[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 47 (Wednesday, March 21, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E411]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING SAYDI WOLLNEY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. PETE OLSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 21, 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.
  Saydi Wollney is a senior at Pearland High School in Brazoria County, 
Texas. Her essay topic is: In your opinion, what role should government 
play in our lives?

       Although the United States government provides services 
     such as roadways, protection from harm--both foreign and 
     domestic--and regulation of food and drugs, I believe the 
     government has, at times, stepped over their boundaries and 
     infringed upon the rights of the people.
       The recent SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and the Protect IP 
     Act wanted to shut down websites which illegally provided 
     services such as making music, videos, and movies available 
     for free download. In doing this, the government also 
     restricted and suppressed websites which were informational 
     and helpful to the public. In this way, the government 
     inadvertently infringed upon the rights of citizens of the 
     United States. After the incident of SOPA closing down 
     Wikipedia for a short while, I noticed it was a popular 
     conversation being held around school. My peers were unhappy 
     and disliked the fact that the government seemed to have 
     overstepped their boundaries. I realize that the government 
     was doing what they think was best for United States citizens 
     at this point in time, but I believe their actions could have 
     been delivered in a more friendly and informative way.
       The issues with Medicaid and Medicare have citizens of the 
     United States disagreeing with one another. Some people 
     believe that Medicaid is a system that simply takes the money 
     that citizens pay in taxes and utilizes it to care for people 
     with a lower level of income. On the other hand, the other 
     people believe that Medicaid is a good cause and is 
     beneficial to those who are in need. The recent health care 
     reform laws have been viewed by many as the government slowly 
     taking control of the health care system. However, other 
     people believe that the health care reform is beneficial and 
     helpful to the American people, including those who could not 
     previously afford health care.
       Recently, there have been many debated issues over whether 
     or not the government of the United States is overstepping 
     its own boundaries and regulations of the country. I believe 
     that most of the actions that I have discussed have been 
     beneficial for the United States citizens, with exception of 
     the SOPA and PIPA acts.

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