Choose Your Own Adeventure

I hope you all enjoyed a nice Spring Break.  It's always hard coming back to school after break. Don't get me wrong, I love teaching and being surrounded by all the crazy, creative energy that is all of you. That being said, it's still hard to get back into the grind. So for our first blog post, I'll go easy on you.

This week we started our study of the Constitution and the freedoms that make us uniquely American. You can order your own free copy of the United States Constitution from: http://www.constitutionfacts.com/index.cfm?section=bookstore&page=freeCopy.cfm

A good portion of this class will be spent discussing current events and political issues that affect our everyday lives. For this post, I would like you to tell me at least one issue that you are interested in studying. To help you out, you can look over the blog posts that we've had in the past several years to get an idea of the type of things we've covered. Many of the topics are pretty controversial and I do my best to not censor the information available to you.

So my question to you this week is, "What is one issue that you are interested in studying in this class?" Answers are due no later than Wednesday, April 16th, 2014. I'm looking forward to a great quarter!

Your Thoughts and Feeback Are Appreciated!

Another quarter has almost passed.  What a long, crazy winter this has been!  I'm so glad that we are ending with what I'm hoping will be warmer temperatures and a little bit of sunshine! It’s been a pleasure getting to know all of you this quarter and I hope that you stay in touch, and continue to post on the blog whenever you want.

With that being said, my final question to you is, “What did you like or dislike about the class?  What could I do to make the class better?”  Answers are due no later than Sunday, March 23rd, 2014  After that, the blog will be down until class resumes next quarter.

Crimea and Punishment

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Many of you have heard about the crisis going on in Crimea, Ukraine, which is shaping up to be the biggest crisis between Russia and the West since the Cold War.  The crisis began when 11,000 soldiers loyal to Russia took control of the Crimean peninsula and blockaded Ukrainian bases. 

Crimea, which is legally part of the Ukraine, is an autonomous republic, meaning they elect their own parliament.  Historically, Russia has been a dominant power there, but in 1954 it was transferred by Moscow to Ukraine, which was then part of the Soviet Union.  Did you get all that?  It kind of makes our own history seem relatively simple.

Troops loyal to Russia have taken control of the region and a pro-Russian parliament has voted to join the Russian Federation.  Since the end of February, thousands of pro-Russian and pro-Ukraine protesters have clashed in the streets.  Those in power have asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to help ensure peace, a move the United States vehemently opposes.  The United States and the European Union are considering economic sanctions against Russia, meaning they will deny imports, exports and financial assistance to Russia in an effort to get Putin to change his behavior.

This week in class we will learn about several foreign policy theories, including internationalism and the Bush doctrine, which state the United States has a responsibility to work together with other countries to ensure peace and promote democracy.  We will also study isolationism, a belief the United States should stay out of international affairs unless another country directly threatens us.  So my question to you this week is, “What do you think the United States’ response should be towards Russia regarding Crimea?  Should we employ economic sanctions, begin military action, or just stay out of it?”  Please explain your answer, which is due no later than Sunday, March 16^th, 2014.

Who Runs The World?

This Saturday, March 8th, is International Women's Day.  It's a day set aside to celebrate the economic, political and social achievements of women.  Those of you who know me, know that I am a big supporter of my fellow sisters.  It's disappointing to me when women hate on other women.  How can we ever expect better treatment from our male counterparts, if we constantly try and bring each other down?

Despite all of our achievements, women still lag behind men in several key areas:

• In 2012, women working full-time made an average of $37,791 annually, compared to $49,398 for men.
• Although women are now earning more Bachelor degree's than men, women with a four-year degree make an average of $930/week, while men with the same degree make an average of $1,199.
• only 4.6% of Fortune 500 companies have a female CEO.

We are also bombarded with society's expectations of how a woman should look, think and act.  Beauty advertisements tell us we are too wrinkly, our hair is too dull and lifeless, and our bodies are just too fat.  Television commercials say we should be focused on what detergent gets our whites cleaner, what diapers keep our kids cleaner, and what we should make for dinner tonight.  We are taught from a young age that we need to aspire to be someone else.  To hear more on this topic, stated in a better way than I could ever say it, check out this speech by activist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hg3umXU_qWc

So my question to you this week is two-fold.  First, ladies - I would like to know "How were you affected by society's standards for women growing up"  Guys - This isn't just a female issue.  You all have mothers, some have sisters, and many of you will have daughters one day.  So for the men, I would like to know "How you think men contribute to these standards for women?"  Second, it's possible that Hillary Clinton will decide to run for President again in 2016.  In fact, we could possibly have several female candidates running for President in the next election.  So for everyone, I would like to know, "Do you think America could handle a female President?"  Answers are due no later than Sunday, March 9th.

The Mile High City May Be Higher Than We Think!

I will be traveling to Denver, Colorado in a few months for business.  I’ve been before and have always enjoyed my time there, but this will be the first time I’ve been since they legalized marijuana.  Colorado’s law legalizing the drug for recreational use became effective January 1^st of this year.  Colorado residents can purchase up to 1 ounce and out-of-state visitors can buy .25 ounce during their stay.  Colorado expects to take in $184 million in tax revenue in just the first 18 months.

I’ve blogged before about the economic benefits of legalizing marijuana, even if only for medicinal uses.  If you’re interested in reading my thoughts and your fellow students’ comments, you can click here: http://historicalandpoliticalissues.blogspot.com/2009/10/can-marijuana-save-te-economy.html

However, despite the fact that legalizing marijuana may provide much needed revenue, opponents say legalizing pot will only add to social woes; increasing crime, drug addiction, mental health disorders, and driving up insurance rates.  So my question to you this week is "Should the United States legalize marijuana, medicinally or otherwise?" Answers are due by Sunday, March 2^nd, 2014.  P.S.  And for those you who are bound to ask – the answer is “No – I won’t be smoking while I’m there! I’m too afraid of employment drug tests! J”

Standing on Shaky Ground

This past weekend, Michael Dunn, a white, 47 year old was convicted on several counts of attempted murder for fatally shooting Jordan Davis, a 17 year old black male.  The jury failed to reach a verdict on the 1st degree murder charge, resulting in a mistrial for the charge.  Dunn is currently awaiting sentencing on the other charges and could face 60 years in prison.

Dunn was at a convenience store when he encountered Davis and his friends, who were sitting in a parked car, playing loud music.  The music was defined by the defense attorney in the case as "thug music".  Dunn and Davis got into a verbal argument about the music, before Dunn pulled a 9mm handgun out and shot multiple times at the car full of teenagers.  Dunn said he felt like his life was in danger, that he thought he saw a shotgun in the car, and acted in self-defense, according to Florida's controversial Stand Your Ground law.

This isn't the first time the Stand Your Ground law has resulted in the death of a young, black male.  You may remember the Trayvon Martin case last year, in which George Zimmerman fatally shot Martin after an altercation.  You can read my thoughts and your fellow student comments on the Martin case here:  http://historicalandpoliticalissues.blogspot.com/2012/04/justice-for-trayvon.html
When Zimmerman was later acquitted of all charges, I blogged about the case again, which you can read here: http://historicalandpoliticalissues.blogspot.com/2013/07/justice-for-trayvon-part-2.html

Florida's Stand Your Ground law, which is becoming popular in states all around the country, allows individuals to use deadly force to defend themselves, without any requirement to evade or retreat from a dangerous situation.  Supporters say it gives power to the victims and allows people to protect themselves.  Opponents say the law goes to far in allowing deadly force, even if an individual only thinks they are in a dangerous situation, which may not actually be the case.

So my question to you this week is, "What do you think of the Stand Your Ground law?  Do you think Michael Dunn should be convicted of 1st degree murder in the killing of Jordan Davis?"  Answers are due no later than Sunday, February 23rd, 2014

Gainful Employment and You

A few years ago, I wrote a blog post on the staggering cost of college and student loan debt students take on.  You can read my thoughts and your fellow students’ comments here: http://historicalandpoliticalissues.blogspot.com/2012/04/i-owe-my-soul-to-university.html   

So when one of your classmates brought up the email she received from the Art Institute of Indianapolis President, Michael Morphew on new student loan rules being proposed by the Department of Education, I thought it was worth a new post.

The “gainful employment” rule which many of you have already heard about could significantly impact you.  According to the Department of Education, “far too many students are taking on unstainable debt for degrees that fail to help them get jobs”.  The new regulations would stop financial aid for programs unless they can demonstrate they lead to gainful employment for their students. To determine if a program would lead to gainful employment, schools must meet one of the following three metrics:

·         35% of former students are re-paying their loans

·         The estimated annual loan payment of a typical graduate doesn’t exceed 30% of their discretionary income

·         The estimated annual loan payment for a typical graduate doesn’t exceed 12% of their total earnings

According to Michael Morphew, these new regulations could mean, “students who count on this aid to attend the college of their choice, may be denied the opportunity to get the education they choose”.

This is a big issue, that affects many of you.  So, my question to you this week is, “What do you think about the ‘gainful employment’ rule?  Do you think it helps or hurts America’s students?”  Answers are due no later than Sunday, February 16^th, 2014.  To contact your Senator or Representative, please go here: http://www.contactingthecongress.org/   Regardless of which side of the fence you sit on, I urge you to let your voices be heard.  Don’t let someone else make the choice for you!