New Jersey Capitol Forum

Class Statements 2008

 

School: Bergenfield High School

Teacher: Mr. Kozay / Mr. Alvarez

Class: US II Honors / A.P.

What specific issues did you class discuss?

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

As a class, the problems we discussed were: immigration, terrorism, environment, trade, and nuclear weapons. In order to solve these problems, each country must contribute to the cause of international cooperation. No one nation, as great as they may be, can sustain or withstand the burden of these problems. We strongly feel that immigration, terrorism, and the environment are our most pressing issues as a global community. These problems are so crucial because they affect every aspect of all countries around the world. Without global cooperation each nation is condemning itself to future issues that potentially could be too intricate to solve.

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School: Butler High School

Teacher: Mrs. Deborah L. Hoeflinger

Class: Advanced Placement United States History I

What specific international issues did your class discuss? The class discussed environmental issues in particular global warming. They also talked about immigration policy and its impact on both the United States and the world. The primary discussion centered around U.S. involvement in world affairs.

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? The class agreed that the U.S. needs to lead in the areas of environment and immigration. They really felt strongly that the ward in Iraq just be addressed in the coming months.

Did you agree that some issues are less important? The class felt that most of the issues were very important but they really felt that, until the war in Iraq is settled, the other issues will continue to take a back seat.

Class Statement During our study of the 20th century, we saw that foreign policy of the United States was affected for many years by decisions we made. These decisions had repercussions in all facets of American society. In light of this fact, we feel that serious consideration and study should occur before the United States commits itself to action in world affairs. We should avoid snap decisions if at all possible.

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School: Butler High School

Teacher: Mrs. Deborah L. Hoeflinger

Class: Government

What specific international issues did your class discuss? Our class talked a great deal about both immigration issues and the war on terrorism. We also spent time discussing how we as both a nation and the world should address global warming.

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? We were particularly interested in the role that the United States should play in world affairs.

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? No. The feeling was that all of the issues were interrelated.

Class Statement The government class at Butler High School had decided that the United States should pay more attention to protecting the interests of our own country and less attention to the problems of other nations. The United States should focus more on domestic issues than on foreign affairs. There are many citizens of the U.S. who are in need of government assistance and yet we fund relief organizations and watch our dollars go to people in countries around the world. The United Nations with its membership of many nations should be the primary source of humanitarian aid and should take the lead in international issues. One country even as large and prosperous as the United States cannot do what many nations working together can accomplish. The United States should act as a role model for other nations in all areas. Seeing us take care of our own citizens, care deeply about the environment, and demonstrate the ideals of democracy will encourage others to do the same.

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School: Elizabeth High School-Upper Academy

Teacher: Carol Eisenberg

Class: U.S. History I

What specific international issues did your class discuss? •

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? All of the issues are important and relevant.

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

Class Statement In today’s world no nation can exist isolated, nor can they impose their policies in a unilateral fashion upon the rest of the world. The United States must adopt policies which are a combination of helping others and ourselves.

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School: Morris Knolls High School

Teacher: Marc Levenson

Class: Perspectives (Senior Elective)

What specific international issues did your class discuss?

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? Our class has found a common theme in almost all domestic and international issues facing the US today: there is a mismanagement of resources on several levels of the United States including technology, research, personnel, and economy.

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? We feel that all issues require immediate attention. We also believe all issues are interconnected.

Class statement Throughout the last decade, the United States of America has staggered both domestically and internationally. Domestically the US faces conflicts regarding its economy, its infrastructure, and its stagnant political climate. In the international realm the status of the United States has been lowered in the eyes of the world, and its position as the sole superpower is declining. We believe that the United States of America is severely misallocating the most valuable resources, which include the environment, information, and personnel. Examples of mismanagement of these resources can be seen in the dearth of environmental initiatives, the mishandling of the national security threats, and the misuse of its priceless men and women in uniform. We believe that for the US to maintain its leading status as a world power, it needs to allocate its treasured resources more efficiently and intelligently. We believe this can only be accomplished if the US adopts a vivacious, dynamic, and trustworthy political climate.

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School: Plainfield High School

Teacher: Mr. Joseph Colodne

Class: United States History I

What specific international issues did your class discuss? We discussed immigration, global warming, terrorism and trade.

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? The class as a whole agreed that immigration was the most important global issue, closely followed by terrorism.

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? The class really didn’t see nuclear proliferation as a serious issue, mainly I believe because they were not effected by it.

Class Statement The top issue of concern for the United States is immigration. Immigration is a two-sided coin for the United States since we were founded on the principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; however, through the years these truths have become clouded. We must look at the late 19th and early 20th Centuries to see where our first waves of immigration came from and how the Statue of Liberty says: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore.” However, now in the 21st Century the idea of immigration takes on a very poor connotation

In regards to the negative aspects of immigration, the U.S. has seen a rise in the gang violence by Central and South American gangs. It can be also asserted that immigration has weakened the job market and created a deficit.

The class feels that immigrants who are illegally here should be given the opportunity to go onto higher education which would provide an opportunity for these people to expand upon the ideals of democracy and citizenship. The illegal immigrants that are presently in the United States would be given an opportunity to become citizens as long as the meet certain criteria. The first criteria would be they would have to work on the books for 5-7 years while paying Social Security and State and Federal Taxes. Next, illegal immigrants will have the opportunity to pay towards their health care and thus decrease the likelihood of rising health care costs. Finally, these now “legal” immigrants would need to check in once a year to ensure that everything is going to plan.

Immigrants looking to come to the U.S. would have to do so legally by obtaining a work visa by going through an evaluation process consisting of a physical, an interview, and a background check to see that no “unsavory” individuals would come onto our shores. Once these now legal immigrants come to the United States they would need to gain employment and would need to check in with a new governmental agency that would be created to evaluate the immigrant during their time in the U.S. There would be a quota system to limit the number of immigrants from successful countries.

We feel as though the present United States policy has the virtues of being racist, prejudice, discriminatory and unkind. We feel that our values and our ideas would greatly benefit the United States and their outlook for the future.

Immigration also has a major impact upon trade with foreign countries based on the inflation of the U.S. dollar and the growing overseas job market shift from U.S. based to foreign based.

Immigration also ties into Terrorism based off of the events of 9/11 and the need to identify immigrants who could be a threat to the United States. So to stop any further terrorist plans on U.S. soil by legal or illegal immigrants there should be a system in place to govern and keep track of their movements.

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School: Trenton Central High School – Chambers St. Campus

Teacher: Lewis Freimark

Class: World History

What specific international issues did your class discuss? Our class has discussed all the themes of global warming, nuclear weapons, immigration, terrorism and free trade.

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? The class seems to feel that Immigration and Global Warming were the most important themes to discuss. Since many of our students derive their ethnicity from Central and South America, along with Liberia, their was significant passion on these issues.

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? The most difficulty stemmed from l specific issue, which was that of free trade since many of the students have no economic history background and there was a considerable amount of finance policy in the readings.

Class Statement We think that in our Future, we should be more smart, secure and dependent on ourselves. First, we should stop the war in Iraq and not get into any new military confrontations unless other countries start attacking the U.S.A. in numerous incidents and with weapons.

Also that all the money we are using in this war, we can use for recycling and to prevent global warming as well as, immigration issues of security.

We feel that America should be a leader in recycling. 80 % of Americans should recycle. We should invent a system where it motivates Americans to recycle. To start this system we first make a recycling membership and card (it would be like signing a store membership, you give all your information), then each person would have the recycling containers. People would put the containers outside their house every Tuesday for a recycling car to come and pick them up. So far it sounds familiar, but here is where it gets good!

At the recycling center, they would open the containers and scan the code on the container. When the container is scanned all the person’s information will appear on the computer. The person would then put the container on a scale to see how much it weighs. Depending on how much you collect and the weight, the recycle materials would help you with your TAXES ! (it would be a miscellaneous tax deduction from your taxes).

That would solve some of our recycling problems and help us motivate ourselves to do the recycling. You know there is nothing like a good, old incentive to get people motivated.

To help our immigration problems, we would develop a new system of social security. Lets face it, immigrants no matter, are going to keep coming through the walls or barricades that are put up in the border areas. We could put a dinosaur or a zombie at the border, these immigrant workers are still going to risk their lives trying to cross. So we feel to solve this problem we invent social security A-B. Social

Security A-B would be a system to get more money in America and waste less money on border patrols. Citizens or residents would have Social Security A which is the regular Social Security that we have today. Social Security B is for immigrants. Now this will allow immigrants to work but for minimum wages which means we get better workers for less money. (We win in both ways.) Now the immigrants will be able to have a bank account, buy property and be able to have a driver’s license. This will reduce the chances of having people’s social security numbers from being stolen. Now under this system, an immigrant trying to get their residence status, would be studied for about 8 years. Depending on how they would either be, after the study, taken out of the U.S. and sent back to their country if they were found to not be a worthy candidate (however you choose to define that) or if they are found to be worthy, allowed to stay for an extended time and get their resident green card if they remain a clean and worthy candidate.

These are what constitute the Trenton Central High School’s Class Statement for the Capitol Forum in the areas of global warming and immigration

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School: Union Catholic Regional High School

Teacher: Marla James

Class: Honors Current Events

What specific international issues did your class discuss?

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?

Trade and Weapons, although both are still of major importance

Class Statement The government of the United States has numerous responsibilities and obligations. These include protecting its citizens from the threat of terrorism, protecting American workers, and ensuring the environment stays as clean as possible. The first task, defending the American homeland from terrorism, is important to preserve innocent lives. With the threat of terrorism increasing globally, the risk of fatal attacks on American citizens is increasing as well. Although, with the exception of 9/11, the government has been somewhat successful in protecting the population for the last few years, more can be done to guarantee this safety. The American government needs to continue to focus on the safety of Americans and promote this value internationally.

The number of immigrants entering the United States has risen significantly over the last decades. The government should try and secure jobs of the future for Americans, thereby, helping the American economy. The US government should also give American born citizens priority towards education and careers. We can accomplish this goal by strengthening border control. We should make strict policies on who can and can’t come into this country. Finally, requiring documentation for job opportunities will make finding a job for illegal immigrants harder to find.

The third area of greatest concern is that the damage to the global environment will become irreparable due to the ever increasing advancements in our everyday life. Some solutions to resolve this global crisis are to limit the production of non-hybrid cars, cut down on water usage, reduce air pollution, and limit the destruction of forest areas by the lumber industry. The responsibility for protecting our environment belongs to everyone. All businesses, communities and schools should enforce mandatory recycling rules. In addition, individuals should take the initiative in carpooling and limiting their own carbon foot print. Without a unified global effort, the entire world community will eventually regret the outcome.