[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 35 (Thursday, March 14, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E353-E354]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E353]]


                 WHAT IT MEANS TO ME TO LIVE IN AMERICA

                                 ______


                           HON. STEPHEN HORN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 14, 1996

  Mr. HORN. Mr. Speaker, amidst the current congressional debate over 
the U.S. immigration policies, it is very important to remember why so 
many people from around the world want to live in our country. My 
father was such an immigrant who came from his native Germany to the 
United States.
  Recently, I was reminded of my father's reasons for immigrating when 
I attended the awards ceremony given to honor the winners of the 
Sertoma Club of Long Beach, California's Fifth Annual Heritage Month 
Essay Contest. The essay contest topic was ``What It Means to Me To 
Live in America.'' The winners--all young people from Long Beach and 
Lakewood, CA--represent the many faces of America. Some are recent 
immigrants; others, native born. But all write words that are a moving 
tribute to the fundamental spirit of our Nation--the right to be free, 
the opportunity to build a better life, and the chance to follow one's 
dreams.
  As the immigration debate continues, Congress would do well to 
remember the insightful words of these young people. They speak 
directly to the heart of what makes our Nation great.

                 What It Means to Me To Live in America

                           (By Lauren Struve)

       We often take for granted all the privileges that come with 
     living in a country where human rights are protected and 
     enforced. Little does the average American take time to think 
     about those who aren't as lucky as we are. Those who are told 
     exactly what to say, do, and even think.
       In America we are given the freedom of speech, which is a 
     freedom like no other. This allows one to express his or her 
     true opinions through written, verbal, or visual pieces, 
     which some unfortunate people in other countries will never 
     have the opportunity to experience.
       Just thinking about how different life would be if we were 
     unable to choose what was in store for us is unimaginable. In 
     America we are able to lead or own lives and create a future 
     for ourselves. We make crucial, sometimes life-changing, 
     decisions every day and always have the opportunity to change 
     our minds or fix our mistakes.
       I truly believe that if people would take the time to 
     appreciate their country and all that it offers them, things 
     would be different. Perhaps people would be a little more 
     sympathetic to those who are not blessed with these 
     remarkable rights.
                                                                    ____


                        America's a Free Country

                              (By Kim Du)

       ``We come to America for freedom. We want you childrens to 
     have a good education and a better future.'' This is what my 
     dad often tells us kids.
       I think that America is a beautiful country. A land where 
     people from all over the world bring their hope and dreams to 
     build a better life. A place where they don't know what's 
     awaiting for them but still wanted to come and start all over 
     again.
       They wanted to come to a place where everybody is equal. A 
     land where they have the right to choose their own religion. 
     A land where they can take part in the government and 
     together they decide what they wanted for their nation. A 
     place where everything is possible if you try hard enough and 
     a land where you can made your dream come true.
                                                                    ____


                                America

                         (By Michael D. Ghali)

       America . . . the land among the many, but clearly standing 
     above them all! America . . . the land of the fifty states 
     bonding together to form a union. When I think of America, I 
     think of the freedom and especially the freedom of speech.
       The first freedom of speech is voting which is one person's 
     voice in the world of politics. One person's voice standing 
     up when elections come around. Whether a person is voting for 
     president or the mayor of a city, voting is a big part of 
     being an American.
       Other important parts of freedom of speech include the 
     right to form interest groups. This is important because it 
     lets you stand up for what you believe. This again lets a 
     person speak his or her voice and be heard by others. One 
     group which comes to mind is the Sierra Club. That club is an 
     environmental group who fights to save endangered species and 
     keep the earth clean.
       The last but not least important (to me) is the right to 
     attend congress meetings which is part of participatory 
     democracy. This lets a person know what is happening in the 
     world around them and does not leave them out of the system. 
     This keeps people on track and caring about the world around 
     them.
       In conclusion, I say America is a loving country with many 
     rights I could not live without. God Bless you America.
                                                                    ____


                 What It Means To Me To Live in America

                          (By Cyril Balanque)

       To me, living in America is a privilege. Its filled with 
     many diverse people from different cultures. Everyday I learn 
     something new because of all the people around me, especially 
     at school. To live in America means freedom. Our forefathers 
     worked hard to win this land and I think we should appreciate 
     it.
       Many advantages are gained by living here. We have the 
     right for religious freedom. We can worship whomever we wish. 
     Living in America brings more rights than other countries. 
     For example, the right for life, liberty, and the pursuit of 
     happiness. In some other countries people are still slaves 
     working in factories. Here, in America, we are free, but we 
     have some limitations accompanying it.
       Living in America means responsibility. We're free but if 
     we don't obey by the rules it could be total chaos. We have 
     rights for certain things, not everything. The Constitution 
     gives us things we can do but laws gives us guidelines on how 
     to abide them.
       Altogether, to me, America means hard work. Mostly 
     everybody in the United States work. At home and at school 
     too. People worked really hard to establish America. Since 
     then, people have improved the way we live. America has 
     really come a long way.
                                                                    ____


                 What It Means to Me To Live in America

                            (By Acquin Time)

       To live in America, it means freedom, peace, and rejoiceful 
     times to every person in this world that we have. Freedom 
     means a person who is not under a person's control and who 
     has their own rights
       Freedom is like a freshly white dove soaring through the 
     sky, searching for what is right. This is what freedom means 
     to me and how it feels, and what it means to live in America.
       Living in America brings joy and tears to those who's heart 
     has been aching for so long to get to America. To them, it 
     gives them peace because they have been aching to get here 
     because, they been going through hard times and been 
     suffering from all the hatred and the unpeaceful world around 
     them. America gives us the right to testify and stand up for 
     what you believe. You have all those rights. America is a 
     loving and a caring country. It supports you when you need 
     their help most.
       I believe that America is the best country you could live 
     in because there is no racism going around like other 
     countries today. Students of every race gets to go school 
     together and learn. Some kids of every other five races gets 
     along together.
       America is not only a country who supports you, allow you 
     to vote, it gives you the power to stand up for your rights.
       Long time ago, a man named Martin Luther King Jr. said, ``I 
     have a dream.'' Yes, I do have a dream. My dream is that one 
     day every one in this whole world would someday be free.
       Free is a word that brings peace to every person in this 
     world's heart. As for me, it did. I was one of those who 
     didn't have freedom. Everything was so strict, but now I 
     have that chance and I took it. I'm very glad that I look 
     it.
       So this is what America means to me, ``Freedom.'' I once 
     was a bird who's been searching and soaring through the sky, 
     looking for a place where they'd accept me for what and who I 
     am. I found that place. That place is America.
                                                                    ____


                   What It Is Like To Live in America

                            (By Allegra Ban)

       I am a young woman of Croatian descent. My father was born 
     in Russia, his father in Yugoslavia. I will never know what 
     it is like to be native to these places, yet from family 
     stories I have heard, I can imagine.
       My grandfather, Papa as we call him, came to America in 
     search of the ``promise'' land. To him America was the place 
     he could be what he wished, not what his father was and his 
     father's father. An Ironworker.
       I think the true moment of freedom came in the new country 
     when my grandfather watched his oldest son, my father, 
     graduate from University High.
       Then Berkeley.
       Then M.I.T.
       My grandfather sits silently some nights, staring out over 
     the calm of what he calls his own. Looking closely, you can 
     still see Russia in his eyes. From this, I know how lucky I 
     am to live and be of this country. By leaving Russia, my papa 
     gave my father the chance to be something other than an 
     Ironworker. He gave me more opportunities than I can imagine. 
     For this I am thankful. This is what makes me American.

[[Page E354]]

       The Ironworks shop where Howard Ban was apprenticed was 
     destroyed in early 1990 by Serbian revolutionaries.
                                                                    ____


                    What It Means To Live in America

                       (By Alexander J. Negvesky)

       America was founded on the beliefs of equality and freedom 
     from tyranny. Together, they form the basic idea of America, 
     and are our inalienable rights. I have never thought of 
     America as a country, but more of as a union of all the 
     people within the boundaries of the United States. I have 
     seen the news reports about other countries fighting for 
     their freedom. The countries seem the be controlled by 
     dictators. People shouldn't have to fight for their freedom. 
     It is a right they should have to begin with. We have many 
     freedoms; freedom of speech, religion, choice, and the press 
     are the most important of our freedoms. I am happy to live in 
     America and to be an American. I enjoy exercising my rights. 
     If they were taken away from me, I would fight to get them 
     back. Freedom is part of America, and I hope it always will 
     be.
                                                                    ____


              Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

                             (By Fred Ngo)

       Through mountains and hills has America over to get to its 
     greatest achievement, a nation full of equity and freedom. 
     This achievement stated in the Constitution for all to see, 
     follow, and know that America is the people and can't survive 
     without the people.
       The Constitution is a wonder. How could a little group of 
     people work together to form the blueprints for an entire 
     government? Powers of the people, rules of the government, 
     everything was included. It all starts out with ``We the 
     people of the United States of America . . .'' These powerful 
     words represent all people of the U.S. ``In order to form a 
     more perfect union. . . .'' meaning all work together to 
     operate the government. One line in the Declaration of 
     Independence is also important. ``That they are endowed by 
     their Creator certain unalienable rights that among these are 
     life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.'' The 3 
     guaranteed rights of the people and the goal of every 
     government. They are the rights all should have. Is America a 
     place of freedom? Yes, it is. How? Because here, you have 
     life: a chance to live, you have liberty: to be free and 
     independent, you have a chance at happiness.

                          ____________________