Homework 10/30

In class on Thursday, we'll conduct a discussion about "assisted suicide" in Massachusetts.  Each of you has been given a point of vew and must support it during the discussion with "evidence" research, opinion and value.  We'll begin by developing an understanding of the issue and all of the facets to take into consideration.  Then, we'll debate the issue as it relates to the question facing Massachusetts voters.  We must keep the debate in the context of the Massachusetts ballot.

Resources can be found on the state website delegated to election information and materials monitored by the Secretary of State.  That resource is located on the menu to the left of this post.

Election Topic: Education

Obama:  A program that President Obama has put into place is the Race to the Top policy. This program so far has been extremely effective and will help the education systems immensely. "Awards in Race to the Top will go to States that are leading the way with ambitious yet achievable plans for implementing coherent, compelling, and comprehensive education reform. Race to the Top winners will help trail-blaze effective reforms and provide examples for States and local school districts throughout the country to follow as they too are hard at work on reforms that can transform our schools for decades to come (ed.gov.)"  This system also works on a points system and different objectives or accomplishments earn states points as of now Massachusetts is the leader.

Election Topic: Simpson-Bowles

Romney:  Simpson-Bowles also known as the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform was issued by Obama in February 2010. The point of the commission was to study the debt crisis in the U.S. and offer a proposal to solve the problem. The plan was never passed. Mitt Romney did not support the unpopular choices that Simpson-Bowles put forward, but he did like the general idea of the commission. What he wants to do is stimulate the economy. He does not support raising revenue as a way to reduce deficit and promises to not cut taxes on the middle class. Reducing and stabilizing federal spending and fixing the tax code on jobs and growth are some of the areas that he will focus on. Romney also plans on brining fiscal restraint to Washington by placing a hard cap on federal spending. Obamacare will be repealed and Romney will focus on eliminating wasteful government. For spending Romney plans on reducing it from 24.3% last year to with the historical trend between 18% and 20% and wants to close the tax revenue generated by the economy.

Obama:  Even though Barrack Obama was the one who issued the Simpson-Bowles commission Like Mitt Romney he did not embrace the unpopular ideas and choices that it set forward. Obama’s plan for reducing the deficit contains many different aspects. The different parts of the plan include spending cuts in the Budget Control Act and spending cuts to mandatory programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Obama also wants to drawdown the amount of troops in Afghanistan.  Reform of the Income tax and interest savings from pay down of federal debt are also major parts of Obama’s plan for reducing the deficit.

Election Topic: Taxes

Obama:  Obama believes in a progressive tax system that ensures a fair level of taxation for every income bracket. He put forth a tax legislation called the Buffet Rule, which invoked a minimum tax rate of 30% on millionaires. However, the rule failed to pass. In February he signed the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act. The act extended a two percent Social Security payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits. Obama wants America to return to its original values of fair play and shared responsibility. He believes this will help us protect our people and help the economy. The tax hike on 160 million working Americans needs to stop according to Obama. He understands that people can’t afford $40 out of every paycheck. Obama has said that the millionaires of the country need to be willing to spend a little more on taxes so that we can help grow the economy and invest in important aspects of the government such as education, medical research and a strong military. The tax code needs to change so wealthier people pay their fair share in taxes; it should follow the form of the Buffet Rule that Obama proposed. Obama has said at fundraisers and speeches that the country has tried the tax and spending cuts that Romney proposes and they didn’t work, but we also tried our plan and it has worked.

Romney:  Romney hates how high the current taxes are. He wants to do a flat 20% tax cut on all tax rates for everyone. By decreasing taxes he believes that people will be able to employ more people which would create more jobs creating the snowball effect with jobs. Romney will also cut some of the tax deductibles for everyone to offset some of the federal income for the tax cuts to begin with. Romney also wants to extend the Bush-Era Tax rates for everyone. Romney also wants to cut non security discretionary spending, amount U.S. government spends domestically and subtracting out defense costs, by 5% to reduce the federal debt and strength the manufacturing industry. Finally, he is in favor of the trickle-down effect, to grow the economy from the upper class down. In the end Romney basically wants to decrease the size of the government and decrease the deficit while keeping the taxes low.

Election Topic: Drilling

Obama:  Obama plans to moderate drilling by still drilling for oil and also developing better fuel efficiency standards.  He plans to expand domestic oil production by offering millions of acres, all while improving safety measures to prevent future spills.  He will keep drilling, but only if safety precautions are taken and the land is properly developed.  In developing land and safety precautions, Obama wants to create more jobs and be able to employ more people to do these tasks.  Under the presidency,  the country produced more oil than in the last 14 years, while also while also reaching better energy efficiency.   If President Obama is re-elected, there will be many new jobs in drilling and clean energy companies because Obama plans to expand both.  Obama believes that the country needs to conserve its dwindling natural resources, and will work to make sure the country has alternative energy to fall back on. 

Romney: Romney plans to increase domestic oil drilling in order to create jobs.  He believes many companies and people will benefit from having more oil at a cheaper price.  Romney plans to drill more in domestic areas such as Alaska.  He is also going to allow states to control their oil production, making so states can produce oil more quickly.  States can work together to increase oil production in the country.  He plans to increase off shore and deep sea drilling.  With more drilling sites, Romney believes many more jobs will be created.  Romney’s major goal is to make the country energy efficient by the year 2020.  Drilling for more oil is a key point in his plan.

Election Topic: Entitlements

Romney on Social Security: Governor Mitt Romney wants to modernize Social Security to strengthen it for the future. He will increase the age of retirement as the average lifespan increases. The new increased age for retirement won’t affect those who are current seniors and people close to the current retirement age of 65. Mitt Romney will also continue to grow benefits for Social Security but less for those with higher incomes.

Romney on Medicare:  Mitt Romney’s plan for Medicare will allow the younger generation to chose their own coverage and not change the Medicare plans that seniors or soon to be seniors are currently on. He will increase the quality of the service while lowering the cost of the premiums by making Medicare more affordable in his plan to help fix the economy.

Obama on Social Security:  Obama wants to modernize the Social Security to strengthen it for the future generations. With the help of The Recovery Act: a onetime payment of $250 to people so they can receive Social Security. Also, he believes that Social Security is a protection plan for families who are too old to work and provide for the rest of the family. He wants retirement plans to be set up through the person employers. By doing this it will make it easier for people to save on their own for retirement with better planning and advising for the future. Obama plans on rising the retirement age slowly and increase the payroll tax rate to cover more eligible retirees. Obama also does not want any changes to social security to affect current or near retirees. 

Obama on Medicare: Obama wants to keep the cost of Medicare down around $6,150 a year. Obama also supports quality and affordable health insurance. The Affordable Care Act closes the gap in prescription drug coverage known as the doughnut hole. Obama wants to raise the qualifying age from the current 65 to 67 because people are living longer than in the past. Obama will make sure that Medicaid and Medicare will continue working to help seniors who want to stay in their own homes, instead of going into nursing facilities. Obama also wants to cut the useless costs that seniors pay in Medicare coverage. By cutting these unneeded costs it will also bring down the costs of coverage while having better coverage.

 

Election Topic: The Dream Act

Obama:  The dream act allows illegal immigrants who have entered the country when they were younger than 16 years old, and have lived here for 5 years, to be able to gain citizenship. Obama believes in this Act because it will allow children who were born and raised as an American citizen to remain American. Also, after these immigrants graduate from college and receive a job, they will be able to boast our economy by putting the money they earn back into the market. The concept of allowing the immigrants into the country could strongly benefit our country in other ways as well. Due to the agreement in the Dream Act, the illegal immigrants would have to either enter the military or go to two years of college, which would in turn provide more men to enter the military. It could decrease the United States’ deficit. Most importantly, it could provide a home for the immigrants that came so young that they did not know any better. They came through no fault of their own. Thus, the United States should make them a citizen.

           

Romney:  Romney does not agree with the idea of illegal immigrants to be able to remain in the country. This uses the tax payer’s money to provide education for people who have entered the United States illegally. The allowing of illegal immigrants to enter the United States also sends a message that illegal immigration is accepted in the United States. Once this message is sent, there will be flocks of immigrants attempting to enter the United States. Once they do, taxes would need to increase so that America can continue to fund their education. After the immigrants do earn money, they would not put it back into our economy. They would give the money they earn back to their family in the country that they came from. Because of this, Mitt Romney does not believe it is rational to pass the dream act. The Dream Act has been rejected three times. If Mitt Romney was president he would veto the dream act and continue to deport the discovered illegal immigrants.