Will diversity help the Republicans?

Read this article from CNN and answer the following questions.  What is the main idea of the article?  Do you agree with the main idea?  Why or why not?  Be sure to cite the article in your response to earn credit, but also paraphrase when necessary to reflect your own understanding of the article.  How does this reflect the difficulty Republicans have faced as a political party in the past?  What does this article illustrate about the broader role of political parties in American politics?

Is the American political system corrupt?

Read this article about the influence of millionaires and billionaires on campaigning and answer the following questions.  Write in complete sentences and be sure your passage makes sense if you read it without knowing the questions.  One word answers will not earn you points.

Must there be an explicit deal made between candidate and donors in order for it to be considered corruption?  Why or why not?  What will happen to a candidate if they do not do what these big donors want them to do when they get into office?  Why do they have so much influence?  Which of the alternate methods of campaign funding offered in the article do you most agree with?  Why?  Do you think there should be a limit on campaign funding?  Should citizens get a say in how campaigns are funded?  Why or why not? 

NSA: Privacy or security?

Read this article about a bill progressing in Congress called the USA Freedom Act.  It is meant to deal with the recent revelations that the NSA is collecting massive amounts of data from Americans and American companies in the name of national security.  Answer the following questions.

How much power should the NSA have in collecting data from Americans without our knowledge or permission?  Should they be able to do it at all?  Do you think this is a violation of the 4th amendment, or is it simply a necessity for the government to keep us protected?  Explain your response.

If the NSA was able to access pictures on your phone, would that disturb you?  Even if they were not actively doing so, what do you think of the government having that type of power of surveillance?  Should the government have that much power to look into our personal lives?  Is the fact that the government has the capacity (as it seems that they do from the Snowden leaks) to do such a thing an invasion of privacy in itself?  Is this type of program necessary to keep our country safe?  Why or why not? Where would you draw the line?

State bans on same-sex marriage: Should the Supreme court intervene?

Currently the Supreme Court is debating what to do about state bans on same-sex marriage.  Should they uphold the states right to enact such a law, as their elected officials have? Or does it amount to discrimination by the government?  Read this article and answer the following questions.  For each question you should cite the article in your response.  Be sure to explain yourself throughout your response.

Which justice has the most convincing legal argument in your eyes?  Why or why not?  Cite the article in your response.  Remember to explain why you think the justice you picked has the best argument.

In your opinion, should marriage be left up to the states, or is this a case where the federal government should intervene?  What part of the Constitution is justification for the states rights, pro-ban advocates?  What part of the Constitution is justification for the anti-ban, same-sex marriage advocates?  Which part of the Constitution should, in this case, hold more legal weight?

What does this article say about the role of the judicial branch in American politics as a whole?  What kind of sweeping changes have been made in the past b the Supreme Court?  Should the Supreme Court be social engineers, who are there to "make things right" when others fail to see the immorality of their ways?  Or should the Supreme Court simply be an arbiter of the law, with no consideration to the moral or social ramifications? 

Listen to this segment from NPR and answer the following questions.  First, briefly summarize the main idea of this segment.  Do you agree?  Why or why not? 

Equal pay for equal work: It seems simple, so why is it so difficult to achieve?

First, read this article about the gender pay gap and how it has evolved over the years.  What are two possible solutions to closing the gap cited in the article?

Second, read this article about the debate going on in the halls of Washington.  What is the Republican approach to solving this issue?  What is the Democrats approach?  Which one do you agree with and why?  Do you think this is an issue that the government needs to address or do you think the private sector will eventually correct itself?  How do both sides use statistics to argue their case?

Third, read this article about a relatively new approach to the problem made by some companies.  Summarize the general idea of the article.  Do you think this approach will help to solve the problem?  Why or why not?  Cite the article in your response.

Lastly, read this article about the broader impact of the equal pay issue.  How are politicians framing this as an issue that goes beyond mere gender equality?  Do you agree with the central idea of this article?  Why or why not?  Be sure to explain your reasoning, citing the article in your response.  Should all people be concerned about this issue?  Why or why not?  Do you think this issue will make an impact on voting in the 2016 Presidential election?  How might it have an impact?  Will Democrats or Republicans benefit more from this being a major issue in 2016?  Explain your reasoning.

Hillary's small scale start

Hillary Clinton has basically had the last two years to start her campaign on her own terms and clearly a lot of thought has been put into how she is courting Iowa voters.  Her motto seems to be "think small."  Read this article, respond to the following prompts and questions.  Cite quotes and use evidence from the article throughout your response. 

Explain the role of the media in Presidential campaigns.  What is their main job when covering a presidential campaign?  Why do you think Clinton is trying to "go small" in Iowa?  Why is there such an emphasis on Iowa and New Hampshire at this stage in the long road to the primary and eventually the general election?  Do you think Clinton's strategy will work?  Why or why not?

Marco Rubio's strategy

Research the strategy of Marco Rubio heading into primary season and answer the following questions.  In your responses, cite your research parenthetically and use direct quotes from the source.

What is his main strategy?  Who is his biggest competition in the primary?  Why do you think so?  If he makes it through the primary as the nominee, do you think he stands a chance against Hillary Clinton or another democrat?  Why or why not?  Will his youth and inexperience help or hurt his chances?  Explain the reasons behind your opinion, relating to his overall campaign strategy.  What are the main policies he will focus on throughout his campaign?  Why will he focus on these policies?  How will that help him win the nomination?