In almost all nations around the globe, there are issues that raise eyebrows in the society. These may be of a political, social or economic nature. In most cases, the issues are critical in nature. When this happens, heated debates always arise as to which the best position to follow should be. The divergent perceptions that people tend to develop due to the various issues that arise call for a proper decision making process in order to ensure that unity of the nation is achieved. Most of the political issues in America always end up being controversial. This is because of the differences in opinion that is, in most cases, contrary to the other party’s opinion. The fact that the two political parties in America always argue on these issues makes it difficult for consumers to understand the best way to follow. At times, it becomes difficult to differentiate the right information from the wrong one. This paper will analyze the various positions that different people adopt when arguing for or against the issues. After discussing these various positions, the correct position will be stated in order to provide the correct position of the issues in contention.
Voter ID Laws
In the recent past, there has been a big debate as regards to the voter ID laws. Different citizens have given their opinion to these laws, but it has become difficult to determine what the best position should be. In essence, voter ID laws require that a citizen with the intention or aim to vote in American elections ought to have some form of identification document. Through this, the proponents of the laws argue, it would be easy to know who is in a stable state of mind to elect or choose leaders. Despite the advantageous face value they have, not all states have embraced them. For instance, of all the American states, only 31 states have adopted the laws. Largely, the laws are very controversial. Texas and Carolina, for instance, were sued by the Department of Justice, which sought to block the laws from being enacted. Essentially, these laws should play a role in ensuring that prevention of fraud during the voting period is easily achieved. However, those against these laws have their arguments too. Largely, they argue, these laws mostly affect the poor and the minority in the society. Both of the above arguments have some validity in them. However, it is important that the position that has the greatest good to the citizens should be followed. As such, the enactment of these laws would present the best option.
http://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/voter-id.aspx
Government Bailouts of Corporations
A government bailout of a corporation refers to the initiative that the government takes in order to save the corporations from running bankrupt. In essence, the government pumps into the corporations more resources in order to give the corporation high chances to survive. In most cases, the government uses the taxpayer’s money to do so. For many years, the government has provided the bailouts in order to protect the big companies within its territory. To some extent, there is need for such companies to be protected by the government from collapsing. When the companies manage to resurrect, in most cases, they end up being profitable, contributing to the economic growth of the nation. Despite this advantage, several problems may also arise from these bailouts and the impacts may not be desired. Essentially, bailing out a business signals the poor standards of business of thee company that is being bailed out. Secondly, there are moral hazards that are created by this process. Because of this, it would be of a big benefit to the government and citizens if bailouts are denied to the companies. Some companies that have been bailed out by the government include AIG and Sun Power
http://www.investopedia.com/articles/economics/08/government-financial-bailout.asp
Agenda 21
Agenda 21 is an action plan that is implemented voluntarily. In essence, it is a plan that is advocated for by the United Nations with the main aim being to ensure that the member states have sustainable development. This action plan, however, is non-binding and the member states have an option of ignoring it. Specifically, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development brought up this plan. The United States of America has never voted nor debated on the agenda, despite being a signatory to the document. The non-binding nature of the document has ensured that states are not under pressure to implement. The United Nations, however, is very much determined to convince America to implement it, since it will attract many nations to embracing the same.
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?documentid=52SEIU and ACORN
SEIU refers to the Service Employees International Union, which is an organization in the international forum to advocate for better employee treatment. ACORN, on the other hand refers to the Association of Community Organizations for Reforms, a body that pushes for better employee services worldwide. One advantages of having SEI and ACORN is that they advocate for the rights of the employees all over the world. However, whenever they fail to achieve their goals, it is the employees that get affected the most. At times, these parties have been termed as being controversial for the reason that they emphasize on big demands that cannot be matched by the employers.
http://www.acorn.org/
Fast and Furious
Fast and furious refers to a dramatic shootout in Mexico involving the authorities and a cartel in Mexico. Arguments have been made to the effect that the cartel has some links to the U.S gun operation. The shootout took place in 18th December, 2010 in Puerto Penasco. The operation was facilitated by agents in the office of Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The operation was so dangerous, particularly when the agents allowed the gun smugglers to buy firearms, with their core intention being to arrest high-level traffickers for prosecution.
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/12/31/justice/mexican-shootout-fast-and-furious/
NDAA
The National Defense Authorization Act is a federal law, which specifies the expenditure of the Defense Department in America. The funding levels and the agencies that have the defense responsibility are determined by this Act. The National Defense Authorization A ct is essential in that by budgeting and determining how much money will be spent, it enhances proper us of the tax payer’s money without wastage of resources.
http://www.policymic.com/articles/20835/why-the-ndaa-bill-is-even-scarier-than-you-thought
Equal Justice v. Social Justice
Social justice is used to refer to the justice that is in most cases practiced within a given society. In essence, it is applied to the different societal classes, its main principles being equality and justice. On the other hand, equal justice defines the manner that justice systems ensure that all citizens are equally treated under similar situations.
http://americanideasandsolutions.wordpress.com/2011/07/29/social-justice-vs-equal-justice
Use of Drones
America uses drones for civilian purposes. This step was taken after the Federal Aviation Administration issued the certificates for unmanned aircrafts. Proposals are underway to ensure the drones are expanded to be used in the commercial sector. In essence, the use of drones is important in that it makes it possible for the military to explore dangerous spaces that human beings may never go. However, the fact that they are not accompanied by humans makes them dangerous objects in case of a technical error.
http://dronewars.net/aboutdrone/
Food Stamps, Earned income tax credit, unemployment, welfare etc
Unemployment in the United States of America has been termed as being among the major problems that Americans are facing at the moment. This is due to the fact that the unemployed depend on the working class. Food stamps, on the other hand, play a crucial role in assisting those who do not have enough to depend on to get food. The major problem with the food stamps is that they tend to encourage unemployment amongst the citizens in that they are always guaranteed of food at all times. By January 2014, the number of participants in SNAP was 46,542,005. This shows how the food stamps help many people in America.
http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap
The second amendment and push for gun regulations
In the United States of America, the second amendment had the effect of licensing civilians to have personal guns. In essence, gun ownership by the civilians represents a tricky situation that ought to be critically analyzed. Proponents of this amendment cite self-defense as the main reason civilians should be allowed to carry guns. However, it would be important to understand that crime rates will be highly encouraged through gun ownership. Despite this negative impact, a majority of the senate supported the amendment. The issue on whether ownership of guns by civilians will promote or reduce security has been debated over for a long period, showing how much controversial the topic is.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/09/22/obama-urges-new-gun-law-push-at-cbc-dinner/
Benghazi
The Benghazi attack in Libya in which an American Ambassador was killed was highly condemned by both America and Libya. After the incident, there was released a video on the attack, named Innocence of Muslims. This video raised many issues on the political arena. Whether the attack was spontaneous or whether it was planned was up for debate, with research by the American Intelligence disclosing that the attack was planned. The issue continues to threaten the peace of the world in that the relationship between the Muslims and the non-Muslims continues to be threatened.
http://www.latimes.com/topic/international/libya/benghaziPLGEO0000008201652.topicNSA
NSA refers to the National Security Assurance. This is an agency for intelligence in the United States of America. Its core responsibilities include producing and managing signals intelligence. The agency has, in several occasions, provided information whenever there is some impending danger. Without it, it becomes difficult for the U.S.A to prepare for crimes directed to its people. However, NSA was under significant threat when Edward Snowden leaked some of the documents to media outlets.
http://www.nsa.gov/
Common Core
Common core is a plan that is geared towards a clear understanding of what the students are expected to learn. Essentially, through this, the teachers and the parents get in a good position help them. The standards ought to reflect real life experiences. The federal curriculum for schools ought to be drafted in such a manner that it meets the requirements of the students and the parents. This is so in order to promote education standards.
http://www.corestandards.org/
Federal budget and current debt
The federal budget refers to the outline that the federal governments have in place as to how the federal spending will be carried out. Through the budget, it becomes possible to give an estimate of the allocations that should be given to various aspects. The current debt, on the other hand, reveals the amount of money America owes other nations and private individuals. At the current moment, the current debt stands at around $ 12.312 trillion. Essentially, government borrowing in order to fund projects and promote the living standards of the citizens is the major reason of the huge debts that America finds itself in.
http://www.gao.gov/fiscal_outlook/overview
Conclusion
The above-argued paragraphs give a snapshot of the political debates and events that have dominated the public over some time. In essence, most of them provide a tricky situation in which one needs to take positions. The fact that two positions are always up for stakes means that the main political parties will most definitely take different directions. Because of this, the situations must be critically analyzed in order to give the correct position. Voter laws have been criticized for their discriminatory nature. In essence, they discriminate against the poor. However, critically analyzing the situation, the advantages that may be brought up by the laws is of the common good to the public. Through preventing fraud in the election periods, transparency will be achieved. Government bailouts and agenda 21 should also be encouraged; Corporations have a big role to play in creation of employment. Through the bailouts that the government gives them, they are able to get another chance to return to their normal businesses. This will ensure that people will be keeping their employment. Agenda 21 also ensures that there is development in the society.
