Discussion Forum #2: Public Opinion
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As we know, public opinion amongst Americans ranges widely between conservative and liberal camps, and people tend to be firm in their opinions, at least in the short term: it takes a high degree of open-mindedness to hear, absorb and perhaps adjust our own opinions. Nowadays it seems as if even attempting to have a civil conversation or debate about politics devolves into a shouting match with each participant throwing barbs at the others, blaming one another for societal problems, etc., instead of trying to work together to solve those problems. Our political rhetoric has become destructive, not constructive.
Write a 200+ word response to the following:
What is the most effective way to facilitate a civil conversation about political viewpoints? Should politicians who engage in offensive, disruptive or inflammatory speech be censured or somehow limited in their speech? Would a blanket rule, such as “if you interrupt another candidate during a debate then you will be removed from the stage” or “If you shout comments from the gallery during a State of the Union address you will be removed from the chamber,” make things better or worse?
Discussion Forum #3: Bureaucratic entanglements
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Regulatory capture in the federal bureaucracy is an ongoing problem (it used to be referred to as the Iron Triangle). Write 200+ words describing what it is in your own words and what you think might be done to prevent or minimize it. You do not need to respond to another student’s post.
Discussion Forum #4: Civil Liberties
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The right to privacy has shifted, expanded, diminished and changed extensively ever since it was first articulated by SCOTUS fifty years ago. Technological advances play a big role in the government’s ability to find out information about private citizens and, although it cannot legally engage in surveillance without approval by the courts, many people think that it goes too far and violates their privacy rights. Write a 200+ word response to the following:
What are your expectations of privacy in your email conversations, your browsing habits and your cellphone communications? At what point should the government be able to see your browsing history, for example, and use any evidence they find against you in court (this is a search and seizure issue)?
Discussion Forum #5: Civil Rights
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Civil rights arguments hinge on unequal treatment: a person or group claims it is being discriminated against based on some demographic characteristic (race, gender, sexual orientation, etc.). Write a 200+ word response to the following:
Economic disparity is an ongoing concern in the U.S. Housing insecurity and homelessness is increasing, and no government agency seems to have a viable solution that fixes the problem instead of putting a temporary band-aid on it. What civil rights should the homeless community have? In other words, if an adult chooses to live in a situation that does not fit our societal expectations of “normalcy” then at what point does the surrounding community have the right to intervene? If mental health is a factor, at what point does the government have a right or an obligation to get involved? Likewise, if someone is suffering from mental illness and makes other people uncomfortable but is not causing any direct harm, should that individual have the right to continue whatever they’re doing? Is our collective discomfort enough to warrant intervening and potentially violating that person’s right to do what they want? Think of scenarios such as, a homeless man sleeping in the playground at a public park, a mentally disturbed woman sitting on the sidewalk shouting obscenities at passers by, etc.
You do not need to respond to other students’ posts.
