news-record.com

Occupation
Software Engineer

Birthdate
07/20/1973

Address
200 Westminster Drive 83-G
Chapel Hill NC 27514

Web site/e-mail address
http://www.philrhodes2008.com

Party affiliation
Libertarian

Elective experience
None

Other relevant experience (boards and commissions)
Board of Directors - Civietown Volunteer Fire Department
Assistant Fire Chief - Civietown Volunteer Fire Department

Family
N/A

Why have you chosen to run for this office?
Self-defense. The only proper roles of government are to protect our inalienable rights, enforce "rule of law" and enforce contracts.
When our government begins to step outside of those boundaries and to actively violate our rights, it needs to be reigned in. I intend to help with that reigning in process, as our government has grown far too large and invasive.

What distinguishes you most from your opponent?
1. Neither of my opponents has done anything to distinguish themselves as a champion of individual liberty and a steadfast defender of our fundamental and inalienable rights. If elected I guarantee that I will work tirelessly to protect our rights.

2. I am not part of the political machine... I have NO experience... no experience being bought and sold by special interests, no experience being a crony to lobbyists, and no experience choosing re-election as a higher priority than working to defend the rights of my constituents.

Key qualifications you would bring to the job:

1. Integrity - I am absolutely committed to a handful of basic principles... from those principles one can derive my position on pretty much every issue, and you can be sure I will work to promote policies that are consistent with those principles.
2. Analytical thinking. As a software engineer I have years of experience solving problems by attacking them in a rational, analytic fashion, working from establish facts and first principles to achieve the desired results.

List your top three campaign issues and your stances on those issues (briefly, please)

1. Corporate Welfare - I seek to end corporate welfare in the form of subsidies and other tax-payer funded transfers of wealth to corporations. All businesses operating in NC should be welcome, but all should compete on a level playing field, instead of using tax-money to fund large corporations, while driving up costs for our small business owners.

2. Real ID / National ID Cards - I absolutely oppose ANY participation by the State of North Carolina in any Federal program designed to create a National ID Card, no matter what the guise or purported justification. Our rights as citizens and as sovereign individuals do not depend on holding a certain piece of paper issued by the government.

3. Forced Annexation / Eminent Domain - I oppose both of these practices and hold both to be a violation of the fundamental property rights of the citizens of North Carolina.

Should the governor and lieutenant governor run as one ticket?
No.

How can the profile of this office be enhanced?
Why should it? If anything we should seek to lower the profile of every government office, at every level. The less government interferes with the lives of the sovereign individuals of our State, the better off we are.