Delegates get glimpse of political process in Senate

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For much of the week, the 98 delegates to American Legion Boys Nation have worked to get their legislation passed by their peers. On Thursday, they got to see how the political process works in Washington, D.C.

Boys Nation and Girls Nation delegates headed to Capitol Hill on Thursday to meet with staff of the actual senators representing their respective states.

While this week’s Democratic National Convention and the legislative recess meant no U.S. senators were available to meet their constituents, the young men and women were still able to get a better sense of how the political process works.

“I got to see what kind of policies they had in mind, what they wanted to bring up and the changes they want to see on the federal level,” said Ryan Mora of Albuquerque, N.M., who noted he was also able to share his concerns about issues affecting the state’s rural areas.

While political gridlock has been an issue in getting legislation passed in D.C., there is a good reason behind it, Earl de los Santos of Brookfield, Conn., said he learned.

“It’s good because each and every voice is being heard,” de los Santos said. “(Even though) we’re not as united as we were like back in the 1860s, or when it was a gentlemen’s club, every voice is being heard – every minority, every perspective, every viewpoint is there, and that’s awesome. Because to be a really united nation, we need every perspective represented.”

Including the perspectives of young people like those at Boys Nation and Girls Nation.

“While we’re observing them, we can see the things that we think they can do better, as well as bring them new ideas,” de los Santos said after discussing issues with staff of Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Ct. “It’s a newer generation. We’ve been observing the society and we’re able to see what could be made better, so that our future can be made better.”


Boys Nation

Boys Nation

At Boys State / Nation, participants learn the rights, privileges and responsibilities of franchised citizens. The training is objective and centers on the structure of city, county and state governments.

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