Maryland Capitol Forum

Class Statements 2010

 

Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, Baltimore City (Congressional District Three)

Teacher: Josh Headley/James Baker/Elizabeth Brown

Class: American Government, Honors

What specific international issues did your class discuss? Terrorism, International Trade, Global Environment

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? Yes, International Terrorism poses a great threat to the stability of free trade around the globe.

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? No.

Class Statements The US should expand trade with third-world countries. We also need to export more goods than import. We need to create more jobs for Americans by creating more industrial jobs/factories. We also financially help other businesses in other countries. We should attend to our own affairs first, before we interfere in other countries. We should only involve ourselves in conflicts of “terror” if they are directly linked to our homeland security and interests. When we do intervene to stop terror in other countries, we should not do so by shoving our policies and ideals down their throats. Our past reputation of doing so was probably an inclinator in much terror directed toward the US. Also, instead of focusing on establishment of government, we should try to aid in the establishment of better human rights and standard of living. This would probably help in the de-escalation of hostility toward the US. Also, America should try and be less intimidating in their methods of dealing with potential terrorist situations, because by being so abrasive toward other countries, we can inspire a lot of anger. Lastly, when attempting to solve violent/terrorist/conflict situations, we should try to be more compromising and not so overbearing.

Our plan for the new U.S. environmental policy includes such: investing in renewable resources such as solar power, come up with funding for more energy efficient technologies and their implementation, we would also like to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases by anywhere between 12 and 15%, and come up with some sort of agreement with the UN to work on decreasing greenhouse gases.

We, The Capitol Forum of Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, feel that the number one issue facing America today is Immigration. Our infrastructure is being stretched to the limit and that will only lead to instability in our own nation. While we must limit immigration we must also, through collective security, work to make emmigration unnecessary. By working with nations and fostering a more stable world we also address other key issues such as terrorism and nuclear proliferation as well as trade and the environment.

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Broadneck High School, Anne Arundel County (Congressional District One)

Teachers: Tammy Dronberger/Christiana Houstian/Gordon Maclean

Class: AP Human Geography

What specific international issues did your class cover? Genocide, Terrorism, Environment, Energy Crisis, Poverty, Nuclear Threats, Global Recession, Gender Equity

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? Poverty, Gender Equity, Genocide and Terrorism

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? No issues are actually more or less important, the priority of each just changes depending on the global climate and what’s going on in the world. We feel that with the current trend toward nuclear disarmament, the threat of nuclear attacks is not as forefront as other issues at this time.

Class Statement: There are many problems with the world today. Most are so complex, they will most likely not be settled in our lifetime. However, addressing some key underlying factors would help improve many aspects of the quality of life for most people. Gender equity for example, is an important concept. When women of the world gain the same rights and privileges as their male counterparts, issues such as over-population would be addressed. This is turn would affect problems such as poverty. Poverty would be eliminated with fewer people to feed, and more opportunities for education for all. This would then help countries emerge from the “developing” status or “less developed” to a more developed country. If all countries were more developed, the quality of life would be improved for all who lived there, which would most likely eliminate the desire for war and ethnic cleansing.

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Linganore High School, Frederick County Public Schools, (Congressional District Six)

Teacher: Lissa Smith

Class: AP Human Georgraphy

Class: Capitol Forum Club

Teacher: Bernard

What specific international issues did your class discuss?

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? Protecting the global environment Separating nuclear technology and energy from nuclear weapons Reforming current immigration policy

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

Class Statement The United States is a country interconnected with others through international organizations, treaties, alliances, and global economies. By its interconnectedness, the United States is in a strong position to influence the world policy agenda and become a model for the world in policy programs. Domestically we believe we can fight terrorism by strengthening existing efforts in all areas of terrorism prevention specifically border and airline security and increasing spending on the National Guard. Like terrorism we believe we can model a positive immigration program for other nations by increasing border control and establishing a work visa program. We would like to recognize the importance of nuclear energy as a source of alternative cleaner energy and in doing so widen the gap between nuclear weapons and nuclear energy technology. While in our view nuclear energy is good, we need to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. Our policy priority in this area is to prioritize intelligence on nuclear weapon proliferation to develop a more comprehensive strategy to eliminate weapons. Through international trade we believe we can strengthen global relationships and promote fair labor practices. Finally, we need to be a world leader in protecting the global environment. In this arena our priorities should be to lead a world recycling effort and organize the effort to research alternative energies.

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Patterson High School, Baltimore City (Congressional District Three)

Teacher: Trisha Van Wagner

Class: Government

Class Statement: There are many problems in the world that involve the types of governments, like in some countries there is a dictatorship in which the peoples’ rights are limited by the government. There are countries that aren’t free and don’t have the same liberties as our country such as Russia, Iraq and China. Other problems are poverty in many parts of the world, in which there resources are taken from the country and exported to other countries and the country doesn’t receive any compensation for the resources found in their country. The problem that is found around the whole world is violence that affects all types of races and genders. We think the U.S. should enforce our foreign policy goals and help other countries without jeopardizing our own economy and create a treaties and cease-fire agreements with all countries to try to decrease violence.

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School: Saints Peter and Paul

Teacher: Steven Brohawn/ Beth Thompson

Course: United States Government

No Statement

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Severna Park High School, Anne Arundel County (Congress District Three)

Teacher: Barbara Segnatelli

Class: A.P. Comparative Government

Class Statement As informed and empowered citizens who hold the future of nation in our hands, we understand that the choices we make today immensely shape the lives of our children. We place the highest emphasis on trade, as it correlates to the current economic crisis and is intertwined with the majority of international issues. The United States intends to maintain its position as a global economic leader, and to do so, we must increase our exports to strengthen our economy.

We then must address the issues of the environment. Our environmental policies are currently impeding with our international relations. Energy independence is an essential goal of the United States for the future. In order to ensure a sustainable quality of life without fear, we must develop alternative fuel supplies and sources of energy to maintain national autonomy. This ties with the environment as alternative fuels will prevent global warming and sea level rises, which will threaten the lives of coastal populations worldwide.

Immigration is also an important issue because the lasting impact continues through history to today, which changes the American identity. If we continue to restrict the naturalization of undocumented workers, they will not assimilate into American culture, thereby further dividing our country. Although immigrants are essential to the labor base, if they continue to escape taxation, they undermine both American social welfare and our national economy, as many send most of their money to their home country.

Lastly, the proliferation of nuclear technology around the world severely hampers our nation’s ability to negotiate with other countries. The spread of this technology into unstable and less developed societies also increases the risk of nuclear meltdowns or a nuclear weapon falling into the wrong hands. The United States, in order to implement this policy as effectively as possible, must face the reality of practicing what we preach by reducing our own nuclear armaments.

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South Hagerstown High School, Washington County (Congressional District Six)

Teacher: Adam Parry

Course: AP US Government

What specific international issues did your class discuss? America's Futures Global Economy Environmental Issues Immigration American Foreign Policy

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? We believe that making the U.S. the primary leader of the world in all global trade and foreign policy.

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? We feel that all issues are important, none less than the others.

Class Statement: We believe that the U.S. should take a more dominant role in the global community. We should be using U.S. troops economic might to expand our foreign influence around the world. By bringing more enhanced U.S. government structures to these areas we will free them from the corruption and inefficient governments that plague their societies. Since many nations look to the U.S. as a peace keeper we will promote civil rights and liberties to U.S. citizens by giving all peoples the same freedoms experienced by a U.S. citizen. The major key to achieving this goal is domination of world trade. We feel that unless a country is a U.S. ally or friendly democracy they should be sanctioned and if we need resources we can obtain them using military force. If they are not a U.S. ally or democracy they are violating the human rights of their people as professed by John Locke, and it is the duty of the U.S. to liberate those people and enlighten their government.

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Urbana High School, Frederick County (Congressional District Six)

Teachers: Colleen Bernard/Jessica McBroom

Course: AP Human Geography

What specific international issues did your class discuss?

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? Dependence on oil International aid War in Iraq

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? Trade agreements Global warming

Class Statement The US has several issues to address in the next few years. The multiple conflicts in the Middle East have been our main policy focus in recent years. We need to find a way to solve our problems with these countries so that we can pull our troops out safely, without causing increased political instability. Our plan for future interventionism in the Middle East may make or break our relations with nations throughout the world, as well as impact our dependence on foreign oil. A positive approach to reducing these conflicts would be increased interaction with the international community. The US needs to balance isolation for our own security and self interest, with strengthening our international ties. We need to reduce our aggressive posture and take a more diplomatic approach. We need to utilize our military in a way to help bring peace instead of cause conflict – humanitarian missions, peacekeeping forces, etc. This same level of diplomacy needs to be applied in reducing the proliferation of nuclear weapons, positively addressing the global warming issue with other international leaders to make policies that will work, implementing immigration policy that is inclusive, but stabilizes the economy and protects our security. Overall, we must strive to keep the world at peace while keeping our economy strong and our people safe.

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Urbana High School, Frederick County (Congressional District Six)

Class: Model UN Club

Teacher: Jessica McBroom

What specific international issues did your class discuss? US trade deficit Terrorism Global climate change Nuclear proliferation Drug trade Immigration

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? Nuclear proliferation Terrorism US trade deficit

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

Class Statement It is important to secure American interest through international cooperation, by means of greater involvement in international organizations such as the UN while retaining the option to act unilaterally if necessary. In regards to international terrorism, for instance, the United States will seek to confront hostile groups by cooperating with the international community, including those countries in which terrorist groups reside and recruit new members. The central theme of both these approaches is to contain and subdue potential threats to the United States. The United States shall seek to reduce the total number of nuclear weapons worldwide, thereby lessening the likelihood that terrorists will be able to acquire such weapons. Meanwhile, the United States will strengthen its own security; to this end it shall modernize its nuclear arsenal.

Through globalization, the United States will promote free and legal immigration and support the usage of work visas to introduce new specializations into the work force.

The US economy has held an advantage over other countries’ economies because of its vast resources and markets. With the rise of global competition in technology, it is important for the US to cooperate with other nations to create the best possible market scenarios that promote the advancement of the US economy. In order to stimulate the economy, the US dollar should be strengthened so that it remains the most common currency used in international trade.

Finally, it is important to consider the environment as we are promoting these other policies. Although short term benefits are minimal, the long term consequences resulting from a lack of unified action would be detrimental to global health. The state of the environment affects all aspects of international security (climate control, conflicts over resource, etc.).

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