Thomas Daschle: “I would like to submit for the Record the text of an essay written by a very talented young man from my State of South…”

“I would like to submit for the Record the text of an essay written by a very talented young man from my State of South Dakota. Marcus Stubbles is the winner of this year's South Dakota Voice of Democracy award. With his essay, he has painted an eloquent picture of what America means to him. I think it is valuable for each of us, especially as Members of this body, to reflect on this fundamental question periodically. I would encourage my colleagues to take a moment to read this brief essay, and I ask that its text be printed in the Record. What is America? This question sounds simple and silly, but it can be answered in many different ways. You could look in a dictionary, and it would tell you that the term 'America', used in this context, is the common shortened name for a nation known officially as the United States of America. Technically, I suppose that this is what 'America' is. But all we've done by answering the question this way is to replace one word with others.”