Transcript Contemporary Issues

• Bipartisan legislation first introduced in Congress in 2001 (formally
known as Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors)
• Has been reintroduced several times but failed to pass
• Aimed to create a pathway to citizenship for undocumented children
who grew up in the United States
• Some states have passed their own immigration legislation
Adapted from http://college.usatoday.com/2015/02/26/5-facts-you-need-to-know-about-the-dream-act/
Pros
• Provides hope
• Contributes to economy
• Provides path to citizenship
• Generate more tax revenues
Cons
• Undeserving of rights and privileges
• Influx of illegal immigration
• Empowers those that broke the law
• Unfair to those that complied with law
• Lower need of higher education
•
Passed after 9/11 terrorist attacks and represents the swift reaction of the executive and
legislative branches in the wake of the deadliest terrorist strike on American soil
•
Gave law enforcement and intelligence authorities unprecedented domestic authority -and the tools to wield that authority -- to stop plots against the United States
•
Government can petition the court for a warrant to collect "any tangible things" to
investigate terrorism or foreign spies
•
Government can no longer conduct bulk collections of Americans’ telephone records and
Internet data (banned by the USA Freedom Act passed in 2015)
•
Limits the government’s data collection to the “greatest extent reasonably practical”
Adapted from http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/22/politics/patriot-act-debate-explainer-nsa/
Pros
• Ease of surveillance
• Assists law enforcement
• Speeds up investigations
• Increases security measures
• Expanded intelligence collection
• Prevent attacks more quickly
Cons
• Too much authority given to government
• Unlawful imprisonment
• Unlawful detainment
• Not clearly defined
• Leads to fear and hostility
• Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act passed in 2002
• Prohibited large contributions by wealthy individuals and corporations to
national party committees
• Left individual and corporate donors free to direct their funds to outside groups
• Provisions of the legislation were challenged as unconstitutional
Adapted from https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/mccain-feingolds-devastating-legacy/2014/04/11/14a528e2-c18f-11e3-bcecb71ee10e9bc3_story.html?utm_term=.6c8e81e8e58a
Pro
• The public knows where funds come from
Cons
• Corruption might not be reduced
• There are loopholes
• Passed in 2010
• Law that makes healthcare and health insurance
more affordable and more available to more
Americans.
• Places new rules and regulations on the healthcare
industry
Adapted from http://obamacarefacts.com/affordable-healthcare/
Pros
• More Americans have health insurance
• Health insurance is more affordable for many people
• People with pre-existing health conditions can no longer be
denied coverage
• Lower prescription drug costs
Cons
• Many people have to pay higher premiums
• You can be fined if you don’t have insurance
• Taxes are going up as a result of the ACA
• Businesses are cutting employee hours to avoid covering
employees
• 1994 agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico
• Lifted many restrictions on the imports and exports of agricultural
products between these three nations
• Some policies went into effect immediately – others took 15 years
to implement
• Since 2008, all tariffs on agricultural exports between the U.S. and
Mexico no longer exist, and many are eliminated between Canada
and Mexico
Pros
• NAFTA Decreased Tariffs
• All Three Countries Experienced Real Wage Increases
• NAFTA Increased Trade Between the U.S., Mexico and
Canada
• NAFTA Created Jobs for U.S. Workers
Cons
• Mexican Workers Have Benefited Less Than Expected
• NAFTA Lifted Tariffs but not Regulations
• Loss of 500,000-750,000 jobs in the United States
• Job migration suppressed wages