Obama Weighs in on Gates

The New York Times is running an article entitled, "Obama Wades into a Volatile Race Issue." The article states, "In response to a question at his prime-time news conference about the arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr., the black Harvard professor, in his own home over the weekend, Mr. Obama declared that the Cambridge, Mass., police had 'acted stupidly.'”

The article further adds, "Mr. Obama’s response was his most animated performance of the hourlong news conference, and represented an extraordinary plunge by a president into a local law-enforcement dispute."

1.Why do you think that racism exists in the first place?

2. Do you think that there is still a problem of racism in the United States? Do you have evidence to back up your opinion? Is the fact that Barack Obama is President enough evidence? Explain!

3. Do you think that the President should have said anything about the Cambridge Police Department's handling of the Henry L. Gates situation? Why or why not?

4. Why do you think that President Obama mentions Latinos every time he mentions the problems that have plagued African Americans? In what ways is the U.S. experience of Latinos similar to the U.S. experience of African Americans? In what ways is the experience different?

5. If you could say one thing to the world in an effort to eliminate all forms of racism what would you say? Why do you think this would have a chance of eliminating racism?

Health Care Heats Up

The political debate over healthcare has heated up. The Washington Post is running an article entitled, "GOP Focuses Effort to Kill Health Bills." The article begins, "Emboldened by divided Democrats and polls that show rising public anxiety about President Obama's handling of health care and the economy, Republicans on Monday launched an aggressive effort to link the two, comparing the health-care bills moving through Congress to what they labeled as a failed economic stimulus bill."

1. Do you think that health care should be considered a natural human right? Why or why not? Is there a difference between denying somebody health care because they cannot afford to pay for it and intentionally hurting somebody? Why or why not?

2. Imagine that two people make the same amount of money but one person spends all of his money on trivial things and the other saves her money? If the first person gets sick and cannot afford to pay for health care should the second be required to help support the first? Why or why not? Should the second choose to help support the first? Explain!

3. Does it make political sense for President Obama to campaign against fellow Democrats who don't happen to support his health care initiatives? Why or why not? What is the real power of the Presidency?

4. Do you think that a government supported health care system would be as effective as a privately funded health care system? Why or why not? Is there anything that a government does better than an individual, or a private firm? Is there anything that a private firm does better than the government? Is there anything that they do equally well?

Loan Fixing

The New York Times is running an article entitled, "Subprime Brokers Resurface as Dubious Loan Fixers." Though Jack Soussana amassed a fortune selling a huge number of mortgages to homeowners during the real estate boom, his clients did not fare as well.

The article states, "He specialized in the exotic mortgages that have proved most prone to sliding into foreclosure, leaving many now scrambling to save their homes...Yet the dangers assailing Mr. Soussana’s clients have yielded fresh business for him: Late last year, he and his team — ensconced in the same office where they used to broker mortgages — began working for a loan modification company. For fees reaching $3,495, with most of the money collected upfront, they promised to negotiate with lenders to lower payments on the now-delinquent mortgages they and their counterparts had sprinkled liberally across Southern California."

1. What does it mean to be an educated consumer? What kinds of questions should you ask before paying money for a good or a service?

2. Why do so many people willingly purchase a good or a service without asking questions? Would you call it lazy, trusting, or something else?

3. What can we learn about the individuals who shifted their business orientation from selling mortgages to selling loan negotiation services? Is it acceptable to try and earn a fortune? Why or why not?

4. How would you describe the difference between a legitimate business opportunity and a scam? Does the difference at all depend on one's position vis-a-vis the business? Explain!!

Big Banks Report Profits

The Washington Post is running an article entitled, "Bank of America, Citigroup Report Large Second Quarter Profits." The article states, "The largest banks are profiting from the success of some lines of business, such as trading in financial products and helping companies raise money. But the basic business of banking, lending money to borrowers, remains deeply troubled."

The article adds, "Both companies continue to rely on a range of federal rescue programs to raise money from investors, a key factor in their strong results. They also remain subject to close scrutiny by federal regulators, who have taken an active hand in management decisions."

1. Do you think that the government was right to help failing banks by backing them financially? Why or why not? Should the government continue to help banks if banks are reporting profits? What damage could occur if government withdraws it's financial support?

2. Do you think you know enough about the government bailout of large financial institutions? Why or why not? What question would you ask in order to learn more about these bailouts?

3.If you had to pick the two top priorities for government funding, what would you select? Why? Can you think of anything that the government is currently supporting financially that would stop supporting if you could control the government? If so, what?

4. After banks remain profitable and no longer need government support, how much money do you think that they should have to pay back to the government? (Base this on either a percentage or a multiple of the government investment within the bank.)

Take Off!!

CNN is running an article entitled, "From Doughnuts to Lift Off, Apollo 11 Launch was Blast." (Sometimes intriguing articles get silly titles. Jack King, Chief of Public Information at the Kennedy Center in 1969, stopped for donuts before heading to the launch and becoming known as "the voice of Appollo 11.") The article states, "Forty years after America's launch of Apollo 11, the U.S. space program is at a different crossroads, challenged in recent years to return to the moon and to recapture the ambition that launched the space race in 1961. Back then, a dazzled nation heard the big dreams of a youthful Ivy League-educated, senator-turned president."

1. What information do you think that you would need to know in order to intelligently decide if human-beings will ever reach Mars? Do you think that it makes sense for government to spend money towards this objective? Why or why not?

2. The Apollo 11 Mission represented something far larger than itself. Can you think of anything else that represents something far larger than itself? What does it even mean for something to represent something larger than itself?

3. Hundreds, if not thousands, of people were involved in the Apollo 11 Mission. What does it take to work together effectively? What is the hardest part of working collaborative work? What is the easiest part? Why?

4. Do you think that intelligent life forms exist elsewhere in the world? Why or why not? If so, do you think that human beings will ever make contact with these beings? What would you do if one day you looked into the sky and actually saw a UFO hovering above the ground? Why would you do this? What would you think?

Sotomayor's Demeanor During the Hearings

The Washington Post is running an article entitled, "Warming the Room with a Confident Touch." The article states, "Senators hammered Sotomayor for that ('wise Latina') remark all day, but she took no umbrage at any of the questioning. When Jeff Sessions (Ala.), the ranking Republican on the panel, was grilling her for a decision and suggested she could have voted along with one of her fellow judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, "himself of Puerto Rican ancestry," several of Sotomayor's friends and colleagues behind her grimaced in exasperation. The judge's face betrayed no change in her expression of active listening."

According to the article, Senator Diane Feinstein, one of two women on the committee said, "This nominee, I think, has been very straightforward...She has not used catchy phrases. She has answered the questions directly the best she could. And to me, that gets points. I must say that, if there's a test for judicial temperament, you pass it with an A-plus-plus. I want you to know that, because I wanted to respond, and my adrenaline was moving along. And you have just sat there, very quietly, and responded to questions that, in their very nature, are quite provocative. So I want to congratulate you about that."

1. Why do students think that people make certain kinds of faces when they feel specific ways? Do students think that people can always control the faces they make? Why or why not?

2. When it comes to physical demeanor, what is the best way to listen to somebody else? Do students feel that they are more respected when students look at them in certain ways? Why or why not?

3. Why do students think that people shake hands with one another? Is there a difference between shaking hands and hugging? Is there a difference between shaking hands and touching somebody on the shoulder? Are there certain times when certain actions are more appropriate than others?

4. Do students think that it's worthwhile to pay attention to the physical demeanor of Judge Sotomayor? Why or why not? What can we learn from other people by paying attention to their demeanor?

Senate Confirmation Hearings

The Washington Post is running an article entitled, "In Senate Confirmation Hearings, Sotomayor Pledges, 'Fidelity to the Law.'" The article begins, "Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor said yesterday that a simple 'fidelity to the law' is at the heart of her judicial philosophy, as her confirmation hearings began with Senate Republicans delivering a surprisingly strong critique of her fairness and President Obama's reliance on ephemeral qualities of life experience and 'empathy' in nominating her."

1. What do students think that the word "empathy" means? Can they think of any times in which they have been empathetic towards another? Can they think of any times in which somebody has been empathetic towards them?

2. Challenge students to identify the three most important characteristics of a judge. Is it more important for a judge to be caring or a judge to be impartial? Why?

3. Do students think that in some cases a woman judge may rule differently than a male judge? Why or why not?

4. If students could ask Judge Sotomayor one question before the Senate votes on her confirmation, what would they ask? Why? What if they could ask two questions? Why do they think that the first question is more important than the second question?