Nebraska Capitol Forum

Class Statements 2009

 

School: Ashland Greenwood High School

Teacher: Brian Petermann

Class Statement: We believe that we should focus on the problems within America unless we are directly involved in a conflict. In other words, the citizens of the U.S. or the government's major interests must be threatened before America interferes. If we were to do this, we would be able to create a stable economy with a good output of resources, and other nations would see this and follow our example. We would create a positive image of this type of government without forcing it on a weaker nation. If we need to get involved (when a conflict directly involves us), we should work through international organizations to avoid resentment towards the U.S. Without international cooperation, the U.S. might be blamed for trying to "run" the world. If the UN or other international organizations do not agree with us, we must use caution and intervene only when absolutely necessary. World War II was a perfect example of how working with allies can help us to take out dictators and make the world safer for democracy. We must be careful though, when working with international organizations, that we don't involve ourselves in something that won't help us in the long run. We must pick our battles carefully and ultimately, look out for ourselves.

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School: Bellevue West High School

Teacher: Mr. Zah Basye

Class Statement: We, the students of Bellevue West high school, realize that the United States is facing difficult times and that we must devise solutions to these problems sooner rather than later.

With respect to the war on terror, we will assist countries in dealing with terrorist threats in their own states, but if attacked directly, we will fight unilaterally to protect our interests.

We believe our nation should learn how to conserve our resources and develop more environmentally friendly technologies in a conscious effort to save Mother Earth from more damage.

Since immigration has such a rippling effect, it is important to improve the visa application process and encourage immigrants to stay in their own countries.

When dealing with the problem of nuclear proliferation it is important that the United States take an active role in trying to lower the total number of nuclear weapons worldwide. While doing this the United States need to be fair and not ban any one country from using these weapons for defensive needs.

Improving our domestic and international trade, the United States needs to reprioritize the budget and strive to get our national economy back on track.

By applying these strategies the United States could improve their perception on the world stage. The United States must continue to take a proactive approach when dealing with these important issues. We believe that the United States can make a difference and lead the world into a better future.

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School: Centura High School (Dannebrog, Cairo, Boelus)

Class: Government

Teacher: Mr. Lytle

What specific international issues did your class discuss? U.S. trade policies with China, Pakistan/India situation, North Korea's developing nuclear program, war in Iraq/Afghanistan, global warming/environment, Russia.

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? International trade - are we keeping up with China and the rest of the world? U.S. dependence on foreign oil - we need to develop alternative energy options. War in Iraq/Afghanistan - we need a definitive plan for U.S. troop removal. Immigration - re-evaluation of current policy accompanied by more strict enforcement of existing law.

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? Our class felt that in many ways, most of the issues are in some way interconnected and that identifying some as being less important than others would be difficult to do.

Class Statement: We believe that America needs to continue to focus on homeland security, stabilize our economy to help strengthen the global economy, and seek to develop alternative sources of energy with minimal harm to the environment.

America needs to adopt a policy that will revise our current immigration laws while promoting more stringent enforcement of the laws already in place. We need to encourage a trade policy that seeks a balance between the needs of America and our trading partners. We have become too dependent on foreign oil as a primary energy resource and must support research into alternative sources of energy and fully fund the development of these options while protecting the environmental interests of all nations.

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School: Dodge High School

Class: Current Issues

Teacher: Mitch Hoffer

What specific international issues did your class discuss? Immigration, War in Iraq, Terrorism

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? We believe that all the issues we have discussed are important but believe that America should focus on the problems that affect us most directly. Fixing ourselves before worrying about fixing other countries.

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? We do not believe that there are any issues that are less important, just issues that affect us less than others. We should focus on the issues that affect us the greatest.

Class Statement: We believe that the U.S.A should lead by example. It is our belief that our country is still the most influential country in the entire world. We can use this influence to lead the world to peace and prosperity. The steps we think the U.S. should take to accomplish this is to strengthen itself and focus on what is broken with in its own borders. Once we are stable enough we can reach out to other countries and help them as well.

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School: Falls City High School

Class: American History

Teacher: Lori Rech

What specific international issues did your class discuss? Immigration and the economy, Terrorism – will it be replaced as the main issue of the government in the current economic climate?

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? Immigration and the economy of today and the future. How violence/terrorism has changed in the 20th century.

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

Class Statement: Immigration and jobs are going to become increasingly important topics for our government to focus on in times of recession/depression – it may become a bigger concern than terrorism in our immediate future.

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School: Twin River High School (Genoa)

Class: Government

Teacher: Mr. Sidwell

What specific international issues did your class discuss? Iraq, Pakistan, Iran, Russia/Georgia, Natural resource use, China (and their economy), Global economy, Energy policy, Immigration, Terrorism, and the Environment

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

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

Class Statement: Too many of our dollars of our $11 trillion debt is focused on programs that benefit people outside of the United States. This money needs to be spent on bettering our own economy. However we need to heed caution that some international issues will burden the United States. As we learned from September 11th, the security of our citizens and borders are at risk, and not to mention subsequently our civil liberties. In Iran we have a dictator who is threatening to grow his nation's nuclear capabilities. Afghanistan is falling apart due to the oppressive nature of the Taliban. And, now our economic global domination is being threatened by the communist country of China, who often uses non-friendly environmental techniques in promoting their commerce and industry. In conclusion, we believe that we need to protect our homeland while at the same time build a more cooperative world.

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School: Hampton High School

Class: Government - Seniors

Teacher: Patrick Alexander

Class Statement: One country alone cannot solve the problems of the world. If every country cooperates to take on the larger problems of the world, it will create a more stable, prosperous world for everyone to live in.

Nuclear Weapons If we lessen the threat of nuclear weapons, other countries will feel compelled to eliminate theirs as well. It is obvious that action needs to be taken to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons to terrorist groups. Nuclear power should be used only to produce energy and not taken to the extent of creating weapons of mass destruction. The Nunn-Lugar Threat Reduction Programs have successfully worked in Russia and we need to spread programs such as these to other countries. We need to work with our allies to effectively eliminate nuclear weapons worldwide.

Terrorism The United States should cooperate with the United Nations to improve relations abroad to reduce the threat of terrorism. Instead of acting alone against threats, we should work with the U.N. to come to an appropriate strategy for dealing with acts of terrorism. We should work alongside the international community to immobilize the resources of suspected terrorist organizations.

Environment One country's action to protect the environment will not contribute to worldwide environmental stability. Green technology in the United States will have little effect on the rest of the world, so we need to join with other countries to develop and promote eco-friendly energy sources. Building a market for green technology will encourage other countries to join in on the agreement and contribute in expanding ideas to stop global warming and secure a healthy environment.

Economy Commitment from the United States and our allies to help other countries economically will not only build those countries up, but benefit us as well. Once the developing countries are developed and all countries are stable, trade will be easier and more beneficial to everyone.

Immigration If the United States works with the United Nations to improve living standards in other countries, citizens won't feel so strongly as to immigrate to the U.S. Assistance from the United Nations and satisfactory housing, employment, hospitality and health care will compel them to stay and support their own country.

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School: Hastings Senior High School

Class: AP European History

Teacher: Robert Kerr

What specific international issues did your class discuss? We discussed trade policies, environmental issues, immigration, and nuclear weapons.

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? We think immigratin, environmental, and trade issues are the most important issues.

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? Nuclear weapons is the least important due to the lack of cold war tensions

Class Statement: The United States has been and will continue to be the world's leading economic and military power for the foreseeable future. However, we need to recognize that we are in a changing world that needs our leadership in other ways. We believe that the U.S. should promote the use of sustainable resources as the basis of future economic growth. We should build trade relationships which center on protecting both the environment and American jobs. America can't continue to send jobs overseas if we are to maintain our standard of living, yet we know that other nations need to create jobs for their populations. Immigration should be based on a blend of what skilled and unskilled workers our nation needs, but should be closely controlled, particularly in our current economic situation .Finally, we would like to see our nation sharply reduce its stockpile of nuclear weapons, but we need to keep a small arsenal of them for a worst case scenario.

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School: Hemingford High School

Class: American Government

Teacher: Davd Chatelain

What specific international issues did your class discuss? Our class discussed immigration, the U.S. role in a changing world, and genocide.

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? As a class, we agreed that immigration and the U.S. role in a changing world are two very important issues as of today. Immigration is becoming huge and is contributing to the downfall of the U.S. economy. Immigration is also affecting the global economy because the U.S. is one of the most powerful countries and since it is facing economic hardship, the global economy is also struggling.

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? We all agreed that, at this time, genocide is not a huge problem. Right now, we are not being faced with genocide so we believe that for the time being genocide is a mild problem in the world.

Class Statement: Our country faces many issues on a daily basis. Immigration is quickly becoming a huge problem. The U.S. is growing rapidly and with the numbers of legal and illegal immigrants flooding the country, the U.S. could soon be facing severe over-population problems. There is a definite concern over the jobs that have been and will be lost here in the state of Nebraska because of immigration. The unemployment rate is rising steadily and with more and more people being laid off, the problems immigration causes will also grow. How do we deal with this problem? Do we shut out all immigrants or just restrict the number of immigrants we allow into the country? The problem with immigration relates closely with the U.S.'s role in a changing world. The world is facing huge changes and with the U.S. being the most advanced country, it is our duty to help other struggling countries. The U.S. is, however, facing it's own economic downfall. How do we help these countries when we are struggling as well? While we do not know the answers yet, it is time to begin working to find answers to the problems that the U.S. is facing.

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School: Holdrege High School

Class: American Government

Teacher: Chad Bailey

What specific international issues did your class discuss? We discussed all five topics, especially immigration adn trade this year.

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? As a class the most important issue was immigration. Living in south central Nebraska immigration is becoming a "heated" topic.

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? At times our class feels like the environment is too important to some people. We have water issues in south central Nebraska but air pollution it not an issue.

Class Statement: The 2008 Presidential election brought many issues to the forefront in our country. Obviously our economy is a very serious issue along with our trading deficit. Do we really have "Made in America" products anymore or is the new slogan "Made overseas by American Corporations?" As we face a challenge in trading, environmental issues and immigration we run a risk of losing our number one in the world status. Our country has dramatically changed and the people of the United States needs to adapt to changes our will too will lose out. Changes will continue and in today's society so much our expectations of what we want from our government. Do we want to close our borders completely? Do we want to improve our trading and economy? Do we want to rebuild our trust in our government? The answers are not easy, but they all rest with the people of the United States and it by far time to "get to work."

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School: Howells Public School

Class: Sociology

Teacher: Scott Polacek

What specific international issues did your class discuss? The five big issues

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? Terrorism & economy are the most important.

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? Right now, the environment must wait. We are tired of being the only one to be blamed for global problems.

Class Statement: We believe that The United States of America is the most powerful country in the solar system! The economy is in turmoil and better leadership is the key. We should not waste our precious resources and tax dollars on third world countries. Stop terrorism in its tracks with our powerful army. Henceforth, we need to occupy the Middle East, more blood for oil. It's not only America's fault for greenhouse gases; China is also the culprit. In conclusion, lead, follow, or get out of the way.

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School: Pius X High School (Lincoln)

Class: AP Government

Teacher: Tom Seib

What specific international issues did your class discuss? Globalization and the world economy were the two topics we spent the most time on. We also discussed the wars in Irag and Afghanistan.

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? a) Global economic stability b) Terrorism c) Quality of life in Third World countries, specifically involving genocide and poverty

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? We did not feel that the environment and global warming were as important as the media makes them out to be.

Class Statement: America today is the most powerful and influential nation in the world. With great power comes responsibility to ensure a stable future for everyone. However, we must also protect our interests in a global world. We must protect those interests by adjusting to the many factors of the changing world. We realize that cooperation is the key to solving the issues of trade, terrorism, nuclear proliferation, immigration and the environment.

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School: Millard West High School

Class: World Geography

Teacher: Tim Royer

What specific international issues did your class discuss? International Economy/Trade, Immigration, Nuclear Weapons, Terrorism

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? While all of these are important, what’s been happening these past few months makes the issue of international trade and global economies the most important.

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? We felt that each of these areas were equally important.

Class Statement: The current global climate is like an emergency on an airplane. When the oxygen masks first, they tell you to put on your mask before assisting others. With the current economic crisis, we must stabilize our conditions here at home before we help others. Once we have begun to see signs that our economy is recovering, we need to help other nations recover as well and address these issues.

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School: Norfolk Senior High School

Class: Advanced Placement Government

Teacher: Katherine Steinkamp

What specific international issues did your class discuss? North Korean Satellites, Situation in Pakistan, Nuclear Proliferation, International Trade Collapse, Darfur, Mexico: Immigration and Drug War

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? Overall, human rights issues were the ones that we agreed were most important. Those included not only the living conditions and threats faced by people in Darfur and Mexico, but also included the human rights violations inherent in areas where conflict is prevalent and where there is an unequal trade balance.

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? We felt that nuclear proliferation and global environment were less important than the other three issues, but we still felt they were important because of their impact on human rights and the general welfare of people.

Class Statement: The discussions at Norfolk Senior High School repeatedly revolved around human rights and the preservation of the general welfare. Due to the unequal distribution of environmental resources, some people suffer the effects of poverty, including starvation and conflict due to competition for resources. Nuclear proliferation in the face of global instability threatens global populations on a large scale and has the potential to bring devastation to millions of people. Terrorism endangers human rights and the security of the individual because it strikes without warning on a widely varying scale. International trade has the potential to equalize availability of resources, but it can also be used to suppress or deprive people groups. For the United States, Immigration proposes the most diverse set of concerns. As a primary example of human rights, our country should be helping our regional neighbors to achieve environmental, trade, and security goals that will ensure quality of life and protect human rights.

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School: North Platte High School

Class: AP American Governemt

Teacher: N. Dennis Fornander

What specific international issues did your class discuss? Economy and Trade, Nuclear Proliferation, Terror, National Security, Energy, Immigration, Spreading Democracy, Global Environment

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

How do democracy and immigration control affect all three?

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

Class Statement: We believe that our democracy needs to stop giving a “crutch” to failures in our society and start motivating people to succeed. By taking away welfare and other handouts people will have more incentive to be productive. With more people earning their own way, we, as a nation, become more prosperous and our standard of living increases as well.

Energy is a problem that is slowly beginning to rear its ugly head. Gas prices have risen and many of the fuels we use now are slowly beginning to run dry. America needs to be ready for when that day comes. This means we should put a large effort into finding new renewable fuels that will be versatile enough to meet our needs, and efficient enough to be worth the change. However, this does not mean we should just stop using the natural resources we have in America, but rather utilize them to buy us the time to get the new systems up and running.

By spreading democracy throughout the world, it will be less likely that other countries will harbor terrorists. Past successes, like in Iraq, have shown that if we stand up to these terrorists and turn the non-democratic countries into democratic societies, they become more prosperous to our economy as well as their own.

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School: North Star High School

Class: Government and Politics

Teacher: Gillotti

What specific international issues did your class discuss? Economics has dominated this semester and issues regarding globalization. We’ve also discussed humanitarian efforts and where they fall on the United States list of priorities as well as the on going presence of radical Islam in the world.

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? All of the issues are acknowledged as important. The kids have come to the conclusion that this is America’s primary problem is making the tough decisions on what should be done now and what should be left for later.

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? Humanitarian efforts have become a lower priority with the kids in my classes. They feel that foreign aid should clearly take a backseat to stabilizing global economic issues.

Class Statement: We believe that the primary role of the United States is to help protect the international community as a whole. Even though we are the most powerful nation, we cannot accomplish this undertaking solely on our own. America must work with other countries through channels such as the UN and NATO in order to reduce the resources each nation must individually spend achieving set goals. However, individual goals for each country must be set so that roadblocks to success, such as free-riding, are reined in, and benefits can be maximized.

As the largest consumer of oil in the world, America must spearhead the directive to cut down the consumption of oil. In this respect, cars sold in the United States must become more fuel efficient than they currently are, and other, more environmentally friendly forms of energy must be developed so that they can be mass produced and sold to the public at an affordable price. In order to do this, our government needs to give subsidies to those working to make these alternative fuels more marketable.

It is now time to move away from the idea that America has to spread Democracy to every corner of the globe. While it may occur in the future, at this point in time, there are more pressing issues that deserve our full attention and the attention of the rest of the world’s as well, such as the genocide in Darfur and the legions of child armies in Uganda. We must make sure that a country is in a state where it can have a stable government before we introduce American ideals and politics.

Terrorism is a tool used by people throughout the world in order to intimidate. As Americans we are honor-bound to keep each citizen safe from terrorists. Our government should act to halt any more from breeching our shores. However, we must also address the underlying causes of terrorism, instead of relying solely on military action. We need to work with the UN to help rebuild the Middle East and other areas of the world with high concentrations of terrorist ideals. By destroying terrorism at its roots, there will be less of a chance of resurgence.

According to the latest estimate from the Department of Homeland Security, there are between 12 and 20 million people living in America illegally. Clearly, our current strategies, such as border patrol and deportation are not working. Instead, we should implement a policy that permits these illegal immigrants citizenship in exchange for performing a national service, which can range from the military to the Peace Corps or Teach for America. That way, America garners surplus volunteers for programs that have been somewhat understaffed, and the immigrants can gain legal status in the United States.

Due to America’s large influence in the world, it is our right and our responsibility to set an example for others to follow. With policies geared toward a more stable understanding of America’s contribution to world goals we can create a cleaner and safer world for everyone.

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School: Platteview High School

Class: AP U.S. Government

Teacher: Mr. Comine

What specific international issues did your class discuss? Terrorism, immigration, global economy, global environmental problems

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? We believe that all of the issues are important, but ensuring the safety of the global economy is our number one issue. If one major nation, such as the United States or China, fails economically, then the entire global economy would fall apart.

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? We believe that immigration problems in the United States are the least of our concerns at the moment, and it would be one of the easier problems to solve.

Class Statement: As young individuals living in this great country, we believe that there are some steps that need to be taken to make this country even better. We believe that, in the case of the environment, we need to limit deforestation, water pollution, and the use of fossil fuels. We also need to promote the use of hybrid cars, alternative energy sources, and recycling programs. With reference to the terrorist threat, we need to withdraw our forces from the Middle Ease, and sent in spies to collect information regarding their headquarters. We would help neighboring countries take charge in the ware on terror. On the topic of the economy, we would stop outsourcing jobs to other countries for cheap labor. We should also freeze all debts on housing mortgages until the crisis is over to stop the growing unemployment and homeless rates. On the final issue, immigration, it costs taxpayers money to send illegal immigrant children to our schools. As long as they have all the required legal paperwork they can remain. Any other circumstances would result in exportation of these people. These are the steps that need to be taken to further the advancement of our great nation, so that we can continue to compete in the global scene for years to come.

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School: Southeast Consolidated High School (Stella)

Class: American Government

Teacher: Peggy Williams

What specific international issues did your class discuss? War in Iraq, U.S. economic crisis, immigration, world's environmental problems

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? The issue the class thought was the most important was the war in Iraq since the other issues are influenced by the war.

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? None of the issues are less important; once the war is settled, other issues will come to the forefront.

Class Statement: Since everyone agrees we cannot do what we plan to do all at once, the United States needs to focus efforts with the issue of most importance to the people and most influential to other issues for the United States. The war in Iraq is decidedly the most important issue to this class. It has to be sorted out before anything else can be done, before we can focus ourselves on the economic crisis at home, continuing immigration problems forcing American workers to the back of the line, as well as our world's diminishing natural resources.

Although our troops are our main concern, what jobs can they expect to have when they do get home? We cannot stop all progress or attempts to create jobs to organize our struggling supports here at home, but some things do not need as much attention, such as debating about tax strategies and the impact they may have on the rich. The United States should do what's practical and, once it's done, don't review and discuss that it may have been a wrong decision; check it off the list and move on to the next issue.

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School: Sterling Public Schools

Class: American Government

Teacher: Mr. Wusk

What specific international issues did your class discuss? The relationship of all five themes as related to our economic problems at home as well as the effect on our global world.

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? The most important issues again are all inter-related and affect not only our economics but also the safety and security of our nation. There was uncertainty as to whether or not pulling our troops out of Iraq would be in the best interest of our country and how that might affect the larger issues o f terrorism.

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? No, we believe that each issue brings our country its own individual problems and all are important. However, we feel that there is a ranking as to priorities for the issues but all have merit.

Class Statement: As a group, we believe the issues in question are all very important for the future growth and existence of the United States of America. However, in the short term, we believe that the economic health of our nation and world has to be first and foremost in the minds of our leaders. The economic stability of the U.S. does affect the world and even though other nations do not want to admit our superiority, we still are the world leader and when we fail, all nations suffer. We believe therefore that we must first fix our own economy before we can help the world's economy and each of the issues (nuclear weapons, terrorism, immigration, environment, and trade policies) will be addressed within the scope of growing our economy stronger in the near future.

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School: Wilcox-Hildreth High School (Wilcox)

Class: Jr. American History

Teacher: Ken Meyers

What specific international issues did your class discuss? We discussed the environment, trade, terrorism, drugs, both legal and illegal immigration.

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? Not all of the class agreed to one specific issue and being important. We all have different views as to the reason why issues are important, e.g. farming and its impact on the environment, question who is a terrorist, etc.

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? We feel that all issues discussed are important in someway. Therefore we felt that all issues need to be continually debated.

Class Statement: In order to deal with terrorism we will require an international effort. This must be so because a terrorist, or a person who uses violence against other people because of religious, political, economic, or racial views or grounds, can attack anyone, anywhere, at any time. The greatest fear of nuclear proliferation will be the threat of dirty bombs being used by extremist groups and/or rogue nations. The environment should also be an international effort in which we cannot have extremist views. We also believe that through science and technology we can correct the evils to improve the environment. The United States should instigate a free trade policy with those countries that will participate in such a policy. We believe that free trade in the long run would end up benefiting all of the countries participating. The United States should not have open borders, however, the United States should do more to assist the legal immigrants.

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