Quinn Skidmore finished in first place for the district in the VFW Voice of Democracy essay contest. Her essay is now entered at the state-level competition. That judging will be completed by January 15.
During the Monday, Dec. 7 West Bend Common Council meeting the VFW recognized local students who submitted essays in the Patriot’s Pen and Voice of Democracy essay contests. The Voice of Democracy contest required high schools students to write an essay and record a 3-5 minute audio rendition of that essay on the theme, “My Vision for America.”
Winners included Gemma Claire Urlakis, Grace Marie Urlakis, and Christian Young, Noah Doak, Ryrie Roth, Abigail Doak, and Eve Anna Urlakis. First place went to Quinn Skidmore who received a check for $125. Skidmore’s essay is below.
My Vision for America
My Fellow Americans….
I stand before you as the newly-elected 45th President of the United States.
I face a nation that has encountered trials and troubles; both foreign and domestic. Our troubles have cut through Sail parts of society and every level of the economy. No American has been immune from the problems we have faced together as a nation. But I also face a nation that has overcome the unimaginable. A nation that has broken, and will continue to break, because these breaks are inevitable. But our fractures will heal and our nation will become stronger than we could have ever conceived possible.
At the close of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, Benjamin Franklin was asked if we had a monarchy or a republic. Franklin replied, “A Republic, if you can keep it.”
My Presidency intends to not only keep the Republic, but to return our Republic to the strength envisioned by our Founding Fathers. The way I intend to mend our Republic is by using the best tool our forefathers could have given us; The Constitution of the United States.
Americans have thrown respect aside, in trade of power or other forms of personal gain. Unlike the era in which we declared our independence, the issues we face are largely confined within our own citizens. Our lack of respect for the law and our fellow Americans is crippling our society. To return to our past glory, we Americans need only refocus on the guidelines established by our Constitution. By following the wisdom within the Constitution, we will return to an era when our political rivals are regarded as opponents rather than enemies. Reverence for America’s veterans and law enforcement officials will be restored and political discourse among citizens will become more civilized.
By returning to the Constitution, we encourage the diversity our society seeks. When all religions are secure in the knowledge that their adherents may worship according to their own conscience, our nation will grow stronger. When all people may speak freely, secure in the knowledge that they will not be punished for their words and ideas, our society becomes stronger. And when the private citizen knows that the Constitution is on duty at all times, restraining the government from tyranny, our small businesses, our families, our schools, cities and towns all grow stronger, too.
No more will America choose ideology over principle. Never again will we allow our political leaders to lump Americans into groups in order to advance their political agendas. Americans are individuals, and as individual trees make up great forests, individual Americans make up a great nation. My administration intends to protect the individual and his or her right to independence; secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects.
And like our American ancestors, who broke the bonds of British oppression two and a half
centuries ago, I intend to destroy the bonds of government oppression. American laws will be determined by your elected representatives in Congress, not by Presidential whim. Using Executive Orders in place of legislation is despotic and directly violates the principles and traditions of this great nation. This disrespect will not be tolerated under my administration.
My fellow Americans; this is where our future is going. My Presidency will lead our nation back to respect. For this to work, the government must respect the rights of the individual, and the individual must trust the government in its duties. As we begin this transition into our future, let us remember the lessons of our past. Let us remember the good lessons and the bad lessons. Let us respect our traditions and rebuild our institutions. I call on every single American…within the sound of my voice…to respect, protect, and defend the Constitution to the best of your ability. So help us God.
Thank you. And God Bless America! Quinn Skidmore