[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 119 (Wednesday, September 10, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1723]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL CHACEY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TODD TIAHRT

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 10, 1997

  Mr. TIAHRT. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to 
recognize Michael Chacey, an outstanding student from my district in 
Kansas. Recently, Michael won the Veterans of Foreign Wars 1997 Voice 
of Democracy broadcast scriptwriting contest for the State of Kansas. 
The program is now in its 50th year and requires high school student 
entrants to write and record a 3 to 5 minute essay on an announced 
patriotic theme. ``Democracy--Above and Beyond'' is this year's theme 
and over 109,000 students participated in the competition nationwide.
  Michael is a recent graduate of Derby High School in Derby, KS. For 
his participation in the 1997 Voice of Democracy Program, Michael won 
the $1,500 Silver Spring Memorial Post 2562 Scholarship Award. Michael 
is the son of Mr. and Mrs. David Chacey and he plans a career in 
biology or law. He was sponsored by VFW Post 7253 and its ladies 
auxiliary in Derby, KS.
  Following is Michael's award winning contest entry.

                      Democracy--Above and Beyond


   1996-97 VFW Voice of Democracy Scholarship Program: Kansas Winner 
                             Michael Chacey

       ``When people speak of government forms, they tend to speak 
     of them in a hypothetical manner.'' ``In a Perfect World, 
     Anarchy would be the ideal form of government'' or ``On paper 
     communism looks very good, it just isn't established 
     correctly.'' Unfortunately these people leave democracy out 
     of their hypothetical discussions. This is terribly 
     disheartening, because whether in the real world, or in some 
     imaginary, perfect one, the freedom, the liberty, and the 
     decision making principles entrenched in a democratic society 
     make democracy a form of government above and beyond all 
     others. The best way to prove this is to compare democracy to 
     other forms of government in both hypothetical and real 
     situations.
       For instance, in my English class the other day, we were 
     talking about communism. My teacher said ``Communism is 
     probably the most ideal form of government, because it is the 
     most universally fair for the people involved. The only 
     reason it hasn't worked well is that no one has been able to 
     set it up properly.'' Well, that in itself should show that 
     maybe it's not such a good idea, but say, for the purpose of 
     argument that it could be set up properly. Would it be so 
     great? Decisions would still have to be made. How should we 
     distribute our wealth? What taxes should be paid? Should we 
     go to war with an aggressive nation? These are all questions 
     that have to be answered by a government, and only one 
     equitable way to do it comes to mind. Let the people affected 
     by the decisions make the decisions, either directly, or 
     through representation. Do you believe that the self 
     appointed or military government form of communism or 
     totalitarianism should make these decisions with little or no 
     input from the citizens. Or, should a government, of the 
     people, by the people, and representing the people's wishes 
     make the choice that the majority of the people want? I 
     personally believe the latter is the best. The only way to 
     make sure that the people's wishes are carried out is to 
     allow the people to choose the government. Moreover, they can 
     replace any representative who fails to serve the people. 
     Anarchy could not meet the citizens' needs due to lack of 
     order, and due to lack of representation, no authoritarian 
     government would be able to meet the people's wishes either, 
     as time has proven. Only allowing the citizens to choose 
     preserves their liberty.
       Hypothetical situations aside, it is important to realize 
     that it is not a perfect world, and these governments would 
     not be set up ideally. Winston Churchill once said that 
     democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the 
     others. This is true because nothing is perfect. Unworthy men 
     could always come to power. The government could always make 
     poor decisions. But in a democracy, these problems can be 
     solved. It is a self correcting government, which is the true 
     power of democracy. The people have the power in democracy to 
     replace the government officials. If representatives make 
     poor choices, then the citizens in a democracy have the 
     unique privilege to select new officials. Now, there is no 
     guarantee that the people will make the correct decisions, 
     but at least the government consists of individuals who at 
     least the majority of the voters want, making it not only 
     superior to other forms, but more fair.

  I am proud to have a young man like Michael Chacey from my district. 
His remarks on democracy should be a reminder to us all that we are 
privileged servants in the best system of government in the world.

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