[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 38 (Thursday, March 8, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E340]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ESSAY BY RAVENA JACOB

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. PETE OLSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 8, 2012

  Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to interact with some of the 
brightest students in the 22nd Congressional District who serve on my 
Congressional Youth Advisory Council. I have gained much by listening 
to the high school students who are the future of this great nation. 
They provide important insight into the concerns of our younger 
constituents and hopefully get a better sense of the importance of 
being an active participant in the political process. Many of the 
students have written short essays on a variety of topics and I am 
pleased to share these with my House colleagues.
  Ravena Jacob is a junior at Clear Springs High School in Galveston 
County, Texas. Her essay topic is: In your opinion, what role should 
government play in our lives?

       George Washington once said, ``Government is a necessary 
     evil.'' Even after several decades of debate on whether 
     government should be involved heavily or lightly on people's 
     life, his statement remains true. Since my life is inherently 
     weaved into public and community life, apart from my personal 
     choices, likes and dislikes, all my life is connected to 
     public. Therefore, even when I say it is my opinion, it 
     certainly is influenced by shared values of my family and 
     others of the community. When I think of government I am 
     surprised by the massive efforts by government to keep things 
     going by implementing laws and regulation which influence my 
     life. When I was about 8 years, my dad got a ticket for not 
     stopping at a stop sign as he was hurrying to drop me to day 
     care and trying to be at work on time. I was upset with the 
     officer who issued the ticket. But later it become clearer 
     that the officer may be avoiding a bigger problem. Roads were 
     not paved when automobiles were first invented, and after 
     they were paved, there were no stop signs or traffic lights, 
     and no rules of the road. As vehicles became faster and 
     caused more accidents we had to improve the safety of the 
     vehicles. Changing the roads and the rules could only be done 
     through government. Similarly in times of crisis and 
     disaster, I can see the importance of public service 
     government provide. Thus government's most important role is 
     to protect its citizens. For a business or educational field, 
     we need appropriate control by the government. At the same 
     time the governmental control should not be too much. Its 
     role in my life becomes more optimal when the fine line 
     between big vs. small government is crossed
       Therefore, the role of government in my life can be 
     analyzed in terms of big or small Government that is usually 
     debated by political parties to describe a large public 
     sector. The term Big Government is used by conservatives in 
     relation to government policies that regulate private or 
     personal matters. Conservatives argue that big government 
     attempts to have federal control on traditionally private 
     institution-based programs. Proponents of small government 
     describe money paid to the government in taxes as money taken 
     away from the private economy. This argument is not true as 
     government spends what it receives. Small-government 
     advocates argue that government can't do anything right. The 
     recent fall of Solyndra, the company that was awarded 
     millions for solar technology expansion, is a good example. 
     Both government and private institutions make mistakes. 
     However, government's mistakes are usually exposed to public 
     and the mistakes of businesses and nonprofits are often 
     unknown.
       Government's main weaknesses in deciding what to do are 
     based on the special interests that support election or 
     reelection. In some cases extreme governmental control 
     sometimes question a person's freedom. A good example is 
     governmental influence on dictating what we eat and drink. 
     Yes, it is true that sodas and ice cream undoubtedly leads to 
     obesity and other health issues. However, instead of 
     controlling what we intake, government should create 
     awareness of childhood obesity. In a recent discussion Glenn 
     Beck, argued that the government shouldn't be regulating his 
     Doritos intake or how many miles he can drive. President 
     Obama's response was, ``We have also clearly seen the dangers 
     of too little government. Like when a lack of accountability 
     on Wall Street nearly leads to the collapse of our entire 
     economy.''
       When considering governmental role in my life I would 
     conclude by saying that governmental duplication and control 
     of existing social institutions should be avoided. Government 
     should never forget its preliminary and preeminent role: 
     establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for 
     the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure 
     the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.

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