ERIC ED444880: The Bill of Rights in Action, 1996-1999.

175 Pages·1999·8.6 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
ED 444 880
SO 030 982
AUTHOR
Hayes, Bill, Ed.
TITLE
The Bill of Rights in Action, 1996-1999.
INSTITUTION
Constitutional Rights Foundation, Los Angeles, CA.
SPONS AGENCY
W. M. Keck Foundation, Los Angeles, CA.
PUB DATE
1999-00-00
NOTE
174p.
AVAILABLE FROM.
Constitutional Rights Foundation, 601 South Kingsley Drive,
Los Angeles, CA 90005; Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone];
Web site: (www.crf-usa.org).
PUB TYPE
Collected Works - Serials (022) -- Guides
- Classroom -
Learner (051)
-- Guides - Classroom - Teacher (052)
JOURNAL CIT
Bill of Rights in Action; v13-15 1996-1999
EDRS PRICE
MF01/PC07 Plus Postage.
DESCRIPTORS
Curriculum Enrichment; Government Role; *Political Issues;
*Political Science; Secondary Education; Social Studies;
*United States Government (Course); *United States History;
*World History
IDENTIFIERS
Bill of Rights; United States Constitution
ABSTRACT
These newsletter volumes deal with topics in U.S. history,
world history, and U.S. government relating to the Bill of Rights. The
newsletters present background information for classroom reading, in
some
instances provide a list of topical issues, and offer activities for
discussion and writing. Some of the topics considered in the newsletters
are:
political scandals, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Romanovs, the
separation of church and state, welfare, the Aztec Empire, origins of Islamic
law, the Napoleonic Code, bombing civilians in World War 2, and censoring the
Internet.
(BT)
Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that
can be made
from the original document.
The Bill of Rights in Action; v13-15 1996-1999
Hayes, Bill, Ed.
00
C31
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Office of Educational Research and Improvement
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This document has been reproduced as
received from the person or organization
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document do not necessarily represent
INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)
official OERI position or policy.
BEST COPY AVAILABLE
The
ILL OF GHTS
CTION
WINTER 1996
VOLUME 13 NUMBER 1
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS FOUNDATION
I
POLITICAL
fulfilling their
simply
role as watchdogs on the
SCANDALS,
government.
SCOU D ELS,
Watergate's
AND SCHEMERS:
Influence
of
The
resignation
ARE THE NEWS
Richard M.
President
IV.[DIA FOCUSING ON
Nixon
during
the
THE WRONG THINGS?
Watergate
scandal
resulted partly from the
Public distrust of elected
of
investigative
work
officials and political can-
Post
two
Washington
W 1ttl
4 ck
didates is growing. Media
Robert
reporters,
critics say negative press
Woodward and Carl
coverage is contributing to
Bernstein. Helping to
Washington Post reporters Robert Woodward (left) and Carl Bernstein
this trend and is weaken-
broke story after story on the Watergate scandal in 1973-4. Their investiga-
bring down a president
tive journalism won them fame and many imitators. (Corbis-Bettmann)
ing American democracy.
made them media stars.
Should journalists change
the direction
of their
They made an impression on a whole generation of jour-
reporting?
nalists.
After Watergate, journalists, especially those covering
Many Americans believe politicians are dishonest,
national news, became more skeptical and wary of politi-
hypocritical, and power-hungry. Americans did not
cians manipulating them. The press actively tried to
always think this way. When John F. Kennedy was presi-
expose government abuses. One consequence of this has
dent, for example, 75 percent of Americans indicated that
been more negative political reporting. While demanding
they trusted the government to do the right thing. Today
an open and more honest government, reporters sought
that figure has dropped to 25 percent. A recent opinion poll
out the mistakes, inconsistencies, and ethical faults of
reported that nearly 80 percent of the public gave
political leaders.
elected officials in Washington a low rating on
Historians point out that the press has always been
honesty and ethics.
aggressive. Virtually every president,
starting with
What has produced this widespread distrust
(Continued on next page)
among
the
American
people?
Certainly,
the Vietnam War and Watergate cover-up ended a
Election Issue
long period of public confidence in political lead-
ership. Also, since Watergate, the nation's press
Political Scandals, Scoundrels, and Schemers:
Are
has become much more aggressive and negative in
the News Media Focusing
on the Wrong Thing?
its political reporting.
Issues in Campaign '96
Some media critics, including journalists, argue
TV Attack Ads and the Voter
that the press undermines our democratic system
by spending too much time focusing on scandals
This issue of the Bill of Rights in Action is made
and portraying public life as little more than
a
possible by a generous grant from the
game among scheming politicians. Defenders of
W.M. Keck Foundation
the press, however, say that the news media
are
© 1996, Constitutional Rights Foundation, Los Angeles. All Constitutional Rights Foundation materials and publications, including Bill of Rights
in Action, are protected by copyright. However, we hereby grant to
all recipients a license to reproduce all material contained herein for distribution to students, other school site personnel, and district administrators.
Any opinion expressed herein does not necessarily reflect the
views of the WM. Keck Foundation.
3
BEST COPY AVAILABLE]
fusion, and controversy and
has
Washington,
George
conflict.
become a target for the press.
press, which
The tabloid
-7-':WIEDIA
the
critics believe
Media
AT
WORK
thrives on sensational news
same is true of reporters from
soweg
tr
reporting, was invented over
the major newspapers and
100 years ago.
TV networks who cover the
..-
Is Press Coverage Worse
recent
In
White
House.
Today?
years, those on the White
eg
But the aggressiveness of the
House beat have been mostly
press is not what concerns
reporters who covered the
today's media critics. They
president during his election
worry about the decline in
campaign. For the most part,
thoughtful reporting on seri-
these reporters know how to
rAU'rinR.
1011110.40IITIE
cover campaign politics
ous public
Often,
issues.
Does the media focus too much on negative issues? (Dave
who did what to whom,
they say, newspaper and TV
Hitch, Telegram & Gazette)
news editors cut back on this
who's up, who's down. But,
of
say critics, these reporters
news coverage
type
because it is too boring or lacks the drama of conflict.
are not particularly expert in the domestic and for-
eign policy issues that dominate presidential
Indeed, the media have grown much more competi-
decision-making. Thus, according to the critics, pol-
tive in the last 30 years. With today's technology,
iticsnot policytends to color much of their White
news can be broadcast around the world as it hap-
House reporting. In fact, critics believe serious pol-
pens. People expectand receiveinstantaneous
icy analysis is giving way to covering politics as a
reports on assassinations, floods, airplane crashes,
horse race.
even wars. They can receive the information in many
new waysfrom cable television, satellite dishes,
Defenders of the media believe the critics are over-
the Internet. Talk radio and tabloid TV news shows,
generalizing. They admit that some newspapers and
such as "A Current Affair," have grown in populari-
networks may cover politics as a horse race. But they
ty. At the same time, fewer people are reading news-
cite many examples of in-depth policy coverage. The
papers and watching network TV news. The drop is
New York Times, Washington Post, and Los Angeles
especially pronounced among people under 30.
Times devote much ink to policy issues. Every night
Trying to keep up with the competition, many news-
on television, "Nightline" explores issues. C-SPAN
papers and networks have made their news features
televises complete speeches and policy forums. The
shorter and jazzed them up with graphics, pictures,
defenders say the best-ever political coverage and
and diagrams. In short, they are trying to make the
reporting is going on today. But, they say, people
news more entertaining Does this mean serious jour-
must seek it out in the highly competitive media.
nalism is giving way to sensationalism?
Should the Media Report on Private Lives?
One study of press coverage between 1972 and 1992
Another problem critics see in post-Watergate jour-
revealed that news stories about domestic and for-
nalism is the greater interest in reporting on the per-
considered by Congress
questions
eign being
sonal lives of politicians. President Franklin D.
dropped significantly. On the other hand, stories
Roosevelt's legs were paralyzed from polio. He wore
about political conflict and ethical misbehavior of
leg braces and used a wheelchair. But reporters and
elected leaders increased. Senator Alan K. Simpson
photographers never revealed his disability, because
(R-Wyo.), a strong critic of the media, recently made
they apparently believed it would weaken the presi-
this remark about reporters covering Congress:
dent's image as a strong leader. Such a conspiracy of
silence by the press would be unthinkable in today's
They don't want to know whether anything
highly competitive news environment.
was resolved for the betterment of the United
States. They want to know who got ham-
Scandals and sexual misbehavior have increasingly
They're not
mered, who tricked whom.
become acceptable topics for the mainstream press to
.
. .
interested in clarity. They're interested in con-
4
BEST COPY AVAILABLE
cover. That President John F. Kennedy had affairs
Critics say reporting election campaigns as only a
with women was not considered newsworthy more
game often resulted in candidates coming across in a
than 30 years ago. Today, President Clinton's marital
negative light. A study of major newsmagazine cover-
age of the 1992 presidential campaign showed that
problems while governor of Arkansas continue to be
references to Bush and Clinton were 60-percent nega-
the subject of news media stories.
tive. A similar study of TV network news shows dur-
Larry Sabato, professor of political science at the
ing the Republican primaries in 1996 indicated that
University of Virginia, has criticized the press for its
campaign news stories were 3-to-1 negative.
current tendency to jump quickly into a scandal story.
"There can be no doubt that the change in the tone of
Sabato says that scandals frequently explode into
election coverage," says Syracuse University political
media "feeding frenzies" where every tidbit of gossip
scientist Thomas Patterson, "has contributed to the
This type of reporting, he says, gives
is reported.
decline in the public confidence in those who seek the
much newspaper space and air time to matters that
presidency."
have little to do with the real problems of the country.
Journalists defend their coverage of political tactics
Carl Bernstein, one of the reporters who investigated
and manipulation. Every campaign employs "spin
the Watergate story, wrote recently that "we tell our
doctors," whose job is to manipulate the media. The
readers and viewers that the trivial is significant and
press, they say, is merely exposing "the man behind
the lurid or loopy is more important than real news."
the curtain," the manipulators of the press. Many jour-
But William Safire, a columnist for the New York
nalists argue that knowledge of campaign tactics
Times, takes a different view. He argues that political
makes citizens more sophisticated and informed.
scandal reporting often contributes to the continuous
Virtually
every
cleansing of American politics.
The question seems to boil down to what is newswor-
president, starting with
thy. A president covering up crimes (as in Watergate)
is clearly newsworthy. So is any behavior that affects
George Washington,
public policy. The debate is over personal behavior
that doesn't seem to affect policy. Were Kennedy's
has become
a target for
affairs newsworthy? Should reporters have revealed
press.
them? Do politicians have any right to privacy? Is it
the
right for the news media to withhold information from
the public? These questions do not have easy answers.
Sound Bites
Defenders of the media argue it is better to err on the
Media critics believe it's difficult for citizens to stay
side of giving the public too much information than
informed when candidate reporting is reduced to frag-
too little. Critics say that media scandalmongering is
mentary "sound bites." A sound bite is a recorded seg-
souring people's view of the democratic process.
ment of uninterrupted speech. In 1968, the average
Campaign Games
presidential candidate sound bite on network evening
Press coverage of political campaigning began to
news programs lasted 42 seconds. By the 1992 elec-
change even before Watergate. Theodore White's
tion, the average sound bite time had been pared down
book The Making of the President 1960 and Joe
to 7.3 seconds.
McGinniss's The Selling of the President 1968 both
While the candidates have been talking less on TV
gave an inside look at how campaigns operate.
news, political reporters have been saying more. In
Many political reporters soon adopted the new "inside
1992, TV reporter comments took 72 percent of elec-
politics" approach by concentrating on the tactics and
tion coverage. Typically, a TV reporter tells a news
manipulations involved in campaigning for public
story using sound bites to illustrate his or her points
office. Press accounts began to depict election cam-
and then often ends with an interpretation of what the
paigns as high stakes games dominated by personality
candidate is saying and doing. This kind of reporting
clashes and the political horse race among the candi-
is more lively and interesting to the viewer. But critics
dates. The press, say critics, often ignored the voters
say sound bites keep citizens from judging the actual
and the issues.
words and views of the candidates themselves.
3
Changes in Po Miceli Reporting
David Broder, a well-respected reporter for the
Washington Post, speaks for those who want to
During the last few years, media critics have called
change political reporting. He worries that "it will be
for significant changes in how the news, especially
written at some future point about my geneOtion of
political news, is reported. They want:
political reporters that we covered everything; but we
more emphasis on the nation's real problems
didn't notice that support for representative" govern-
and possible solutions and less on political
ment and democracy was collapsing."
conflict;
For Discussion and Writing
more of what candidates are saying and less
1. Many journalists say they do not give a negative
on reporters analyzing the campaign horse
slant to their reporting; all they do is report reali-
race; and
Do you agree or disagree with this view?
ty.
more on how politicians intend to improve
Why?
America and less on their personal lives.
2. Do you think it's important for citizens to under-
Some journalists have attempted to change reporting
stand political tactics in a campaign? Do you
by creating a movement called public (or civic) jour-
think the media overemphasizes tactics? Explain.
nalism. Public journalism places much emphasis on
3. What do the news media and the public have a
finding out what problems matter the most to people
right to know about the personal lives of elected
and then helping them work out solutions.
officials and political candidates? What do they
So far, public journalists have been experimenting
not have a right to know? Explain your answer.
mainly at the local newspaper level. Davis "Buzz"
4. What is public journalism? Do you think it's a
Merritt, editor of the Wichita (Kansas) Eagle and one
good idea? Why or why not?
of the founders of public journalism, launched "The
People Project: Solving It Ourselves" in 1992. This,
ACT D
V glr'Y
like other public journalism projects throughout the
country, involved a series of articles dealing with city
Evaluating TV Election News
problems and solutions based on the experiences and
Form small groups to evaluate one day's TV news
ideas of Wichita citizens. The thing that made this
different from traditional reporting was that the
coverage of the 1996 presidential campaign. Assign
newspaper played an activist role in organizing pub-
each group different programs on the same day. Each
lic forums where citizens had the opportunity to
group should complete the tasks below, report back,
and the class should discuss which news source had
struggle with the problems facing their community.
the best campaign coverage.
of this new approach
An example
PBS's
is
Task 1: Time the minutes the news program allots to
"Democracy Project," which will devote 100 hours of
each presidential candidate's campaign activities for
prime time during the 1996 presidential election cam-
paign "listening to people rather than to talking
the day. What was total coverage?
heads, Washington experts, [and] politicians." You
Task 2: During the program's election coverage,
can follow the "Democracy Project" on the Internet
record the time each of the following types of persons
(http://www.pbs.org/democracy/).
speaks: news anchor, candidate, political expert,
Traditional journalists resist participating in efforts
reporter, citizen, or other. Which type person spoke
that try to influence the way our political system
the most?
works. Instead, these journalists prefer to play the
Task 3: Record the seconds of each sound bite (unin-
role of public watchdog, reporting the news as it
statement) by a presidential candidate.
terrupted
happens in a detached and objective way. As "60
What was the total for each?
Minutes" senior correspondent Mike Wallace puts
Task 4: Decide (1) What was the program's main
it, "our job is to report, to explain, to illuminate."
focusissues or campaign tactics? (2) Who spoke
Reporters like Wallace believe that setting up under-
the mostcandidates and voters or reporters and
takings like the "Democracy Project" moves the
political experts?
press from reporting the news to helping to make it.
If this happens, journalist objectivity may suffer.
6
OSSIMS
CAREDAIION 'SS
affirmative
employers develop
to
action
plans
designed to seek, hire, and promote qualified minori-
This Article includes background information
ty and woman workers. These efforts were eventually
and arguments on four important issues that
expanded to university admissions and government
contracting.
the presidential candidates will be discussing.
In reaching out to bring more minorities and women
Issue: Affirmative Action
into the mainstream, affirmative action programs
roadly defined, affirmative action refers to any
sometimes alienated other groups, notably white
t)
steps taken to increase the number of minority
males. Members of these groups charged that affir-
persons and women who are hired, promoted, admit-
mative action was using race and gender to discrimi-
ted to college, or awarded government contracts.
nate against them, something which they called
Affirmative action began in the 1960s and 1970s as
"reverse discrimination."
an attempt to bring African Americans, other minori-
Recent Supreme Court decisions have severely
ties, and women more fully into the mainstream of
restricted, but not outlawed, government-sponsored
American life. These groups historically had been
affirmative action programs. A closely decided case
victims of discrimination, which blocked them from
in 1995 held that government affirmative action
certain jobs, professions, universities, and other
based on race is unconstitutional unless it was estab-
opportunities. Affirmative action was viewed as a
lished for "the most compelling reasons."
In the
way to undo the injustices of the past.
meantime, Congress and the states are debating
Quotas, reserving a specific number of places for a
whether affirmative action has outlived its original
particular group, are illegal. But starting in the 1970s
purposes and should be abolished.
in the Nixon administration, federal laws pressured
Issue Question: Do we still need affirmative for minorities and women?
YES
NO
1. Affirmative action provides equal opportuni-
Ability and test scores, not race and gender,
1.
should determine who gets ahead in our
ties for minorities and women who have long
been the victims of discrimination.
society.
2. So-called "reverse discrimination" is rare.
2. By using racial and gender categories, affir-
C
mative action often promotes middle-class
Affirmative action simply means that all qual-
V
minorities and women over disadvantaged
ified persons get to compete, whereas in the
past minorities and women were often exclud-
non-minorities. Government programs should
help disadvantaged individuals regardless
ed.
of race or gender.
3. Affirmative
needed since
3. Affirmative action causes many people to
action
still
is
minorities and women have yet to catch up
falsely conclude that minorities and women
N
with other groups in the rate of employment,
are not capable of competing in society on
earnings, and promotions due to the discrimi-
their own. This unfortunate attitude harms the
M
nation of the past.
very people affirmative action seeks to help.
IE
Ours should be a "color-blind
4. Our society has never been, and is not now, a
4.
society."
N
"color-blind society." Today, 70 percent of
Affirmative action simply uses a different
Americans do not think we are close to elimi-
form of discrimination to undo the injustices
T
nating discrimination.
of past discrimination. Both are wrong.
Issue: Hiegel immigration
proposition is currently being challenged in the
courts. Meanwhile, Congress is debating a measure
An estimated 300,000 persons illegally enter the
United States each year. The Immigration and
that would allow the states to deny public schooling to
illegal immigrant children.
Naturalization Service believes that there are about 4-
million immigrants currently in the United States
Issue: Federal Tax Cut
without proper documentation.
In 1962, President John F. Kennedy, a Democrat, said
Congress passed an immigration law in 1986 that
that the best way to raise more tax revenue for the
fined employers for hiring illegal immigrants. But the
government was to cut taxes. He argued that cutting
law was not strictly enforced. As a result, this legisla-
taxes would mean more cash in the hands of individu-
tion failed to stop the surge of illegal immigration that
als and businesses who would then make more pur-
chases and investments. This, in turn, would cause
occurred in the 1990s.
the economy to grow along with a resulting increase
Current law requires states to provide emergency
in tax payments as more people became employed.
medical care and public schooling for all residents,
This theory is called "supply-side economics."
In 1982, the Supreme Court struck
legal or illegal.
down a Texas law that excluded the children of
Kennedy's supply side view worked in the 1960s. Tax
undocumented aliens from the public schools. A 5-4
rates were cut and tax revenues went up by 16 percent
majority ruled that the equal protection clause of the
in four years due mainly to economic growth.
14th Amendment covers all "persons" living in the
In the early 1980s, President Ronald Reagan, a
country.
Republican, also promoted the supply-side theory of
a tax cut to spur economic growth. But this time
In 1994, California voters approved a ballot proposi-
tion that included a provision denying free public
something very different happened. After income
education to the .children of illegal immigrants. This
taxes were slashed by 30 percent over three years, and
Issue Question: Should states be permitted to deny free public
schooling to the children of illegal immigrants?
YES
NO
1. Free social benefits like public schooling serve as
People enter this country illegally to find work. It
1.
a magnet helping to draw illegal immigrants into
is these workers and their American employers
the country.
who should be punished, not innocent children.
Illegal immigrants as well as citizens pay taxes
2. Requiring states to provide a free public education
2.
unfair
immigrant
children
illegal
to
that go to public education.
to
is
citizen-taxpayers.
3. Kicking illegal immigrant children out of school
3. Spending education money on the children of ille-
gal immigrants prevents states from using those
and onto the streets would only lead to increases
in child neglect, juvenile crime, and drug prob-
funds for the benefit of students who are citizens
or are here legally.
lems.
4. The 1982 Supreme Court decision requiring the
4. The 1982 Supreme Court decision was correct.
public education of illegal immigrant children
We don't know what today's court will decide.
was decided by only one vote and is likely to be
But it's bad policy to turn children away from
overturned by today's high court.
public schools.
5. Finding illegal immigrants should be the job of
5. Teachers would not be involved in determining
federal officials, not school teachers and adminis-
who is an illegal immigrant. This would be a part
trators who would be forced to question "suspect"
of the school registration process.
students.
8
Issue Question: Should federai taxes be cut to stimulate economic growth?
YES
NO
High taxes today are like a dead weight on the
1. Employment is up, inflation is down, and the bud-
1.
economy, preventing job creation and significant
get deficit has fallen 60 percent since 1992. A tax
cut now will only lead to more inflation, higher
economic growth. A tax cut will spur the economy
and bring in more tax revenues.
interest rates, a weakened economy, and a return to
the huge budget deficits of the 1980s.
2. To balance the federal budget by 2002, tax cuts
The tax cut boosted the federal budget deficit in
2.
would have to be offset by cuts in large govern-
the 1980s because of a recession and the refusal of
ment programs like Medicare and Social Security.
the Democrat-controlled Congress to cut govern-
Most Americans do not want to do this.
ment spending. Today, lower taxes and cutbacks in
many government programs will lead to a boom
in the economy, increased tax revenues, and a bal-
anced federal budget by 2002.
Cutting taxes gives the American taxpayer, rather
3. Most tax cut proposals would benefit the wealthy
3.
than the government, more power to decide how to
much more than the middle class and the poor.
spend hard-earned family income.
Recent major tax and spending cuts in states like
4.
4. Our economy is strong. It is better to continue
New Jersey and Wisconsin have led to more jobs
reducing the budget deficit than to go for a tax cut
and booming economies.
now.
the capital gains tax on profits from the sale of invest-
Despite the ABM Treaty, President Ronald Reagan in
ments was also reduced, tax revenues did not increase
the 1980s backed the development of a space-based
enough to match federal government spending, par-
defensive weapons system that would protect the
United States against any missile attack.
ticularly defense spending. In fact, spending far out-
This
stripped tax revenues, causing the annual government
Strategic Defense Initiative (also popularly called
"Star Wars") mainly concentrated on scientific
budget deficit to explode. This deficit had to be made
up by borrowing the difference. The resulting nation-
research and development costing $35 billion over a
al debt reached almost $5 trillion by the early 1990s.
10-year period. This large-scale effort was abandoned
after the break-up of the Soviet Union and the end of
In 1993, President Bill Clinton and a Democrat-con-
the Cold War.
trolled Congress started to reduce the yearly deficit by
cutting some spending and raising taxes, particularly
Today, so-called "rogue nations" like North Korea
people
on
with
higher incomes.
When
the
and Iran are trying to develop their own nuclear mis-
of both houses of
Republicans gained
control
siles thus posing a threat to the United States in the
Congress in 1994, they once again pushed the idea of
future. The Pentagon is currently spending about $3
federal income and capital gains tax cuts to stimulate
billion a year on technological research and develop-
economic growth.
ment for a "thin" National Missile Defense. This
would protect against a small number of missiles
Issue: National Missile Defense
launched by a "rogue nation," but not a massive
In 1972, the United States and the Soviet Union
attack as was envisioned in President Reagan's "Star
agreed not to build any nation-wide defense system to
Wars" program.
protect their homelands from nuclear missile attack.
The purpose of this agreement, known as the
Seeing no immediate missile threat to the United
States for another 10 years or more, defense planners
Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, was to prevent a
new expensive missile race to overcome such a
have recommended that a decision to actually estab-
lish an anti-missile system can be delayed for three
defense system.
Issue Question: Should the United States build a "thin"
National Missile Defense as soon as possible?
YES
NO
.
1. Defense experts say that if we decide now to go
1. Hundreds of nuclear missiles are still operational
ahead with the construction of a National Missile
within the territory of the former Soviet Union.
Defense, it will end up being less effective than if
While the Cold War is over, these missiles could
we invest in research over the next three years.
still be launched accidentally or by persons without
the authorization of their government.
2. A National Missile Defense is especially needed to
2. Nations who want to terrorize the United States are
protect the United States from attacks by "rogue
much more likely to use weapons like truck bombs
than costly and hard to develop long-range mis-
nations" with terrorist aims.
siles.
3. Deciding to build a National Missile Defense as
3. The 1972 ABM Treaty does not fit today's world
and should be renegotiated with the Russians or
soon as possible would be a direct violation of the
ABM Treaty. This would also put at risk nuclear
ignored by the United States.
arms reduction treaties with the Russians.
4. The most important purpose of the federal govern-
4. Building a National Missile Defense now will be
ment is to protect the nation from foreign attack at
very costly and will take away funds required for
any cost.
education, environmental protection, deficit reduc-
tion, and other national needs.
AC701/07V
years while research continues. In 1999, if events war-
rant it, the technology will be available to put into
place the "thin" missile defense system by 2003 at a
n The Issues
Taking A Stand
cost of $5 billion. Some critics of this Pentagon plan
A. Meet in small discussion. Each group should select
argue that the decision to start building the system
one of the four issues. Then each should complete
should be made now well in advance of any future
the following issue evaluation tasks:
threat. This option would cost about $10 billion.
1. What is the best argument on each side of your
For Discussion and Writing
issue?
1. Rank the four issues discussed in the article from
2. Make a list of the advantages and disadvan-
the most to least important to you. Explain why the
tages of adopting the policy proposed.
issue you ranked first is the most important.
B. Meet as a class to discuss each issue question.
2. Find out how the presidential candidates would
Have each group report back its findings. After dis-
answer each of the issue questions.
cussing each question, take a class vote on it.
3. What other issues should the candidates be dis-
cussing with the voters?
For Further Research
Vote Smart Website. URL:
http://www.vote-smart.org [this site provides
Internet links to sources on many Campaign '96
issues].