Current Events Journal Entries s1

CONTEMPORARY ISSUES – JOURNAL ENTRIES

Journal Entries (JE) must be a minimum of 3 lines of writing in complete sentences (unless otherwise specified), and are worth up to 3 points for each entry. Since you are given in-class time to work on these each day, they will only be accepted for up to one week after their due dates.

2 nd Quarter

In progress – not yet collected 11/24: Where do you think the line should be drawn in interrogation techniques? What is ok or not ok? Why?

Collected 11/21/08 – Will NOT be accepted after 11/26/08 11/18: If the government does not bail out the automakers and millions of people working for the automakers lose their jobs, what other jobs or industries might also be affected? 11/19: The Constitution gives the President the power to pardon an individual for federal crimes. Do you think the President should have this power? Why or why not? 11/20: When people get a raise in pay or salary, are they more likely to save money or spend more money? Why? 11/21: Compare Ch. 2, 4, and 5 early morning news programs. Which one did you prefer and why?

Collected 11/14/08 – Will NOT be accepted after 11/21/08 11/3: Some schools which function as polling places have cancelled classes tomorrow. Do you agree with this? Why or why not? 11/4 – 11/7:

11/10 – 11/11: 11/12: What do you think might be some challenges during the transition from one president to another? 11/13: Is illegal immigration a problem in the U.S. today? Why or why not? 11/14: Do you think that Americans today are as interested in NASA and the space program as Americans were in the 1960s? Why or why not?

Collected 10/31/08 – Will NOT be accepted after 11/7/08

10/27: Do you think members of political parties today are more interested in personal gain or public good. Why? 10/28: “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Defend or refute this statement. 10/29: In life, which would you rather be? a) a little fish in a little pond b) a big fish in a little pond c) a little fish in a big pond d) a big fish in a big pond Explain. 10/30: At this stage, if people have decided which Presidential candidate they’re going to vote for, are they paying much attention to campaign speeches or commercials? Why or why not? 10/31: Why do you think that people are so interested in stories of “the unexplained” (such as mysteries or ghost stories)?

Collected 10/24/08 – Will NOT be accepted after 10/31/08 10/6-10/10:

10/13-10/16: 10/17:

10/20-10/22: 10/23: Based on the mailer, would you vote Yes or No on Prop A? Why?

What questions might you ask regarding the information provided in the mailer?

10/24: After reading “Prop A has issues” would you vote Yes or No on Prop A? Why? What additional information did you learn in this article? 1 st Quarter

Collected 10/3/08 – Will NOT be accepted after 10/10/08 9/22: Will the election of a new U.S. President help our foreign relations or hinder them? Explain. 9/23: Explain the political cartoon (pictured on the right).

9/24: Should professional teachers’ organizations endorse political candidates? Why or why not? 9/25: Political candidates are sometimes criticized for not being present in Congress to vote on issues because they are out campaigning. How do you feel about this? Explain. 9/26:

9/29: Would you vote for a Presidential candidate who said that Americans are living beyond their means so they need to cut back? Why or why not? 9/30: How do you feel about the emergency rescue plan failing to pass in the House of Reps? Explain. 10/1: 10/2: 10/3: Political spinning is the term used for heavily biased portrayal in favor of a person, event, or situation. Why do you think that many people are often unaware of political spinning when it occurs?

Collected 9/19/08 – Will NOT be accepted after 9/29/08 9/8: If YOUR bank loans people money, and the people cannot repay the loans, should YOU have to help repay the loans to the bank? Why or why not? 9/9: 9/10: Why do you think political parties and analysts spend so much time trying to predict the outcome of elections? WHAT’S THE POINT? 9/11: After the attacks on 9/11, Pres. Bush said that our freedom had come under attack. What do you think he meant by this? 9/12:

9/15: Why do you think that so few people vote on election day? 9/16: Recently, some Americans have been voicing comments about a possible assassination of an American President. What might be the consequences if this event should occur? 9/17: If one fund raiser can raise $9 M for a political candidate, do you think that fund raisers could successfully be used to raise cash for national economic problems (such as AIG, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, etc.)? Why or why not? 9/18: If you had the power to change one thing about our government, or how our country is governed, what would it be? 9/19: If you were in charge, what would you do about our energy crisis?

Collected 9/5/08 – Will NOT be accepted after 9/12/08 9/1: 9/2: When faced with pending natural disasters (such as hurricanes or wildfires), should residents be forced to evacuate? Why or why not? 9/3: Do you think political candidates should be allowed to use advertisements that “smear” their opponents? Why or why not? 9/4: Would you be a good political candidate? Why or why not? 9/5: Do you think that the media should voice their opinions of political candidates, or should the media appear to be impartial? Collected 8/29/08 – Will NOT be accepted after 9/5/08 8/25: The U.S. has two major political parties – do you think that these two parties have too much power? Why or why not? 8/26: Senator John McCain was recently criticized because he didn’t know exactly how many houses he owned. Is this a fair criticism? Why or why not? 8/27: 8/28: Do you think that Obama and McCain should be allowed to choose their own V.P. running mates, or should the V.P.’s be selected by their political parties? Explain. 8/29: Do you think America’s President has too much power? Why or why not?

Collected 8/22/08 – Will NOT be accepted after 8/29/08 8/18: List and briefly describe 3 news events which occurred over the weekend. 8/19: For what reasons do you think stories are chosen to appear on TV news programs? 8/20: Since the media can choose the content of its reports, do you think that some news stories could be considered propaganda? Why or why not? 8/21: Do you think that our society focuses more on protecting the rights of law-abiding citizens or the rights of criminals? Explain your answer. 8/22: Do you think that people whose homes are destroyed by natural disasters (flood, tornado, wild fire, earthquake, etc.) twice within 5 years should still be eligible to purchase insurance? Why or why not?