Current Events and
Other Important Topics
By Ms. Rampey
May 2013
Population Issues
What is the Problem??
Civil Rights / Human Rights
• 13th, 14th, 15th Amendments
• Civil Rights Acts, Voting Rights Acts,
24th Amendment
• Have we achieved Equality for All?
• Emancipation Proclamation
• Gettysburg Address
• I Have a Dream Speech
Equality for All ?
• Defense of Marriage Act?
• Gay Rights ?
• Interracial Marriage?
Women’s Rights
• Continue to make strides in employment and
general equality.
• Most recent achievements –
– Military – right to fight in combat situations.
– More women CEO’s than ever before.
– Women Running for President (Hillary Rodam
Clinton, Michelle Bachman, Sarah Palin)
– Women in high ranking political postitions –
• Condaleza Rice – Secretary of State (GW Bush)
• Hillary Clinton – Secretary of State (Obama)
Immigration Issues
• Need immigrants to keep our economy
growing. Without the immigrant population the
U.S. would reach a negative population growth
which then results in a lack of young people to
support the older generation.
• Illegal Immigrants –
– Border Control
– Taxation
– Dream Act
Stem Cell Research
• Research done with the stem cells of an
aborted fetus or a fetus that has been
grown in a lab from fertilized eggs.
• Ethics?
• What could it do?
• Does it work?
• Fears – Cloning
Gun Control
• 2nd Amendment – Right to bear arms.
• Argument for gun control – take away or limit
access?
• Assault Weapons – Do everyday citizens need
them?
• Does the Federal, State or Local government
have a right to make these decisions?
• If gun control does not stop crime what will?
Social Media
• Positives
– Interaction with
people all over
the world.
– Information
instantly.
– Education
•Negatives
•Easy to hide from
reality.
• Information
OVERLOAD!!
•Increasing weight
gain in our country –
lack of exercise from
sitting in front of the
computer.
Taxation
• Why do we need taxes?
– What do taxes pay for?
• Is it fair to pay taxes?
• How should taxes be divided up?
– Equal portions for all?
– Current system some pay a higher
percentage of their income than others.
Economy
• Tax Cuts – Goal to boost Economic Growth –
George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan
– Sometimes leads to large deficit in the budget
because the government cannot afford to keep
programs running due to loss of tax dollars.
• Higher Taxes – Usually Democratic Platform –
Higher taxes on the wealthiest – Goal
Balancing the budget – problem – Wealthy
don’t want to pay.
Technology
• Advancements in technology – have taken
America to lots of great places. The moon,
advanced war technology, computers in our
pockets, major medical advances…
• Bad sides of Technology –
– Loss of individual ingenuity.
– Loss of movement – depending on a computer for
everything.
– Loss of jobs – computers can do everything for us!
Manual labor employees replaced by computers
have a difficult time finding a new job.
Outsourcing
• Cheap Labor
around the
world –
Leads to a
shortage of
manual
labor jobs
here in the
United
States.
Education
• Keeping up with the rest of the world…
– For more than two decades data reports that US
students are falling behind the rest of the world in
Math and Science.
• NCLB – No Child Left Behind – supposed to solve
problems of some kids or schools not making the
cut.
• Common Core – changes curriculum to be deeper
and more meaningful rather than so detail
oriented. But the reality is it puts a lot more on
the student to learn on their own or a lot more
pressure on the teacher to get basic details
taught so you can get to the deeper pieces.
Foreign Affairs
• Fall of Soviet Union 1991 – US only
Superpower
• Focus our attention on other countries
around the world that have some
American interest
– North Korea – Kim Jong Un
– Iran – Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
– Israel – Shamon Peres
– Russia – Vladimir Putin
Recent Presidential Elections
• Close – often need recounts
• Illustrates a major division with in the
country or the idea that candidates are
actually too much alike.
• 2000 Election – Florida could not
determine a winner – Recounts – Court
judgments – Finally Supreme Court
decides = George W. Bush
Changes to Political Parties
• Independent Party has seen a major
increase in membership over the
last 20 years.
• Why?
• Democrats
• Republicans