Candidate tries to get message out
Bech focuses message on gas prices, health care, local representation
By Caitlyn Kelleher JOURNAL REPORTER

Nathan Bech is the sole name appearing on the Republican primary ballot for a seat serving Ashburnham and Westminster as their representative to the U.S. House of Representatives.

"I want to go to Washington to work hard," he said.

Bech, 34, a West Springfield resident, is running against incumbent Congressman John Olver (D-Amherst). The First Massachusetts District covers all of Berkshire and Franklin counties as well as towns in Hampden, Hampshire, Middlesex and Worcester counties.

Olver has represented the First Worcester District since 1991.

Bech is not concerned about the likelihood of being able to compete and beat Olver; in fact he is seeing the current presidential race as inspiration for his own chances. He cites the predictions that Sen. John McCain's campaign would go under and that Sen. Hillary Clinton would be the Democratic nominee.

"Based on the evidence I'm going to win," he said. "[Olver]'s riding his incumbency."

A low turnout meant that Bech missed the opportunity to give his message to the voters of Westminster and Ashburnham on Thursday afternoon when he tried to hold a Town Meeting style event at Oakmont Regional High School.

But he is focusing his campaign on working to solve some of the economic problems within the country especially focusing on lowering the cost of health care and lowering the price of gas.

"We need to get the economy moving," he said.

Bech cites a lack of visits by Olver as evidence that he isn't working for the people of the district.

"I'm running because the people of Western and Central Massachusetts deserve better representation," he said.

The town hall meeting was one of more than 20 such meetings Bech has held across the district this summer.

"I want to reach across the aisle," Bech said. "I want to get things done. I'm going to seek that 10 or 20 percent that we can agree on."

Bech's first goal is to reduce the price of gas, and he would like to do that by drilling in the Artic National Wildlife Reserve.

"It's a very small area of that reserve," Bech said. "We can do it safely."

He said he wouldn't support it if the technology was not there to drill in a manner that was safe for the environment but said that ability is there.

He added that there also needs to be a focus on reusable energy, including atomic fusion, which is a technique that allows the power of atomic energy to be used without creating nuclear waste. Bech said if this technique is developed then other countries would be coming to the U.S. for their energy.

"It will boost our economy in the longterm," he said.

Bech said even if it takes a couple of years to be able to start drilling, the vote to allow the drilling will lower the cost of gasoline and home heating oil because it will stop the speculators from playing the market.

"It is an immediate plan," he said.

Bech also wants to lower the costs of health insurance and health care, which he says is necessary because it is too expensive at this time to even consider providing universal health care.

"Everyone is going broke just trying to pay for it," Bech said of the new health insurance programs in Massachusetts.

He said it is a good lesson to learn before trying to institute the policy nationally but said it is unfortunate that it is Massachusetts residents and businesses that are bearing the costs of that lesson.

Bech lays out the plan for reducing health insurance costs by initiating tort reform, computerizing and standardizing medical records, creating more transparency and the ability to "shop-around" for medical care, and allowing Medicare and Medicaid to buy medicines in bulk like corporations as well as being more forceful in going after fraud and abuse.

Bech is also familiar with other federal issues.

"In concept, No Child Left Behind is good," he said. But the unfunded mandates that the program has brought in since 2002, he does not support.

"Either fully fund it or get rid of it," he said.

Bech thinks there needs to be less regulation from the federal government to help encourage businesses to form.

"We need to follow the example of Ireland," he said of the country that has seen a marked improvement in its economy in recent

decades.

On immigration, Bech believes that a fence should be built along the U.S. border to help stop the flow of illegal immigrants.

"We have to seal our boarders," he said. "It's a matter of good fences make good neighbors."

He said that if the opportunities aren't available for illegal immigrants in terms of easy access, jobs and benefits then they would stop coming.

"We need to enforce the existing laws," he said.

Bech said he believes the federal government should be small and should provide services that the local and state governments cannot.

"We need smaller government and smaller taxes," he said.

One of the services he believes it is necessary for the federal government to fund is a national defense.

Bech is a veteran of the United States Army. He said he originally joined in 1992 just before his 18th birthday because he was concerned about how he would pay for college.

Since that time he has served a tour of duty in Afghanistan and one in Iraq. Bech said he volunteered to serve in Iraq because he thought his service could be useful. At that time he served as a liaison between the American soldiers and Georgian soldiers for seven months in the Green Zone.