[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 78 (Thursday, May 11, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1011-E1012]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                           VISION FOR AMERICA

                                 ______


                         HON. MICHAEL BILIRAKIS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 11, 1995
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, each year the Veterans of Foreign Wars 
and its ladies auxiliary conduct the Voice of Democracy broadcast 
scriptwriting contest. This year more than 126,000 secondary school 
students participated in the contest, competing for the 54 national 
scholarships totaling more than $109,000. The contest theme for this 
year was ``My Vision For America.''
  I am proud to announce that one of my constituents, Stephen Jensen, 
won fourth place honors and a $6,000 scholarship in the Voice of 
Democracy contest. Stephen is a junior at Tarpon Springs High School 
and hopes to pursue a career in entertainment or public relations.
  In his speech, Stephen reminds us all of what can be accomplished 
when people are united by a common objective. I would like to share 
Stephen's speech with you.

       What a vision we must have been. Drenched in sweat, caked 
     with mud, and surrounded by the foul stench of rotting 
     vegetation and debris, over six thousand volunteers toiled in 
     Albany, Georgia this past summer under the blazing July sun 
     to help the people whose lives were devastated by the worst 
     floods in recent history. Side by side we gutted out homes 
     and churches sodden by the floods and stripped the buildings 
     down to their foundations. Sharing in this service gave me a 
     vision of what an American community can accomplish when 
     people are united by a common purpose.
       There are those in this country who are overwhelmed by 
     another flood sweeping through the streets of our land. The 
     surge of violence and crime, drug abuse, loss of private and 
     public virtue and the erosion of the family are but some of 
     the storm-waters surging over the banks in our country today. 
     Our first reaction is to view these problems with bitterness 
     and despair, but if we can truly hold on to a positive 
     vision, we will not lose hope. Let us share in the view 
     expressed by American poet, Carl Sandburg when he wrote, ``I 
     see America not in the setting sun of a black night of 
     despair ahead of us. I see America in the crimson light of a 
     rising sun, fresh from the burning, creative hand of God. I 
     see great days ahead, great days possible to men and women of 
     will and vision.''
       Experiencing great opposition is not unique to Americans 
     today. Are the challenges we face any more difficult than 
     those faced by previous generations? Early colonists 
     struggled with disease, famine, and the [[Page E1012]] rigors 
     of an untamed wilderness. Later, our inexperienced 
     forefathers fought the superior military and economic might 
     of Great Britain to claim their freedom from oppression. In 
     the nineteenth century, America was literally torn apart by 
     Civil War yet a people was freed from slavery. Pioneers of 
     that day endured tragic hardships in settling the West, yet 
     prevailed and helped this country grow to its present 
     dimensions. In this century, Americans have faced World War I 
     and the devastation of the Great Depression, followed almost 
     immediately after by the exhausting conflicts of the second 
     World War. America's foundation was created and strengthened 
     through overcoming all of these trials.
       My vision for America calls for renewal of the ideals and 
     faith in this country that made our forefathers victorious 
     and America great. It was their commitment to these beliefs 
     that gave them the determination to sacrifice and surmount 
     tremendous obstacles. We as Americans must uphold and 
     heritage of freedom. We must reaffirm respect for the dignity 
     of the individual and respect for our laws and those who work 
     to carry them out. We must acknowledge a higher power and 
     adhere to the principles of honesty, hard work, cooperation 
     with others and loyalty to our country.
       As President John F. Kennedy declared, ``No nation can 
     remain free unless its people cherish their freedoms, 
     understand the responsibilities they entail, and nurture the 
     will to preserve them.''
       Working side by side with fellow American in Albany, I 
     experienced first hand the vision of mankind which has give 
     us strength and hope and courage in ages past as we have 
     faced adversity and challenges. I felt the spirit of 
     brotherhood of putting aside personal differences and working 
     together for the common good. This is the vision which calls 
     out through the Pledge of Allegiance, for us to be--``. . . 
     one nation, under God, indivisible.'' My vision for America 
     is the one bequeathed to each of us, the legacy of our 
     forbearers who sacrificed their lives in every age for all 
     our freedoms. I see an America at peace through the renewed 
     commitment of her people, an America that is still the hope 
     of the world. To this vision I pledge, in the words of the 
     Declaration of Independence, `my life, my fortune, and my 
     sacred honor.'
     

                          ____________________