[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4209]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING CONOR DEVLIN

                                 ______
                                 

                            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.
  Conor Devlin attends Tompkins High School in Katy, Texas. The essay 
topic is: in your opinion, what role should government play in our 
lives?

       Our government has evolved far beyond its original 
     parameters. It now regulates entire economic industries, 
     healthcare, going so far as to regulate the types of things 
     we can and cannot buy. Our government has left its original 
     designation as a Lassiz-Faire Democratic Republic to a 
     borderline Socialist country like the rest of the European 
     and the EU. Our government is an overgrown bureaucracy that 
     costs us--the American people--trillions each year, and yet 
     it fails to accomplish its task when its people are spiraling 
     into debt and unemployment is skyrocketing. The job of the 
     American government is to protect its citizens with an up to 
     date military comprised of the most advanced arsenal. 
     Secondly, the government needs to protect the welfare of its 
     citizens and by that I mean low taxes that are not crushing 
     small business and forcing Corporations to locate to other 
     places like China and Japan because it is cheaper there, and 
     a dissolution of the current welfare state which would put 
     millions of American back to work if they no longer receive a 
     monthly check for not being productive. The government needs 
     to defend the rights of all its citizens by preventing 
     foreign nations from infringing on our rights or any 
     companies and agencies from infringing on our rights. The 
     government also needs to stimulate the economy by providing a 
     workplace that will foster economic growth in the private 
     sector and not continually grow the bureaucracies in the 
     public sector wasting the revenues generated by its citizens. 
     Additionally, the government needs to step back and change 
     its role in the healthcare system it should not waste 
     taxpayer's dollars providing for other people's healthcare, 
     which is that individual's choice not to be insured by the 
     government. The government shouldn't waste money on useless 
     agencies that can be easily cut down such as the EPA, the 
     IRS, the USDA and many other branches that are full to the 
     brim with useless employees wasting the American taxpayer's 
     money. The American government's job is to protect the 
     American citizens and their welfare. This does not include 
     regulating major economic industries, driving companies and 
     small businesses out of business and out of America, 
     infringing on American's God-given rights and becoming a 
     major player in an American citizen's life.

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