[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4663]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         ESSAY BY JILLIAN SABOE

                                 ______
                                 

                            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.
  Jillian Saboe attends Pearland High School in Pearland, Texas. The 
essay topic is: What makes the political process in Congress so 
challenging?

       In recent decades, many political scientists as well as 
     ordinary people of the American population have taken notice 
     of the seemingly endless routes that pieces of legislature 
     take once they enter the hands of congressmen. Although the 
     Constitution and other foundational texts and practices 
     emphasize the democratic ways of government that sets America 
     apart from the other nations of the world, what America gains 
     in democracy, America lacks in efficiency. The polarization 
     of Congressmen that results from diffirent morals, political 
     parties, and religions is a major factor that makes the 
     political process in Congress so challenging.
       A piece of legislature is voted on a number of times 
     throughout the process of becoming official. Legislature is 
     passed through the houses of Congress sometimes several 
     times, as well as the through the President and his peers. 
     Each member of Congress and member of the President's cabinet 
     come from a different and unique background. These 
     backgrounds include ethnicity, geographical regions, 
     religions, political beliefs, a sense of what is right and 
     what is wrong, and several other distinguishing factors. Each 
     different member of Congress/the Executive team votes on 
     legislature on the basis of two different things: 1) what 
     his/her constituency wants and 2) what he/she wants. 
     Balancing these two things along with all of the previously 
     mentioned personal factors, those who vote on legislature in 
     Congress have an incredible amount of information to consider 
     prior to making decisions. The natural and environmental 
     differences between humans that lead to each balancing factor 
     results in a competitive, argumentative, passive Congress.
       Just like in any relationship between/among individuals, 
     reaching agreements when faced with a challenge or suggestion 
     can be difficult. When you extend hundreds of individuals, 
     who are in charge of thousands of individuals each, into one 
     single political relationship, reaching an agreement almost 
     seems impossible. Therefore, congressional struggles that 
     exist and prevent some pieces of legislature from being 
     efficiently passed, are consequences of inevitability and 
     must either be dealt with or Congress must be reorganized.

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