RESEARCH LINKS

Issue 1: 2024 U.S. Presidential Election

ESTABLISHING CONGRESSIONAL TERM LIMITS through a new constitutional amendment is no small task. Since 1787, just 27 amendments have been added to the U.S. Constitution.

Trump Campaign Website: Donald J. Trump on the Issues (full list)
Harris Campaign Website: Kamala Harris on the Issues (full list)
Ballotpedia.org: “Presidential Candidates 2024”
Allsides.com: “Election Resource Center”
270towin.com: “2024 Presidential Election Interactive Map”
ProCon.org: “Presidential Candidates Comparison Chart on the Issues”

Issue 2: Congressional Term Limits
Congress.gov: H.J. Res. 11 – Congressional Term Limits
Constitutioncenter.org: “Why Term Limits for Congress Face Challenging Path”
Heritage Foundation: “Term Limits, the Only Way to Clean Up Congress”
NPR.org: “Term Limits for Congress…Why Experts Say They’d Be a Bad Idea”
U.S. Term Limits: “Why Term Limits?”
Senate.gov: “Sen. Cruz Introduces Constitutional Amendment – Term Limits”

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Issue 1: 2024 U.S. Presidential Election

1. Read the presidential candidates “on the issues” (pp. 2-3 of the newsletter). For an unabridged list, visit each candidate’s campaign website (links above). Which issues are the most important to you personally? Why?
2. After looking at the candidates’ positions on the issues, what do you see as at stake in this election—for yourself, your generation, your community, your country, and the world? Which candidate do you feel is the best choice for our next U.S. president—Trump, Harris, or “other?” Why?
3. When did you first become aware of having political opinions? Who or what do you think shaped them? Did your parents or family members influence you—or was it more your friends, a teacher, or your church that played a crucial role? Have your opinions changed over time? How so?
4. Whether in school, with family and friends, or online, what experiences have you had in talking to people who may not agree with you? What has been helpful? What has been hard? Why do these conversations matter?
5. What are you optimistic about? What might your generation do better than those who came before it?

Issue 2: Congressional Term Limits

1. Should members of congress be subject to term limits? How many terms should they be allowed to run for?
2. Currently, the Constitution requires representatives to be at least 25 years old and senators to be at least 30. Some have suggested imposing a mandatory retirement age for members of Congress or a maximum age of election. Do you agree? Why or why not?
3. The 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits the president from serving more than two four-year terms. Does it make sense to have term limits for the executive branch of government (the president and his or her administration) but not for the legislative branch (members of congress)? Why or why not?
4. Summarize the “for” and “against” arguments for setting congressional term limits. Which position do you agree with? Why?
5. Proponents of congressional term limits say longtime members of congress have an “incumbency advantage,” making them practically unbeatable and less likely to listen to their constituents. Do you think the incumbent advantage presents a problem for true representation in congress? Would term limits solve this problem? What other changes might make races more competitive?

RESEARCH LINKS

Issue 1: SNAP Benefits

DIGITAL PRIVACY in the United States has become a hot topic, with consumer rights groups opposing the practices of companies that collect and use consumer data.

Congress.gov: H.R.8467 “Farm, Food, and National Security Act”
The Hill: “A Fight Over SNAP Funding Could Derail the Farm Bill”
Senate Committee on Agriculture: “Reviewing Baseline Nutrition Programs”
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: “House Farm Bill’s SNAP Cut”
Urban Institute: “Food Insecurity on the Rise, SNAP Spending Cuts Dangerous”
Heritage Foundation: “Food Stamp Reforms to Save Taxpayers Billions”

Issue 2: National Privacy Law
Congress.gov: H.R. 8818 “American Privacy Rights Act of 2024”
U.S. Chamber of Commerce: “Letter on the ‘American Privacy Rights Act’”
Electronic Frontier Foundation: “EFF Opposes the American Privacy Rights Act”
IAPP.org: “U.S. State Privacy Legislation Tracker”
StateScoop.com: “American Privacy Rights Act Could Undercut State Privacy”
Tech Policy OpEd: “Big Tech Tried to Kill My State’s Privacy Bill”

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Issue 1: SNAP Benefits

1. In 2023, 33.6 million adults and 13.8 million children lived in food-insecure households, compared to 30.8 million adults and 13.4 million children in 2022. Why do you think “food insecurity” is on the rise in the U.S.? Hint: Read the Urban Institute article (link above) for insight on the term “food insecurity.”
2. Is the SNAP or food stamps program the best solution to poverty in the U.S.? Why or why not?
3. Individuals who receive SNAP benefits must shop, cook, and eat on a budget of $4.40 a day. If you had to make a grocery list within the limits of this SNAP budget, on which foods would you spend the money? Why?
4. Some lawmakers believe welfare programs like SNAP create a “culture of dependency.” Do you agree? Why or why not?
5. What are the potential consequences for families banned from food stamps due to past drug convictions?

Issue 2: National Privacy Law

1. Using the U.S. state privacy law tracker (link above), look up your state’s privacy law. How would you feel if a weaker national privacy law preempted your state’s privacy law?
2. Read the Tech Policy opinion piece by Vermont State Representative Monique Priestley (link above). Are you surprised by her stance? Why or why not?
3. Which is more important—having access to online content and social media sharing, or privacy? Is there a way to have both? Why or why not?
4. Digital privacy spans many areas of our lives, including government spying on U.S. citizens, parental monitoring of their children, and corporate tracking of consumers. Which of these types of spying is the most egregious? Why?
5. Over history, the federal government has expanded its powers at the expense of the states. Why do you think the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution has not protected state power more effectively from federal encroachment?

RESEARCH LINKS

VOTER ELIGIBILITY is governed by the U.S. Constitution as well as federal and state laws. To vote in a presidential election, you must be 18 years old and a United States citizen. Each state has its own requirements.

Issue 1: SAVE Act (Voter Eligibility)
Congress.gov: H.R.8281, “Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act” or “SAVE Act”
House.gov: SAVE Act One-Pager – Republican (Rep. Chip Roy)
House.gov: SAVE Act One-Pager – Democrat (Rep. Joseph Morelle)
Bipartisan Policy Center: “Five Things to Know About the SAVE Act”
Heritage Foundation: “Vote ‘Yes’ on the SAVE Act”
League of Women Voters: “Urge Your Members of Congress to Oppose the SAVE Act”

Issue 2: Supreme Court Term Limits
WaPo OpEd: President Joe Biden – “My Plan to Reform the Supreme Court”
Heritage Foundation: “Biden’s Attempt to Control Supreme Court Is Unconstitutional”
PBS.org: “Biden Calls for Supreme Court Term Limits as Part of Reform Plan”
CBS News: “Biden Proposes Major Supreme Court Reforms as Controversy Swirls”
FixtheCourt.com: “Term Limits”
BrennanCenter.org: “Supreme Court Term Limits”

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Issue 1: SAVE Act (Voter Eligibility)

1. Should Congress pass the SAVE Act to ensure that only U.S. citizens are registered to vote? Why or why not?
2. Do those with the right to vote have more power than those without? Why or why not?
3. Why are so many people apathetic when it comes to voting? What happens (or could happen) when people do not vote?
4. Do you think it makes sense to be 18 and not exercise your right to vote? Why or why not?
5. What issues would bring more young people to the polls to vote, if included on ballots?

Issue 2: Supreme Court Term Limits

1. Would Supreme Court term limits contradict Article III of the U.S. Constitution, which states justices shall “hold their Offices during good Behavior?” Why or why not?
2. If term limits are good for the executive and legislative branches of government, might term limits also be good for the judicial branch? Why or why not?
3. Critics of Supreme Court term limits say it is an effort to grab the power Democrats have lost. Do you agree? Why or why not?
4. Since the drafting of the Constitution, the legislative and executive branches of government have become more democratized. For example, senators are elected directly by voters in the states they represent. Should the judiciary undergo similar reform? Why or why not?
5. Could changing the current structure of the judicial branch have no effect, or the opposite intended? Why or why not?

RESEARCH LINKS

TikTok has become an immensely popular app with teens and young social media users for its short videos and customized song and dance features. But recently the app is the subject of scrutiny over fears it could be used by the Chinese Communist government to censor content and spy on Americans.

Issue 1: TikTok Ban
Congress.gov: H.R.7521, “Protecting Americans Foreign Controlled Apps”
ProCon.org: “TikTok Ban Top Pros and Cons”
WSJ.com: “What Banning TikTok in the U.S. Would Look Like”
Forbes.com: “These 39 States Already Ban TikTok from Government Devices”
WaPo.com: “House Passes TikTok Ban Bill”
NPR.org: “House Passed TikTok Ban Bill. But Is App a National Security Threat?”

Issue 2: Ukraine Aid
Congress.gov: H.R.5692, “Ukraine Security Assistance Appropriations Act”
Government Accountability Office: “What’s the Status of U.S. Aid to Ukraine?”
WSJ.com: “The Case for and Against Aid to Ukraine”
TheGuardian.com: “Mike Johnson Faces Revolt by Republicans on Ukraine Aid”
NBCNews.com: “Speaker Johnson Faces Ukraine Aid Dilemma”
APNews.com: “Senators Push Forward with Ukraine Aid as World Watches”

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Issue 1: TikTok Ban

1. Should TikTok be banned in the U.S.? Why or why not? What alternative solutions do you suggest?
2. Although they’re owned by the same company, China’s version of TikTok offers a child-friendly version, with educational videos and a time limit that isn’t offered in the U.S. Do you think it’s possible China is using TikTok to influence a generation of American youth?
3. Is TikTok merely a fun video app, or something more insidious? If you were a parent, would you allow your kids to use the app? Why or why not?
4. The TikTok app contains a great deal of private information about American users and this data is stored offshore. But is it futile to worry about Chinese government surveillance in an age where all big tech companies (and the U.S. government) are spying on us anyway?
5. Should American federal or state governments ban TikTok on government devices? Why or why not?

Issue 2: Ukraine Aid

1. What are the arguments for and against the U.S. continuing to give aid to Ukraine to fight Russia?
2. Some foreign policy experts believe that Russia seeks to weaken Ukraine by waging a “war of attrition.” What do you think that means?
3. Former President Donald Trump has accused President Joe Biden of putting “Ukraine first” and “America last.” Do you agree? Why or why not?
4. Do you think support for Ukraine is important to U.S. interests? Why or why not?
5. Do you feel that Ukraine should advance toward NATO membership? Why or why not?

RESEARCH LINKS

NUCLEAR ENERGY is found in the nucleus of atoms. There is enormous energy in the bonds that hold atoms together. To make electricity, energy must be released from these atoms through either fission or fusion.

Issue 1: Liquefied Natural Gas
Congress.gov: H.R.7176, “Unlocking our Domestic LNG Potential Act of 2024”
White House: “Biden Announces Pause on Approvals of LNG Exports”
Reuters: “U.S. House Passes Bill to Reverse Biden’s LNG Pause”
CSIS.org: “Why Pausing LNG Exports Is Bad Foreign Policy”
NRDC.org: “Liquefied Natural Gas 101”
Energy.gov: “Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)”

Issue 2: Nuclear Energy
Congress.gov: H.R.6544 “Atomic Energy Advancement Act”
The Hill OpEd: “Conflicts of Interest Nuclear Laws Could Undermine Safety”
World Nuclear Association: “Nuclear Power in the World Today”
New York Times: “Nuclear Power Bill Passed by House, Support Grows”
Center for Sustainable Systems (University of MI): “Nuclear Energy Fact Sheet”
NRDC.org: “Nuclear Power 101”

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Issue 1: Liquefied Natural Gas

1. Read the White House statement on why the Biden administration temporarily paused exports of LNG (link above). Do you agree with the decision and its rationale? Why or why not?
2. What are the arguments for and against the U.S. continuing to export liquefied natural gas (LNG)?
3. Environmental activists argue that furthering U.S. LNG exports is incompatible with our climate commitments because they will lock in fossil fuel consumption to the detriment of renewable energy sources. How would you respond to their position?
4. Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) has said that climate advocates who fight LNG projects are heroes. “I can only hope that we build off Biden’s pause to get to a green, clean future,” he said. If Rep. Frost was (or is) your congressman, what would you write to him in a letter?
5. What is an example of an energy source that is renewable and has less environmental impact than fossil fuels?

Issue 2: Nuclear Energy

1. What images spring to mind when you hear the term “nuclear energy?”
2. Is nuclear energy better than fossil fuels? Should we pursue other strategies like geothermal and solar instead?
3. Are the impacts of the Chernobyl (Ukraine, 1986) and Fukushima Daiichi (Japan, 2011) nuclear accidents still relevant today? If so, how?
4. How would you feel if a nuclear power plant were built in your community?
5. Are there better alternatives to nuclear energy?

RESEARCH LINKS

SECTION 230 of the Communications Decency Act stipulates that “no provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider.”

Issue 1: Daylight Saving Time
Congress.gov: S.582 “Sunshine Protection Act of 2023”
National Conference of State Legislatures: “DST State Legislation”
Journal of Sleep Medicine: “American Academy of Sleep Medicine Statement”
NYT: “Bill to Make DST Permanent Re-emerges from the Dark”
NPR.org: “Six Things to Know about the Political Debate around DST”
Smithsonian Magazine: “What Happened Last Time U.S. Made DST Permanent?”

Issue 2: Social Media Safety
Congress.gov: S.1409 “Kids Online Safety Act”
NPR.org: “‘You Have Blood on Your Hands,’ Senator Tells Zuckerberg”
CBS News: “Meta CEO Zuckerberg Apologizes to Parents of Victims”
cdasec230: “Communications Decency Act Pros and Cons”
Electronic Frontier Foundation: “Section 230 Communications Decency Act”
WaPo: “Meta’s Zuckerberg Apologizes to Child Abuse Victims in Hearing”

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Issue 1: Daylight Saving Time

1. Should the United States make Daylight Saving Time permanent year round? Why or why not?
2. Visit https://savestandardtime.com/ and read the arguments for permanent Standard Time. What are the benefits and drawbacks of the proposal?
3. How does “springing forward” and “falling back” affect you personally? Which time zone do you prefer and why?
4. Why do you think some states like Hawaii and most of Arizona opt out of Daylight Saving Time?
5. Compare and contrast the economic advantages and disadvantages of Daylight Saving Time with those of Standard Time. Is DST better for the economy overall? Explain your answer.

Issue 2: Social Media Safety

1. In your own experience with social media, have you encountered rude or abusive behavior from others? What do you think is a good solution to this problem?
2. Should the social media platform itself be responsible for the behavior and comments of users? Why or why not?
3. Do you believe Section 230’s protections for big tech companies need to be revised? If so, what changes would you make?
4. Do social media networks cause more harm than good? Why or why not?
5. How does the Bill of Rights’ First Amendment protect free speech in the U.S.?