Candidate Survey: William Joseph Hellmann for Baltimore City Republican Central Committee, District 7
TheDuckpin.com Candidate Survey
Name *
William Joseph Hellmann
Age *
31
County *
Baltimore City
District
7
Education *
Some College
Career/Occupation *
Writer
Political Experience *
Appointed to Central Committee in 2021 after working alongside the committee since 2019. Had worked for various political campaigns before that time.
Website *
None
Social Media Accounts *
Twitter @w_j_hellmann
Why are you running for office? *
In working with the Baltimore City Republican Central Committee for the past 3 years, I have learned we can make a difference no matter how small in getting people engaged with what is going on in our city and howe we can fix things. In running for my seat, I am just securing my ability to pursue this change, and to help drive a conversation with the people of Baltimore that will help convince them that it's time for Republican Governance of the State and City after over 50 years of one party rule locally.
Who do you consider your political role model, and why? *
I am hesitant to pick role models because they tend to disappoint you. For example, I used to look to to Theodore Roosevelt until I found out about his involvement in the Portsmouth Treaty. (That refers to a treaty signed at a shipyard in Maine) Rather than pick a role model, I would say I admire certain aspects f famous leaders. I admire the Ingenuity of Nobunaga Oda, the Rectitude of George Washington, the Robustness of Winston Churchill, and the Outspokenness of Donald Trump. But I wouldn't call any one man or woman my role model.
What is your favorite book about politics and policy, and why? *
In terms of Practicality, I would say the Federalist Papers, although they are a bore to read. In my own self interest I could also say my own book, "Big Fat Liars: The 9 Core Lies of The Left Wing Establishment". But honestly my favorite book about politics right now is The Woody by Peter Lefcourt. It's a pretty entertaining fictional account of a fictional corrupt Senator from Vermont, and I find it is amusing for its absurdity, enjoyable for its satire, and fascinating for its view into what federal politics were like in the 90's. (And let's be honest, probably still are like today.)
What do you see as the role of the Central Committee? *
Well we are the spokespersons of the Republican Party. I find the most important thing we do aside from cultivating candidates and recommending appointee's is our outreach. For the most part we are avoided, sometimes we encounter lunatics who verbally attack us (I can tell you few stories of people giving us a Nazi Salute at festivals, oblivious to the irony that they are making that gesture towards a booth manned by Jewish people, gay people. (like myself), and black people) It all becomes worth it though when you have that one meaningful conversation with a fellow conservative who also feels the same pain you do about our city in its decline, or that one encounter with someone who has identifies as a Democrat their whole lives and begins to question even one thing about that. (I had that moment in 2019 when I talked to a school teacher about why I was gay and Republican.)
What are the three biggest issues facing your county party? *
1. The massive corruption of city officials. We pay high taxes here in baltimore but get nothing out of it. Our streets are crumbling, our schools are failing our children, and the Democrats in City Hall seem more interested in bringing in new residents than stopping the people who have spent their whole lives here from leaving or being forced to leave. 2.The high crime in our city. Baltimore has a bad reputation for being an unsafe city, and its gets worse every year. Our State's Attorney who has now been indicted on 4 federal charges has spent her career scapegoating the police and pursuing a radical leftist political agenda rather than prosecuting criminals. As a result, we have a rising crime and dwindling justice. 3. Our failing education system. It is one of the highest funded in the country, and yet students are being passed up through the grades while failing their classes, the school buildings are crumbling, and we keep having to read about investigations which turn up hundreds of thousands of dollars going to non-existent administrators. Every time the City Democrats and the President of Baltimore City Schools say there will be reform, but nothing ever changes. I would like to see more accountability and I want to find candidates who can rally people around a call for accountability in our schools.
What are the three biggest issues facing your state party? *
I will probably draw a lot of criticism for these answers, but here we go. without going into detail, I would say the three biggest problems facing the Maryland GOP are: 1. A sense of complacency 2. Some members of the party pursue their own self interests over that of the party 3. There is a disconnect between our party and our party's voters. Again, I don't want to go into details or point fingers. I just want to do what I can to change these things, and I think I definitely can.
What is your position on life issues? (abortion, assisted suicide) *
I am against abortion. I believe birth is something sacred, everyone should have a chance to live once they are conceived.In terms of the law, I also believe Abortion is illegal as it flies in the face of the core concepts of constitution, mainly the idea expressed that all people have a right to "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." That last part is key, the point is we need to be able to pursue happiness. That doesn't mean we will be assured the happiness we pursue though, that depends on the decisions we make. And there are consequences for that decision. If you kill someone, you go to jail. If you have unprotected sex, you end up pregnant. The government is only supposed to make sure we can all pursue happiness, they do not get to protect us from the consequences, or allow someone to end another person's life because they claim that that person stops them from achieving happiness. As for my views on assisted suicide, that's a bit more nuanced. I don't believe the government has a right to stop someone for commiting suicide for many reasons. The most important one among them is that in some religions, suicide is acceptable and preventing them from exercising their religious freedom. Then again I do not entirely believe someone should be absolved of liability if they assist another person in ending their life. While it is true some of the same religions that allow suicide also incorporate rituals where a loved one assists them. Those are extremely rare though, and many pushes for assisted suicide push to make it a medical procedure. I am against this. While I believe people should be able to take their own life, I don't believe in making this decision easier for people. It's naturally meant to be a hard decision.
What is your position on taxes, spending, and the federal deficit? *
I have three ideas about this: I believe the 16th Amendment should be repealed or amended, and that aside from local taxes, there should be no federal taxes. Instead, there should be increased tariffs on imports. This is how the US Government was funded before the passage of the 16th Amendment. Aside from taking a financial burden off of the backs of the people, it also encouraged people to buy american, and encouraged american businesses to hire american since outsourcing work to other countries would become cost prohibitive. Barring this solution though, I believe that if we cannot do away with taxes entirely that we should introduce an across the board flat tax, with no deductions. But both of these ideas would need to be accompanied by one thing, a Balanced Budget Amendment. There are a few ways to go about this, but I think the most effective wording of such an amendment would be one that bars congress from passing any budget bills that increase the deficit without paying off our national debt, and preventing them from raising the debt ceiling when the nation has any deficit that exceeds 50,000 per taxpayer. Congress should not be able to approve any spending that we cannot pay off within one lifetime, that should be the core idea behind congressional spending.
What is your position on gun rights? *
I believe there should be absolutely no restrictions on the 2nd Amendment, as the law itself says that this right shall not be infringed. That said, I do believe firearms should be registered as a matter of personal responsibility as well as a protection for gun owners themselves in case their firearms are stolen and used to commit a crime. (As a side note, I would also like to clarify my position on the following question about independents and the primaries. But to sum it up, I think there should be a separate primary for independents, a kind of independent primary.)
Do you believe that Maryland primary elections should be open to independent voters? *
Yes
Do you believe that the state party and the county parties should be allowed to endorse in primary elections? *
No
Do you believe that Maryland Republican Party auxiliary organizations should have a vote on the Maryland Republican Party executive committee? *
No
Would you support limiting the terms of Maryland Republican Party officers to eight consecutive years in the same office? *
Yes
Was Joe Biden legitimately elected President of the United States in the November 2020 Election? *
No
Do you pledge to accept the results of your election? *
Yes