[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 7382]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              ARIEL ZAGALA

                                 ______
                                 

                            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.
  Ariel Zagala is a senior at Needville High School in Fort Bend 
County, Texas. Her essay topic is: In your opinion, what role should 
government play in our lives?

                   What Role Government Should Have?

       George Washington once said, ``Government is not a reason; 
     it is not eloquence. It is force.'' This is relevant to me 
     because I do believe government should show force, but not 
     have power. The main role of the government should be the 
     protection of the citizens rather than the complete dominance 
     over the people. Our leaders need to set forth the rules that 
     our founding fathers created for us to live by, but not hold 
     our hands and walk us through life. One example would be 
     protection. Ideally, the government's protection should 
     consist of having someone available when needed or providing 
     aid. In reality, the government's version of protection is 
     tuning into our conversations and running surveillance on us. 
     Government, appointed by the people, should make the rules 
     and the people of a society should respect and abide by them. 
     The nation's leaders should occasionally check to see how the 
     nation is working and give motivation. However, the 
     government should not dictate and attempt to control every 
     aspect of life. One prime example would be gun control. 
     Currently we have had numerous situations where people use 
     guns to harm and in worse situations, kill as well. Some 
     shootings include the Sandy Hook Shooting and the Theatre 
     Massacre. The government does its job on stepping up and 
     applying force by stopping the situation and persecuting the 
     criminal. What they do not stop to realize is how sometimes 
     they can be controlling in situations like these. By trying 
     to take our weapons, they are stripping us of the Second 
     Amendment and ultimately gaining power over society. There is 
     a noticeable difference between force and power in that force 
     means to influence, whereas power means having control over 
     something. President Washington was right that government is 
     a force, but overtime our government has blindly tried to 
     consume power. Having a government is important for the 
     country. They are a symbol of leadership and a sense of 
     security. They are the voice and examples of who we are as a 
     nation and show that to other nations. In conclusion, our 
     government is a working progress. They provide the force but 
     occasionally want power, but just like us, no one is perfect.

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