[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 3155-3156]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         ESSAY BY ALLISON MOCK

                                  _____
                                 

                            HON. PETE OLSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 7, 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.
  Allison Mock is a senior at Kempner High School in Fort Bend County, 
Texas. Her essay topic is: Why is it important to participate in the 
political process?

       George Bernard Shaw once said, ``Democracy is a device that 
     ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve;'' 
     this is especially true in our nation today. America

[[Page 3156]]

     has become apathetic. We no longer look for ways to actively 
     participate in our own government. Voting in minor elections, 
     writing letters to congressmen, and attending city council 
     meetings to stay updated have become things of the past. In 
     essence, we have forgotten how to be involved in the 
     political process. This is a natural feature of our country's 
     aging. The majority of the population does not remember that 
     voting is a privilege, not a guarantee. We dismiss that there 
     ever was a time when having your voice heard was almost 
     impossible and advocating controversial opinions dangerous. 
     The Founders of our nation and millions of soldiers died so 
     we would never again see such a time, their sacrifices should 
     never be taken lightly. Those heroes dreamed of a country 
     where the people determined what the future would look like, 
     and now we are here. However, the hard work is far from over. 
     While the Constitution provides the foundation to build our 
     government upon, the most important work is done by the 
     people we elect. Our republic should be reinvented with each 
     new generation. This makes it even more important for the 
     majority to participate in the political process. Our system 
     is currently lacking people to balance out the radical 
     activists and conversely, push forward those who have 
     stagnated in their policy. The recent retirement of leaders 
     like Senator Stowe is compelling evidence that even leaders 
     are frustrated by the polarization of the politically active 
     members of society. We need everyone to participate to fully 
     deserve a good government.
       An ideal spot to start these changes would be in high 
     schools. Although Government classes lightly touch on the 
     importance of voting, most kids have no idea how crucial it 
     is. A self-fulfilling prophecy occurs in their political 
     lives; society does not expect them to care until they are 
     older, and as a result, they don't think they need to. 
     However, if the curriculum included more of an emphasis on 
     not only the importance of voting, but a detailed explanation 
     of what each party stands for and how to discern for 
     themselves how they would like to vote, students would 
     respond. Lists of election dates could be distributed to 
     students and posted online. By involving social media we 
     could reach even more of this demographic. Twitter, Facebook, 
     my space could all have reminders to vote, information about 
     candidates and their issues, and ways to get involved in the 
     community it would be difficult. A similar campaign was tried 
     in the early 2000s, but was abandoned when it did not prove 
     immediately effective. While we have more social media now, 
     allowing the message to further penetrate, what we really 
     need is perseverance from our leaders. We must continue to 
     try and reach this crucial age group, because they too 
     deserve a chance to reshape the republic and make this 
     country even greater.

                          ____________________