Platform and News

Ben's Thoughts:
Election integrity-  Although my central platform focuses on our economy, judicial reform, and education, elections are vital to preserving our republic. Georgia needs to move towards a non-electronic paper ballot system. We need to have election day, not election season.  We need to have direct voter ID that ensures only legal residents cast ballots. I would be in favor of having a election day holiday in Georgia to ensure residents can vote; however, the past has proven that those who vote will cast their ballot regardless of having the day off or not. The mail-in ballot system needs to be banned. Absentee ballots need to be focused on those that physically cannot vote on election day, and early voting needs to be eliminated as to curtail any fraudulent voting. Each precinct needs to have Republican and Democratic ballot count viewers ensuring that election fraud is mitigated. The current system allows for doubt, and any doubt in our electoral process leads to controversy. Argentina recently changed their system to an in-day paper ballot system. If nations that are much less developed that ours can work to secure elections, we should do so as well. There was a time when we knew the election results on election day, and there was no internet.  We do not need high tech solutions. We just need tried and tested methods of counting results. In the military we call this the KISS method: keeping it simple/stupid.  

Second Amendment- The second amendment states that "in order to have a well regulated militia, the right to keep and bear arms SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED". This is legal language which means that there is no gun law in America that is Constitutional. By definition criminals do not obey laws, and therefore there is no gun law in the U.S. that will prevent gun crime. The laws on the books can do only two things. First, they can be used to punish crimes with guns as a way to prevent people from wanting to commit a crime by making the punishment not worth the crime. Secondly, they are used to prevent law abiding citizens from exercising their Second Amendment rights, and therefore limiting a Constitutional right that would violate the Constitution itself. We must refocus the gun rights discussion on the individual who might decide to use a gun to commit a crime. It is not the gun, it is the person that commits a crime. Mental illness should be at the forefront of our discussion, not the tool, i.e. the gun. Punish the person, not the gun.  

Conserving State Sovereignty- I hear a lot of discussion from candidates about being a Constitutional Conservative, and I wanted to lay out what my definition of this is so that it does not just become a tag-line used in a speech. Constitutional Conservatives believe in the Constitution as founded, sometimes this is referred to as "originalist." The Federal Constitution was designed to have few powers. Article 1, Section 8, enumerates the powers granted by the states to the federal government. Anything not in the Federal Constitution is left up to the States and the People. I believe in this defined separation of authority. One of the primary jobs of the state government is to defend its residents from the encroachment of federal policy and ensure the sovereignty of the state. If elected, I plan to defend District 131 from federal mandates that limit the freedom of the individual Georgian.

Young Republicans and Registering to Vote- The future of the Republican Party is our youth. We need to focus our efforts on bringing in young conservatives to not only vote, but get involved as candidates. I speak to young adults every day, and I am pleasantly surprised at their understanding of not only the very complex issues we face across the State of Georgia, but to our nation. Part of the evolution of our party needs to include new conservative ideas to solve our issues. If we continue to try and solve our issues with the same solutions, we will find ourselves in Einstein's definition of insanity. We hear all the time in the news cycle that voter turnout is key, and one of the largest groups that do not turn out on election day is the youth. This needs to change in the 131, and beyond, so that we can ensure consistent Republican majorities at the local, state, and federal levels.

Addressing Self-Interest in Campaigns-  In every election that I have known in my adult life candidates talk about what they want to do for the constituents without the electorate asking what the candidate gets from being elected. I am amazed at the amount of money being spent for a state house position that pays roughly $247 per day with an average annual salary of $23,000. If the position is part time and pays roughly enough to for travel and lodging expenses to serve the district at the state level, one must ask why it is worth such a large investment by any candidate to secure the votes necessary to win? This should come as no surprise if you live in the 131st district, but my signs are smaller than everyone else's and my promotional materials are just now arriving to include yard signs. That is because this has all, up till this point in time, come out of my own pocket. As a Junior College Professor, I do not have a large income, and there is no financial benefit for me to represent the district. I do not own a business that might benefit from construction contracts or regulatory reform. I have no vested interest in shifting the tax burden from business to the general public. Is the desire of my competitors to serve the public, or is it to financially gain?  Only you can decide. Leadership should be about sacrifice for others, not self-enrichment in any way.

 

Abortion- YES, abortion is murder, and life begins at conception, but that is not the entirety of the issue. Adoption needs to be easier and affordable. Foster care needs to be expanded, and the expense of birth needs to be eliminated, if the protection of the baby isn’t ensured. The Democratic Party believes in Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity….as if that is an exclusive issue with their party. One party believes in limiting the natural born citizens through abortion while importing non-American born people. Our party believes in upholding traditional families and the population growth. The reason that I point this out is not to limit the value of life, but to point out the real problem with what is going on. If American born children do not inherit this once great state and country, the nation will forever be changed. This is an issue of voter base and ideology, as well as the future of America as we know it. Defending life is defending Georgia and defending these United States of America.

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Preserving Biological Gender in Sports- Biology recognizes two genders, male and female. Sports have, up until now, recognized two genders male and female. Georgia must amend the Georgia Constitution to recognize two biological genders, just like we recognize that marriage is between man and women. Our Georgia Constitution demands this of us, and it is up to us at this time to deliver on the promise.

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