transparency. They should promote legislation that serves their constituents and the country. They should also serve on committees and work to promote the well-being of all Americans.

What legacy would you like to leave?

That I could help reclaim America for Americans while serving the needs of citizens with truth, transparency, dignity, and respect.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The launch of Freedom 7 when Alan Shepard became the first American in space. I was 4 ½ years old. I was in kindergarten, so I didn’t see the launch and recovery until the next morning. When I turned on our black and white TV to watch Saturday morning cartoons, the only thing on the 3 TV channels was the space flight. I was so fascinated by it that I watched it over and over on each of the channels. Growing up, my family and I watched every Mercury and Apollo space launch. NASA and the space flights became something everyone talked about, and it really seemed to unify our country. Watching NASA’s space flights motivated me to become a pilot in the USAF.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was delivering newspapers for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Greensburg Tribune-Review. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette would deliver the newspaper to our home at 5:00 am. I would deliver them to about 50 homes around the neighborhood before school. After school, I would ride my bike 3 miles to the newspaper store and pick up the Greensburg Tribune-Review newspapers. I deliver them to 65 homes along a route from the store back to my neighborhood. I did this all through the 5th and 6th grades.

What is your favorite book? Why?

My favorite reads are non-fiction special forces and spy novels.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Spider-Man, with great power, there must also come great responsibility. As a fan of Marvel movies, I was particularly moved by Spider-Man: No Way Home. I can relate to Peter Parker’s compassion and wanting to reform the villains from alternate universes. When I was in the 7th grade, I was baffled when my friends from elementary school suddenly became bullies. I was only 4’11”, but whenever I saw someone bullying another, I would interject to stop it. Then I became the object of their bullying and often the person I was trying to protect would join in the arrack. This became my motivation as a lifelong learner and researcher. I would go to the public library and read books on psychology, philosophy, and religion to understand my peers better.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Herald of Darkness from Alan Wake 2

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Poverty, my mother defeated those demons when she remarried and sold the house we grew up in. She was required to pay back $35,000 to the Pennsylvania welfare system. I was 16 and that helped me have a more positive outlook on my life.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

The House of Representatives and Senate each have separate and distinct powers granted by our Constitution; collectively, Congress has 18 specific powers. The exclusive Constitutional powers of the House of Representatives include the sole power to impeach and the right to originate revenue bills. America is at an impasse. When the federal government is $34 trillion in debt, and everything it earns through taxation goes towards welfare, entitlements, and paying the interest on the federal debt, the Feds have no options but to print $1.8 trillion each year adding to the federal debt. If Texas voters elect me to office, I will work with the House and Senate to pass my tax reform so that we can pay off the federal debt. When we start paying down the federal debt, America will begin to heal, and we can start working on all the other programs that our government has neglected over the last 25 years. Please go to www.USCF.Life to learn more.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

A career politician who serves in the best interest of its citizens is the exception, not the norm. History shows us that no matter what form of government, career politicians will do what is in their best interest to keep them in office as long as possible. When career politicians have established power, they will do whatever it takes to stay in power. This is what our government is doing to us this century as career politicians divide Americans into tribal groups and continually bear false witness against their political opponents. Career politicians don’t have real-world life experiences that help them relate to their voters. As such, they are more likely to make decisions based on what makes them feel good without considering the unintended consequences. As our Founding Fathers suggested, it would be best if people went into politics after a successful career. People who have careers before entering politics have demonstrated their worthiness so that people in their communities can better relate to them through their work/life experiences. My political reform with term limits encourages people to have a career before they enter politics and works to eliminate all forms of political corruption.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Corrupt politicians and their loyal followers who are determined to destroy America. Politicians created every problem that is leading to the collapse of society and our great nation. Read Cloward­Piven’s 8 Levels of Control and Saul Alinsky’s 12 Rules for Radicals. You will recognize the playbook politicians have used over the last 50 years. Then, read who Saul Alinsky dedicates his book to. Have you ever noticed that 30% of the people will always support their politicians even when buildings are burning down around them? Today, we call this the Dunning-Kruger effect. 2,500 years ago, Plato summarized this phenomenon in his Allegory of the Cave. All these examples relate to the causes of America’s imminent downfall. To understand where America is heading, read Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, and Solzhenitsyn’s The Gulag Archipelago. Russians had a saying under Soviet control: The future is known; it is the past that keeps changing. More than 100 countries tried socialism and communism at the cost of 200 million lives, and liberals in America still think they can do it better. If events continue on their present course, it is unlikely that America will survive this decade. As America goes, so goes the world! Please go to www.USCF.Life to learn what we can do to save America.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Yes, the Founding Fathers wanted representatives to have the shortest term possible so citizens could quickly remove bad politicians from office. They considered a one-year term but recognized that representatives would spend all their time campaigning. Unfortunately, with all the changes politicians made to our political system over the last 94 years, even the two-year term no longer does what our Founding Fathers intended. America desperately needs political reform to return to its founding principles. Term limits would be a good place to start. Please go to www.USCF.Life to learn more.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

Our Founding Fathers considered term limits but decided against them for several reasons. They expected citizens to take their experience into politics after a successful career. They believed voters would be the best judge of who could serve them in office. They also expected the 2-year term limit would allow citizens to recognize bad politicians and vote them out of office quickly. Now, because of Gerrymandering, welfare buying votes, lobbyists buying influence, elitists spending billions to pay for their favorite politicians, and don’t forget the politician’s favorite tool “the lie” there is little voters can do to get corrupt politicians out of office. Additionally, these issues and the 17th Amendment made it difficult to remove bad Senators. 45 Democrats and 15 Republicans served more than 40 years in the House. Current advocates argue for a maximum of 2 terms for Senators and 3 for Representatives. This may work for Senators, but the time in office for Representatives is too short and would make them even less effective. Additionally, politicians only require 5 years in office to receive a nice retirement income at 62. I advocate for a maximum of 10 years as a state and/or federal Representative and 12 years as a state and/or federal Senator. I also propose that politicians be required to spend 10 years in office to receive partial retirement at 65 and a minimum of 20 years to get full retirement. Politicians without real-world experience have shown that they make very poor legislative decisions. I believe my design for term limits would encourage citizens to have a career before entering politics. However, we still need to work on eliminating all the other forms of political corruption. Please go to www.USCF.Life to learn more.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Jim Jordan

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

As a pilot who has traveled the world and all across America, I have always enjoyed talking to people because everyone has touching and memorable stories. No matter what country I’m in and who I talk to I find that we all have more in common than differences. The other thing I hear quite often is people just want to be able to live their lives and raise their families without government interference or threats from criminals. The most encouraging stories are from those who suffered some loss and can still carry on with hope and love. It always seems that those who have the least show themselves to be the most compassionate.

Tell us your favorite joke.

Too risky in today’s world!

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Compromise is necessary and essential in politics; however, after the last historic compromise between Democrats and Republicans during President Clinton’s first term, America has only experienced the escalation of partisanship. Compromise is the most essential skill of diplomacy that politicians seem unable to grasp. America’s politicians have been in a political civil war since President Clinton’s second term. By 2020, America met all the milestones for civil war except armed conflict. The reason that Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle were displeased with Democracy was by what they experienced. They recognized those in power would always transform a Democracy into an oligarchy. Our Founding Fathers understood this history and gave us a Federal Republic instead of a Democracy for this reason. They also recognized that in a Democracy, political parties will always become a 2-party system where they fiercely oppose each other. As Thomas Jefferson once said, “In a Democracy, the government you elect is the government you deserve.” We must work to eliminate all forms of political corruption. We need to build a political system and government based on Meritocracy. My political reform works to resolve these issues. Our Founding Fathers laid the foundation for elected officials to continually improve America, and we Americans certainly deserve better than what politicians have subjected us to this century. Please go to www.USCF.Life to learn more.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

My priority would be to have my tax reform legislation passed by the House and Senate within four years so that we could start paying off the federal debt. When I first developed my tax reform plan in June of 2000, we could have paid off the federal debt in 1 year. When I first offered my tax plan to more than 100 politicians from both political parties in 2005, we could have paid off the federal debt in two years. When I offered my tax plan to politicians a second time in 2010, some aides told me it was unlikely my tax plan would be accepted, but we still could have paid the federal debt off in 3 years. As one aide stated, politicians won’t give up income and business taxes because of the control it gives them. If we implemented my tax plan today, it would take 8 years to pay off the $34 trillion federal debt. Politicians offer no solutions because they know the tax structure cannot pay off the debt they created. My tax plan eliminates federal, state, county, and municipal taxes and fees. It replaces the IRS with my Federal Monitoring Service. My tax structure is a single flat tax of 1% on the Daily Aggregate of U.S. Dollar Funding Flows that will generate more than $25 trillion each year. When we start paying down the federal debt, we can start fixing all the other problems plaguing America.

How should the U.S. House use its investigative powers?

The U.S. House must use its investigative powers to eliminate all political corruption. The U.S. government spent $400 million taxpayer dollars on multiple investigations into President Donald Trump based on the Russian collusion hoax that the State Department fabricated, the FBI set in motion, and was paid for by Hillary Clinton and the DNC. We now know by undisputed facts that numerous Representatives lied to the American people and fed false information to the legacy media about the Russian collusion hoax for years to undermine President Trump’s administration. When their soft coup did not work, they tried impeachment. When impeachment did not work, their only remaining option was character assignation. This is where I would start conducting my research if Texas voters give me the honor of serving them in office.

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Campaign website

Lingsch’s campaign website stated the following:

“	America is Broken! America's culture is broken, America's education system is broken, America's financial system is broken, America's healthcare system is broken, America's welfare system is broken, America's criminal justice system is broken, America's immigration system is broken, America's political system is broken. Every system and institution that a society relies on to ensure the freedoms and provide for the security of its citizens is broken in America and our elected officials are directly responsible for our misery. America is broken because the people we entrusted to run our government have bankrupted it. Politicians put our country $31.5 trillion in debt with over $180 trillion in unfunded liabilities. Now they have no money to fix anything. Despite record revenue through taxation, 90% of the federal government's income goes to mandatory spending for entitlements, welfare programs, and the interest on the national debt. Politicians have no options other than printing more money which adds to the federal debt and risks hyperinflation. Every problem we citizens have endured throughout our history came about as a result of the decisions made by politicians. The Great Depression, every economic recession, the housing market collapse, the outrageous college fees and subsequent student loan crisis, the news media crisis, the social media crisis, confusion over the pandemic, mass anxiety and hysteria of the population, inflation and high unemployment, mass lootings and the rapid increase in crime, even the extreme violence and numerous deaths from the Antifa / BLM riots. Politicians know exactly what they need to do in order to control and manipulate you but seemingly have no clue on how to solve any of the problems they created. Is it incompetence or intentional? If we are going to fix America's problems, we need to work together. We must stop voting for politicians who promise everything and give us nothing but chaos and confusion in return. Be the solution! If you would like to be part of the solution, please do the following. Read through these pages on the issues and reform processes to gain a better understand of what we can do to save America! Discuss these ideas with your family and friends. Then vote for the people who actually do care about you and are committed to making the American dream possible for all. America's Economy in Crisis From 1790 to 1970 America's workers experienced the longest continuous period of wage growth of any country, making America the envy of the world. Starting with mechanized textile manufacturing in 1790, America's rapidly increasing industrialization was fueled by its classical free-market economy. In 1965, the U.S. fully adopted Keynesian economic principles giving the Federal Reserve enormous power and control over the economy. Keynesian principles are guided by a lender/consumer debt-driven philosophy. The Fed's absolute authority changed America's free-market economy into a highly regulated government-controlled form of capitalism. In 1966, bank credit cards were introduced to the general public and went national in support of Keynesian philosophy. Along with other forms of unsecured credit, these devices quickly became a burden on consumers. Uncollateralized debt also became problematic for banks, so they adopted FICO scoring to help mitigate risk. When FICO scores prevented poorer communities from obtaining credit our government's solution was creating endless welfare programs. In the 1970's, as consumer debt increased so did corporate profits and salaries; however, workers' wages became stagnant creating income inequality. Politicians told us if we wanted to improve our quality of life then our spouses needed to work. As women entered the workforce household incomes did increase but it also added more financial burden to families. Most families needed a second car to help ensure their new lifestyle changes would be successful. Mother's needed affordable childcare that was safe and reliable. Both parents needed work clothes and other necessities for employment. Even though the 1970's was marked by high inflation and high unemployment, labor unions made some progress in improving the wages and benefits of their members. In the 1980's, computers and other advancements in technology increased the efficiency of workers. Workers doing more in less time gave corporations the means to significantly boost profits which continued to increase at an exponential rate over the years. As a reward for their hard work corporate elitists gave themselves extravagant salaries, while workers' wages continued to remain stagnant further widening the income inequality gap. Despite improvements and efficiencies, the average worker found themselves needing to spend 20% more time on the job each week just to make ends meet. The gains labor unions made on behalf of their members in the 1970's and early 1980's was quickly wiped out by hostile corporate takeovers. Corporate raiders bought up vulnerable companies, fired workers, cashed in the workers' pension plans, and pocketed the money reaping enormous profits. Although these tactics started in the mid-1980's due to failed government oversight of Wall Street, they still continue to this day with little to no intervention. Economists claim corporate raiding is a necessary evil that serves as a counterbalance to the poor management of publicly traded companies. Since the 1960's corporate executives' compensation grew 1,000% while the American workers' pay increased by less than 15%. The average yearly salary of America's 3 million corporate executives has increased to more than $21 million while the pay of American workers has stagnated over the last 50 years. Half of America's workforce, 80 million people, earn $35,000 or less per year. It appears from their actions that politicians and corporate elitists despise the American worker as demonstrated by business elites looting workers' private pensions plans, stagnant wages, and the ever-increasing income inequality. Corporations gave up millions of American jobs overseas to other countries while politicians allow tens of millions of foreigners to enter the U.S. illegally further adding to income instability and suppressed wages. Corporations tired of workers' demands for better wages and benefits have essentially waged war against the American workers with politicians happily appeasing their corporate elitists. President Clinton signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) into law on 8 December 1993. By consequence, it seems as if it was corporate retribution against American workers. NAFTA not only undermined wages and workplace safety in the U.S., but America also lost 415,000 high-paying auto manufacturing jobs to Mexico and 290,000 high-paying aircraft manufacturing jobs to Canada. Corporations seeking even higher profits looked for ways to abandon the American worker by exporting millions of jobs overseas to China, India, Indonesia, etc., but it doesn't end there. The EPA and now Climate Change has cost America millions of jobs and trillions of dollars in lost revenue. Currently, there are nearly 30 million undocumented workers in the U.S. depressing wages and further adding to the economic instability of citizen workers. If nothing is done to stop the current border crisis, more than 10% of America's population will be illegal immigrants before the end of President Biden's term in office. Corporations have been lobbying Democrats for unilateral control over replacing America's highly skilled tech workers with foreign workers at lower salaries. If passed, President Biden's Build Back Better (BBB) Act will give corporations the power to issue work visas without government oversight. While politicians continue to curry favor with wealthy elitists at the expense of American workers, our economy is struggling with the burden of poor political decisions. If we want to fix our failing economy, end income inequality, and pay off the federal debt we must reign in Keynesian policies and change our current tax structure. My USCF economic recovery plan in conjunction with the Currency Usage Tax (CUT) will fix America's economic problems within a few short years. CUT is a simple flat consumption tax that removes the burden of taxation from workers and businesses while paying off the national debt in less than 5 years. When we start paying down the federal debt our economy will begin to stabilize and become more productive. Only then will our government finally have the resources needed to bring resolution to our many other problems and start healing America. America's Crises in Education The original Department of Education was created in 1767 by Andrew Johnson for the purpose of collecting information on public schools to assess the effectiveness of education. Congress had the new department demoted to an Office of Education in 1768 over the state's concern that it would give the federal government too much power and control over local schools. In 1953, President Eisenhower created the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (DHEW) which for the first time provided federal funding for public schools in need. A primary responsibility of DHEW was issuing the newly formed F-1 visas to foreign nationals seeking a degree from America's colleges and universities. President Lyndon B. Johnson's 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was a cornerstone of his War on Poverty. ESEA helped ensure poorer school districts were receiving equitable funding to support children in those communities. While these improvements over the decades did not solve all of America's problems regarding education, the ongoing efforts did help the U.S. become one of the most successful education systems in the world. The primary reason these measures worked so well is that they allowed for a bottom-up approach for education. Prior to 1980, America's high school graduates and universities were rated number one in the world. According to the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), America's high school graduates now are rated only slightly above the 50th percentile of the 79 nations assessed in reading, math, and science. This places the U.S. at the bottom of the list for all industrialized nations. Overall, US colleges are now only ranked 18th out of the top 36 industrialized nations according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) despite having some of the most technically advanced research universities in the world. Besides the results of international assessment and ranking, it has been obvious to parents for decades that the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the National Education Association (NEA) have not been serving in the best interest of our children. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter signed into law the U.S. Department of Education despite concerns from many lawmakers that creating the cabinet-level position would require a constitutional amendment. Throughout the 1970s, the relentless complaint from liberals was that America was stealing the most valuable resource from other countries, its people. Foreign nationals from around the world would go to great lengths to attend colleges and universities in the U.S. They knew they would receive quality education leading to high paying employment. However, once their education was complete most would obtain these high paying jobs and stay in America. This became a primary reason why politicians wanted to create a Department of Education. This new Department of Education gave the federal government absolute control over F-1 and J-1 visas so they could decide which individuals were permitted to remain in the U.S after their education was complete. With politicians gaining control over education visas, liberals found their next grievance. Throughout the 1980's liberals incessantly complained that America's colleges and universities were racist. In 1978, the Supreme Court ruled in University of California v. Davis that race could be used as a factor in the college admissions process. However, in University of California v. Bakke (1978) SCOTUS affirmed the use of racial quotas to admit students exclusively based on race was a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. In 1987, politicians utilized the unrelated SCOTUS ruling in Johnson v. Transportation Agency, Santa Clara, CA to justify their Affirmative Action quotas. The ruling stated employers establishing a quota system for hiring women and minorities in the workforce did not create a barrier to men as defined under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Politicians concluded this validated the use of Affirmative Action to enforce equity quotas on tertiary education institutions. ED mandated quotas created a biased system favoring the enrollment of women and minorities. The accomplishments of Asian and white men were significantly undervalued with women and minorities being elevated based on their gender and race. While equity quotas played a significant role increasing minority enrollment, they did not significantly increase minority graduation rates. However, the enrolment of women in colleges and universities has outpaced men for decades. As a result, women graduate from college at a rate of 2-to-1 over men. In the 4th quarter of 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor reported that women finally outnumber men in the college-educated workforce. Democrats uphold Affirmative Action as a success despite the fact that it is unconstitutional and has created numerous significant problems. According to liberals, their equity agenda means discrimination is justifiable even when it does harm to others. This form of systemic racial discrimination against white men has contributed to making suicide their second leading cause of death. Men make up 79% of the suicides in the U.S. with 105 men dying each-and-every day. Liberals perpetually tell us they are more compassionate, caring, and kind than conservatives. Where is the liberal's infamous self-aggrandized compassion when people actually die as a result of their enforcement of unconstitutional systemic racism. Politician's forcing Affirmative Action quotas on tertiary education is what created America's student loan crisis. Colleges and universities were required to take on lawyers and additional administrative staff to interpret ED quota mandates, set up new recruitment policies, create a system to rank students based on race and gender, then deal with the backlash once the new system was implemented. The proliferation of colleges taking on equity quotas in the 1980's resulted in a rapid increase in staff that did not teach or do research. As a result, students across the U.S. were confronted with the challenge of what became the relentless yearly increase in tuition and other fees. Today, some universities have as many as 9,000 administrative staff for every 10,000 students. When you include professors and other personnel, essentially each college student is paying for their education and the entire yearly salary of one of the university's employees. In 2010, the Obama Administration nationalized the student loan market by completely removing private lenders. Democrats devised the plan claiming they could raise $58 billion to help pay for Obamacare. It did not solve but added to the crisis. If all of this was not bad enough riots became all the rage on college campuses in the 1990's. Several riots would occur each year across the U.S. on campuses and they continued unabated. Typically, after a sporting events or some other campus function thousands of students would start destroying the property their colleges and within their local communities. More than 100 riots occurred over a 20-year period causing hundreds of millions of dollars damage. University leadership either afraid or unwilling to take action allowed this problem to exacerbate. Students became emboldened and started competing with each other bragging in their student union newspapers about how much more damage their riots caused compared to other college campus riots. Only after citizens forced states to pass laws holding students accountable did these riots finally subside in 2014. However, in 2017 riots became the norm again across campuses with the primary goal of suppressing conservative speech. This being a just cause in the minds of college and community leader they permitted riots to occur without consequence despite it costing their taxpayers many millions of dollars. Again, riots continued unabated until the pandemic hit America in 2020. These are just a few of the reasons colleges and universities have experienced a 17% decline in student enrollment with a loss of 3.3 million students. Our leaders have not only destroyed our institutions of higher learning for Americans but for the rest of the world. The U.S. is no longer a favored destination for foreign students despite America having some of the most technically advanced research universities in the world. Now the most favored nations are China, India, and Indonesia. The main reason America's primary and secondary schools were successful prior to 1980 was the decentralized implementation of state education requirements. School administrators and teachers knew best how to meet the educational needs of their students. School districts in-turn would make these needs known to their state education agencies which worked to meet their requirements. Imposing top-down education obligations from the furthest removed institution, the federal Department of Education has miserably failed America's children. Education reform in Texas is a perfect example of this issue. In 1995, Governor Bush signed his 1995 education reform bill which he called, No Child Left Behind (NCLB). The NCLB asked school districts to assess the needs of schools within their districts. That information was collected by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). TEA assessed the data which allowed resources to be disseminated based on the specific needs of Texas school districts. It worked in Texas because of this bottom-up approach. In 2002 when President Bush signed his No Child Left Behind Act into law it became a miserable failure. Every politician vying for their personal political gain added to the incompetence of the Department of Education making NCLB and enormous burden for teachers and administrators. NCLB has perpetuated a system where administrators of elite schools' force teacher to use class time teaching the assessment tests to poorer schools whose administrators allow students to fail in order to receive additional federal funding. After being lobbied for more than a decade, the Department of Education mandated a new requirement of inclusion for all public schools in 2005 called Gay Pride Week. The justification lobbyist used to convince ED this program was an absolute necessity was child suicide. The Department of Education was led to believe our children were committing suicide because their all gay and were being bullied by their peers. This agenda was forced upon public school system even though child suicide rates were decreasing every year since implementing the guidelines under President Clinton's 1994 Improving America's Schools Act. Further demonstrating that those involved do not care about the safety and wellbeing your children, child suicide rates have increased every year since these grooming standards were put in place. Under threat by the Department of Education withholding federal funds, 32 states immediately adopted the new guidelines in the 2005-2006 school year. Texas was not one of those states. In the summer of 2006, activists in Austin, Texas forced a referendum on the state legislature to adopt a gay pride week in Texas public schools. Texans voted and it did not pass. In 2007, Texas Democrats reintroduce the bill by where if Texans voted "No" it would pass. Texans voted and again it did not pass. This is the way the legislative process is supposed to work in America! In defiance, Austin Independent School District has imposed its own gay pride grooming curriculum on the students within their public schools since the beginning of the 2008 school year. If you were ever wondering how gender confusion became such an enormous problem for our children in such a short period of time, this was the impetus. Since 1980 the federal government has spent more than $6 trillion to improve primary and secondary education. This is above and beyond the $1.3 trillion that the states spend annually on public education. Politicians eagerly throw taxpayer's hard-earned money at issues as a band-aid to cover up the problem. Then they give themselves a pat on the back for a job well done only to have a continual decline in student performance. Problems will never be solved if their underlying caused are not understood. The Department of Education, state education agencies, academic research institutions, colleges, and universities are all struggling to solve the problem of America's declining academic performance. America has a very diverse multicultural society which makes this problem particularly complex, unlike the majority of countries in the world. America's current traditional education system works well for some students but increasing less so, for minorities and the socioeconomically disadvantaged. This disparity further exacerbates America's education problem creating cultural divides. Therefore, the paradigm must change with respect to education reform in America. If we want our educational institutions to be successful again, we must start by getting politics out of education. The federal government forced religion out of schools, we should be able to apply that same standard to political influences. The outdate classroom environment must be restructured. New technologies and methodologies must be integrated to meet the needs of America's diverse multicultural student population. New learning methodologies: such as, active learning environments (ALE), collaborative distant learning, student-centered learning, learning management systems, massively open online courses (MOOC), and simulation technologies are offering great potential for improving and streamlining America's education system. Research into augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) learning environments (VLE) are not only showing improvements in student's academic performance while realizing fewer behavioral issues. In particular, AR and VLE are demonstrating significant success in math and science. A consistent finding in these research studies show that students themselves say the enjoy the learning, feel better prepared, and are more actively engaged in the learning process. These are some of the academic changes that the USCF Primary and Secondary Education program will incorporate. Additionally, a very important part of USCF is the Primary and Secondary Education Fund (PSEF). PSEF ensures equitable distribution of funds to every school district in America. Every public school system in America receives $12.500 per student. This is one of the many ways USCF ensures every student in America has equal opportunity to learn and grow based on their desires and ability. Not at the whims of government bureaucrats trying to dumb down everyone to the lowest denominator through equal outcomes. America's Failed Welfare System The U.S. welfare system has failed America's poor and led to the bankruptcy the federal government. Politicians have been unable to reconcile inequality through legislation and actually have made the progress of many citizens consequently worse with welfare. America's welfare structure requires recipients to persist in their impoverished status in order to maintain their benefits. If any of the 95 million citizens (28.5%) obtaining support from current welfare programs attempts to improve their quality of life, they are quickly removed from their safety net. America's current structure results in generations of families and ever-increasing numbers of single parents completely dependent on welfare, stuck in a substandard government-subsidized way of life. In 1965, federal spending on welfare was $7.2 billion increasing 800% to $1.62 trillion in 2022. Since 2012, mandatory spending on welfare and entitlement programs has exceeded 70% of the total tax dollars collected by the federal government every year except two. Mandatory spending dipped below 70% in 2018 and 2019 but then the pandemic became the next crisis in 2020. Our government has no money to fix any of America's problems but continues to add trillions to its 83 failed welfare programs. Because the federal government is not capable of paying its bills it just keeps printing more money adding $4.6 billion to the federal debt each day, freeloading on your pensions and against your children's future. Welfare and the mandatory spending on other entitlement programs, Medicare and Social Security, are the unsustainable burden to the never ending federal debt (Cloward - Piven Strategy). State and local spending on welfare programs has also increased significantly. Spending only $2.3 billion in 1965 to over $1.33 trillion in 2022. That makes the total payouts for all state and federal welfare programs $2.95 trillion in 2022. States massive bureaucracies of 500+ combined welfare programs have become the leading expense in nearly every state. In these states, payments to welfare exceeds all other programs including primary and secondary education. When states spend more on welfare, they are forced to reduce funding for other programs such as education, law enforcement, fire, and rescue. This means lower salaries and higher student loads for teachers. Lack of proper training and quality control for law enforcement. Outdated safety equipment for our fire departments and other first responders. President Lyndon Johnson grew up poor. Campaigning in 1964, he declared war on poverty with his Great Society programs which he signed into law in 1965. His programs were highly ambitious having moderate success reducing poverty in the 1960's; however, by the end of the decade the poverty level stagnated around 13% as the bureaucracy of welfare became more burdensome making even higher payouts less effective. President Johnson made it known during his war on poverty speeches that providing support for the poor would not solve the issue of poverty if its underlying problems were not resolved. From 1935 through 2022, America spent $40 trillion on welfare and entitlements programs with an average poverty rate of 13% over that time period. Since 1965, the states and federal government spent a combined $25 trillion on poverty and the percentage of poor has only dropped below 11% a single year In 2019, the poverty level decreased to 10.5% as a result of policies enacted by President Trump in 2017 and 2018 which helped 7 million Americans escape poverty and join the middle class. Helping the poor elevate their status is a boon for everyone as it improves their quality of life and promotes economic productivity. Despite spending $8.15 trillion fighting the pandemic and poverty since its 10.5% low in 2019 the poverty level still increased to 12.8% by the end of 2021. As the U.S. population increases, so does the total number of poor in America which is 42.6 million according to U.S. Census data. When the first president in recent history who has enacted policies that actually benefit its citizens is voted out of office in favor of a President that thinks dumping trillions of taxpayer dollars into failed government programs is the only answer, you must begin to wonder who is really voting to keep the poor in poverty! In 2021, President Biden proposed his $3.5 trillion Build Back Better (BBB) plan and that amount was on top of his $6.1 trillion FY 2022 budget. Biden's BBB would have added another $1.44 trillion to the debt just for new welfare spending on top of the $2.95 trillion paid out by the states and federal government in 2022. That equates to an average of $69,154 for each of the 42,624,000-welfare recipient. Democrats love to throw your hard-earned tax dollars at problems as if money fixes everything but never offer any real solutions, and liberals have demonstrated throughout history that they have a natural inclination of turning every issue into a wicked problem when there are simple solutions for every dispute. The United States Citizen Fund (USCF) Welfare Reform eliminates the 83 federal and 500+ state welfare programs incorporating them into a single program. USCF is designed to significantly reduce overall government spending utilizing sound reform that increases government efficiency, streamlines bureaucracy, and improves quality. USCF and the Currency Usage Tax have become the only solution to reign in uncontrolled federal spending and pay off the national debt so that we can start working to solve all of America's other problems. U.S. Healthcare Crisis America spends more on healthcare than any other country. The cost of healthcare in the U.S. has increased on average by 4.9% each year since 2000 exceeding $4.52 trillion in 2022. That equates to $13,584 each year for every one of our 333 million citizens. However, it does not include the hundreds of billions of dollars in losses hospitals and HMOs incur each year from the uninsured. In this decade, healthcare costs are expected to increase by 5.2% and 6.1% per year for those that pay out-of-pocket. At these rates, the total U.S. healthcare costs will exceed $7.0 trillion by 2030 and equate to nearly $20,000 per capita for America's projected 352 million citizens. Federal and state laws make it illegal for hospitals to deny medical care for individuals who do not have healthcare coverage. These laws also make it illegal to deny healthcare to any of the 30+ million undocumented immigrants in America regardless of their employment, health insurance, or immigration status. As a result, $350 billion in unpaid medical expenses are passed along to you each year as part of your annual increase in medical costs. That amount is expected to increase significantly due to the more than 4.5 million immigrants that have entered the U.S. illegally in 2021 and 2022. While this is a leading cause of your healthcare costs increasing every year, Medicaid and Medicare have also added to your problems. In August 2011, the our elected officials forced sequestration upon the federal government due to the Obama administrations continuous $1.3 trillion deficit spending every year. As a result, the federal government reduced what it is willing to pay out for Medicare coverage. This is the way Democrats work. If anyone challenges their authority, they will find a way to retaliate through legislation. Since 2013, the federal government has reduced Medicare payouts by 2% each year. This leaves doctors, hospitals, and Healthcare Management Organizations (HMO) with only two options. Refuse to accept individuals covered by Medicare or pass on their loss of revenue on to you. Those of you who pay for your own private healthcare programs made up 40% of the overall 2022 healthcare expenditures ($1.8 trillion) while 10% of U.S. citizens paid cash for their medical care in what is called an out-of-pocket expense ($452.3 billion). Besides paying for your own healthcare, your government also gives you the opportunity to pay for the healthcare of the 166 million citizens who they claim are less fortunate than you. Your tax dollars paid 50% of America's $4.52 trillion healthcare bill in 2022 through state and federal programs such as Medicaid, Medicare, and CHIP ($2.26 trillion). Politicians tell us we need Medicare for All, now! What they describe as a single-payer healthcare system. They are determined to eliminate your private healthcare and replace it with a system that gives them absolute control. Politicians have a way of making it all sound so good but here's what they don't tell you. Medicare became law in 1965 and has required federal subsidies since 1969. In FY 2022, subsidies were required to cover 55% of the $908 billion in Medicare costs. Even with all workers and employers paying Medicare payroll tax it only covered 33% 0 of the $908 billion total Medicare expenses in 2022. Medicare spends significantly more than it brings in through the Even with all workers and employers paying into the Medicare fund, federal subsidies continue to make up about one-third of the total deficit each year. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) conclude Medicare will be insolvent by 2026. These are the real reason politicians want every citizen on Medicare. They know its collapse is coming soon and they foolishly believe they can reign it in by having complete control over who, how, and when you can have medical care. Every one of the thirteen 2022 Democratic presidential candidates supported Medicare for All even though they knew it would increase overall medical costs $5.2 trillion per year and eliminate more than 2 million jobs. Why would anyone want to do this? President Biden during his 2023 State of the Union Address (SOTU) claimed Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to go insolvent. There are better options than what Democrats propose. Democrats want to push through legislation; if you own your home or have more than $100,000 in your personal retirement account you will no longer be eligible for Social Security payments. For more than a decade Democrats and some doctors have been talking about denying anyone over the age of 75 medical care since they no longer contribute to society. Does anyone really believe that this would apply to these elitists? When politicians and elitists start talking about how responsible citizens should stop using medical care after the age of 75 then expect a law to soon follow. After all, America is one of the many Western Countries where euthanasia is now legal and medically funded, so why waste money on the elderly, chronically ill, or disable? President Obama's Affordable Care Act (ACA) was supposed to fix America's healthcare problems. Have you ever noticed when politicians give legislation a really good-sounding name that it turns out to be the opposite of what they want you to believe? ACA, otherwise known as Obamacare, became law on 23 March 2010. Before ACA became law, 92% of Americans said they were satisfied with their healthcare coverage. President Obama assured us, do not worry, if you like your doctor or healthcare provider, you can keep them. Now, only 56% of Americans report they are happy with their healthcare coverage as many were forced out of their previous plans. Individuals also saw their healthcare premiums double and copays increase due to ACA regulations. ACA was supposed to fix America's healthcare enrollment and funding problems by making healthcare more affordable; however, enrollment only increased 7% leaving over 27 million American citizens still without health insurance to this date. However, since ACA's inception, Medicaid and CHIP increased significantly. 16 million individuals were added to Medicaid and CHIP by the end of President Obama's second term in January of 2017. This resulted in $4 trillion being added to the federal debt during that same time period just due to the increase in Medicaid and CHIP payments. Mental Healthcare Crisis We have created a society where 1 in 5 (20%) people say they are lonely because they have never been in a romantic relationship. Where 1 out of 4 (25%) say they have no friends outside of social media. Our woke culture has become a landmine of confusion where we cannot even define the most simplest of biological distinctions; male and female. As a result, 59% of teen girls and 29% of teen boys say they have perpetual feelings of sadness and hopelessness. Chronic feelings of sadness can lead to chronic depression and when people lose hope, they lose their sense of purpose and value in life. Our crisis of cultural confusion has resulted in the mass hysteria of society and is a major reason why 1 in 3 (33%) of our children have contemplated suicide. On average 20% of adults and 17% of children experienced some form of mental illness each year. These numbers increased 5% during the 2020 pandemic which is 1 out of 4 adults (64.5 million) and little more than 1 out of 5 children (16 million). 1 in 20 adults (13 million) experience serious mental illness. Unfortunately, about 45% of adults and 52% of children never receive any mental healthcare. Lack of good mental healthcare is a contributing factor for the 25 million Americans who suffer from depression each year. Children whose chronic depression goes untreated can result in permanent changes to their brain structure which may lead to bipolar disease or other more serious mental illnesses. Prolonged untreated depression in adults leads to the early onset of neurodegenerative diseases such as; Alzheimer's, Dementia, Parkinson and other diseases. People who receive treatment for depression have a 90% success rate but less than half seek treatment. Lack of mental healthcare contributes to 23 million Americans who depend on alcohol or drugs to cope with mental issues. In 2022, there were more than 140,000 alcohol-related and 108,000 drug-induced deaths in America. That is 384 alcohol and 296 drug-related deaths each and every day. Losses due to Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) costs America $300 billion each year while Substance Use Disorder (SUD) exceeds $600 billion. $900 billion could easily pay for Mental Healthcare for all in need. 60% of suicides in the U.S. are related to depression and this number increases to 75% when alcohol or drugs are involved. Each year there are 1.4 million suicide attempts resulting in nearly 50,000 deaths. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death with men dying at a rate 4 times that of women. Due to relentless cultural persecution white men make up 70% of all suicides. Suicide is the second leading cause of the death of our children after accidents and the suicide rate has increase every year since 2005 after a previous decade of continuous decline. Depression and mental health are manageable. Suicides are preventable if we make healthcare proactive and take our mental health seriously. America leads the world with the most advanced hospitals, medical systems, and research but care for the average citizen is more like reactive sick care than proactive health care. We have the knowledge and ability to identify most illnesses before they onset but when your country is $31.5 trillion in debt with $180 trillion in unfunded liabilities, only elitists can afford the medical care that actually sustains quality of life. USCF has a much better plan to make preemptive proactive healthcare available for all Americans instead of the bankrupt sick care system where politicians decide who gets medical care and euthanizes their undesirables. Read about the healthcare solutions on this website to gain a better understanding of how medical care can be made available for every citizen while reducing costs and improving the quality of care. Pandemic Response During a time of crisis, America has long-established protocols that define the National Response Framework as: Federally supported, State-led, and Locally executed. These guiding principles likewise applied to the U.S. National Strategy for Pandemic Response. The Supreme Court ruled unanimously in the 1824 landmark case Gibbons v. Ogden that the power to enforce quarantine or other measures in the name of public health belonged to the states. In the 1905 seminal case, Jacobson v. Massachusetts the SCOTUS upheld a state's legal authority to enact vaccination policies. That decision was reaffirmed in the 1922 case Zucht v. King when the SCOTUS ruled that a San Antonio, Texas school district could exclude students from attending school until they receive required vaccinations. Federal CDC guidance tells states to utilize the least restrictive methods that will achieve the state's concerns for public safety, particularly when the guidelines involve limiting individuals' liberty. While the Constitution protects certain rights and liberties of individuals from government interference, individual rights do not surpass the collective rights of a community. This was a landmark decision made by SCOTUS under Jacobson v. Massachusetts; however, the Jacobson case also established four specific standards that government must meet in order to apply public health measures that would permissibly restrict individual rights: Government action must be necessary. Any action must apply reasonable means. Action must be proportional, and it should avoid harm to individuals' health. To reiterate the governors; decide the protocols for vaccinations, quarantine procedures, or other requirements in the interest of public safety within their states, not the federal government. Additionally, this SCOTUS ruling affirms every citizen's Constitutional rights that no level of government can force any individual against their will to be vaccinated! The decisions on which businesses stay open or remain closed, school attendance, social distancing, mask mandates, etc. are the responsibility of the governors of their respective states. It was essential that local communities provide the most accurate data on infection rates and information about treatment response without bias. Providing top-down support with bottom-up execution and data collection is the most efficient process in a crisis. Accurate unbiased data helps states know what is best for their states, and local communities what is best for their communities. The federal government has proven countless times that when dictating to the lowest level of government they are inept if not totally incompetent. The federal government has the resources and can bring together leading experts, but their most important job is providing common sense leadership. In times of crisis, citizens look to their elected leaders to demonstrate leadership; showing solidarity to help calm fears; working together providing hope for a quick resolution; making themselves available every day to ensure progress is known; being open and honest with the public and press when answering questions and concerns. President Trump did all of these things but was undermined by rival politicians with false information while being excoriated by the media daily. Instead of offering useful information, advice, or guidance, they worked to sabotage everything his administration accomplished every day. This only served to further divide Americans when we desperately need unity. The shameful behavior of our elected officials likely resulted in tens of thousands of Americans dying because of the confusion and discord they created.	”
—Rod Lingsch’s campaign website (2024)

2022

Rod Lingsch completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lingsch's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I grew up poor, on welfare, with domestic violence. By any standard, I should not have been successful in life, but I have been blessed with exceeding my every goal. I was an aircraft commander in the USAF where I thrived mentoring junior officers in my leadership positions as a flight commander, operations office, and Instructor Pilot. After retiring from the USAF, I owned/operated a successful business. I worked as a Texas Police Officer and later as a defense contractor. I flew missions with CBP agents in Texas and Arizona. I provided ISR overwatch for the military and State Department in Iraq and Afghanistan. My last 6 years as a contractor, I flew out of HKIA in Kabul, Afghanistan teaching Afghan officers from the 777 SMW ISR operations. My mission ended there on 17 April 2021. As a lifelong learner and researcher, I understand all issues from both a conservative and liberal perspective. Since June of 2000, I have offered my solutions for America’s problems to hundreds of politicians from both parties across the U.S. and none have ever expressed interest. Due to the deep partisan division in America, I feel compelled to run for Congress in Texas’ 37th District.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Americans are scared of how bad things are in the U.S., but if you truly understood how catastrophic everything really is then you would be terrified. Politicians know because they created all the problems, but they don’t want you to know the truth, and that is why America is so divided. We must stop living the lies and work together if we hope to restore America. Humans can solve any problem when they put aside their differences and work together. If we fix these problems in this order everything else will fall into place: economy & taxation to pay off debt, entitlements & education to end poverty, healthcare & infrastructure to mitigate crime, politics & national security to end illegal immigration. My reform plans will fix every problem.
• Every institution in America is broken! Politicians know how bad things really are, but none know how to fix any of the disasters they created. When problems get out of control politicians will lie to divide people, one against another. You can tell the end is near when everything is burning down around you and they say everything is fine. We cannot fix America’s problems until we end the federal debt. Everything politicians tried has failed, and now we are $30 trillion in debt. We must reign in Keynesian policies and change our tax structure to restore our economy to free-market principles. My single flat tax removes the burden from workers and businesses while paying off the national debt in 4 years. We must work together for change now!
• When our economy starts healing, we can begin healing America. Priorities are entitlements, education, and healthcare. Entitlements are the largest part of budgets, but poverty has never dropped below 11%. Welfare destroys our communities despite spending over $40 trillion to help the poor. My entitlement reform will restore communities and bring an end to poverty. My education reform brings quality education and gives children hope for their future. Providing equal funding for all school districts promotes consistent equal opportunities. My healthcare reform is preemptive and proactive care that is free for children in school and adults only pay for what they need. Fix these major problems and solutions for other issues will become easier.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I wish I could say there is a current public policy that I am passionate about, but all rhetoric is embroiled in deep lies and hell-bent on destroying America. Policies exacted are the complete opposite of what needs to be accomplished to fix America’s problems. I am passionate about the ideals of America and Americans. As a pilot, I have talked with thousands of people from all across America and all around the world. 1/3rd of my life, I have lived in other countries, and I can tell you unequivocally, America is the most diverse and least racist country on Earth and Americans are the friendliest and least racist people in the world. Besides aviation, my passion throughout my life is learning everything about everything with the goal of ending human pain and suffering. I started this journey at the age of 12 when I would skip school and go to the public library to read books on psychology, philosophy, religions, and history. The culmination of 5 decades of study and research, I have mapped out solutions to restore America’s free-market economy, end income inequality, end income tax and business taxes, pay off the national debt, fix and end illegal immigration, optimize education, simplify healthcare and improve quality of life, reform justice, end poverty, mitigate crime, and essentially every issue so that every American can have equal opportunity to fulfill their American dream.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

As a lifelong learner and researcher, I have always worked to solve problems in search of objective truths. I understand issues from both a conservative and liberal perspective. While there is some validity to liberal concerns their solutions are the exact opposite of what needs to be accomplished to fix America’s problems. My journey started when 12 and I would go to the public library to read books on psychology, philosophy, religions, and history. The culmination of 5 decades of study and research, I have mapped out solutions to restore America’s free-market economy, end income inequality, end income tax & business taxes while paying off the national debt, fix and end illegal immigration, optimize education, simplify healthcare and improve quality of life, reform justice, end poverty, mitigate crime, and essentially every issue so that every American can have equal opportunity to fulfill their American dream.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Allegiance to Country, Constitution, and Constituents in that order. Any elected official who puts loyalty to party, elitists, or self above their country, constitution, or constituents has demonstrated that they are not worthy to hold the office. All elected officials swear allegiance to the Constitution and that they will defend the Constitution against all enemies. Elected officials must uphold the Constitution as it is written. It is not continuously evolving based on interpretation as President Biden recently stated. Elected officials serve all of their constituents, not just the ones that voted them into office. They must listen to the concerns of their constituents and respond in person when the concerns are legitimate. They must represent their constituents with truth and transparency within the rules of the office. They should promote legislation that serves their constituents and the country. They should serve on committees that work to promote the well-being of all Americans.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was delivering newspapers for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Greensburg Tribune-Review. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette would deliver the newspaper to my home at 5:00 am and I would deliver them to 48 homes in the neighborhood before school. After school, I would ride my bike to the local newspaper store, pick up the Greensburg Tribune-Review newspapers and deliver them to 65 homes from the store to my neighborhood. I did this all through the 5th and 6th grades.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Spider-Man, with great power, there must also come great responsibility. As a fan of Marvel movies, I was particularly moved by Spider-Man: No Way Home. I can relate to Peter Parker’s compassion and wanting to reform the villains from alternate universes. When I was in the 7th grade I was baffled when my friends from elementary school suddenly became bullies. I was only 4’11” but every time I would see someone bullying another, I would interject to stop it. Then I became the object of the bullying and the person I was trying to protect would join in the arrack. This became my inception to research and lifelong learning as I would go to the public library and read books on psychology, religion, and history to better understand my peers.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Politicians created the problems that are currently destroying America, but it is the national debt that will bring about worldwide economic collapse. As goes America, so goes the rest of the world. The so-called great recession of 2007-2009 was not a recession but an economic collapse in America caused by U.S. political policy that led to the failures of economies in many other countries. That was a precautionary warning to the impending worldwide economic collapse. Politicians fear the national debt they created but have no ideas on how to fix it, so instead, they create distractions and division with political correctness, social justice, racial division, Antifa and BLM burning down our cities, rampant crime, millions of foreigners entering America illegally creating further instability. I have offered a solution to pay off the national debt in 4 years to hundreds of politicians across the U.S., and none ever expressed any interest. If Americans really want to fix America, they must wake up and stop voting for the politicians who are destroying America.

If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

The House Committee Ways and Means would be essential for changing the tax structure which is now the only way that the national debt will ever be paid off. The influence of this committee is also essential for the necessary changes to entitlements and healthcare. The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is another powerful committee required for economic, entitlement, healthcare, criminal justice, and most other reform. Not likely a freshman congressman would be permitted on these committees, but both are required to bring about the reform to fix America’s problems. The House Committee on Education and Labor is needed to bring about change to our education system. Although the most critical changes are tax reform to pay off the national debt and entitlement reform to end poverty, the House Committee on Education and Labor would be a good place for a freshman Congressman to prove his worth by introducing education reform which is also essential to help eliminate poverty.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

The longest-serving Representative was 59 years, 21 days. 45 Democrats and 15 Republicans served more than 40 years in the House. The suggestion of limiting Senators to 2 five-year terms and Representatives to 3 two-year terms is too short for them to become effective in office. Politicians must prove their worth based on merit and should not be able to collect retirement until serving at least 20 years. Currently, politicians can leave office after 5 years and then collect a substantial retirement pay at age 62. I propose politicians can hold office no more than 40 years and be required to show career progression like every other citizen before being eligible for retirement. As an incentive to stave off corruption while proving commitment to constituents elected officials must be in office 20 years to collect 60% of base pay, 30 years for 80%, and 40 years for 100%. The best option would be for a Representative or Senator to start their career progression at the state level for the first 20 years before they can move on to the same chamber at the federal level. Else, politicians who chose to remain at the state level could work 20 years as a Representative then 20 years as a Senator. Likewise, at the federal level if so inclined.

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

Rod Lingsch did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Rod Lingsch campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	U.S. House Texas District 35	Lost primary	$0	N/A**
2022	U.S. House Texas District 37	Lost primary runoff	$0	N/A**
Grand total			$0	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

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U.S. House Texas District 35

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Footnotes

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Texas' current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

John Cornyn (R)

Ted Cruz (R)

Representatives

District 1

Nathaniel Moran (R)

District 2

Daniel Crenshaw (R)

District 3

Keith Self (R)

District 4

Pat Fallon (R)

District 5

Lance Gooden (R)

District 6

Jake Ellzey (R)

District 7

Lizzie Fletcher (D)

District 8

Morgan Luttrell (R)

District 9

Al Green (D)

District 10

Michael McCaul (R)

District 11

August Pfluger (R)

District 12

Craig Goldman (R)

District 13

Ronny Jackson (R)

District 14

Randy Weber (R)

District 15

Monica De La Cruz (R)

District 16

Veronica Escobar (D)

District 17

Pete Sessions (R)

District 18

Vacant

District 19

Jodey Arrington (R)

District 20

Joaquin Castro (D)

District 21

Chip Roy (R)

District 22

Troy Nehls (R)

District 23

Tony Gonzales (R)

District 24

Beth Van Duyne (R)

District 25

Roger Williams (R)

District 26

Brandon Gill (R)

District 27

Michael Cloud (R)

District 28

Henry Cuellar (D)

District 29

Sylvia Garcia (D)

District 30

Jasmine Crockett (D)

District 31

John Carter (R)

District 32

Julie Johnson (D)

District 33

Marc Veasey (D)

District 34

Vicente Gonzalez (D)

District 35

Greg Casar (D)

District 36

Brian Babin (R)

District 37

Lloyd Doggett (D)

District 38

Wesley Hunt (R)

Republican Party (27)

Democratic Party (12)

Vacancies (1)