Essay Options
You must pick one of these essay options, and submit a standard essay (including full references) of 2-10
pages, that addresses the questions posed in the essay option. The essay must be submitted no later
than noon, Thursday, July 24th, 2014, as an e-mail attachment sent to: howard.miller@mnsu.edu .
Also, you are to declare which essay option you will write about in an email to me on or before
Wednesday, July 9th. Any questions or concerns? Email me at your earliest convenience! /prof m
1-Employment and unemployment – we have recovered enough jobs in the US so that the total now is
above the pre-recession high in employment. Yet we are still short on good paying employment in the
US, as jobs lost were replaced with lower paying positions, and the labor force would be much larger if
many people formerly employed had not given up seeking work. How big is our work force? Who is
part of that work force, who is not counted as part of the work force? How many employed,
unemployed are there in the US currently? How many of those unemployed are “long term”
unemployed? Finally and most importantly, what policies should business and government use to
encourage growth of high paying jobs in the United States?
2-Unions represent under 7% of the private sector work force, perhaps 1/3d of public sector
employees, down from a peak of union representation in the 1950’s. Some argue that unions are
necessary, and the decline of unionization is a root cause of the economic decline in the US middle class
for several decades. Have unions outlived their usefulness in the US economy, should be shut down as
a right of employees to bargain with their employers? Or do unions have an important role in the
economy, ensuring that the economic pie is shared among every one who helps “bake” that pie? What
public policies would you advocate, based on your view of the future role of unions in the US?
3-Income inequality has grown dramatically in the US over the past 4 decades. Is that a bad thing?
Why/why not? What percentage of the US work force has enjoyed improved standards of living over
the past 4 decades? Who has received the productivity and income gains generated by the US economy
over that period of time? Should public policy be changed to encourage greater or lesser income
inequality? What changes would you advocate?
4-Just about ½ of Americans receive their health insurance coverage through their employers. Up until
the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (2010) was passed, 1 of 6 Americans had no health
coverage at all, there was a dramatic amount of health care cost inflation, and fewer and fewer people
were able to get insurance. With the passage of the PPACA (2010) (aka “Obamacare”) health care cost
inflation has moderated, and several million more Americans now have health insurance coverage. Yet
a significant number of Americans just hate the PPACA, think it should be repealed. What does the
PPACA (2010) actually require (there’s 10 sections.) How has passage of this law affected employers?
How has passage of this law affected people in your family, others you know well? Should the PPACA
(2010) be repealed? Or left intact? Or revised in constructive ways? What would you do if you served
in Congress …. Would you push for repeal, leave it be, or modify it in useful ways? WHY?!
~~ end of essay options ~~