"My Dream for America"

[Subb]

So, I forgot to give you an update. So I'll do it now.

The speech went amazing. Great response from the students. The only thing that lost points about it is that I didn't say that it was my dream for America. My speech is below:

At the beginning of this year, there was a period of two to three months where I had a hobby of starting political discussions on the internet. In that period, I met some of the smartest people, who laid out the most compelling arguments in the most tactful and meticulous way. I’ve seen arguments with years of thought behind them. But, I’ve also seen other things. In that period, I’ve seen some of the most idiotic reasoning, the most naive responses, and the most transparent acts of hypocrisy in my life. Those people had one thing in common; They didn’t want to discuss what was best for this country, they wanted their viewpoint to be enforced, and nothing less. And I’m afraid that’s the same attitude in our congress today.

Today, I’ll be talking about what we need to change to get out of that attitude. First, we need to let go of this shield we usually hide behind. We need to talk about the touchy things, the controversial stuff. Abortion, euthanasia, the death penalty, gay marriage, the role of religion in government, what our children can and cannot be exposed to. We don’t like to talk about these things. We like to be hurt when someone challenges our opinions on these subjects. And that’s very harmful. We, as a country, need to shed this shield of comfort, and step into the world, where we can deal with these issues. That, is the only way we can solve those problems and move on.

Luckily, some of us are already doing that. But another problem has come along. We put down the shield of comfort, and pick up the shield of narrow-mindedness. Now that we step into this world, we cling onto spewed rhetoric that has no substance. And we say that’s the answer. That’s the solution. This way or the highway. There is no discussion here. Only bickering. Blah blah blah, That’s what they say. They play a chess game of empty words, ignorant of the fact that they’re both playing the same color. We need to get rid of the bickering, and start having discussions that matter. That will decide where this nation will go.

At this point, we as a society will have moved forward, but congress probably wouldn't.
This 112th Congress is the most useless one in history. One example of this is that the House of Representatives has tried to repeal Obamacare, knowing that that bill would be vetoed, thirty three times. I’ll let that sink in. That’s like playing chess not to win, but to try to get back your fallen pieces, even though your opponent will never give them to you. The reason for voting for that legislation is to keep their seats. That’s not the only problem. Remember the fiscal cliff and the debt ceiling? They will bicker and fight until the last minute, because it isn’t about the fate of the American people. It’s about hearing their ideology bounce across the room, and into the ears of the people who agree with it. They’re playing a game, who whoever has the most people behind them wins. And they’re playing it at our expense.

The only way to change that, is to change ourselves. We are doomed to have a bickering congress because WE are the the ones who are bickering. So put down your shield, and and don’t dare to pick it up again. Maybe if we all did that, we could finally move forward. And then maybe those transparent acts of hypocrisy can become the most glittering examples of genius. Thank you.