Rob Yates
Libertarian | North Carolina
Candidate Profile
Leans Conservative
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Rob Yates
Party
Libertarian
Election Year
2024
Election
General
Race
State Rep., Dist. 99
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, MBA, 2016
George Mason, Fairfax, VA, Ebglish, 2003
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism, Charlotte Chair, North Carolina Co-Chair, Libertarian Party of North Carolina
Communications Director, Forward Party of North Carolina, Communications Director
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Mayor of Charlotte, 2023
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Under what circumstances should an elective abortion be allowed?
I am pro-life. I also think that outlawing abortion has proved futile - prohibition never works. Instead of asking when elective abortion should be allowed, we should be asking how do we prevent unwanted pregnancies and support mothers in crisis and problem pregnancies. The government is the most useless vehicle for driving change. Let's get them out of it and work to actually reduce the number of abortions.
Chemical abortion drugs should meet essential safety standards (such as in-person consultation with a medical doctor) and require reporting to gather evidence on reactions and outcomes.
Disagree
I support 'aid in dying' laws which legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Agree
Another complicated topic, but, ultimately, I am skeptical of a law that completely prevents someone from seeking a more peaceful and pain-free passing if that person has shown to be in good mental health.
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive taxpayer funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Strongly Agree
ECONOMY
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
The basis for a strong economy is private property rights and free enterprise, including voluntary exchange.
What is your position on the minimum wage?
The only minimum wage is $0. Arbitrary, government-enforced "minimum wage" standards leads to more people without jobs, while driving up prices for everyone else.
Should environmental and social issues, like ESG (environmental, social, and governance) ratings, be used as criteria in deciding where to invest public monies?
No
Sustainability, a company's strategic operational plan, including its flexibility in adjusting to market changes - which can include social and environmental changes - is a good criteria for investment decisions. However, I dispute the legitimacy of "public" money, since that is just money taken by force through taxation, and I do not support the arbitrary choosing of winners and losers through state investment.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Under what circumstances can government close churches?
If there is an active shooter situation in a church, the police can close it off, or a similar situation with active criminal activity - meaning crime against person or property, like a kidnapping, abuse, or a ring of thieves - occurring at the time. Beyond that, the government has no purview over churches opening and closing at all.
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Strongly Disagree
Freedom of association and freedom of disassociation is a key tenet of a free society, and should be inviolable.
Should religious schools which accept state funds be allowed to only admit families and students who agree to adhere to their statement of faith?
No
All students should receive an equal allocation, and parents should be able to spend it at any school they see fit. We need to reconsider the notion of religious, public, and private schools, and hold all of them up to the scrutiny of the market to drive success.
HEALTHCARE
What most closely matches your view on healthcare: A) Healthcare for all should be guaranteed and funded by the government with no private healthcare option. (includes "universal healthcare," "medicare for all," etc.) B) Healthcare insurance funded by the government should be available for all who want it, along with private healthcare options. C) Medicaid and Medicare should remain available, but no other taxpayer-funded programs are necessary. D) Taxpayer funded health care should be abolished in all forms, and Medicaid and Medicare should be defunded.
C) Medicaid and Medicare should remain available, but no other taxpayer-funded programs are necessary. Eventually, we need to get away from all state-funded healthcare, but we should not pull the rug out from anyone, and so we need to keep current safety nets in place and unwind them slowly and responsibly.
Under what circumstances (if any) should a government, school, or employer be allowed to require vaccinations?
Under no circumstances should any government entity, or any entity that receives any government support be able to require vaccinations, or have any view whatsoever into an employee's medical history.
NATIONAL SECURITY
The Chinese Communist Party poses serious military, cyber security, intellectual property, and global economic threats to the United States.
Strongly Agree
I lived in China for a couple years, and the CCP has global dominance ambitions set out for the long term. The best way to push back is to unleash the power of the free market and U.S. innovation.
Is the United States' relationship with Israel important, and if so why?
It is right now, and partially because we made it that way. All of our relationships are important, whether positive or negative, though. We need to strive for friendship with all, entangling alliances with none. We need to stop stirring the pot and stealing people's money to fund wars on foreign soil. But we need to not pull the rug out from those who have relied on us - like the disgusting, botched Afghanistan withdrawal.
EDUCATION
The state should fund education by allowing dollars to follow the child through programs which protect parents' freedom to choose their child's school – public, private, or homeschool.
Strongly Agree
There is no accountability for state schools. The only accountability is letting parents choose the school best suited for their children. This has the added benefit of truly differentiated education.
VALUES
Taxpayer funds should be used to provide gender transition services.
Strongly Disagree
Taxpayer funds should be used to fund almost nothing.
No healthcare diagnosis or treatment, whether mental, reproductive, or otherwise, should be given to a child without first receiving written consent from the parent unless an emergency situation arises risking immediate death.
Strongly Agree
Children are unable to consent, and, with the exception of cases of true physical abuse, the state should have no authority at all to force a child into any medical procedure, or engage with a child on health without a parent involved.
Children are the most vulnerable members of society and must be protected from abuse, including gender ideology, grooming, and bodily mutilation.
Agree
This is best solved with a parent, medical professional, and child - I tend to suspect this would not be an issue had the government never gotten involved and made it a culture war flashpoint.
Marriage is a God-ordained, sacred and legal union of one man and one woman. No government has the authority to alter this definition.
Strongly Disagree
Churches should not be forced to hold marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples if they don't want. But marriage is a contract between consenting adults, and the state has no authority to prevent that.
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I believe in God. I consistently face my shortcomings, and I work harder constantly to be a better person.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
Voting absentee by mail ballot should be limited to those meeting at least one of the following criteria: 1) 65 years of age or older on Election Day, 2) sick or disabled, 3) expecting to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day, or 4) confirmed to be absent from the county of registration during voting.
Agree
I think we should take so much power away from politicians that voting isn't so crucial, but, under the current paradigm, ballot harvesting, including by mail, is counter to the actual will of the people.
EQUALITY
Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not?
No, the surveillance state looking for reasons to justify its existence and spying on Americans without a warrant is a threat to domestic security.
I agree with Critical Race Theory (CRT) which asserts that the institutions in the United States are fundamentally racist.
Strongly Disagree
The current panic over racism is being deliberately pushed by malign actors to turn us against each other. I have far more in common with most Americans, regardless of skin color, than we do with the vapid puppets who run our country, so they need to create divisive narratives to keep us fighting with each other and not paying attention to what they are doing.
Biological males should not be allowed to participate in women's sports or occupy biological women's spaces whether it be bathrooms, locker rooms, sorority houses, women's shelters, or prison.
Strongly Agree
The government should not force anyone to associate with anyone. If private organization choose to have biological males in female spaces, then people do not have to utilize that organization if they are opposed.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Which comes closest to your view? (Select all that apply) A) Stricter environmental laws and regulations cost too many jobs and hurt the economy. B) Stricter environmental laws and regulations are worth the cost. C) Stricter environmental laws undermine U.S. energy independence and deter development of reliable electricity sources. D) Climate change is real and requires urgent policy action.
C) Stricter environmental laws undermine U.S. energy independence and deter development of reliable electricity sources. Regulation also prevents actual, meaningful progress on reducing carbon emissions. Special interest funded panic around nuclear energy has prevented us from achieving energy independence and hugely reducing carbon emissions.
ABOUT YOU
What do you think is the general purpose of government?
To protect person and property from crime, and to prevent the country from foreign invasion.
Have you ever been convicted of a felony? If so, please explain.
No.
Have you ever been penalized for sexual misconduct in either civil or criminal court? If so, please explain.
No
When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and religious liberty, which of the following best describes you overall?
Choose not to answer
Libertarian. I am pro freedom, pro individual rights, and pro Liberty. I don't care if you are a right-wing or a left-wing tyrant, I am against tyrants.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
I support redirecting funds from police departments to community programs.
Agree
This is an incredibly nuanced and difficult topic, but, broadly, I believe in paying cops more, demilitarizing the police, getting rid of qualified immunity, abolishing laws that create victimless crimes, and supporting real community policing initiatives.
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
None
