[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4206]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO JONATHAN ROTH

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. PETE OLSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 24, 2015

  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 them with my House colleagues.
  Jonathan Roth attends Seven Lakes High School in Katy, Texas. The 
essay topic is: in your opinion, why is it important to be involved in 
the political process?

       Why should you be involved?
       The United States was founded on the principle of freedom, 
     freedom from oppression, freedom from foreign rule, and 
     freedom to participate openly in our government. The United 
     States rebelled against the British Crown so that they and 
     future generations may experience the freedom they so 
     desperately desired.
       The national voter turnout for the 2012 general election 
     dipped all the way down to 57.5%. That's almost a situation 
     in which one in every two people doesn't vote. Only 65.1% of 
     the voting eligible general population was registered to vote 
     in that general election. For a nation that prides itself on 
     its democratic processes, it is quite ironic that less than 
     three fourths of the nation actually participates in that 
     democracy. Our nation politically travels the world 
     masquerading as the ideal democratic country when we rank in 
     the lower half of global voter participation. There are many 
     in our country that complain about laws and decisions made by 
     those on Capitol Hill. Yet the majority of these people have 
     never contacted a congressman nor attempted to voice their 
     opinions in a constructive way. ``No taxation without 
     representation'' was the battle cry during the United States' 
     quest for freedom. Even though there are more problems than 
     taxation in our country today, the representation part fits 
     our situation perfectly. Our government needs to be 
     representative of the population as a whole. That means that 
     everyone (or the majority) needs to participate. For a 
     democratic government to function at its fullest capacity 
     with the least amount of issues all demographics and cultures 
     need to be represented so that all decisions that are made 
     keeping the whole population in mind. Without an equally 
     diverse voting populace some populations will not be 
     represented as they should be. The majority of the problems 
     that plague our country stem from the perception that some 
     laws seem unfair to a certain group or groups in the nation. 
     If everyone voted and voiced their opinion then those 
     problems and perceptions would diminish greatly. Not only 
     would these problems disappear there would also be an 
     increase in national pride and patriotism. With an increase 
     in voter participation more citizens would feel involved in 
     how the nation is run and the democratic process. This 
     increased national pride could lead to a decrease in social 
     or hate crimes or perhaps even racial violence. If the 
     populace feels included and an active part of the nation then 
     they may look at themselves as a contributing member of the 
     country and not an outsider in a foreign land.
       In conclusion voter participation is essential to the 
     overall success of our country. Not only is it a founding 
     principle of our country but it may also lead to an increase 
     in common understanding between various social and ethnic 
     groups decrease in violent crime and frustration over 
     perceived unfair legislation.

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