You Decide! Current Debates in American Politics, 2010 Edition

by Rourke, John T.

• ISBN13: 9780205745470
• ISBN10: 0205745474
• Edition: 7th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-12-09
• Publisher: Pearson

Summary

Updated annually, this best-selling, debate-style reader examines the most timely, important, and provocative issues in American politics. You Decide! Current Debates in American Politics, 7th edition draws students into the key topics that have made headlines and affected our political system during 2009 and will continue to affect our daily lives in 2010. Designed to get students engaged and thinking about our political system, the topics featured inYou Decide!have been selected for their currency, importance, and interest. The pieces, arguing various sides of a given political issue, come from recent journals, congressional hearings, think tanks, and periodicals.

Table of Contents

1. CONSTITUTON

 DECIDING ON THE CONSTITUTION’S MEANING:  RELY ON THE ORIGNAL AUTHORS OR INTERPRET IN LIGHT OF MODERN CIRCUMSTANCES : Deciding the Constitution’s Meaning: Rely on the Original Authors

Advocate: Keith E. Whittington, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Politics, Princeton University.

Deciding the Meaning of The Constitution: Interpret in Light of Modern Circumstances

 Advocate: Erwin Chemerinsky, Alston & Bird Professor of Law and Political Science, Duke University

 

2.  FEDERALISM

ENACTING A FEDERAL HATE CRIMES LAW:

UNWISE AND OVER-FEDERALIZATION OF LAW OR JUST AND APPROPRIATE?

 

Enacting a Federal Hate Crimes Law: Unwise, And Over-Federalization Of Law

Advocate: Brian W. Walsh, Senior Legal Research Fellow, The Heritage Foundation

Enacting a Federal Hate Crimes Law: Just and Appropriate

Advocate: Eric H. Holder, Jr., U.S.  Attorney General

 

3.  CIVIL LIBERTIES

THE PHRASE “UNDER GOD” IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIENCE:

VIOLATION OF THE FIRST AMENDMENT OR ACCEPTABLE TRADITIONAL EXPRESSION

 

The Phrase “Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance: Violation of the First Amendment

Advocate: Douglas Laycock, Professor, School of Law, University of Texas; and Counsel of Record for 32 Christian and Jewish clergy filing an amicus curiae brief with the Supreme Court in Elk Gove School District v. Newdow

The Phrase “Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance: Acceptable Traditional Expression

Advocate: Jay Alan Sekulow, Chief Counsel, American Center for Law and Justice; and Counsel of Record for 76 members of Congress and the Committee to Protect the Pledge filing an amicus curiae brief with the Supreme Court in Elk Gove School District v. Newdow

 

4.  CIVIL RIGHTS

 Reparations for African Americans:

Overdue Justice or Illogical and Unconstitutional?

 

Reparations for African Americans: Overdue Justice

Advocate: Kibibi Tyehimba, Co-Chair, National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America

Reparations for African Americans: Illogical  and Unconstitutional

 Advocate: Roger Clegg, President And General Counsel, Center For Equal Opportunity

 

5.  AMERICAN PEOPLE/POLITICAL CULTURE

THE CULTURAL ASSIMILATION OF IMMIGRANTS:

THE MELTING POT IS BROKEN OR BLENDING SATISFACTORILY?

 

The Cultural Assimilation Of Immigrants: The Melting Pot Is Broken

Advocate: John Fonte, Director, Center for American Common Culture, Hudson Institute

The Cultural Assimilation Of Immigrants: Blending Satisfactorily

Advocate: Gary Gerstle, James Stahlman Professor of History, Department of History, Vanderbilt University

 

6. PARTICIPATION

ALLOWING NONCITIZENS TO VOTE: EXPANDING DEMOCRACY OR UNDERMINING CITIZENSHIP?   Allowing Noncitizens To Vote: Expanding Democracy

Advocate:     Ron Hayduk, Associate Professor of Political Science, Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY

Allowing Noncitizens To Vote: Undermining Citizenship

Advocate:  Stanley Renshon, Professor of political science, City University of New York Graduate Center

 

7.  MEDIA

THE FUTURE OF QUALITY JOURNALISM:

IMPERILED OR SECURE?

 

The Future of Quality Journalism: Imperiled

Advocate: David Simon, creator and executive producer of the HBO television series The Wire

The Future of Quality Journalism: Secure

Advocate: Arianna Huffington, founder of the Huffington Post

8.  INTEREST GROUPS

THE OIL INDUSTRY AND ENERGY PRICES:

PROFITEERING OR RESPONDING TO MARKET FORCES?

 

The Oil Industry and Energy Prices: Profiteering

Advocates: Tyson Slocum, Director, Public Citizen’s Energy Program

The Oil Industry and Energy Prices: Responding to Market Forces

Advocate: John Felmy, Chief Economist, American Petroleum Institute

 

9.  POLITICAL PARTIES

 THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE OF PARTY POLITICS:

DOMINANT DEMOCRATS OR RESURGENT REPUBLICANS?

The Foreseeable Future Of Party Politics: Dominant Democrats

Advocates: David W. Brady, Professor of political science,; Douglas Rivers, Professor of political science; and Laurel Harbridge, graduate student in political science, all at Stanford University

The Foreseeable Future Of Party Politics: Resurgent Republicans

Advocate: Jay Cost, political analyst and blogger, Real Clear Politics

 

10.  VOTING/CAMPAIGNS/ELECTIONS

ELECTING THE PRESIDENT ADOPT  THE  NATIONAL POPULAR VOTE PLAN  OR PRESERVE ECECTORAL COLLEGE?

 

Electing The President: Adopt the National Popular Vote Plan

Advocate:  National Popular Vote, an advocacy organization.

 

Electing The President: Preserve the Electoral College

Advocate:   John Samples, Director,  Center for Representative Government, Cato Institute.

 

11.  CONGRESS

CONGRESSIONAL TERM LIMITS: PROMOTING CHOICE OR RESTRICTING CHOICE? Congressional Term Limits: Promoting Choice

Advocate:  Paul Jacob, Executive Director, U.S. Term Limits

Congressional Term Limits: Restricting Choice

Advocate:               John R. Hibbing, Professor of Political Science, University of Nebraska

 

 12.  PRESIDENCY

THE WAR POWERS OF THE PRESIDENT:

 CURB OR LEAVE AS IS?

The War Powers of the President: Curb

 Advocate: Jules Lobel, Professor of Law, University of Pittsburgh

The War Powers of the President: Leave As Is

Advocate:     Stephen G. Rademaker, Senior Counsel, BGR Holding and former Associate White House Counsel to President George H.W. Bush

13.  BUREAUCRACY

 POLICY POSITIONS OF FEDERAL AGENCIES:

REFLECT THE PRESIDENT’S POSITION OR BE DETERMINED INDEPENDENTLY?

Policy Positions of Federal Agencies: Reflect The President’s Position

 Advocate: James L. Gattuso, Senior Research Fellow in Regulatory Policy, Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies, the Heritage Foundation

 

Policy Positions of Federal Agencies: Be Determined Interdependently 

 Advocate: Peter L. Strauss, Betts Professor of Law. Columbia University Law School

 

14.  JUDICIARY

THE BASIS OF SONIA SOTOMAYOR’S VIEWS ON THE SUPREME COURT:

FIDELITY TO THE LAW OR IDENTIFY POLITICS?

The Basis of Sonia Sotomayor’s Views on the Supreme Court: Fidelity to the Law

Advocate: Patrick Leahy, United States Senator from Vermont (D)

The Basis OF Sonia Sotomayor’s Views on the Supreme Court: Identity Politics

Advocate:Linda Chavez, and I am chairman and founder of the Center for Equal OpportunityJonathan H. Adler,.

 

15.   STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

  ALLOWING STATES TO COLLECT SALES TAXES ON INTERSTATE COMMERCE

LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD OR  A THREAT TO ELECTRONIC COMMERCE?

Allowing States To Collect Sales Taxes On Interstate Commerce: Leveling The Playing Field

  Advocate:  Steven Rauschenberger, Past President, National Conference of State Legislatures

 

Allowing States To Collect Sales Taxes On Interstate Commerce: A Threat To Electronic Commerce

  Advocate:  George S. Isaacson, Tax Counsel for the Direct Marketing Association

 

16. CRIMINAL JUSTICE POLICY

THE DEATH PENALTY: FATALLY FLAWED OR DEFENSIBLE?

The Death Penalty: Fatally Flawed

Advocate: Stephen B. Bright. Director, Southern Center for Human Rights, Atlanta, Georgia; Visiting Lecturer in Law, Harvard and Yale Law Schools

The Death Penalty: Defensible

Advocate: John McAdams,  Professor of Political Science,  Marquette University

 

17.  EDUCATION POLICY

ASSIGNING STUDENTS TO SCHOOLS BASED ON RACE:

 JUSTIFIED OR UNACCEPTABLE?

Assigning Students to Schools Based on Race: Justified

Advocate: National Education Association, et al.

Assigning Students to Schools Based on Race: Unacceptable

Advocate: Asian American Legal Foundation

 

18. ANTITERRORISM POLICY

PRESIDENT OBAMA’S ANTI-TERRORISM POLICY:

ENDANGERING AMERICA OR PROTECTING AMERICAN LIVES AND PRINCIPLES?

 

President Obama’s Anti-Terrorism Policy: Endangering America

 Advocate: Richard B. Cheney, former Vice President of the United States

President Obama’s Anti-Terrorism Policy: Protecting American Lives and Principles

Advocate: Barack Obama, President of the United States

 

 

EXTENDED TABLE OF CONTENTS:

WEB ISSUES

The following topics are available on the Web at:

http://www.ablongman.com/YouDecide/

 

19 HEALTH CARE POLICY

 

  A SINGLE PAYER SYSTEM OF HEALTH CARE:

PREFERRED PRESCRIPTION OR UNACCEPTABLE SIDE EFFECTS

 

 A Single Payer System of Health Care Reform: Preferred Prescription

Advocate: Marcia Angell, M.D., Senior Lecturer in Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School

 

A Single Payer System of Health Care Reform: Unacceptable Side Effects

 Advocate: David Gratzer, MD, Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute

 

20  ENERGY POLICY

 

  INCREASE THE SUPPLY OF  NUCLEAR POWER

SENSIBLE SOLUTION OR UNNECESSARY DANGER?

 

Increase the Supply of  Nuclear Power: Sensible Solution

 Advocate: Alex Flint, Senior Vice President, Governmental Affairs, Nuclear Energy Institute

Increase the Supply of  Nuclear Power: Unnecessary Danger

 Advocate: Sharon A. Squassoni Senior Associate, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

 

21.  BUDGETARY POLICY

A LINE-ITEM VETO FOR THE PRESIDENT:

PRUDENT WAY TO RESTRAIN SPENDING OR UNWISE GRANT OF POWER?

 

A Line-Item Veto for the President: Prudent Way to Restrain Spending

Advocate: Paul Ryan, U.S. Representative (R-WI)

A Line-Item Veto for the President:Unwise Grant of Power?

Advocate: Cristina Martin Firvida, Senior Counsel, National Women’s Law Center

 

22.  SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY POVERTY IN AMERICA: BAD AND GETTING WORSE OR NOT BAD AND GETTING BETTER? Poverty in America: Getting Worse

Advocate:    John Podesta, President, Center for American Progress

Poverty in America: Getting Better

Advocate: Robert Rector, Senior Policy Analyst, The Heritage Foundation

 

23.   GAY RIGHTS POLICY

 

AMENDING THE CONSTITUION TO BAR GAY MARRIAGE:

NECESSARY AND PROPER OR  UNNECESSARY AND IMPROPER?

Amending the Constitution to Bar Gay Marriage: Necessary and Proper

Advocate:     Christopher Wolfe, Professor, Department  of Political Science, Marquette University

Amending the Constitution to Bar Gay Marriage: Unnecessary and Improper

Advocate:  Sheila Jackson-Lee, U.S. Representative (D-TX)

 

24.  WOMEN’S RIGHTS POLICY

ACHIEVING GENDER PAY EQUITY:

TOUGHER LAWS NEEDED OR CURRENT LAW SATISFACTORY?

 

Achieving Gender Pay Equity: Tougher Laws Needed

Advocate: Marcia D. Greenberger, Co-President, National Women’s Law Center

Achieving Gender Pay Equity: Current Law Satisfactory

Advocate:     Barbara Berish Brown, Chair, Washington, D.C. office of  Paul, Hastings, Janofsky &Walker and Vice-Chair, Labor & Employment Law Section,  American  Bar Association

 

25. NATIONAL SECURITY POLICY

 

U.S. TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN:

WITHDRAW QUICKLY OR STAY THE COURSE?

 

 U.S. Troops in Afghanistan: Withdraw Quickly

Advocate:   Sameer Dossani, Director, 50 Years Is Enough: U.S. Network for Global Economic Justice

U.S. Troops in Afghanistan: Stay the Course

Advocate: Admiral Michael G. Mullen, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff