[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 7378]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          CHRISTOPHER SABBAGH

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. PETE OLSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 21, 2013

  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.
  Christopher Sabbagh is a senior at Kempner High School in Fort Bend 
County, Texas. His essay topic is: In your opinion, why is it important 
to be involved in the political process?

                            The Power of One

       This country was founded as a beacon of hope, a land of 
     opportunity and freedom. Our nation is prosperous because of 
     the unique form of government that attracts so many 
     individuals from across the world. Every resident of the 
     United States enters into a social contract between the 
     people and the government. According to John Locke, the 
     government's power derives from the, ``consent of the 
     governed.'' As citizens of America, it is important to be 
     involved in the political process because we are all 
     responsible for the actions of our government, just as our 
     government is responsible for the protection of its citizens.
       My parents emigrated from Lebanon to America believing 
     opportunities for their children in a progressive nation 
     would outweigh the sacrifice of leaving behind family, 
     friends, and social stability. They were able to escape 
     restrictive conditions in pursuit of better prospects and 
     became actively involved in different aspects of their new 
     community. Sadly, my parents' participation stopped at an 
     integral duty in American democracy--voting.
       As the 2012 Presidential Election neared, the importance of 
     democratic participating became evident to me. Citizens 
     across the nation would decide on a president to lead the 
     nation for the next four years. This one person's decisions 
     would affect the world's future, and we, the citizens of the 
     United States, were entrusted with the final decision. 
     Despite the enormity of this responsibility, many citizens, 
     including my parents, would refrain from participating.
       My teacher, Mrs. Naomi Brown, and I decided to confront 
     this community issue and organized a voter registration 
     festival in Sugar Land, Texas, titled ``The Power of ONE: 
     Because ONE Vote Matters.'' With the support of the Bezos 
     Scholars Program and many other organizations, we registered 
     a total of 618 citizens, including my mom and dad. My parents 
     realized that they had escaped a place where credible 
     elections were nonexistent, but here, they had the power to 
     make a difference.
       Ultimately, it is important to participate in the political 
     process because it is our duty as American citizens to do so. 
     A democracy is not effective unless there is a direct 
     contribution from the populace. From presidential elections 
     to state, local, and school board elections, we have the 
     responsibility and duty to place in power whoever we feel 
     most competent. When we abstain from participating, we are 
     essentially noncitizens. We have no voice in the government. 
     We have no influence in decisions made for us. But through 
     participating in the political process, all of these are made 
     available to us. We become the gears that keep our country 
     progressing.

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