freeSpeech: Richie Frohlichstein

(CBS)  For as long I can remember, I have been interested in politics. My friends remember me telling them in kindergarten that I would be president one day.

I visited Washington with my mom when I was 8 years old. On a tour of the capitol, I saw a page at work. It seems incredible now, but back then, I told myself I'd do that someday too.

Last spring, during my junior year in high school, I did become a page, and what a life-changing experience it was. The nearly 100 students from across the country who become pages each year get incredible access, an inside look at how our government works from the floor of the House of Representatives or the Senate. On my second night in D.C., I attended the State of the Union address.

With the recent developments in the Foley scandal, it seems that the focus on the page program has been a negative one, which is too bad because the program was so positive for me.

When I left home, my parents trusted the page program staff to take care of me and keep me safe, trust that was well placed.

Throughout the semester I realized every day how lucky I was. I attended classes every morning at a special school for pages on the top floor of the Library of Congress. After school, I walked across the street to the United States Capitol and thought, "I see kids taking tours every day and here I am getting paid to work here!" That thrill stays with me today as I hope to return to Washington for college.

It is unfortunate that, due to this one member of Congress, the entire program has had a shadow cast over it.

Still, I am proud to call myself a member of the small community of people that make up the page alumni. I would go back in a second if I had the chance.

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Richie Frohlichstein is 17 years old and attends Kirkwood High School in suburban St. Louis, MO, where he is co-editor-in-chief of his school newspaper. He served as a Congressional Page in the U.S. House of Representatives from January to June, 2006.

[c0lleenbr00k]

Yes let%u2019s get rid of the page program, we don%u2019t need to see any more cultivation of such culprits as former page Bill Gates. Don%u2019t be ridiculous! This is a valuable program that has cultivated some of our best congressmen/women, businessmen/women and contributors to our society for almost 200 years. Don%u2019t punish the page. We as voters need to stop voting for creeps like Foley and apparently there is a group of them that protect each other. Voters unite and take action. This is unacceptable and your vote can make a difference!!

[newsnmorenew]

Wow, this guy enjoyed being a page on Capitol Hill. Very newsworthy - very cutting-edge. What a waste of time on the broadcast, the "freeSpeech" segment is a joke.

[us22617]

After hearing on your show, someone talking about prayer not being in school, goverment. This is only someone that has been at home, and taking someones word for what realy going on. Now at the present time if prayer was formal in school today. I thank God that is not there today. There are people that don't worship the same God in this The goverment is not going to make a law that the only prayer are to the only true God and His Son Chirst. Your kids could be explosed to prayers to Satan. Which there is a church of satan in this town. If you have train your your kids to pray at home they are praying at school.

[enochville]

I appreciated the remarks of Mr. Frohlichstein. I think that the page program should continue for the real life experience it offers. We should not let one rotten politician ruin the whole program for all of these kids.

All that is needed is greater oversight.

[colforbs1]

What liberal media??? Do you mean the network owned by military contractors(NBC), or Disney(ABC,ESPN) or big pharma(CBS), or Paul Murdock(FOX)?

No one has ever said that because one republican is a perv, all republicans are perves. What has been said, and what is fact, is this republican congress has done no oversight of itself or the executive branch. They have failed to uphold the duties of their office, whether for partisan gain or ignorance.

This whole discussion is silly anyways, as this is just a smoke-screen, brought up now, to distract from the fact, that Rice, Bush, and Cheney disregarded intelligence from the CIA about Al-Queda pre 9-11, in favor of a Iraqi invasion.

What happened to the 'liberal media' dropping the story about the July 10th PDB, just released end of last week? (notice the sarcasm here...)

[trailboss49]

It's amazing how the liberal media can take the laciviousness on one perverted elected official and try to paint the whole political party with the same paintbrush. Certainly the Page system is worthwhile. If people are involved then there will always be some leacher waiting around the corner for innocents. Politicians are no better than anyone else, this just proved it.