Welcome to the forums, Seasider1953!
With Android 4.0 you have the ability to disable apps. If you go into Settings - Apps and choose one, you can click disable. You won't see it in your app drawer nor will you be able to use it. It doesn't delete it off your phone, just hides it. If it looks like bloatware, such as Dropbox (which is quite useful) or a golf game, those are okay to delete if you can.
System apps like the dialer or the texting app, you should never delete.