It Takes a Party

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/13/opinion/it-takes-a-party.html?_r=0 DUE 20 APRIL 2015. What personality traits are necessary for a candidate to run for President?? What issues are important to Republicans?? What issues are important to Democrats?? How will negative campaigning influence the election?? What topics will be used to attack the Republican candidate?? What topics will be used to attack the Democratic candidate??

Florida Bakery Faces Threats After Refusing To Print Anti-Gay Message On A Cake

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/05/florida-bakery-anti-gay-message_n_7007390.html DUE 13 APRIL 2015. SO...Assume that you are a Senator attempting to solve this problem: Under what circumstances should businesses be able to refuse service to any person? Explain in detail with a great deal of thought.

New Federal Data Show Student Loan Borrowers Suffering More Than Previously Believed

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/27/federal-student-loans-delinquency_n_6957036.html DUE 6 APRIL 2015. What are the statistics regarding student loan debt? Who guarantees student loans?? What are the reasons for high student loan debt??? Most importantly, what are the back-end costs (or repercussions) of students not paying back their student loans????

There's A Decent Chance Your Raise Might Beat Inflation This Year

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/11/cfo-survey-wages-rising-finally_n_6848312.html DUE 16 MARCH 2015. What is the "normal" rate of acceptable inflation to create growth in the economy? What is the current inflation rate? Why does the author feel that pay raises will beat inflation? How long have wages been down? If it is true that raises exceed inflation, what are the implications for economic growth in the future and WHY??

Forbes 500 List Reveals A Disturbing Truth About Our Economy

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/02/forbes-500-rich-list_n_6784594.html DUE 9 MARCH 2015. According to the author, why is the 15% of wealthiest Americans coming from finance disturbing in our economy?? Do you see the increasing trend in wealth from finance a problem for the future? Click on the FORBES 2014 list of 400 Richest Americans and scan the list. Describe the person(s) on the list you admire and tell why.

Elizabeth Warren And Sherrod Brown Fight Fed Audit, Foreclosure Transparency

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/17/elizabeth-warren-rand-paul-federal-reserve_n_6699820.html DUE 23 FEB 2015. What is the purpose of the bill proposed by Rand Paul? Why are Democrats opposed to it? What do economists like Paul Krugman think about the bill?? What do you think: should the FED be audited or should the FED be independent of Congressional meddling? Why or why not?

Yemen crisis: US, UK and France close Sanaa embassies

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-31411284 DUE 17 FEB 2015. Why are the United States, the United Kingdom, and France withdrawing from their Yemen embassies? The Houthis are accused of initiating a "coup"--what is a coup? What are the Houthis' plans with regards to the current structure of Yemini Parliament? Who is the new rebel leader??

Democrats might skip Benjamin Netanyahu speech

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/02/democrats-might-skip-benjamin-netanyahu-speech-114891.html DUE 9 FEB 2015. Who is Benjamin Netanyahu?? Who asked him to speak before Congress?? What did President Obama think about this invitation?? What implications will a Democratic boycott create for international relations with Israel??

Northeast Corridor braces for 'potentially historic' snowstorm

http://www.foxnews.com/weather/2015/01/26/northeast-braces-for-another-major-snowstorm/ DUE 2 FEB 2015. Why is this snowstorm a major problem for government officials?? Why is this a problem for Florida?? Why is this a problem for power companies (in NE and in Florida)??

Obama Pushes 'The Right Thing' For Workers: Paid Leave, Minimum Wage, Pay Equity

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/20/obama-paid-leave-sotu_n_6489552.html DUE 26 JAN 2015. Discuss President Obama's rationale for pushing paid leave, raising the minimum wage, and pay equity during the State of the Union address. How will this help the economy? Why are Republicans opposed to these measures?? If President Obama wants these things done, how will he do it? Why??

No Child Left Behind Rewrite Should Limit Standardized Testing, Duncan Says

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/12/no-child-left-behind-2015_n_6453092.html. DUE 20 Jan 2015. What is/are the major focus of NCLB?? Why does the Obama Administration want to rewrite the legislation? What major changes would be implemented? WHY is this legislation a problem to teachers and students? What future economic issues are likely to result from the quality of education in the United States (ie. NCLB)???

Russia Entering 'Full-Fledged Economic Crisis'

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/22/russia-crisis-idUSL6N0U61L320141222. DUE 12 January 2015. What are the predominant reasons for Russia's economic woes? What does the term "junk" refer to in this article? What will be the impact of inflation for the Russian economy?

As oil prices plunge, wide-ranging effects for consumers and the global economy

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/as-oil-prices-plunge-wide-ranging-effects-for-consumers-and-the-global-economy/2014/12/01/904984b2-7971-11e4-9a27-6fdbc612bff8_story.html DUE 8 DECEMBER 2014...(ONE OF TWO). How much have oil prices declined in the past 7 months? Why have they declined?? What actions did OPEC take?? What are 3 economic advantages of an oil price decline? What are 3 economic disadvantages of an oil price decline? Predict the future economic impact of symbiotic industries as these price declines affect the macro-economy.

The Racist Housing Policies That Helped Fuel the Anger in Ferguson

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2014/08/14/3471237/ferguson-housing-segregation/ DUE 1 DECEMBER 2014. What is segregation? What does the term REDLINING mean and how did this affect black families in Missouri? According to this article, how is this racial segregation is affecting the economics of this community? What is YOUR solution to this problem?

The State of the U.S. Labor Market: Pre-October 2014 Jobs Release

https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/news/2014/10/02/98227/the-state-of-the-u-s-labor-market-pre-october-2014-jobs-release/ DUE 24 NOV 2014. What does it mean "not in the labor force"(use economic understanding)? Who is working, who is not, and why? What is the average weeks unemployed and what is happening to this number?? What does the declining real wages data show about the overall economy?

Everybody's Quitting Their Job Now

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/13/quit-rate-job-openings-jolts_n_6152170.html. DUE 17 NOV 2014. Why is "everybody" quitting their job? Is this a good sign or a bad sign for the US economy?

Oregon's Cheap Legal Weed Could Starve Washington's Market

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/01/oregon-legal-weed_n_6084208.html DUE 10 NOV 2014. Using the Laws of Supply and Demand, discuss the issues involved with Oregon passing legislation for recreational marijuana. How will government intervention affect the marijuana markets in Washington? How will government intervention affect the marijuana markets in Oregon? How does this lead to the creation (or sustainability) of black markets?

5 Things About Slavery You Probably Didn't Learn In Social Studies: A Short Guide To 'The Half Has Never Been Told'

https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6000848530940859916#editor/target=post;postID=3300013069556952844 DUE 3 NOV 2014. What do you believe is the most interesting of the 5 points made in this article? How did slavery aid the economy of the north? According to Baptiste, why did slavery end in America? What did you learn regarding cause and effect from this article?

China's Economy Just Overtook The U.S. In One Key Measure

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/08/china-gdp-tops-us_n_5951374.html. DUE 20 OCT 2015. What is the one key measure that allowed China to be number one? What is purchasing power parity and why does it matter?

Why Voter's Don't Care More About Income Inequality

http://www.salon.com/2014/10/05/why_voters_dont_care_more_about_income_inequality_partner/ DUE 13 OCT 2014. What is meant by income inequality? What are the economic implications of a majority of Americans unable to pay for basic needs? How does income inequality affect national, state and local government income (taxes)???