Rhode Island Capitol Forum

Class Statements 2008

School: Burrillville High School

Class: Current Events: Periods 5&6

Teacher: Miss Leonti

What specific international issues did your class discuss? Our class discussed Global Warming, Immigration, War, Trade, and Terrorism.

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? We thought that the War in Iraq was rather important. It’s important because it directly affects lives of many people. The War in Iraq is closely related to Nuclear Proliferation, because the main reason why we are in Iraq is because of weapons of mass destruction. The environment, because we think it is going to effect our children in the future. Also Global Warming, and how everyday we can slowly see the effects it has on our environment as a whole.

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? We believe that Immigration is one of the less important issues talked about. It’s the least important because they are now finding ways to secure our borders more safely and efficiently.

Class Statement: Our class discussed the values that we thought were important to America, and how they related to the issues today. Some of these values included freedom, democracy, security, and human rights. We felt that freedom was most important because that is what our founding fathers fought for. Security is important to us because it affects the safety of our country and makes sure that we don’t have a nuclear war on our hands. Human rights are important for everyone who may live or travel to our country. We believe this is so, because these are basic rights that everyone is entitled to. We as the students feel that these issues are important to our country so that we can preserve the values that our founding fathers intended for us.

Overall, as a class, we believe that the United States should work with other nations to help solve the world’s issues. We believe that working together, as a whole is the only way that things can get done effectively. Working cooperatively, instead of isolating everyone, is what will be needed to solve the issues that affect the United States and the rest of the world today.

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School: Burrillville High School

Class: US History II – Period 3

Teacher: Mrs. Lamontagne

What specific international issues did your class discuss? The specific international issues our class discussed were Global Warming, Terrorism/ Nuclear Proliferation, Kosovo, Malaria and Aids, Health Care, Woman’s Rights to Choose (abortion), Oil (increasing costs and dependency), Health of our Oceans, Water supply, and Genocide (Darfur).

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? Although all of the topics we covered in class have significant importance there were some that seemed to connect more with the students and generated longer discussions then others. Topics like Global Warming and Terrorism had significantly more students chose them to write about and these two also generated the longest discussions. Others like Woman’s Right to Choose and Oil were close behind and hit a nerve with the students generating debates. These four (Global Warming, Terrorism, Woman’s Rights, Oil) seemed to be, collectively among the students, the most important.

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? No issue is less important then the next but there were some issues that seemed to interest the class less then the others. These issues were Kosovo, Health of our Oceans and Water Supply.

Class Statement The consensus of our class regarding the concerns, values, and priorities for America has been centered upon the current issues of the world. As a class this is what we thought:

In regards to Global Warming we think the United States should conduct more research while working towards international solutions. We also think that the U.S. should continue to develop new products that are environmentally friendly. In the meantime, we think it is important for Americans to begin to use environmentally friendly products that we already know about such as solar and water power and other renewable sources of energy. Lastly, we think laws or incentives should be put in place to help encourage the use of renewable energy and lessen American’s dependence on oil. We feel this will be a benefit to our country environmentally and economically as well. Furthermore, not being reliant on oil will enable us to stay clear of deadly conflicts in the Middle East.

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School: Burrillville High School

Class: US History II, Period 7

Teacher: Ms. Lamontagne

What specific international issues did your class discuss? Our class discussed international issues relating to the themes of terrorism, environment, trade, human rights violations, and illegal immigration.

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? Issues that were discussed in our class that were considered to be most urgent were global warming, the war in Iraq, human rights violations (specifically the genocide in Darfur), and America’s overall addiction to oil. After discussing each issue our class formulated a plan on what the U.S. should and shouldn’t be doing to handle these important issues successfully. The class also further analyzed the values that each issue threatened, most common being stability and security.

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? During the class discussion it was discovered that all the issues were equally important and that the United States most definitely has to play their part in improving upon and maybe even eventually solving these problems.

Class Statement: Capitol Forum has been the center of our class’s discussion for a few weeks now, and during these discussions, members of the class talked about what current international issues they were personally interested in. The topics we discussed were related to the themes of terrorism, environment, human rights, trade, and illegal immigration. Most of the class agreed that the problems surrounding these topics need to be dealt with in the immediate future if our values like freedom, opportunity, stability and security are to be protected.

The first issue in which my class discussed was the war in Iraq. The discussion started off with a review of the real reason why the United States became involved in Iraq. The reason in which the United States became involved was because Iraq was supposed to have in their possession WMD’s. (Weapons of Mass Destruction) In the end no WMD’s were found, but the United States still stayed and risked many American lives in order to secure America’s interest in oil and make an attempt at helping Iraq establish a stable government based on democracy. As the years have gone by and U.S. forces continue to serve and die in Iraq, many feel that America’s security and stability are being threatened. Some members of my class decided that the US shouldn’t leave Iraq until the goals that we set out to achieve at the start are accomplished. Many students see these goals as stabilizing Iraq’s government and creating a sufficient security force there that is not dependent of the U.S. military. Some students felt it necessary that the U.S. set up a timetable to map out how much time our forces should remain in Iraq. By doing this Americans at home could feel more relieved in knowing when to expect our troops home, safely. Other members in our class decided that the US needs to pull out of this war immediately simply because we are not welcome there to begin with. In the end, our class decided that there is no easy, perfect solution in regards to what to do with Iraq and all Americans should be wary of politicians who make it sound like there is.

A topic that was closely related to the war in Iraq that my class discussed was America’s ridiculous addiction to oil. Oil has become the basis to our economy and has a major affect on trade and the environment. The values at stake here involve economic stability, liberty, and security. The class decided that a number of actions should be taken, but the one most popularly discussed was finding, perfecting and then using alternative renewable sources of energy. These renewable sources included corn ethanol, wind, electric cars, solar power, hybrid cars, and hydrogen. Other popular options were making laws monitoring the use of oil so that we can slowly become less and less dependent on it. Towards the end of the discussion on oil the class came to an overall conclusion that really to change the United States” dependency on oil, we as Americans have to change our mentality. We have to realize it’s not about how many cars we own, but rather what can we do as a nation to better ourselves and the environment. It’s not like the technology isn’t there because it is. Other countries like Brazil no longer depend on foreign oil. What’s stopping the U.S.?

The third issue the class brought up was global warming, which has been a hot topic for some time now. When discussing the issue the class decided that the US’s stability, humanity, security, and opportunities were at stake. This is because without a healthy environment the world can’t properly prosper or survive. The main debate that encompasses this issue is whether or not global warming is a natural or man made problem. The US contributes to most of the polluting involved in global warming, but other countries such as China and India are beginning to add to this problem due to their vast development. In regards to this issue my class decided that the U.S. should pay more attention to global warming and give it more credit. The way the US should go about solving this problem is by educating the world more on this issue. By doing this the US can join international efforts to help address this problem and hopefully take on a leadership role in making our environment as healthy as possible.

The next issue in which my class was concerned with was free trade. The values that this issue jeopardized were stability, security, liberty and opportunity. My class based this discussion on whether or not free trade was considered to be a “good thing” or a “bad thing” for immigration, the workplace, immigration, economy, and peace. In my class’s opinion the US should continue to be apart of world economy, but at all times the US should put its American workers’ and consumers’ first. By protecting American workers and consumers we protect America’s values. Also another idea the US needs to keep in mind is that we can’t sacrifice our economy to build up other nation’s because though trade is important for everyone, the US needs to ensure its own economic survival first. A way to help other nation’s who’s economy is not up to speed, is to improve the working conditions there to ensure that people aren’t get exploited. The down side to that alternative that was revealed in our discussion was that the U.S. would have to pay more. Yet, we as a class felt it was more important to promote fair working conditions for people around the world than to pay bargain prices for goods made overseas.

A topic that has fallen off the radar in the presidential primaries this year, but has caught the eye of my history class is illegal immigration. Illegal immigration has been affecting the U.S. for some time now and still endangers the U.S.’s values of stability, security, opportunity, and most near and dear value to the heart of the US, freedom. In order to get a hold on this long lasting struggle of immigration the US should focus more on the employers of illegal immigrants. The U.S. actually has already begun to do so, but the two problems that come along with this is that without immigrants, some of these businesses couldn’t possibly continue to run and how are the employers supposed to know what papers were forged or not. Another way my class thought the country should address this issue is to not allow illegal immigrants the same opportunities as Americans such as free education and welfare programs. The only way we felt this could be prevented was to take another look at citizenship and the immigration policy completely. For example, should babies born in the U.S. to illegal immigrants automatically be granted citizenship? It sounds drastic to say no, but it’s the only way ensure the freedom and opportunities for true legal American citizens and immigrants. The class also promoted the idea that maybe immigration could be handled by local law enforcement rather than leaving it all up INS alone. Another option in dealing with this issue is that the US could do more to protect its borders, especially in the southwest because that seems to be where most of the illegal immigrants enter putting a strain on states like Arizona, Texas and California. By focusing most of our efforts there it should decrease the amount of illegal immigrants entering the U.S. significantly and maintain the values of the US. People wonder why all these people want to come to the U.S., but it is clear that they are desperate. My class believes that if we also could eliminate the need to come into the U.S. by helping to improve conditions in their home countries, a more long-term solution could be found. Of course this sounds easier than it is and my class was stumped in regards to how we could go about doing this…Either way we decided the issue of illegal immigration shouldn’t remain on the back burner for it’s an urgent issue that needs to be on everyone’s minds.

The last issue in which my class conversed about was an issue that has currently been talked about more and more in the news and that is the genocide in Darfur. People in class were flabbergasted by the fact that the U.S. hasn’t jumped on this issue, but after further discussing the topic we found the cruel reality behind the matter. The truth is that Darfur has no oil or real benefits to be gained and many of us wondered if that is why our government hasn’t done more to address the issues plaguing the people here. Many of us felt this to be very hypocritical of the U.S. The world once pledged “Never Again!” after the Holocaust, yet in instances like Rwanda and Darfur we seem to sit back and allow for genocide to occur while acknowledging it in the press, yet doing very little to put an end to it. The class decided that humanity is what should count for most and by sitting back and watching thousands and thousands of innocent people get wiped out is going against the values behind humanity. The U.S. should then get involved in eliminating genocides in places like Darfur, and our class felt this should be done on a cooperative level with other nations. If the U.S. took a leadership role in this, we would hopefully influence other nations to follow in our footsteps. After all, the real way job of stopping these genocides cannot be up to the U.S. alone, rather the whole world should get involved when it comes to matters of saving humanity.

Many issues were presented in our class and thoroughly discussed for that matter, but still with each potential solution we presented, we realized that none could be absolutely perfect or easy. We recognize that this is OK because our class just wants the U.S. to start somewhere in regards to these particular international issues and build up to a satisfying change. It’s understandable that there is no quick fix to any of these issues, but risks do have to be taken and in time results will come from that, hopefully more good than bad. Clearly the worst thing we could do as a nation would be to simply ignore these issues, because clearly none of them are going to go away on their own and ignoring them will only make the problems more daunting for the next generation.

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School: Cranston High School East

Class: Contemporary Issues

Teacher: Scott Maynard

What specific international issues did your class discuss? We have discussed a wide range of topics. The class has examined several cases of genocide from the past and current centuries as well as political movements around the world. For each of these instances examined, we have blended in United States foreign policy and how it fits into the larger picture.

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? As the class examined the various attitudes and actions taken by the United States, it has had a difficult time confirming one course of action being the most beneficial. As a whole, everyone agrees that cases of genocide cannot go unchecked, but the students have been concerned about the motives behind the actions of the United States. Another, even more basic concern is access to clean, potable water supplies.

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? When discussing foreign policy, the class wrestled with the difference between the United States benefiting from aiding a foreign country and helping a country for altruistic reasons. While the class wanted to help people “because it was the right thing to do”, in reality, putting American dollars and lives at stake usually warranted the necessity for some type of gain.

Class Statement: It is essential that the U.S. adopt a foreign policy of humanitarian aid in order to maintain relative peace and stability in impoverished nations. The focus of the United States’ efforts should be on sustainable development. In order to preserve state sovereignty, the United States should not interfere with the basic functions of the local government, and should supply aid only upon request or agreement with the host nation.

The error in the United States’ current policy of aid to impoverished nations is that it relies upon the leadership of corrupt officials. In order to remedy this, the United States should substitute its policy of economic aid with an organization comprised of grassroots efforts working toward sustainable development. The U.S. should approach this objective in several ways. Initially, the Peace Corps should be expanded drastically. The government should also offer incentives to American professionals with valuable knowledge in key areas (i.e. medicine, engineering, sanitation, technology, agriculture, and community development), who would be willing to work in impoverished nations. By working toward sustainable development, the United States can help diminish global poverty, prevent the spread of disease, and ensure greater international peace in the future. The goal of this policy should be to empower the poor of the world to improve their own lives. This in turn will allow these people, working from the ground up, to form a stable society based on democratic values and cooperation. In the end, this policy will create an international atmosphere that will be hospitable to American interests.

Class Statement—Dissenting Opinion: Dissenting Opinion: America should not provide humanitarian aid because despite its good intentions, it would create a policy of neo-colonialism and global bureaucracy.It would be morally wrong and contrary to the ideals of freedom to tax the American people for programs that are not essential to the functioning of the government.Additionally, it would require a vast expansion of an already corrupt bureaucracy in order to manage the money coerced away from the American people.In the words of Ronald Reagan, “Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them.”Even if the need for humanitarian aid were eliminated, those new programs would always find another reason to use that money.Furthermore, most third world countries are dictatorships with a vested interest in keeping their people poor, and therefore aid would result in long-term conflict with these governments.To the people of many nations this would appear to be American imperialism.“The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.” Humanitarian aid should instead be left to international organizations, private charities, and the work of individuals.American foreign policy should reflect leading by positive example and nonintervention in the affairs of other nations.

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School: Cranston High School West

Class: Conflict Resolution and Diplomacy

Teacher: Paula Titon

What Specific international issues did your class discuss? The class has discussed a wide range of issues including the Arab Israeli conflict, Iraq and utilizing the Choices materials, China as well as the topics for Capitol Forum.

Are there issues you agreed are important? If so what are they? We agrees that we want a more peaceful world and that the way to achieve that is through a more even handed world economy, rather than a heavy handed American dominated policy. At the same time we want to preserve a place for the USA as a world leader and we want our own way of life protected. We think economic development, preserving the world’s environment and reducing poverty and exploitation in the world are critical.

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so which ones? We seemed not to see the answer to the world’s problems in military solutions, while recognizing the need to maintain American military might for the foreseeable future. Forcing compliance with American ideas and needs did not seem to be the route to follow.

Class Statement: Our class discussed the possible ways to make the world a better place for both Americans and the whole of the world. The following represents our ideas which focused around the theme of A Green World View

We believe that the biggest issue facing us today is the preservation of the planet as a viable working environment. Solutions begin at home, especially since the United States contribute so much to the consumption of the world’s resources. So we would start with the United States becoming a leader in Green Technology. We would undertake scientific research: There should be more government funding for research in green technologies, including solar power, wind power, hydroelectric power, bio fuel power, and nuclear power. Using the results of the scientific research government subsidies for green industries should encourage whole new areas of growth in the American economy.

The United States and the United Nations should join with major scientific research commissions to hold a world conference on the sustainability of an Antarctica with the possibility of shared world wide geothermic energy program.

The United States should encourage free trade of all green technologies. At the same time we with other developed nations should assist to develop “green” jobs in all developing countries, with a focus on those nations that are overly dependent currently on oil exporting as a main source of revenue. In the same vein we should encourage developing nations to develop industries using renewable resources. Ultimately linked to these approaches would be a commitment to provide options for societies that are raising terrorists because there is a lack of opportunities for productive futures. Giving the youth of all regions a hope for the future through jobs, education and chance for better lives in a healthy sustainable world would be a part of any aid plan we would implement.

We believe that if such an approach were implemented we could create a better world environment which would eliminate the need for war mongering, terrorism and mass migration. In the short term, however, we would take a few steps that would help to stabilize and maintain the safety of our nation among nations. We would recommend maintaining nuclear deterrence, relying on arms control agreements to reduce the chances of nuclear war, until such a time as the threat of international cataclysmic confrontations is gone.

Finally, we would address the issues of immigration with the following policies in order not only to diminish the flow of surplus people to the United States but also to help the other nations of the world benefit from the talents of their own people. [1] Foreign students who come for a college or graduate education in the USA would stay in this country for a minimum of 5 years and maximum of 10 years, returning eventually to their own nations so they can help their own people, unless their application for permanent citizenship is approved. [2] A strict but enforceable immigration policy is needed that allows for productive immigrants to come legally to the United States. They could come to America on an as-needed basis (needs would be American economic needs and humanitarian responses to international emergencies). Immigration should provide for immediate family members to accompany the worker. It is our hope that as more nations develop viable economies the need for people to migrate would diminish.

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School: East Greenwich High School

Class: American Government/ Law (B period)

Teacher: Mr. Perrin

What specific international issues did your class discuss? We discussed all five global themes; Terrorism, Environment, Immigration, Trade, and Nuclear Proliferation.

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? I think we found real importance in each issue.

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? I don’t believe we would say that any single issue is less important than the rest.

Class Statement: We believe the issues related to the Environment, Trade, and Terrorism are among the most pressing matters in which America is involved. The United States should re-evaluate the degree to which it takes a leadership role in the world today. In general, many countries do look up to the United States and therefore being a positive role model then becomes very important. If the United States makes positive changes then hopefully other countries will do the same and the world will evolve into a mutually beneficial and cooperative group of nations. We as a nation must be sensitive to the fact that many nations in the world view us in a negative light. The United States is a nation of unprecedented wealth, and therefore power in the world and with this wealth and power comes great possibility. While we accept the responsibility of a leadership position in many global themes, we recognize the importance of maintaining a positive domestic policy which reinforces American values. American foreign policy should be less about the imposition of our American values and more about maintaining respect and sensitivity for the values and cultural norms of the nations we share this world with.

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School: Portsmouth High School

Class: American Studies

Teacher: Mr. James J. Betres

What specific international issues did your class discuss? We discussed the rising cost of oil, the environmental concerns of my students’ generation, and the security of our country.

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? We agreed on the issues relatively easily, but we had a longer discussion on what values we feel are important and what values the U.S. should focus on when making decisions.

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? No issue really took on less importance than the others.

Class Statement: Cooperation, stability and security are the core values that drive the United States’ decisions on foreign policy. In an interdependent world, cooperation is necessary to address issues at the global level. Stability is not an issue in the United States and, as a result, we are able to aid other countries in becoming more stable. It is crucial for the United States to help other countries become stable because it maintains safety in the U.S., creates safety among its allies, and increases trade opportunities. While cooperation and stability are key values in decisions on foreign policy, U.S. security is the overriding value that should be used to shape government policies. In a post 9/11 world, American citizens’ primary concern is security; therefore, it should be the government’s driving force behind its decisions. Like the interdependent world we live in, cooperation, stability and security are not mutually exclusive, rather, these values must work together to help the US remain a prominent world leader while serving as a role model for other countries.

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School: Providence Academy of International Studies (PAIS)

Class: 11th Grade (4 sections)

Teacher: Marty Sprague and John Vieira

Class Statement: In the United States, unless you are a Native American, you are either an immigrant or a descendant of an immigrant. Our country, over many generations has been built by immigrants, therefore immigration to our country should be supported and used as a gateway for new opportunities and a better life. We understand that supporting immigration is costly for the citizens of this country, because of the strain on healthcare, education, social services, and the job market. Terrorists may be entering our country because of weak United States immigration policy, and open borders. Some people come here for hopeful reasons and others for destructive purposes. We must base deportation on individual actions. Students from the Providence Academy of International Studies recognize that immigration is a pressing issue among all the policy problems we are facing as United States citizens.

-- Respectfully submitted by the Capitol Forum Representatives for the Providence Academy of International Studies (PAIS)

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Teacher: Amy Grundt

School: Scituate High School

Class: Problems in American Democracy

Teacher: Amy Grundt

What specific international issues did your class discuss? We discussed which values are most important to us personally and to Americans in general. We looked at the United States’ policies in the areas of global warming, immigration, nuclear weapons development, and terrorism. Another issue that has been discussed many times throughout the school year is the war in Iraq and what should be done about the situation in the Middle East.

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? As a class we agreed that the issue of cooperation is key. We also felt that there needs to be a balance between the need for security and the very important concepts of human rights and justice. We look forward to further exploring this “balance.”

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? We agreed that when ranking international issues of importance the issue of immigration does not emerge at the top of the list.

Class Statement: As a class we have agreed to disagree. Some of us feel that values such as freedom, justice and equality are vital. Others feel that our national security is most dear. However, the United States needs to step up and join other nations in terms of environmental policy. We cannot operate in a vacuum. Our nation’s lack of cooperation is what has led many people throughout the globe to “hate Americans.” The United States needs to work alongside many nations in other areas as well. We should join with our allies and others to forge policies that will stop nuclear weapons proliferation and not just issue angry statements to nations that we feel threatened by. Most of us believe we should not impose our values on others throughout the globe.

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