[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 7739]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING FAITH ORAKWUE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. PETE OLSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 23, 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.
  Faith Orakwue is a senior at Lamar Consolidated High School in Fort 
Bend County, Texas. Her essay topic is: In your opinion, what role 
should government play in our lives?

       What role should the government play in our lives? This is 
     an issue that I have often mulled over during my years as a 
     young adult, and, at different times, I offer varying answers 
     regarding this particular issue.
       The American government was an institution created by the 
     people and for the people, so it seems logical that the 
     people should maintain ultimate control over the government, 
     right? However, the Articles of Confederation helped to 
     disprove this theory quite a bit--without the strong backing 
     of a central government (ultimately acting as a backbone), 
     the states acted according to their whim and the nation was 
     weak and in ultimate disarray. The Constitution later came in 
     and created a stronger central government, which helped to 
     establish a more cohesive structure to the nation.
       The point I am trying to make is that government should be 
     resilient and diligently involved in the welfare of its 
     people in order to create a nation that works to promote the 
     well-being of all of its people. In order to do this, the 
     government has to be involved, and that means being present 
     in all issues, even personal and moral ones. The thing is, 
     once a person is sworn into a public office, they are there 
     to promote the well-being and advancement of the American 
     people. In order to do this, government has to temporarily 
     put aside their own views and beliefs and truly work towards 
     the choice that is best for the American people. For example, 
     had Lyndon B. Johnson listened to other Southern governors 
     who despised African Americans and allowed their thinking to 
     cloud his judgment, African Americans may not have received 
     their rights until much later in history, because, at that 
     time, integration was not a favorable idea/belief. Or, if the 
     government had not ruled in Roe v. Wade, women would not have 
     total control over their bodies. And, although I may not 
     necessarily agree with abortion, it is definitely not in my 
     place to dictate whether a woman should have a baby or not, 
     and it is not in the government's place to tell the American 
     people they cannot do something (that does not hurt others) 
     simply because it goes against their moral beliefs.
       The United States is an amalgamation of different cultures, 
     viewpoints, and ideas that works to create the nation we call 
     America. And, in order to preserve that order and openness 
     that we are famous for, the government has to be both strong 
     and involved in the issues that concern us. However, in order 
     to be truly effective, a country's government has to be both 
     strong and unbiased, an institution truly working for the 
     betterment of its people.

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