Extra Credit
Last updated November 10th, 2011 at 11:31 a.m.
E.C. Option #1 This link will take you to the page where you can find the word document for the book/movie extra credit.
E.C. Option #2Here are links to current event articles and questions:
Article #1 Farmers Propose Eliminating One Subsidy, Replacing With Another
1. Define: subsidy, constituent, commodity, interest group, political action committees, predominantly, absentee, premium, benchmark, streamlined
2. What is a civic sacrifice? Why might the proposal to end an agricultural subsidy seem like a civic sacrifice?
3. Why are farm groups and their supporters proposing to eliminate the program? What pressure do they face to do so? What would happen if they proposed to double it instead?
4. “We want to do our part as corn growers to help resolve those issues, but we only want to do our proportional part. We don’t want to have everything taken out on us.” Is not receiving money from the government a sacrifice? Are people in other industries that don’t receive payments from the government sacrificing?
5. Why are some in government trying to reduce the deficit? How can they decide what one group’s “proportional part” is in reducing the deficit?
6. Since agricultural subsidies make up only half a percent of the federal budget, how hard is anybody likely to try to cut them? How hard will beneficiaries try to keep the money coming? How does this influence their decision about what is proportional?
7. Should there be any federal programs that benefit special groups? What are some ways that such programs could be justified?
8. Should the government make any cuts to programs that affect large numbers of people? What would happen if we only made cuts to farm subsidies and other programs of similar sizes?
9. Besides agriculture, what are some other industries that experience highs and lows? Do we need to subsidize these industries during bad times? Why or why not?
10. According to Senator Brown, farmers would go out of business if we did not have insurance programs. Is it a good thing or a bad thing if fewer people are farming? How can you make this judgment?
Graphic Images on Cigarette Packs Hit Free Speech Barrier
1. Define: subsidy, constituent, commodity, interest group, political action committees, predominantly, absentee, premium, benchmark, streamlined
2. What is a civic sacrifice? Why might the proposal to end an agricultural subsidy seem like a civic sacrifice?
3. Why are farm groups and their supporters proposing to eliminate the program? What pressure do they face to do so? What would happen if they proposed to double it instead?
4. “We want to do our part as corn growers to help resolve those issues, but we only want to do our proportional part. We don’t want to have everything taken out on us.” Is not receiving money from the government a sacrifice? Are people in other industries that don’t receive payments from the government sacrificing?
5. Why are some in government trying to reduce the deficit? How can they decide what one group’s “proportional part” is in reducing the deficit?
6. Since agricultural subsidies make up only half a percent of the federal budget, how hard is anybody likely to try to cut them? How hard will beneficiaries try to keep the money coming? How does this influence their decision about what is proportional?
7. Should there be any federal programs that benefit special groups? What are some ways that such programs could be justified?
8. Should the government make any cuts to programs that affect large numbers of people? What would happen if we only made cuts to farm subsidies and other programs of similar sizes?
9. Besides agriculture, what are some other industries that experience highs and lows? Do we need to subsidize these industries during bad times? Why or why not?
10. According to Senator Brown, farmers would go out of business if we did not have insurance programs. Is it a good thing or a bad thing if fewer people are farming? How can you make this judgment?
