Meet Benjamin Dickmann

Here is Ben's Delegate speech in it's entirety:

Hello, my fellow Republicans! It’s really great to be here. My name is Benjamin Dickmann, I live in Agawam, and I have been a resident of Massachusetts my whole life, so it is a relief to be in a room filled with Republicans, seeing as that is a rarity in this State. I was raised in a Conservative family, was taught to work hard and what it means to earn the things that you want in life, and would like to carry these cherished principles of mine to the Republican National Convention.
Growing up, I was constantly reminded by my father to never take for granted the freedoms that this wonderful country has to offer. As a child I never understood why he always put these ideas into my head. But as I got older I started realizing that he didn’t have the freedoms and luxuries that I was born with when he was growing up in Indonesia. He is a proud citizen of this country, but, unfortunately, him and I and many other hard working Americans have been noticing a decline in this country’s direction. Here are some issues I’d like to address:
The Second Amendment: I believe that any law-abiding American citizen deserves the right to keep and bear arms, and to protect their homes, family, and themselves. It does not make sense to me that people in inner cities are restricted a gun licence for all lawful purposes when it is those people who are exposed to most violent crime. This amendment should never be tampered with, as it is the protector of all of our other rights, as well. As a gun owner, I do not stand for any legislation that prohibits any responsible American from exercising this important right.
National borders: If we are going to fight a war on terrorism, then why are our borders left wide open? Borders should have been up immediately after 911. We cannot defend this country properly from our enemies when our doors are left unlocked. It’s time we lock our doors and place our soldiers there to guard this house. Not to mention to keep people from outside of this country from entering it illegally. With that being said, this brings me to the next issue:
Illegal immigration. We must enforce visa rules and deport anyone who overstays their visit. I do not stand for giving amnesty, welfare, or birthright citizenship for illegal immigrants. Government should never reward people for breaking our laws. Enforcing these rules will give illegals the incentive to come to this country legally and go through the same waiting periods as other countries. It is just not fair to people like my father who immigrated to this country, played by the rules, and worked hard to achieve what he has today.
Healthcare: Being a Republican, I know better than to support a socialized healthcare system. Emergency rooms are usually packed as it is, and instilling a socialized health system will only pack them even more. No one should have to wait an outrageous amount of time for treatment to a real emergency. We must give people more choices by encouraging a free market healthcare system and to allow doctors to negotiate with insurance companies to drive down prices of medicine and treatment. We must also remove federal regulations that restricts smaller businesses from offering health insurance.
Lower taxes: If there is one thing that makes any Republican a Republican, it’s lower taxes. Americans should keep more of their own money because individuals should decide how to spend the money themselves and not have a government dictate how they should spend it. Lower taxes encourages more spending, saving and investing which benefits the economy. Tax cuts do not hurt the economy. What hurts the economy is a government that takes money from the private individual’s paycheck and spends it on something that not everyone wants or needs. Private investing, saving and spending is what drives this economy and keeps it strong. Because of the liberal spending this government has been experimenting with, our economy is weakening and the value of our dollar is dropping day by day.
I would like to go to the National Republican Convention to share and spread these philosophies so our country can improve. This is a great country and we can make it even greater if we can embrace these ideas of freedom and economic prosperity. Thank you!



Copyright © Benjamin Dickmann, 4 April 2008
"used with permission by the author."

Minnesota, here I come!

First and foremost, I would like to thank those from the Agawam RTC that attended the Massachusetts District 2 Republican caucuses that came and supported me. Thank you Michael Daley for seconding me after I had nominated myself. I am truly honored to be a delegate and I cannot wait to get to St. Paul Minnesota and represent our party. This has been a huge learning experience for me and it will only continue. This is a very big opportunity for me and I cannot thank you all enough for your support!