[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 124 (Wednesday, September 17, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1775-E1776]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO TIFFANY MONROY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. NEIL ABERCROMBIE

                               of hawaii

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 17, 1997

  Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to bring to the attention 
of the House the speech of Ms. Tiffany Monroy, a student at Sacred 
Heart Academy of Honolulu, which won the Voice of Democracy competition

[[Page E1776]]

sponsored by the Honolulu Veterans of Foreign Wars. I certainly give my 
personal congratulations to Ms. Monroy, the daughter of Daniel and 
Loretta Monroy. I also would like to express my appreciation to VFW 
Post 1540 of Honolulu and its Ladies' Auxiliary for sponsoring the 
event. I trust that it will provide inspiration to my colleagues as we 
deliberate and endeavor to legislate solutions to the issues our Nation 
faces.

Democracy--Above and Beyond--1996-97 VFW Voice of Democracy Scholarship 
                                Program

                   (By Hawaii Winner Tiffany Monroy)

       A mother had three children: Adam, Owen, and Daniel. Upon 
     dying, the mother gave Adam to his banished father to be 
     raised. Owen was given to his aunts and uncles to be raised. 
     Finally, Daniel was given to the community to be raised by 
     all. Years went by and the boys grew up. Adam became a rotund 
     man who ate all he wanted when he wanted and no one could 
     stop him from doing what he wanted. Owen grew up into a 
     portly fellow who shared whatever he wanted with an esoteric 
     group of friends. Daniel developed into a toned, lean, tall 
     man, because he ate and worked depending upon the prosperity 
     and needs of the community. It was he who soared above and 
     beyond his brothers. These men soon became leaders of 
     nations, taking with them the only governing methods they 
     knew. When these individuals died, their governments lived 
     on. Adam became autocracy, Owen became oligarchy, and Daniel 
     became democracy. Like Daniel, who towered over his siblings, 
     democracy remains above and beyond autocracy and oligarchy.
       The three forms of government are like ladders competing to 
     reach a great land--a land of great milk, great honey, and 
     great chocolate--which coincidentally is at a great height. 
     The amount of rungs a climbing individual has is in direct 
     proportion to how many people have the power and authority to 
     rule. ``Contestant #1, with the ruling power in the hand of 
     one sole individual, is Autocracy. Contestant #2, with the 
     ruling power in the hands of a few people, is Oligarchy. 
     Finally, last but not least, contestant #3, with the ruling 
     power in the hands of many people is Democracy. Okay, 
     contestants, on your mark get set, go! Wow, I don't know how 
     Autocracy is going to get to the top with only one rung and I 
     can't see how Oligarchy's gonna make it up . . . But hark! 
     Look at Democracy go! He's got enough rungs to get him to the 
     top and then some! Go Democracy go! And the winner without 
     any competition is Democracy! Just look at him standing at 
     the zenith sparkling with sweat, way up above and beyond the 
     other two!''
       Democracy is able to maintain itself above and beyond any 
     other form of government because of the level of 
     participation democracy calls for from those who are 
     governed. It calls on everyone to participate in their 
     government since democracy is the form of government in which 
     rule is by the people. As Pericles of Athens said, ``Our 
     constitution is named a democracy because it is in the hands 
     not the few, but of the many.'' In a democracy people cannot 
     sit back with their arms folded and leave decisions up to a 
     sole person. Instead, they must unfold their arms, stand up, 
     and take action for what they believe in. Democracy gives 
     people the opportunity to be active participants in the 
     government which rules them. Perhaps even better, democracy 
     makes those who are governed care about their government. 
     Because the power is in the hands of the people, it is the 
     people themselves who must take responsibility for what 
     happens to them, since it is ultimately their choice. 
     Therefore, they care about their government even more than 
     those people who are ruled by autocracies or oligarchies. The 
     caring, active participation that democracy calls for is what 
     keeps democracy high above and above any other form of 
     government.
       Democracy remains untouched by any other form of government 
     because there essentially no one ruling over the people. The 
     marrow of democracy, the very core of this type of government 
     is the fact that the people rules themselves. There is no 
     almighty leader who says ``this is the way things go'' nor is 
     there an omnipotent group who dictates ``this is how all 
     things shall be done.'' Rather, in a democracy, the people 
     choose for themselves who they want and what they want and 
     need. Perhaps Abraham Lincoln captured the quintessence of 
     democracy by saying democracy is a ``government of the 
     people, by the people, and for the people.'' This is exactly 
     what puts democracy above and beyond any other government: 
     the people have the ultimate say.
       Through every age democracy has and always will remain 
     above and beyond any other form of government because it 
     calls for caring participation from the people by putting the 
     power directly into the hands of the people. Democracy will 
     forever stay above and beyond any other form of government 
     because no one else has a ladder with as many rungs.

     

                          ____________________