Political Issues

GP310 Discussion 2-4 (All responses should be at least 50 words or more)

Discussion 2:

If the Jeffersonians had gotten their way, would the increasingly energetic government of the nineteenth century been instead a quietly stagnating government? Without federally imposed tariffs, would the nation have swelled with the building of roads, canals, and railroads? By the time the century ended, the union had undergone a devastating Civil War, the aftermath of which would be characterized by federal initiatives, many of which invested powers in Congress that had previously been the domain of states. Could a deeply wounded postwar America have been revived any other way?

 

Discussion 3:

Congress

Columnist Ezra Klein contends that institutional deadlock and partisan rancor have paralyzed Congress, causing it to lose power to the president and the bureaucracy. Former representative Lee H. Hamilton contends that many of Congress’s so-called flaws are actually faithful reflections of how the American public thinks and feels.  Is your opinion of Congress low, and if so, why?  What do you believe contributes to the dysfunction of this governing body?  If you do not believe that Congress needs reform, how would you support your opinion to someone who felt that Congress is a paralyzed institution?  As a result of reading these selections and discussing the issue, has your opinion of Congress changed, for better or worse?

Discussion 4:

When Life Begins

If a fetus is considered a human life, then abortion is murder. But how do we decide when life begins for a fetus? Is the time when life begins a scientific fact, or is it a philosophical question that will forever remain unanswered? In additional to your readings, review the stages of prenatal development. The most basic point of controversy at the heart of this issue has traditionally been this "scientific" angle, whether or not life begins at conception. Robert George briefly reviews past arguments from various scientific, moral, metaphysical, and religious viewpoints, and he concludes that scientific evidence offers the best argument against abortion. Do you agree? Why or why not?