[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 61 (Thursday, May 14, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E865]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         1997-98 VFW VOICE OF DEMOCRACY SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION

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                            HON. DAN BURTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 14, 1998

  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to submit the 
following for the Congressional Record:

                     ``My Voice in our Democracy''

                    (By Lori Parcel, Indiana Winner)

       Who hasn't solved a jigsaw puzzle? We all have been faced 
     with the task at one time or another. I remember the last 
     time I tried to solve one. After hours of work, the puzzle 
     was nearly complete . . . and then I realized that some of 
     the pieces were missing. I scoured the area in search of the 
     missing pieces, but I was unable to find them. The puzzle 
     remained incomplete. In many ways, our democracy is a puzzle 
     that consists of over 250 million pieces. Over 250 million 
     voices which are inextricably bound. And interlocked within 
     this tapestry, the tapestry of democracy, is my voice.
       I realize that all of the pieces of the puzzle must be 
     present for our government to be fully effective. However, 
     looking around, I can't help but notice gaps in democracy's 
     tapestry. Gaps which surely weaken the entire structure. I 
     raise my voice to cry out to the missing pieces, to tell them 
     to join the majority of Americans, to exchange ideas and 
     strengthen our government, but my cry does not reach some. 
     They do not understand that by discounting their own voices, 
     and by ignoring my plea, they are hurting both themselves and 
     our government. They do not realize that a democracy such as 
     ours cannot effectively operate without their input. I use my 
     voice to tell them about the time I was paging in the state 
     legislature. I tell of a man who came into the statehouse and 
     observed me tallying opinion surveys. The man, presumably a 
     stray piece, was surprised that the surveys were tallied. He 
     expressed his astonishment by saying, ``That's where those 
     surveys go. You actually read these. I did not think anyone 
     listened, or that it was worth spending money for a stamp.'' 
     The man did not understand that the absence a single voice, a 
     solitary note in the symphony of our government, can throw 
     harmony into discord.
       I plea to the stray pieces once again. I tell them that, 
     during my experience paging, I learned that legislators are 
     people. They have pictures of their families on their desks, 
     and they even drink coffee. They are no different from the 
     rest of us except they have decided to make a career out of 
     using their voices to build our democracy, to add more pieces 
     to the puzzle in hope of solving our nation's problems.
       But certainly one does not have to hold public office to 
     have a voice in our government. Rosa Parks provided the 
     impetus for the Civil Rights movement by simply refusing to 
     give up her seat on the bus. She did not even have to open 
     her mouth to have her voice heard throughout the nation.
       My voice will not be the missing piece of the puzzle or the 
     chord absent in the symphony. I may speak loudly and run for 
     public office. Or I may speak softly by writing to my 
     representative to tell him my opinions on an issue. But 
     regardless of how I speak, my voice will always be audible. 
     It must be, in order for me to be a fully participating 
     member of our democracy. It is my duty to those who have 
     sacrificed and those who continue to work for freedom 
     throughout the world to exercise my right to participate in 
     our government.
       I realize that using my voice is critical to the 
     continuation of democracy. Our government consists of 
     millions of voices. Those of politicians and those of voters, 
     but all of which are American voices. Exercising our voices 
     through voting is our privilege, right, and duty as American 
     citizens. In order to truly have a government of, by, and for 
     the people, we must all work to build it. We must all 
     contribute our piece of the puzzle, our voice, to our 
     democracy. When I cast my vote a year from now, I will be 
     doing far more than choosing one candidate from the ballot. I 
     will be contributing my voice to the extensive puzzle which 
     depicts the tapestry of our government. And I will be raising 
     my voice, in harmony, to contribute to that symphony we call 
     democracy.

     

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