[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 7750-7751]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO PAULINA AGYEI

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. PETE OLSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 24, 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

[[Page 7751]]

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.
  Paulina Agyei is a sophomore at Travis High School in Fort Bend 
County, Texas. Her essay topic is: In your opinion, why is it important 
to be involved in the political process?

       Even though I myself am too young to vote, I still like to 
     be involved as much as possible in the political process. If 
     not I just become of the ignorant masses who knows nothing of 
     how our world works, causing them to make asinine comments on 
     political infrastructure. Ignorance is not a quality that 
     should be coveted, it should be sniffed out and destroyed. To 
     be a member of the United States of America one must know the 
     most elementary basics of government.
       When you know little to nothing about politics that is when 
     you are swayed by politicians and biased media corporations 
     who will twist and pervert the truth to fall in line with 
     their own beliefs and ideas. The whole point of living is 
     having free will to make our own choices, and think for 
     ourselves. This is impossible when one doesn't arm himself 
     with the best weapon in the universe, knowledge.
       That being said, I as a teenager technically have no say in 
     government (i.e. voting) but there are other ways I, and 
     others who fall into the same category as me, can still have 
     our voices be heard and take a stand on issues we feel 
     strongly about.
       Now let's say, hypothetically speaking of course, that a 
     Senator from Maryland is lobbying to have a national law pass 
     that will have all dogs be dyed blue. I myself am not a dog 
     owner, but I still feel strongly that dog owners should have 
     a choice in the colors of their dogs. I could then start a 
     petition against the bill, at the same time raising 
     awareness.
       Using the newfound power of social media, I could create a 
     Facebook Page about the unjustness that Senator from Maryland 
     wanted to thrust upon the American people. I could raise even 
     more awareness by creating a Reddit page, then a Twitter, and 
     even a Myspace. I would be very involved in the legislation 
     of this law, without even voting.
       In conclusion it is extremely important to be as involved 
     as possible in the political process that runs essentially 
     our whole lives as Americans.

                          ____________________