[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 178 (Monday, December 16, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1880-E1881]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               JONATHAN SEROTA YALE MODEL CONGRESS SPEECH

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. STEVE ISRAEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, December 16, 2013

  Mr. ISRAEL. Mr. Speaker, for 408 hours, the government of the United 
States of America shut down its facilities and closed its doors. Over 
the course of that tumultuous time, national parks, museums, and public 
grounds were barred to visitors. 800,000 Federal workers were sent home 
from their jobs, and many more were forced to work with delayed pay. 
Veterans, and active duty military personnel and their families were 
kept in a constant state of fear, worried about making ends meet. This 
period of panic was not caused by some foreign aggressor, some 
archenemy of state, or some ruthless tyrant. No, the crisis that shook 
the very faith that the American people had in their goverment, was 
caused by that very body itself. So who is to blame for the government 
shutdown? Shall we point fingers at Republicans? How about the 
Democrats? It must be someone's fault right? That is what our political 
system has taught us isn't it? Well, it appears that recently, that is 
just what it has done. As the ominous clouds descended upon the capital 
in the early hours of October the 1st, the government shutdown that 
took place in the District of Columbia, and all across the country, had 
effects that will continue to be impactful for years to come.
  Model Congress. The word `model' implies a want or desire to 
replicate, to recreate and imitate. For years now, thousands of 
students have come to Yale and other conferences alike, and taken pride 
in acting as Senators, Representatives, Cabinet Members, and 
Presidents. We have touted our accomplishments on our resumes, shined 
our gavels and framed our certificates. My question to you tonight is: 
Do we really, want to model Congress? The body which we have all 
gathered here tonight to replicate has, over the past several years, 
produced a stalemate and inefficiency that has rarely been seen in the 
long and arduous history of both man and this nation. Complete 
ideological division, refusal to compromise, and the inability to put 
national interest above self interest has weakened our country, as well 
as its image both at home and abroad. Why is it as teenagers, we are 
able to sit down, talk, work out our problems, and come to productive 
agreements, but as adults, we put our fingers in our ears and stomp our 
feet on the ground until we get what we want? The roles seem to be 
backwards if you ask me.
  People would like to have you believe that we are naive, we are 
inexperienced, and we know too little about the world to make decisions 
on our own. Well I argue the contrary. I think that they are too rigid, 
they are too closed minded, and they are too pleased with pushing the 
blame onto others, that they fail to see that the problem is caused by 
no one else but themselves.
  Is this what America is about? Surely the land of the free and the 
home of the brave is not just some idealistic nonsense that we were 
told about in second grade, and then by the cruel hand of fate, forced 
to rule out as anything but true. The American ideal that we all hold 
dear to our hearts, the feeling of honor that sweeps over our senses 
and rushes down our spine when we publicly declare, ``I am proud to be 
an American!'' is only true because our government is about us, the 
people. We, the people, in order to form a more perfect union, 
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. We are that posterity.
  We have come to this conference to argue for things which we are 
passionate about, and argue against those which we are passionately not 
about. We have come to this conference to test each other, and our 
ability to work together to shape both foreign and domestic policy. We 
have come to this conference to gain experience, to gain knowledge, and 
to make progress not only for ourselves, but also for those who feel 
that their opinion doesn't matter. While most of us came here tonight 
with distinct political agendas, we have always been able to open our 
minds, challenge our beliefs, and move together in the hope that we may 
one day truly create what Ronald Reagan famously described as, ``that 
shining city on a hill''.
  I love what we do here at Model Congress. If you ask me, I don't 
think we imitate Congress, we act better than it. We don't aspire to be 
like them, we aspire to be better than them. Here, at this conference, 
we have come together to act like the body of government that the 
founders intended. There are no special interest groups, no superpacs, 
no shady campaign deals, and no political parties. There is only the 
work we have set out to do, and the goals which we wish to achieve.
  As I sat to write this speech, I decided that I wanted to talk about 
something that really mattered to us, the youth of America. Now, I 
could have simply gotten up here, shouted a couple of phrases like 
``legalize marijuana'', ``Make the playing field fairer'', ``lower 
taxes'', ``feed the hungry'' and ``help the poor.'' And while I'm sure 
that I would have gotten a couple of apathetic rounds of applause, I 
thought that it would be more prudent to get up here, and as I have, 
talk about something that we, both as citizens and as young adults, are 
frustrated with in the hopes of bringing about change.
  If elected I vow to each and every one of you, that I will help us 
take those first frightening steps into the obscure and unsure future. 
I will do my best to lead this conference in a way so that Congressmen, 
Senators, Governors, and Presidents alike know that we won't accept 
anything less than that second grade idealistic dream, so that our 
peers both

[[Page E1881]]

here and at home know that we mean business, and so that we may all 
realize that we must join hands and look into the unknown abyss that is 
our future, and conquer it with the fearless determination that is so 
quintessentially American.
  With hope and faith, we move forward together. With knowledge and 
determination, we strive, to make a better tomorrow. May God Bless each 
and every one of you, and may God Bless the United States of America.

                          ____________________