Illinois Capitol Forum

Class Statements 2010

 

School: Astoria High School

Teacher: Doug Banwart

Class Statement: The issues facing the United States are very real, and our approaches to them will have drastic impacts on the future of our nation and world. The issues that our class discussed were nuclear proliferation, international trade, the global environment, genocide, and immigration.

We as a class believe that international trade is the most pertinent and demanding issue facing our world. As evidenced by the recent economic crisis in 2008, the devaluation of the global economy, and the interconnectedness of workers, resources, and goods; it is a sobering feeling to realize that bad weather in Brazil can affect corn prices in China, and ultimately its economy. It will be extremely important for nations to work together to develop policies on fair or free trade.

Although we strongly believe that awareness of environmental policy is of utmost importance to the United States and to the world, we felt this was the least important out of all the issues. This was a tough decision, because we understand the importance of protecting our resources for future generations. We understand that many are concerned about climate change and the impact of humans on the Earth's environment; however, the most pressing issue at the time is certainly the economy and international trade.

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School: Academic Academy (Champaign Unit 4)

Class: Law in American Society, Modern U.S. History

Teacher: Melissa Applebee

Class Statement: During this past year, the recession has hit so hard that it has affected everyone's life, both in the US and beyond. It has made the issues specific to the US seem more important that global issues. That is, our economy--jobs, housing, etc.--needs to be addressed before we as a country can take a huge role in global affairs. However, when we look at issues such as global warming, the earthquake in Haiti, terrorism (and how to deal with suspected terrorists already in custody), and our continued involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, we realize that the US has to cooperate with the global community and has to advocate for human rights. As a class, we believe the values of freedom and justice are the most important, and that human rights issues have to be considered before all others when we form policies, both home and abroad.

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School: Judah Christian School (Champaign)

Class: World Affairs

Teacher: Casey Summers

Class Statement: It is the general consensus of our class, World Affairs at Judah Christian School, that the following issues are essential to the well-being of the United States of America: Nuclear weapons, Terrorism, Global Free Market, Immigration, and Environment. Nuclear Weapons are of great concern to our national security. The danger of proliferation posed by terrorist networks and hostile states, such as North Korea and Iran, should not be taken lightly because it poses a threat to all peaceful nations around the world. Global free trade is important because it makes goods more accessible and because it provides opportunities for building wealth for all nations and peoples. Terrorism poses a significant threat to the United States for a number of different reasons, primarily because it can harm American citizens and it is a drain on American resources. In addition, issues related to immigration are concerns because many American fear that immigrants are taking over the job market, when, on the other hand, immigrants are looking for an opportunity to build a better life. A balance must be found for natural citizens and immigrants to live in harmony. The environment is important because we have been neglectful of it in the past and are paying for it now. Deforestation deprives the world of its atmospheric recycling system. Changes in climate, accelerated by air and water pollutions, can easily disrupt patterns in food production and living conditions. The above issues need to quickly become priorities for the United States government.

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School: Carl Schurz High School (Chicago)

Class: United States History

Teacher: Megan McCarthy

Class Statement: All roads lead back to economy. Given the current economic situation in our country and the world, addressing other areas of concern tend to rank lower on the list of priorities. One question keeps resurfacing: How can we tackle other international issues when our own country needs to be more stable and secure? Issues such as immigration, genocide, nuclear weapons and the environment do not seem as urgent as strengthening the economy. Ideally the United States should lead the world to a better future and should cooperate with international organizations to address concerns that affect all states, but the reality of the situation is without economic stability, we are ineffective to implement change. The first step for the United States is to focus on our own weaknesses and then emerge as a stronger country in the future to reach out to the world.

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School: Multicultural Arts School (Chicago)

Teachers: Blair Namnoum

Class Statement: Our beliefs come out of our school goals, which are "Be Here, Be Responsible, and Be Respectful. We believe that these goals can help build a better world, where everyone respects each other, works together, and can coexist. Important issues that affect our world such as genocide, drug trafficking, human trafficking, terrorism, immigration, pollution, natural disasters, and global warming, can be solved if all nations can agree to these three simple goals. First, by "being there" we mean that states should be present to support one another in times of crisis financially, militarily, or politically. Next, if states are "being responsible" then we can trust that each one will accept its responsibility as a world member and work as a team to solve and prevent future problems. We understand that corruption can sometimes be attractive to certain terrorist groups or uncooperative states, but we believe that we can create an alliance with enough willing states to create a better world. Lastly, by "being respectful" we can come to accept anything that makes us appear different, whether race, sex, religion, or otherwise, because in the end we are all human beings who share the same earth.

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School: Dunlap High School

Teacher: Anne Snyder

Class Statement: The world is changing. National boundaries no longer restrict the movement of people. Countries and schools need to accept and adapt to these changes.

One of the biggest issues America is facing in the ever-changing world is global education. America’'s schools need to adapt curriculums to match the interconnectedness of the world. American students need to be competent and confident when they school and enter the world. Traditional American courses do not expose students to world cultures and issues across the international borders. This needs to change. Education needs to create a global curriculum that deals with worldwide issues. Education can no longer be contained to each individual country, but rather needs to exist on a global scale.

In terms of foreign policy, we feel that the energy crisis needs to take precedent. It is clear that America and the world will not be able to depend on foreign let alone any oil much longer. Nations need to focus their efforts on developing alternate energy sources now so that when the oil runs out we are ready.

Humanitarian issues also need to be in the forefront of global policy. As we have seen with the devastation in Haiti and now Chile, countries of the world need to provide aid to those in need. After the 1994 genocide in Rwanda the world said "never again", but less than 10 years later a crisis is occurring in Sudan. We cannot turn our back on those in need.

This is just an idea of how we at Dunlap high school view some global issues.

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School: Maine West High School (Des Plaines)

Teacher: Ms. Littlefield Lanham

Classes: World Cultures Accelerated

Class Statements (3 sections)

The period four World Cultures Accelerated class of Maine West High School believes that among the many problems facing America today, the top three are the economy, environment, and genocide and human rights. The world's failing economy has a big impact on the lives of many Americans. As a nation we have the responsibility to produce more jobs, ensure good wages, and avoid inflation. We need to give every other nation a chance to compete in the world market. Basically we need to restore the economy to what it was before the recession hit us. The environment is not only a concern for other nations; it is a concern for us too. The United States needs to lead the fight for clean water for developing nations, and investigating new energy sources. We have to find more efficient ways to recycle. Genocide is greatly affecting not only us, but the world around us. Throughout the twentieth century we have seen many genocides. America needs to take a stand and prevent them before they even have a chance to start. We have to protect the rights of all peoples--not only ourselves. If we work with other nations to help stop these problems, the world might be restored to its original glory. Fixing the problems of the world around us will ensure safety for everyone, but most importantly, it will ensure Americans' safety in foreign nations.

The period six World Cultures Accelerated class of Maine West High School thinks that the U.S. should keep the global environment on the top of our priority list. This is a worldwide issue that encompasses each and every country. Our class believes that the US should not stand alone; we should cooperate with all other nations and give up some of our power to the UN. The US should tremendously cut down on our resource and fossil fuel consumption, for this is a continuous problem. We should reduce our dependence on oil, so that we lessen our vulnerability to oil-producing nations. Our class thinks that there are other important issues we need to keep in mind, but that the environment is a problem that needs to be addressed right now. The US is a great power, but we need to work alongside the UN and other nations to ensure the world's safety.

The period eight World Cultures Accelerated class of Maine West high school agrees that the environment that surrounds us everyday is one of the highest priorities for America to address. If we want to improve all the other global issues that we have, such as the economy and healthcare, we must confront this issue at hand. We can do this by burning less fossil fuel and by recycling. If we find new ways to help solve the environment's problems, and they work, this could inspire the rest of the world to do the same. Of course we cannot start alone, because it takes teamwork to get the ball rolling. The teamwork would help reinforce our ties with other countries and make trade a lot better than it is at the moment. These strengthened ties would also help our terrorism problem. If we all get along, then no one will want to attack another country. By helping the environment, we make the earth a safer place to live in. If there is less pollution in the air and water, it would better the lives of the people living in afflicted areas. If all of the countries have better healthcare and an improved economy, which would offer more jobs, there would be less need to immigrate. All of these global issues could be addressed if America set an example for other nations. They would also see that our way of approaching issues is a good way; they would also want to follow our way of government. Having the same form of government, democracy, would further encourage peace between nations.

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School: East Peoria Community High School

Class: Enriched Government/Economics and U.S. History

Teacher: Jennifer Lamb and Marty Green

1) What specific international issues did your class discuss? Genocide, foreign policy, immigration, environment, use of atomic weapons against Japan, Cuban Missile Crisis, global economy.

2) Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? The global economy and immigration.

3) Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? With resent news reports regarding climate change data, this topic has taken a back burner to other issues.

4) Class Statement As representatives of East Peoria Community High School, we feel that currently, the most important issues facing our world are the Economy/International Trade. Although the other issues still need to be addressed we felt these two were the largest. Our reasoning behind international trade was that interdependence has interlocked the countries of the world into one economy. This interdependence relays benefits and struggles to all countries. With the collapse of the Greek economy looming , is a "Domino Effect" ending? A fix there or here in the United States cannot solve a worldwide crisis.

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School: SIUE East St. Louis Charter School (East St. Louis)

Class Statement: After discussing our concerns we believe the global economy is most important because less wealthy people, without a steady income, may turn to violence. This, along with the amount of US foreign debt, causes us to have concern. Violence is also a large concern because of genocide and unrest around the world in this difficult time. The environment is also a global concern because pollution is destroying the Earth and the United States is not the only country causing the problem. Finally, immigration and international laws are of concern because of domestic job loss and the lack of enforcement of illegal immigration.

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School: Eureka High School

Class Statement: The greatest difficulty we see in the United States relating to other countries today is how to balance promoting democracy without enforcing democracy. The War on Terror has led us to see the strong necessity for cooperation with other nations through the United Nations, in order to make the entire world safer. We realize we can’t solve every country's problems. What are the stipulations for providing relief to other countries, since we have the wealth, resources, and freedom to do much good? However, we can’'t "do it all," and sometimes we may try.

One important objective the U.S. needs to address is to educate ourselves about other cultures and customs, to better understand the rest of the world. Too often our egotism may blind us. We don’''t realize how we are viewed, or the realities of global issues.

We should seek diplomacy even with those countries that may be a threat to us. We need to engage in deliberation in a respectful manner, when they are ready for that. Perhaps through the U.N. we could work on issues of genocide and human rights, as well as environmental pollution. We can be a leader to solve these problems, which do not necessarily stop at borders.

If we work with the U.N. to make conditions better in various countries, this may begin to solve the challenges of illegal immigration. We need to be more aware of our responsibilities when we benefit from sweatshops and cheap labor, knowing that this harms both our own environment, and both the world's environment and the workers of other countries.

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School: Geneva Community High School

Teacher: Janie Doutsos

Class Statement: The environment, global economy and worldwide cooperation are the most pressing matters as they are all intertwined and affect every nation. It will be difficult for the world to come together on these issues because all three are presently affecting us. A challenging factor will be developing a plan of action the can agree upon and that will benefit all members. It is our hope that with hard work and worldwide cooperation, our generation will make a positive improvement in our environment and global economy.

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School: Geneva Community High School

Class Statement: The environment, global economy and worldwide cooperation are the most pressing matters as they are all intertwined and affect every nation. It will be difficult for the world to come together on these issues because all three are presently affecting us. A challenging factor will be developing a plan of action the can agree upon and that will benefit all members. It is our hope that with hard work and worldwide cooperation, our generation will make a positive improvement in our environment and global economy.

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School: Homewood-Flossmoor

Teacher: Scott Aronson

Class Statement: The values that are most important to our group are: economic stability, security, and cooperation. We feel that economic stability and strength is crucial to our security. We also recognize that international cooperation is an integral part in developing solutions to our economic and security issues.

We feel that all five issues are extremely important to the well being of the United States since they all shape the values that we feel are important to us. If we were placed in a position to rank these issues the very tentative order would be:

1. Trade - Due to the implications it has on the values of economy and cooperation. Also trade can be used as a tool to help with security issues such as proliferation and genocide.

2. Proliferation - This has obvious implications on our national security. It is also very important in maintaining cooperation.

3. Immigration - This has implications on all three values and can shape the future of the United States.

4. Genocide - This affects our security and ability to cooperate. From an ideological standpoint we should value human rights.

5. Environment - This can touch all three of our important values and while it is an issue that needs to be addressed in the near future.

We would like to stress that these ranks are very tentative and we feel that they all need to be addressed in a timely and effective manner. This list is subject to change based on what the U.S. at any given time needs to accomplish.

We can address these issues understanding that international cooperation is important to participating in a globalized world. In order to ensure the safety of our country and our economy we need to address these issues with the international community. However, we do realize that in strenuous circumstances the United States may need to act unilaterally in order to protect its interests.

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School: Illinois Central High School

Class: International Relations

Teacher: Donnie Bowman

1) What specific international issues did your class discuss? Nuclear Proliferation, Economy, Genocide, Immigration, and Environment.

2) Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? Nuclear Proliferation and Genocide we thought were very important. Economy is definitely on our minds as people we know struggle to hold or find jobs.

3) Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? Environment and immigration we feel are not as important in light of the other issues.

4) Class Statement We the members of Illini Central High School, believe that Genocide is one of the most important issues of our day. We believe the United States, as a leading country in the world, is responsible for intervening when necessary. After hearing what took place in Rwanda, Darfur, the Holocaust, and other atrocities, we want to prevent things like this from happening. The World's failing economy has a direct effect on our lives. It determines how many of us are able to get jobs. The economy not only effects our country, it puts a strain on global trade. Even though Nuclear Proliferation is not a direct threat right now, it definitely is a growing problem. The American people need to be aware of what is developing. Also, the environment is getting worse. We believe that we need to do more research to find alternative sources of energy, such as solar and wind energy. Finally, illegal immigration is still a problem. We believe that we need to strengthen our borders to prevent more illegal immigrants from entering our country and taking our jobs.

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School: Lockport High School

Class Statement: In today's society, people see importance in issues around the world such as economic stability and national security, controlling immigration and improving living conditions within those countries, and ensuring human rights and stopping genocide.

Issues that people find least concerning are international trade and currency, boarder control and loss of exchanging ideas, and environmental issues.

As a country, we should act to encourage the defense of inalienable rights, help other countries with our resources and knowledge, and spread our example of democracy and government.

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School: Newark High School

Teacher: Mike Hall II

Class: 1A - U.S. History

Class Statement: The economy is the biggest concern we have. How will we get jobs when we finish college? Businesses need to be able to create jobs and hire more people. The government needs to be able to help but no get too involved. Our government is spending way too much money and it needs to stop! The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have lasted too long and we need to get out of there ASAP. Iraq first, then Afghanistan. We cannot be involved with everything that is happening in the world and let other countries do some of the work. We have to deal with a health care crisis, a struggling economy, high unemployment, and many other things. We can help others but we also need to help ourselves. The government needs to work together to solve these problems. They are too divided and struggle to accomplish anything. Do they really care about the American people?

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School: Newark High School

Teacher: Mike Hall II

Class: 5B - U.S. History

Class Statement: The U.S. has many problems and we need to come together as a nation to solve them. The government needs to get their act together and help us out. We need more jobs, more money, and less taxes! The only way we can do better is to get people to make more money and then spend it! Our trade needs to keep increasing. We need to try to stop sending many of our jobs overseas and let people here do them. Outsourcing is a problem we need to reverse. We are also worried about Iraq and North Korea. They cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon that can hurt us or our allies. North Korea needs to be contained and Iraq needs to be stopped before they get too far in their creation of a bomb. We need to finish our jobs in Iraq and Afghanistan before we just leave there. Many soldiers and civilians have lost their lives fighting in these wars and we need to stay there until our goals are finalized. Gay marriage is a strong topic in our class. Some want it to be legalized everywhere, some want it to be banned forever. The class is split on this topic.

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School: Normal Community High School

Class: International Relations

Teacher: Mr. Keogh

Class Statement: The International Relations classes at Normal Community High School believe the biggest foreign policy challenge that the country faces is the threat of nuclear proliferation. We believe that the development of a possible nuclear weapon in Iran, the continued belligerence of North Korea and the unstable situation between Pakistan and India all pose serious threats. We believe that the Obama administration needs to continue its efforts to reduce nuclear weapons worldwide and to promote a multilateral solution to arms reductions. With the constant threat of terrorist groups acquiring nuclear weapons, the world community needs to enhance its nuclear security and promote a more stable world.

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School: Normal West High School

Teacher: Mr. Klokkenga

Class: International Relations

1) What specific international issues did your class discuss?

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

3) Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? Our class doesn’t think that immigration and the environment are less important, we just see the above four topics as more critical at this time yet that doesn’t mean that this couldn’t change.

4) Class Statement Our focus this year has been on terrorism and the impact different terrorist organizations have on not just the US but the world. We particularly focused on al Qaeda and how their plan, which became 9-11, was not a spur of the moment decision but rather a long, calculated, premeditated attempt to create a global jihad. Because of 9-11, our immigration policy was radically changed and we are currently battling the ethical question of reasonable suspicion vs. probable cause. In other words, where does a country draw the line between one’s individual liberties vs. his/her security? Along with creating domestic turmoil, September 11th also created global havoc in the market which may have led to our current recession. Speaking of attacks that wreak havoc on the world, the world also needs to focus on the seeds of terrorism which has led to numerous genocides/ethic cleansings that are happening worldwide. If the world would change its focus to preventing terrorism rather than reacting to it, all would benefit. One way to maybe unite the world behind this cause would be to focus on our global environmental concerns which the US has led in the past. As Frederick Douglass once said, “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” Let’s continue to strive forward through our current struggles to achieve progress.

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School: Maine East High School (Park Ridge)

Class Statement - Crisis Averted: In merely the last decade we have seen the rise of China as a challenger to U.S. predominance, a long and grueling war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the deepening of anti-Americanism, the rise of terrorism, an environmental catastrophe lurking in the near future, and rogue states testing and developing dangerous nuclear weapons. Even Dr. Strangelove would find our current predicament perplexing. Thus we have appropriately named the early childhood of the 21st century, “Crisis Averted.” To say the least, with all of these problems in the world, we have successfully avoided catastrophe. We have, in essence, been averting crisis since the dawn of the new century. However even in the midst of these quickly developing challenges, we as a global community have come together, helping those in Haiti and Chile recover from disastrous earthquakes. There is indeed hope for the future, because we as humans have worked together before to solve the world’s problems and in the coming decades we will have to work together even more in order to overcome the challenges ahead of us. This new form of cooperation will transcend race, gender, and religion. As President Obama states so eloquently, we are all citizens of the world and need to participate in a global community.

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School: Maine South High School (Park Ridge)

Teacher: Kevin Hansen

Class Statement Maine South High School believes that the U.S. does not face one main issue, but actually faces many issues that must be resolved. The U.S. is known as a dominating world power yet we have not reached our full potential as a country. There are many issues we still face today and little room for error.

In order to maintain international peace, we must focus on every problem we have. We must work cooperatively with nations all around the world because we have a duty to spread freedom, liberty and democracy to all who are in need. We must also allow smaller countries to be heard and not overlooked. The U.S must strike a balance between our duty to protect human rights and respecting other country's rights to sovereignty over their people.

At the same time we must acknowledge there are regimes in this world that are committed to the destruction of our country and the values of individual freedom we stand for. We will always put human rights first and should use our global power and influence to encourage people in oppressed countries to fight for their own freedom. This approach would lead to a more unified and prosperous world. Subsequently, it would create a more cooperative world as well. This new cooperation will the international community as a whole to fight against tyranny, terrorism, genocides, and many other evils that exist in the world today.

It's in the U.S.'s best interest to help the countries around the world, but it must seek ways to do this without compromising our fundamental principals or jeopardizing our own economy. If we are successful than life, liberty, freedom, democracy, and human rights would become a normal part of each nation in the future.

Maine South High School (Park Ridge)

Class Statement: Maine South High School believes that the U.S. does not face one main issue, but actually faces many issues that must be resolved. The U.S. is known as a dominating world power yet we have not reached our full potential as a country. There are many issues we still face today and little room for error.

In order to maintain international peace, we must focus on every problem we have. We must work cooperatively with nations all around the world because we have a duty to spread freedom, liberty and democracy to all who are in need. We must also allow smaller countries to be heard and not overlooked. The U.S must strike a balance between our duty to protect human rights and respecting other country's rights to sovereignty over their people.

At the same time we must acknowledge there are regimes in this world that are committed to the destruction of our country and the values of individual freedom we stand for. We will always put human rights first and should use our global power and influence to encourage people in oppressed countries to fight for their own freedom.

This approach would lead to a more unified and prosperous world. Subsequently, it would create a more cooperative world as well. This new cooperation will the international community as a whole to fight against tyranny, terrorism, genocides, and many other evils that exist in the world today.

It's in the U.S.'s best interest to help the countries around the world, but it must seek ways to do this without compromising our fundamental principals or jeopardizing our own economy. If we are successful than life, liberty, freedom, democracy, and human rights would become a normal part of each nation in the future.

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School: Pontiac Township High School

Class: AP U.S. History

Teacher: Megan Bozarth

Class Statement: We, the AP U.S. History class of Pontiac Township High School, believe both the Global Economy and Global Environment are the most crucial issues facing the United States today. The current economic state of our country needs to be overhauled. We feel that continuing to engage in International Trade is a step in the right direction. Trade is dire to our economy and it will help provide the U.S. with much needed resources. When dealing with the economy, the United States should Put Values First. We strongly oppose child labor and do not want to trade with nations that engage in these practices. We feel this foreign policy option will focus on our economy, but at the same time provide our country with a leadership role by modeling values for other nations. As a class, we also feel the environment needs to be the focus of our current administration. Issues such as deforestation, water pollution, and the depletion of the ozone layer alarm us. We feel the United States should lead by example and promote a safe, healthy environment. Sustaining and improving the environment in which we live is vital for our future. We feel the United States should Promote Sustainable Development since economic development and environmental health go hand in hand. Money is needed to progress in technology, which would help our environment. We want our country to make decisions based on the future. We want taxes and tariffs on fossil fuels to promote the use of earth friendly technologies. Furthermore, with the creation of green jobs, our stand of living can be improved.

Overall, we feel the United States should guide its foreign policy by working to Build a More Cooperative World. Compromise is essential to achieving global goals. This option allows us to promote relationships with other countries and still allows us to trade, provide a leadership role in sustaining the environment, work to reduce nuclear weapons, and look out for our national security. This option maintains cooperation with others, but also takes in our country’s best interests.

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Pontiac Township High School

Class: Senior Group

Teacher: Mr. Kraft

Class Statement: The most pressing matters in the United States today are nuclear proliferation and the environment. Nuclear proliferation worldwide should be of the upmost importance because of its potential ramifications on the global scale. Nuclear countries such as Iran and North Korea need to be actively engaged to end their proliferation. Taking a firm stance on these countries will set a deterring precedent. The environment is of great importance due to the immediate effects felt all around the world. In order for the United States to maximize our potential we need to address these issues as they relate to our corresponding interests. The United States needs to take care of ourselves before we can ever realistically expect to take care of the rest of the world. Confronting every global issue is only idealistic and not something that can become a real possibility.

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School: Proviso Mathematics and Science Academy

Class: ILASS 2 (Integrated Language Arts and Social Studies

Teacher: Darryl Einhorn

1) What specific international issues did your class discuss? Nuclear Proliferation, Terrorism, Global Economy, Global Warming, Foreign Aid and Trade, HIV/AIDS and Genocide

2) Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? Genocide, Global Warning and Nuclear Proliferation

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

4) Class Statement (One statement for each of my classes is included):

Class Global Issues U.S. Policy Statement - (2/4) In regards to genocide, the United States should step in regardless of any cost. We tend to involve ourselves in trivial issues; intervening to prevent or stop genocide, is a cause that truly matters. Additionally, in order to quench world hunger, we need to strengthen our resources. Strengthening our resources, as the center of world trade, will help other nations in stimulating their economies. Immigration to certain countries that are stable should be allowed temporarily to the people in the countries that struggle with these issues. When the problems are solved, the immigrants will be sent back to their homelands and a better economy.

When addressing international concerns, including genocide, hunger, and immigration, TICO (Top International Concerns Organization) should be the organization to address them. TICO consists of the U.S., Great Britain, Spain, Italy, China, Russia, Canada, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, and Egypt. Each nation should contribute a certain amount of their annual budget to TICO. Every time there is a problem, TICO will be there to address it. Money obviously solves the problem of world hunger. The distribution of military forces will ensure that genocide will never happen again. With these two factors eliminated, there will be no need for immigration.

(Synthesis by: Ashanti, Nick J.)

Class Global Issues U.S. Policy Statement – 6/8 Our duty as Americans is to ensure that every person in the world has fundamental human rights. This is why we as a nation must address genocide and other international issue. When we see our fellow man in need, we shall be there. If they are hungry we should provide aid to feed them. If they are enslaved, we should free them. If we safeguard the importance of life and equality we will prevent intolerance and discrimination, which lead to genocide.

It is not only important to protect human life, but also our surroundings. As inhabitants of this Earth, we are responsible for keeping our environment clean, stable and abundant in resources. In order to achieve this we must start organizations funding environmental needs and stress that the responsibility is shared throughout. Before we are able to achieve these goals, we must secure the stability of our economy. We can do this by increasing our exports and developing strong international relations. Resolving all these issues would work toward the common good of a global society.

(Synthesis by: Christian, Shannon)

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School: Quincy Junior High School

Class: Freshman Talented and Gifted U.S. History

Teacher: Mrs. Lisa Goughnour

1) What specific international issues did your class discuss? We discussed immigration, nuclear proliferation, genocide, international trade, and global environment.

2) Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? The issue that our class agreed on as most important was clearly nuclear proliferation. Immigration and genocide were also a strong concern to our class.

3) Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? The state of the global environment and international trade was agreed on as the least important issue.

4) Class Statement As a world power, America has the responsibility to show the world that as a democracy, we have the ability to succeed in areas such as immigration, nuclear proliferation, the global environment, international trade, and genocide. America has the ability to lead nuclear powers well as victims of genocide to safety. Increasing border security will help solve immigration issues, and U.S. businesses must be protected to remain stable in trading. Uniting with the United Nations will help repair the environment. We want to help the world, but first we must help ourselves.

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