IIllinois Capitol Forum

 

Class Statements 2007

 

 

 

Bureau Valley High School - Manlius

Class:  Choices

Teacher:  Mr. Michael Goessman

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now is the time for our country to set examples. Our generation should not dwell on the tragedies of the past, but should be a beacon of hope for the future. We are the mold that will shape the future; if we do not like what is happening, it is up to our generation to change the course for our future. We need to come up with a strategy for real solutions that will inform people about the dire consequences if we choose to remain on our current path. There needs to be deliberations and discussions in order to find solutions for today’s problems and to help create a better future for our grandchildren`. It is up to our generation to fix the mistakes of yesterday and make today the day we create a better world.

 

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Eureka High School - Eureka

Teacher:  Debra Blunier

 

Our class’s first concern is with the issue of respect.  The problem is lack of respect, tolerance, and civility in public life.  Unless we listen to each other, we as a country and as a world cannot begin to cooperate in solving any of the many problems we have identified that concern us. We think, as a very diverse country, we need to learn tolerance and respect, particularly in the areas of religion and racism.  We think a big factor in this issue is the role of the media.  Objectivity is often missing in news coverage:  frequently there is bias, and there is always a slant toward violence and making the news entertaining.  Also, American news does not show world issues enough. In the area of entertainment, Americans often see disrespectful treatment of nearly every group on so-called “reality shows.”  These actually are far from reality, but distract Americans from the real issues and teach them that as long as you’re “diss-ing everyone, it’s ok.”

 

Our next great concern is the global environment.  Although many people still deny global warming is a reality, we can see that pollution, nuclear contamination, and our great dependence on fossil fuels are great risks to both the U.S. future and the future of the globe.  We think it should be a top priority to seek and develop new energy sources.

 

Security is our next most important concern.  Threats from terrorism seem to multiply daily as the terrorists discover new threats to our security.  Nuclear proliferation could produce the “worst-case” scenario if a nuclear weapon falls into the hands of terrorists who use it.  But in addition to this, we feel nuclear weapons in possession of rogue states are the new “Cold War” of our time, with no clear solutions.  The lack of stability and security in the world has led to less stability and security in the United States.  We feel that we shouldn’t have to sacrifice our personal rights in order to gain homeland security, but sometimes the U.S. government seems willing to make that sacrifice. This concerns us.

 

Another great domestic concern we have for security and stability is the economic future for youth in America today. Globalization and outsourcing threaten our job security for the future.  Also, the growing national and personal debt as well as the under-funded Social Security system may be huge problems in the future that we will have to solve.  The chance for a good education is not equal, depending too much on where a student lives in the U.S. Yet adults currently don’t seem to be able to face these issues or to solve them.

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Farragut Career Academy - Chicago

Class:  #1 

Teacher:  Sara White

 

 

As a class, we have agreed on the issues we consider vital to our future survival. They include immigration, nuclear proliferation, terrorism, and the environment. Coming from a predominately Latino community, the issue of immigration surrounds our daily lives. We fear deportation will lead to the separation of our family and friends, causing the spread of paranoia amongst the community. We also feel the continued willingness of nations to arm themselves with nuclear weapons has become a world problem. The possible use of these weapons can cause unprecedented deaths and long term damage to future generations. In addition, we fear this may lead to the distribution of these weapons to terrorist organizations. The pollution of the environment and the reluctance of nations and leaders around the world to take action is hazardous to us all. We have to come together to stop the devastation we have caused and we must find new solutions.

 

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Granite City High School - Granite City

Teacher: Vince Willaredt

 

The four most important values in today’s postmodern society are Freedom, Tolerance, Cooperation, and Democracy. These ideals stand head and shoulders above any other value one can hold and should be treated as such, especially in the decision making process.

 

Freedom is perhaps the most important. Due to freedom, a new age of information has emerged with the help of the internet. This new age brings about an empowerment of the individual the world has never seen. It is no longer governments or ministers of propaganda that hold power, but rather the individual. This means that events are now seen from all angles, and interpreted in myriad ways. It also unfortunately means the rise of guerrilla warfare and terrorism. Individual terrorists are now as dangerous as a world power.

 

Tolerance is not only necessary to the United States, but also to nations around the world. We believe that the danger is bigger than violent religious conflict and terrorist inspired ideas. The larger problem is intolerance of those who are considered different. If we as a nation and as a globalized world could embrace the value of Tolerance, wars could be avoided and terrorism alleviated.

 

Cooperation must be practiced in the contemporary era. In order to compete and succeed in this globalized world we must utilize cooperation between nations. To address problems like environmental concerns, we cannot act alone but rather as a whole. Common problems require collaborative solutions.

 

Democracy has many positive traits. It is important for the U.S. to promote democracy, but not force it. The United States acting as the world police is a problem. We cannot act as a dictator leading democracy. However, if we promote democracy selflessly, the world will respond positively.

 

Success in the future is a confident guarantee if the previous values are upheld. For this reason, Granite City High School endorses the values of this class statement and proposes that the topics mentioned be addressed.

 

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Homewood-Flossmoor High School - Flossmoor

Class: International Relations 5th hour

Teacher: Scott Aronson

 

1) Our class discussed nuclear proliferation, trade, terrorism, the role of the UN, defense and security, globalization and outsourcing, Middle Eastern conflicts and human rights.

 

2) Our class agreed that physical and economic security, such as terrorism, oil and trade are very important as well as human rights and global poverty.

 

3) We agreed that environmental degradation and immigration seem to be of less importance and disagreed on the importance of nuclear proliferation.

 

4) As a class, we discussed issues of nuclear proliferation, trade, terrorism, the role of the UN, defense and security (both physical and economic), globalization and outsourcing, conflict in the Middle East, human rights and poverty.  We felt that security, both physical and economic, was among the most important issues, and to a lesser extent, immigration, because these go hand in hand, since terrorists would have to enter the U.S. from abroad.  Nuclear proliferation should be restricted since it would only lead to arms races with other countries.  Human rights and poverty should also be addressed, as these are the root causes of terrorism.  The majority of our class tended to favor the realist perspective in discussing these issues.

 

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Homewood-Flossmoor High School – Flossmoor

Teacher:  Emmanuel Allie

 

In our class we’ve discussed topics such as global environment, immigration, terrorism, and nuclear proliferation. Being so close to Chicago, a city so vital to American well being, we are an easy target for terrorism. In light of attacks that have happened around the world as well as here in our nation we feel terrorism as well as nuclear proliferation are the most relevant and pressing topics in today’s society. After analyzing different international issues we have seen that some issues can be solved through diplomatic measures while other issues have to be solved through more aggressive means. In retrospect there are no easy solutions to the world’s problems.

 

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Hinsdale South High School - Darien

Class: American Studies

Teacher: Kathy Lencioni

 

The most pressing issue to our class is global warming.  Global warming is a very threatening issue to our environment. It is the reason for many of the natural disasters that have occurred in the past few years. Many people don’t understand what it really is and what the effects are, and how threatening it really it is. A major cause is pollution. We as the concerned citizens need to put a lot of our effort into decreasing global warming. We should talk to companies that are letting all the pollution get into the air, therefore causing many damaging effects. Not only that, but also everyone can do there own part by conserving energy. Little by little we can help set back global warming!

 

Terrorism today can be defined in many ways.  Our class believes that wherever terrorism exists, it should be confronted.  Terrorists need to know that their actions should be taken seriously, even if that requires the United States to enter into wars and conflicts abroad. Even though the purpose of terrorism is to cripple a government, a terrorist’s actions hurt innocent people.  While we are not concerned that terrorists will be the cause of large nuclear explosions, we are concerned that they can gather radioactive material.  The effects of this can be catastrophic  Terrorism has forced America to be extra cautious and be on the look out for any suspicious acts.  If this means that some individuals must render some of their freedoms, we are okay with that.

 

Trade is clearly an issue that the United States and our class is concerned about.  For one, jobs are being outsourced to the point that Americans have to wake up fearful of unemployment.  United States workers and farmers may soon be out of jobs.  Secondly, the trade policy with China and the WTO is up for grabs.  One party says that free trade is good while others fear the opportunities that a global economy gives us.  Who is to say in which direction the economy will turn?  All we can do is focus on one issue at a time and slowly move forward.  The United States government should be proactive about protecting our markets, while working to keep jobs at home.

 

Finally, our class feels that the United States needs some sort of Guest Worker Program.  We feel that many immigrants contribute to our country in a positive way, and we value what they bring to our economy.  However, we need to find a way to legalize workers and give them incentives to eventually return to their country of origin.  We feel that the United States policy towards them should address these needs.

 

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Judah Christian School - Champaign

Class: 20th Century World

Teacher: Rick Williams

 

1. What Specific International Issues did your class discuss.

 

 

2. Are there issues that you agree are important? If so, what are they?

 

 

3. Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones?

 

 

4. Class Statement

 

The most pressing international issues at present are all rooted in civil strife. Even at the local level here in Champaign, the Chief Illiniwek controversy illustrates how divided people can be over simple things like a college mascot. Some people assume that such symbols are offensive without really considering others’ points of view. Others dismiss the offensive nature of such symbols without considering the harm they may actually cause. Nobody really considers how to find common ground on divisive issues such as this.

 

On the international stage, differences between cultures, religions, lifestyles, politics, social status, race & ethnicity, separate people with even more deadly consequences. Everyone always wants their own way; nobody is willing to compromise. People are stubborn, selfish, sinful, and unable to see things from the others’ perspective. It’s all about ANTI-this, that, or the other. Fanatics control the debates, verbal extremists rule the day, the voice of genuine concern and compassion is rarely heard.

 

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Lafayette Center - Jacksonville

Class: Capitol Forum & Current Events

Teacher: Jon Blank

 

 

International issues our class discussed were in relation to the U.S.’s image, current motives concerning our military, and also the history of why we have become the “World’s Police”. World peace, terrorism, religion, global warming, economics, immigration, nuclear proliferation, government, globalization of our “American way of life”-- all of these items were brought up and discussed individually by the students in relation to our (the United States’s) current place in this world. The students determined that if anything is to be accomplished, even world peace, the action rests in the ability of the people to understand and cooperate without prejudice, and that core belief systems are difficult to change.

 

 

Having to put importance upon one topic over another was difficult, since our class had stated that all issues are interconnected. However, they felt that religion and economics were the two leading factors in what we discussed.

 

 

Surprisingly enough, Nuclear Proliferation did come up in conversation since some thought that weapons like these will never be used again, but in all reality, they felt all issues were equal during discussion.

 

 

Our class truly felt that if anything is to be accomplished recognizing that all things are connected is the first step we must take. Although world peace may seem like we are reaching for rainbows, the actual achievement of this reality is not difficult to see. As our fears about the unknown build, we tend to put up walls securing ourselves within our own humanity; thus, tying us to only one belief and one system of what is right. Extending ourselves figuratively and literally will help us understand that our isolationist views of the past can never be broached again, and to achieve great things we must recognize our obligation to help those in need. The action to do what is right rests in the ability of the people to understand and cooperate without prejudice, but our class also realized that core belief systems are difficult to change. Equality of one world is a reality our nation must face if we are to continue the path of “World Police” for a world as one is needed to secure the legacy of mankind.

 

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Lockport Township High School – Lockport

Class:  9th Grade Honors World Studies

Teacher:  Jason Ozbolt

 

What Specific International Issues did your class discuss?

To begin with, our class recently discussed U.S. values such as equality, freedom, cooperation, security, competition, self-reliance, justice, democracy, diplomacy and stability and tied them to several issues we discussed such as: trade, U.S. military, terrorism, conflict in the Middle East and North Korea, deficit spending, nuclear weapons, and war in general.

 

Are there issues that you agree are important? If so, what are they?

Issues that are found to be more important are than others are issues in the Middle East, oil, current events, deficit spending, the war in Iraq, trade, and terrorism.  Values found most important are security, stability, justice, and freedom.  Oil is important because the U.S. is so dependent on it and oil is expensive.  Current events are also important because it helps us to be informed on what is going on in the world.  Terrorism, war, and issues in the Middle East are important because they affect the lives of many people.

 

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones?

All issues are important.  This is because we can always learn from our mistakes.  However, there are issues that we shouldn’t be concerned about so much.  For example, trade competition isn’t that important because what is the point in competing with others?  Out-sourcing, diplomacy, and self-reliance are also issues that we shouldn’t be concerned with as much.

 

Class Statement

Our country is very strong and powerful, but we still have things to work on.  One thing that we can improve on is having more respect for other countries and prioritize our own problems before those of others.  Instead of burdening ourselves all the time, we should seek more help from our allies on international issues.  We need to learn to cooperate and be more negotiable, so other countries won’t fear us.  Overall, we have a great country.

 

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Newark High School - Newark

Class: US History 2A

 

What specific international issues did your class discuss?

As a class we discussed many different issues that we felt are or could soon become major problems in our nation and our world.  These included: global warming, social security, the proliferation of nuclear weapons, the challenging of our democracy, China’s threat to us as it increases, the selfishness of US society, the threats of North Korea, Iran, and Syria, the environment, Africa, genocide, immigration, college costs, and gas consumption.

 

Are there issues that you agreed are important?  If so, what are they?

Though we believe that all the issues are of some importance, we voted on the ones that we felt impact us the most.  These were the proliferation of nuclear weapons, certain environmental issues, Africa, college costs, and gas consumption.

 

Did you agree that some issues are less important?  If so, which ones?

We felt that all the issues were important, but we felt that some of them were timelier and impacted us more than others.  If asked the same question in a month, our answers might be different depending on what is and has happened in the world and in the United States.

 

Class Statement

There were many different issues that we discussed.  We each talked about the issues that we thought were most important and then we voted on the ones that were most relevant.  We felt that the proliferation of nuclear weapons, certain environmental issues, Africa, college costs, and gas consumption concern us most.

 

Nuclear weapons are always a big issue.  Now that many countries have them, we are afraid that they will someday get into the wrong hands.  If a terrorist group gets their hands on a weapon, we could have some serious problems.  We are concerned that we aren’t doing enough to keep this from happening.  We all deserve the chance to live, and a nuclear weapon getting into the wrong hands could take that away from us. 

 

Though we didn’t think that the environment should totally be our priority, we did find that there are certain environmental issues that concern us.  These are deforestation, urbanization, and overpopulation.  We decided to group them all into one because we feel that they are all related.  As the population of our country continues to grow, more space will need to be made.  This will cause more forests to be cut down to make subdivisions.  We are afraid that as our population increases, all the space is going to be filled up, not leaving any space for forest preserves.  The only tree found would be part of landscapes in people’s yards.  This could cause the animal population to decrease and many other problems to arise.

 

Though Africa does not pose a threat to us, we feel that it is an important issue.  Many things go on in Africa everyday that most Americans are not aware about.  Women and children are beaten, women are raped, and the AIDS virus is causing much damage to families.  We need to be more aware of what is going on.  America, as a world power, needs to step up and help.  If we start, maybe other countries will do the same.

 

Being juniors, college is quickly approaching.  Every year the cost of college increases, yet the amount of money our families bring in does not.  We are worried about not being able to pay the high costs that these colleges demand.  If more people aren’t able to pay, less educating will be done.  This could lead our country to disaster. Our future could be controlled by people that weren’t able to get a college education because they couldn’t pay for it.  That just isn’t right.  We need to take larger steps in decreasing the costs of education

 

We all started driving about a year ago.  Putting gas in our cars has become a big deal.  At the rate that our population is increasing, our gas consumption could soon be more than the amount of fuel that can be produced.  We think that more time and money need to be spent on finding alternate forms of energy.  If every car could be run on ethanol or some other type of fuel, gasoline could be conserved so that if we ever really need it, it’s there.  It’s better to find alternate types now before gas runs out, than after.

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Normal Community High School - Normal

Class: International Relations 3rd Hour

Teacher: Mr. Keogh

 

 

 

 

 

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Normal Community High School - Normal

Class: International Relations 8th hour

Teacher: Mr. Keogh

 

The very first issue that came up in our class was the conflict in Iraq and neighboring territories. This is because it is an issue that affects us, the youth of America, now in the year 2007. Even though we are thousands of miles away, it affects us every single day. We see it on the news or hear it on decided that the best action our country would take would be to find a stable government the radio, or find out that an old classmate just joined the troops in Baghdad. As a class we have to help stabilize Iraq and withdraw. Moreover, terrorism relates to Iraq and therefore is a concern for our country. The reason that it concerns us is that the war in Iraq (and terrorism) jeopardizes two of the most important values: stability and security. The stability of our country is essential because neighboring territories poses a threat to the U.S. They could easily raise military against us, or bomb our country. Security is essential for any country to thrive, or even survival. If a Middle Eastern country, such as Iran, doesn’t attack us, North Korea may attack us while we are vulnerable. If all of our troops are over in Iraq, what would happen if we needed help back on the home front? Along with security, stability is a major concern for our country. The two values go together, because if we are not secure we are unstable and if we have little stability we are insecure. Our stability relates back to every single citizen of America. When our country is unstable this will affect the economy immensely, which could potentially lead to another Great Depression. Moving away from Iraq and terrorism, the environment is a dire concern for America. The earth is headed down a dangerous path, and if we don’t start to head in the other direction, we’ll be stuck going this way forever.

 

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Normal Community West High School

Class: 6th Hour International Relations Class

Teacher: Mr. Klokkenga

 

 

 

Our class discussed nuclear proliferation issues, namely between Iran and North Korea along with a few terrorism issues such as Iraq and the troop surge.  Immigration and Trade were mentioned a little and we spent some time discussing global warming.

 

 

Our class tended to agree that nuclear proliferation and terrorism are the predominant issues facing the world in the twenty-first century.

 

 

The environment, trade, and immigration tended to be not as important in our class but we believe part of that is the nature of our class.  These issues aren’t a focus of the class but our peers did agree that these issues are something we need to be aware of.

 

 

Our IR class believes that North Korea currently represent the largest, most capable threat to the United States.  Iran, however, being allowed to enrich uranium combined with their extremist leadership will make them the largest threat.  Terrorism and US involvement in combating terrorism, namely in Iraq and Afghanistan, is another primary concern of our class.  The proposed troop surge of 21.500 troops by President Bush is a very controversial issue for our class.  While almost everyone in our class agrees that Iraq is a hot spot and of extreme importance to our national interest, our class is split on what to do with Iraq.  Our class agrees that action does need to be taken immediately regarding nuclear proliferation and terrorism yet we are unable to reach consensus on what action needs to be taken.

 

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Pontiac Township High School - Pontiac

Teacher: Eric Bohm

 

Today’s world is defined by both its continuous advances in technological and intellectual fields and by the interdependent nature of its nations. The delicate balance that maintains peace and cooperation is intricately woven throughout the international spectrum. From immigration, trade, and the environment to terrorism and proliferation, the success of a single country relies on its relationships with its fellow nations. As a prominent figure in the world today, the United States is subject to much scrutiny and criticism. Despite our progress in the industrial fields, most nations have neglected the environmental issues confronting us today. Pollution and other careless behaviors have accelerated the natural attrition of our world to an alarming rate, and capable nations must step up and take control of the issue. A powerful player in international trade, it is our responsibility to enforce equal and reasonable opportunities for the world alike. By allowing all nations to participate and grow in the market, it is quite possible that the standard of living worldwide can be elevated to a higher level. Such an occurrence would decrease the flow of emigrants from underdeveloped nations, and alleviate the consequences of excessive immigration in thriving countries. As the same time, elevating lands out of poverty will most likely lessen hostilities toward the United States and other world leaders. Terrorism and nuclear armament have grown to be the most volatile issues on the world stage. Yesterday’s Iron Curtain has become today’s Middle East, and many eyes are trained on the chaos that reigns in the area. It is vital for the safety of the entire globe to end the constant battling throughout the region in a complete and timely manner. Because these issues are so closely connected, it is necessary to address them all in order to see true change in the world. To ensure a safe future for the world, we must work to maintain and improve international relations around the globe.

 

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Streamwood High School - Streamwood

Teacher: Nick Vassolo

 

In 1947, the British Empire ceased to be as it handed over its position as the world leader in military power, trade dominance, and political strength, over to the United States. It was a position that England struggled to hold onto for the better part of 300 years. Whilst doing so, it made them the international symbol for tyranny and oppression and also a target for conflict and insurrection. For 60 years, the United States has struggled mightily to fit into this new role. And, at the risk of sounding brash, America has become the world leader in everything that matters in statecraft. To suggest that America needs to recede into the background of states and let someone else monitor the globe is unrealistic and irresponsible. Despite the current spike in worldwide anti-Americanism (the product of a historically bad presidency), the US has largely been considered a benefactor to most nations. The idea that China is the next in line for world dominance is woefully misguided. Compared to China, the United States is economically superior, more environmentally responsible, more philanthropic, and more progressive on human rights. China’s overheated economy rests on a vast, underpaid workforce, and an unmanageable sum of overvalued, unsecured debt. This is not a 21st century rendering of “White Mans’ Burden”, rather an admonition to those that discount our country’s positive contributions to the world.

 

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SIUE E. St. Louis Charter High School – East St. Louis

Class: International Relations

Teacher: Elena Badjie

 

What specific international issues did your class discuss?

 

Our class has several issues. These include human rights abuses, the war with Iraq, nuclear proliferation, malnutrition, security of the United States, and a cure for AIDS

 

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they?

 

The issues of human rights and the war in Iraq were important concerns.

 

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones?

 

The issue of AIDS was the last concern that was addressed but not necessarily least important.

 

Class Statement

 

Our class has several concerns. These include human rights abuses, the war with Iraq, nuclear proliferation, malnutrition, security of the United States, and a cure for AIDS.

 

 

In conclusion, our class concerns consisted of human rights abuses, the war with Iraq, nuclear proliferation, malnutrition, security of the United States, and a cure for AIDS.

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York Community High School - Elmhurst

Teacher: Kenneth Dowdy

 

We feel that the first step for a changed world is a changed United States. If the U.S. sets a good, fair example for the globe, a higher level of trust and cooperation would occur within the global network. Since the environment is a global issue, it should be a primary focus. While stability within our own economy must be maintained at a certain level, we must also support the advancement of other nations. The improvement of other countries’ economies would lead to a decrease in immigration to the U.S. As technology increases and the United States’ global reach continues to expand, we must secure a competitive global market which would benefit all nations. Furthermore, the U.S. government needs to address our personal role in the causes of terrorism.

 

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