Rushman for Congress

Summary
I’m running because I haven’t seen a candidate for Congress that I wanted to vote for. I’ve raised a family here by working a real job, and owe nothing to a party or big donors. I’m not asking for money, just for your vote and help in spreading the word. I’m the only independent candidate in Orange County this year, so District 46 voters are the only ones to have an opportunity to reject partisan politics and career politicians. Please take a look around. Ask questions in the comment section and I’ll answer. You can text or e-mail, too.

I’ve made a good career managing projects for many kinds of companies, large and small, leading teams and providing guidance on strategies and technical design. The work includes cost management, risk management, vendor management, and a lot more, and there’s definitely some negotiating involved. My education is in business, including an MBA, but I love to learn and have studied history, science, and literature on my own, lectures and reading, for most of my life.

Spending and Fraud

We don’t really know where the tax money goes, but we don’t seem to get much benefit. Fraud is sometimes reported and always forgotten. The unemployment fraud in 2021 wasted $20 billion of our taxes and the fraud in Washington, D.C. is beyond any estimate. Those in Congress have no incentive to clean it up, and are rarely caught when they participate. Projects are funded, pay off for donors, and abandoned. High-speed rail is one of the biggest failures in history, justified on financial lies, wasting at least $33 billion and is now estimated to lose $100 billion, and there will be no rail, no benefit. Look for a tax increase to cover these losses. The incumbent was a member of the HSRA, which developed the failing business plan.

Education

One advantage of the pandemic is that parents saw the poor quality education their children received. California ranks low in education but the highest tax rate, wasting money again. Educational standards are dropping further as those in power say programs for highly motivated students are not fair and should be eliminated. No wonder more parents are homeschooling or sacrificing so their children can attend private schools.

Business and Inflation

Look around at all the stores and restaurants that closed. In the pandemic shutdown, small businesses were hurt most, while a secretive, partisan “economic task force” advised the governor on pandemic actions. As small businesses are driven out, big business has less competition and prices go up. The destruction of food and oil production in the name of pandemic actions and climate has created shortage-driven inflation that hits working people and the poor hardest. Members of Congress can afford these increases, but working people in Orange County still have to drive and feed their families.

Defense

The first audit of the Department of Defense was in 2018. Up until then, there was no audit, no accounting of how the $716 billion in taxes were spent. That’s about how much is spent every year, and as we learned from Enron, audits are not always honest. The 2-year war in Afghanistan cost at least $2 trillion and every “accomplishment” of that war has been reversed by the Taliban. Pointless interventions have cost too many lives and created more problems than they solved. The partisanship of the military allowed generals to lie to a sitting President about deployments and independent conversations with China. The military is supposed to be under civilian control, through the President, regardless of political party.

Healthcare

The pandemic response was partisan, with experts and celebrities lined up to exploit human tragedy for wealth and power. These public figures, some in official positions, lied to the public in order to obtain a desired response. The worst public figures continued for more than a year before being removed from responsibility, and it will likely be many years before the truth is fully known, if ever. The biggest casualty of the pandemic may be the death of trust in government. It was already in decline, but the willingness of government officials and candidates to lie for the sake of power is shameful and should not be rewarded by additional terms, speaking engagements, and book sales.

Government Agencies, Police, and Justice

The FBI has been a problem for decades, and now claims 1.3 million are potential terrorists. Decades ago, they actively pursued political aims in programs like COINTELPRO, and while this program officially ended, it appears they are still up to their old tricks. Congress should demand an accounting and limit their power to shape American politics. The people should be in charge, not government agencies operating outside the law. Police departments use Civil Asset Forfeiture to acquire funds from individuals who have not even been accused of a crime, and many innocent people have been imprisoned due to prosecutor misconduct. Dangerous people are released into society and the poor pay the highest price for this, while cities burn, shoplifters steal, and more businesses fail. Those in prison often lose more than their freedom, being assaulted and subject to harm beyond the intent of law. It’s a failure for everyone unfortunate enough to have contact with the system, as a victim or perpetrator. Political parties use these wrongs as talking points but have no interest in real change, which would take away a valuable tool to enrage their followers.