[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 7380]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             CARLEY GRABLE

                                 ______
                                 

                            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.
  Carley Grable is a senior at Lutheran South Academy in Harris County, 
Texas. Her essay topic is: In your opinion, why is it important to be 
involved in the political process?

       Oftentimes, in a nation where people have become relatively 
     desensitized to the acts of the world, it is easy for one to 
     simply fade into the crowd and become a follower. However, 
     without adequate leaders, any nation, regardless of its 
     stature, is destined for degradation. Warren Bennis once 
     stated that, ``Leadership is the capacity to translate vision 
     into reality''. American citizens need to get involved in 
     even the simplest of ways in the political process because 
     without the opinions and ideas of the people, the foundation 
     of America crumbles.
       One cannot completely understand something until they have 
     immersed themselves into every facet of it. This proves to be 
     axiomatic in the sense that numerous American citizens do not 
     voice their opinions or take definitive sides on critical 
     issues simply because of a lack of understanding of the 
     political process. The American government is one of the most 
     fascinating aspects of our nation purely because it was the 
     first successful system of its kind. Nowhere else in the 
     world had a group of people become so passionate about 
     something and create something based on that passion that was 
     functional and prosperous. In order for citizens to become 
     the leaders that the nation so desperately needs, it is 
     crucial that they educate themselves and become activists for 
     the causes that they believe in.
       Although, in the past century, the world as a whole has 
     made great strides in ideas and technology, many people 
     across the globe live in an isolated mindset concerning only 
     themselves and their family or community. One may ponder the 
     relationship between government and one's service to others 
     in the world, however, I believe that if one is to truly make 
     a difference in the world, one must become an active promoter 
     of his/her beliefs. America's future calls for leaders who 
     have a global perspective and are willing to work alongside 
     others in a means of compromise and combination of ideals in 
     order to attain a nation that is concerned with foreign 
     affairs and is willing to use the functional facets of the US 
     government and use them as a model to assist developing 
     governments.
       Since the age of Greeks and Trojans, leadership has been a 
     quality that is cherished in society and is placed on a 
     pedestal of honor if attained, The future of America relies 
     on the upcoming generation to provide the knowledge and ideas 
     that will evolve the already great nation into not only a 
     force that remains highly influential in the economic world, 
     but also one that shows compassion through its aid. The 
     involvement with the political process is vital to the 
     creation of new leaders of society because without 
     experience, one is left with a nation led by people who 
     formulate decisions based solely upon instinct, instead of 
     intelligence. Edmund Burke noted that ``no one could make a 
     greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only 
     do a little''. No amount of involvement in one's government 
     is too small to make a difference.

                          ____________________