[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4646]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        ESSAY BY KAITLIN FOSTER

                                  _____
                                 

                            HON. PETE OLSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 19, 2016

  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 from across the political spectrum that 
sheds a light on the concerns of our younger constituents. Giving voice 
to their priorities will hopefully instill 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.
  Kaitlin Foster attends Seven Lakes High School in Katy, Texas. The 
essay topic is: What makes the political process in Congress so 
challenging?

       Everyone wants something. If our government worked in 
     reality as it does in theory, everyone would be satisfied, 
     but theories are just theories.
       Members of Congress have a unique challenge of balancing 
     the beliefs of many people. A politician would generally 
     enter the political field because they want to improve 
     society; of course, the term ``improve'' is entirely 
     subjective, and its meaning lies with each individual. Thus, 
     politicians use their own beliefs and values as a basis for 
     change. However, personal beliefs are not enough to be 
     elected; many groups and parties must be convinced in order 
     to get the votes.
       Once elected into Congress, a member will now have a large 
     base of people--constituents, party members, donors--relying 
     on them to effectively ``improve'' society. It is the 
     responsibility of each member to balance the voices of the 
     many groups.
       The general population often chides Congress for ``not 
     compromising.'' However, with the vast amount of opinions 
     invested into one Congressional member, each policy decision 
     is not just each member acting on his or her own beliefs, but 
     the beliefs of their constituents, donors, and party members. 
     Each time a member of Congress casts a vote on a piece of 
     legislation, they are not just voting for themselves, but for 
     every entity that initially elected them. It is for this 
     reason that the political process in Congress is so 
     challenging. While it is impossible to make everyone happy, 
     politicians cannot simply forfeit a portion of the beliefs 
     for which they are responsible. When the general population 
     accuses Congress of being uncompromising, they are forgetting 
     why they elected these people into office: to advocate for 
     us. Congress is meant to be our country in a microcosm; by 
     choosing a candidate, we choose a vote, and we choose a 
     voice. While popular culture may paint it differently, 
     Congress is far from detached from general society; in fact, 
     it is directly embedded into it. Members of Congress are 
     speaking on behalf of the entire population, so when they 
     give up on even a small issue, it affects thousands of lives. 
     People may be willing to ``compromise'' something in the name 
     of progress, but they most likely are not willing to 
     compromise on their most closely held issue, the one they 
     care the most about. Unfortunately, every issue, no matter 
     how small, is the one that someone cares the most about. This 
     is why members of Congress do not compromise easily; policy 
     gridlock often ensues because they truly believe stopping all 
     policies is better than willingly allowing someone who relies 
     on them to be devastated. All the general population sees is 
     a group of people not passing laws and waiting for a day when 
     the other party finally gives up, but they do not see the 
     true intentions of the members of Congress: to improve the 
     lives of their constituents, as each of them see fit. The 
     challenge actually lies not in Congress, itself, but in the 
     country it represents.

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