Political Issues

GP310 Assignment 2-4

Assignment 2:

Government Involvement

How much involvement should our government have in social programs and personal rights?  Does the government have a duty to provide social programs for Americans in need, or would this create a ‘socialist’ state?  Is our current government and polices too influenced by corporate funding?  You will write an essay on one of the two topics options listed below.  Support your answer with evidence from the selections readings this week, as well as a minimum of one other scholarly source.

Your paper needs to be a minimum of 500 words.

Option 1:

With Ronald Reagan came the model that many of today’s conservatives adhere to. This was a model that stood against liberal economic programs and sharply decreased the number of regulations imposed by federal agencies. Reagan’s tax cuts were popular, especially among the wealthy, as these cuts lowered the top personal tax bracket from 70 to 28 percent in seven years. On the flip side, government expenditures were not reduced, and the national debt soared. Evaluate these policies from “both sides of the aisle”.  Is this how future governments should model their policies?  Why or why not?

 

Assignment 3:

Affordable Care Act

The Affordable Care Act is one of the most recent controversial mandates upheld by the Supreme Court.  Whether or not you agree with the Act itself, the question for this assignment is whether it is constitutional to have the government require Americans to purchase healthcare or taxed.

Using research, address these two questions in a minimum of 500 words.

1. The Constitution does not specify whether health insurance should be required, since health insurance was not around when it was written.  Should the American government have the right to require us to buy anything?  Did Congress abuse it’s right to regulate commerce and what was the Supreme Court’s decision on the Commerce Clause?

2. Part of the reasoning behind the Affordable Care act is that without it, those without health insurance are still required to be treated in emergency situations.  The cost of stabilizing the uninsured is passed on to those who pay taxes and who do pay insurance premiums.  With the new plan, the cost is distributed and Americans are more likely to have insurance in the case of an accident or unforeseen medical event.  If Congress required that hospitals provide care in an emergency, regardless of the patient’s ability to pay for such care, is also fair for them to require Americans to have insurance in the case of such emergencies?  Why or why not?

Assignment 4:

Pro-Life

Using our readings and additional research, write a reflection paper (500 word minimum) addressing the following questions.

Do pro-life supporters address the reality of bringing a new life into the world in their arguments?  Can it be argued that the choice not to have a child is as morally correct as bringing an unwanted child into the world? U.S. law allows "justifiable homicide." What constitutes justifiable homicide in the legal sense? Can this concept be extended to abortion? Finally, address if abortion should be allowed to save a woman's life.