STOP HERE!

FALL 2010 students. Don't answer any questions below Melissa's music question. All of these below this are old ones!

--JOHN

Underage Drinking

“Too many Americans consider underage drinking a rite of passage to adulthood,” says former acting surgeon general Kenneth Morisugu. Research shows that young people who start drinking before the age of 15 are five times more likely to have alcohol-related problems later in life. But from 2001-2007, youth exposure to alcohol product advertising on T.V. rose by 38%, and in 2007 approximately 1/5 of all alcohol products ads. on T.V. were on T.V. programming for which viewers' ages are between 12 and 20.

So my questions for you . . . are children overexposed to alcohol advertising? What can be done to help children not start drinking until they are of legal age?

Thanks!

Melody Nelligan

Is being gay really all that bad?

Is being gay really all that bad? Why is loving someone of your own gender seen as comitting a deadly sin? I believe that many people have no self-control over who it is that they're attracted to. Just because it is seen as right in the eyes of so many people to date one of the opposite sex does not mean to shun another for being an individual and doing what it is they feel is right. So why judge them for being different?

What is your take on this? Loving someone of your own gender--Is it really wrong? Do you think people have a choice to be gay or not?

Quantia Braziel

Video games--Good or Bad?

Are video games good or bad for our kids? Being a gamer myself, I would say they can be good, but only to an extent. They keep your hand-eye coordination up, and now the military is starting to use the controllers to fly unmanned aircraft into battle.

What is your take on this? Should the games children play be cut back on hours playing, or do video games help in some way?

Mike McClure

Should Drug Controls Be Reduced?

There are some people in America who feel the government should reduce restrictions placed on certain prescription medications. To get any kind of prescription medication today a person has to go see a doctor and get that doctor to write a prescription for them. This obviously places liability on the doctor and thus the doctor may be reluctant to prescribe certain medications without a thorough exam or as part of a step-up treatment plan. For some (those with good insurance) this isn't an issue. Good insurance can make doctors accessible and inexpensive. For those without insurance, this approach can be really restrictive.

The advent of the internet now puts more information than ever into an individual's hands. A person can look up their symptoms, find a likely diagnosis, and create a common treatment plan in minutes, rather than waiting perhaps days for a medical appointment. The a major downside to this approach is when symptoms are less obvious or might be indicative of a more obscure or far more serious illness. Also, treatments involving prescription drugs are obviously restricted for people who would diagnose and treat themselves.

The sentiment generally goes, "Drug laws aren't in place because of you or me. They're in place for the rest of society, who would find ways to harm themselves otherwise." Obviously, some drugs would have to be restricted in any case. Narcotics have too much potential for abuse, and antibiotics, if overused, could create drug-resistant bacteria. Besides those two classes of drugs, there are many drugs out there that may significantly improve people's lives but are hard to access.

My question is: do you think that controls on prescription drugs are too restrictive? Should individuals be allowed more freedom to make decisions that affect their own lives, or does government hold a responsibility to protect the individuals in society who might potentially harm themselves if drugs controls were removed?

David Nadermann

Overpopulation

Are we over populated?

How much is too much?

It begins growing very slowly, but over generations the growth rate increases more and more rapidly, similar to a snowball effect. It took the human population thousands of years to reach 1 billion in 1804. However, it took only 123 years for us to double to 2 billion by 1927. The population hit 4 billion in 1974 (only 47 years), and if we continue at our current rate, the human population will reach 8 billion in 2028. Doubling from our present count of 6.8 billion to 13.6 billion will have a much greater impact than our last couple doublings combined.

Will we run out of resources? Do you envision other problems caused by overpopulation on the earth?

Mohammed Ahmad

Health in America

An alarming percentage of Americans are currently considered overweight or obese. Is this a problem? Why or why not?

How do you feel about implementing a more serious p.e. time in class (rather than walking in circles)? Any comments on the cafeteria food you have experienced in your student life? Healthy? Not so much?

Matt Funk

Abortions in Illinois

There are many contraceptives in the world today that help prevent pregnancies, but there are still thousands of abortions being preformed.The Department of Public Health reported the abortion rate in Illinois to be 47,717 in 2008, which has actually dropped in recent years. Do you think this rate is too high? There are some women who have had over two abortions--are they abusing their right of legal abortions?

Brittany Williams

Porn on the Web

All over the world teenagers and young children who have internet access have a wide variety of porn at their disposal. The websites have no security, so all you have to do is click a button that says you are eighteen and you're in. You can put parental locks on a computer, but the internet is forever doing new things and a lot of parents still have not caught up to technology. A good part of the web is porn whether it be a sex website or some teen posting sensual pictures on their Facebook or Myspace pages. Do you believe there should be more restrictions placed on the internet, or should we trust our children to do the right thing?

Julius Ervin

Everyone wants to be loved!

What do men and women truly want from each other in a relationship?

What is considered cheating in a relationship? Once that line is crossed do you stay or leave?

S.Cooper

Legal Marijuana

As of late 2009, there are 14 states such as California, Oregon, Washington, Maine, Nevada, Colorado, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont that allow the use of legal, or medical marijuana in their state lines. There are bills out there trying to be passed to allow all states to legalize marijuana. In California, a vote has been passed to actually have the citizens vote whether or not they want it legalized or not. Do you feel like this is a good idea for our country to legalize a drug? Some say it will bring our country out of debt, others say it wont. Other people think that crime rates will go up or maybe lots of drug wars will stop going on. Can this benefit our country by passing this law?

Kevin McBride

Who's a Ho?

Who says females can't have multiple sex partners like males? Is it right for a man to have sex with various women and get called "a player," but when a woman has intercourse with more than one male they are known as a "ho." Why is it that women get judged for their sexual life and get called names for doing the same thing that men do?

Think about how males and females are raised at home. Many parents thinks it's okay for their son to have sex, but when their daughter is having sexual intercourse, it's a major problem! Why is that?

Do you think there's a double standard for men and women when it comes to having sex? Do you think this is fair? Why or why not?


Whittney Motley

Bullies

In the United States, bullying among children and teenagers has often been dismissed as a normal part of growing up. About 30% of teens in the United States (over 5.7 million) are estimated to be involved in bullying as either a bully, a target of bullying, or both. Do you think people have taken bullying too far? What can schools do to stop bullying? What can you do to stop it?

Aubrey Welch

Child shooting deaths

According to the most recent statistics, 50 children are killed in the U.S. every week by gunfire (over 3,000 children a year). What can be done about child shooting deaths? In your view, how big a problem is the death of children by firearms in this country? What do you think is the primary cause of this problem?

Check out this site: http://www.neahin.org/programs/schoolsafety/gunsafety/statistics.htm

Thanks for your help.

Tracey Boswell

Supreme Court Overrules Gun Ban

The Supreme Court recently ruled that the constitutional right to gun ownership applies nationwide. This ruling came in response to a court case challenging the gun bans in the Illinois city of Chicago and Oak Park, one of the suburbs there. Chicago Mayor, Richard M. Daley, has promised to soon push for a new ordinance regulating handguns in the city in spite of the Supreme Court decision.

What are your thoughts on the Constitutional right to bear arms? Should common citizens in fact retain this right? Should registration of firearms be required? Should the ‘right to carry’ provisions be expanded or encouraged? Should handguns have different rules than other firearms?

Should assault weapons be allowed? What about enforcement against illegal arms possession?

The Supreme Court decision opens a vast can of opinion. Explain how you feel about this decision.

Joann Logsdon

Teenage Pregnancy

Can teens make good parents? There is a rise in teenage pregnancy; they have even made a show called "16 & Pregnant" to try to show teens how hard it is having children. How can they pay for it, do they know what kind of life they are getting into, are they emotionally ready, what is this going to do for their future?

I'm a teen mom; I had my daughter when I was 18. Only 2% of teenage mothers get a 2 year degree, 11% of mothers in the United States are teenagers, 82% are accidental, a child of a teen mom is more likely to be a teen mom themselves.

Are teenagers ready for the responsibility of raising a child? If you think they are not, what can be done to decrease the number of teenage pregnancies?

Sarah Albin

Cutting Education Budgets

An education is an essential necessity for all people to have. All over the United States our government is making drastic budget cuts in our education system. Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed cutting $680 million from the education budget, and is also asking schools to make cuts around $1.4 billion near the end of the school year. Should the government be making such large budget cuts, or even making them at all?

Kenneth East

Does it matter if you have a tattoo or not? Could you still get a job with tattoos? People always tell me that if you get tattoos that you will not be able to get a job. I think it is great to be able to get a tattoo if you really think its cool. I have four tattoos, and my friends and family all think that having my tattoos will affect me in the furture. But does it really matter if you have tattoos? Do employers really look at the fact that you have tattoos?

ASHIA STEVENS

Trust your government?

Cancer is the second largest reason for death, and in 2007 alone 7.9 million people all around the world died of cancer. By 2030 it is estimated that the number will be 11.5 million.

Considering that people like you and me know these facts, then the government must know them as well. Do you think that the government is hiding things from average, everyday Americans, such as a cure for cancer? If so, why? And if you don't, then what is it that makes you put so much trust in the idea that our government does everything they can to make life safe for us?

Samantha Tomson

Cell Phones

Illinois is one of the 24 states to have a law against texting while driving. Should we make texting while driving illegal in all states? Should we make a law in all states against using a cell while driving? We hear more and more each day about people having accidents, or causing accidents that take the lives of others, due to using a cell phone while driving. What can we do better to convince people of all ages that using a cell phone while driving is dangerous? How would it affect you or your family if you or someone in your family killed someone while talking or texting on a cell phone?

Dawn Smith

Creationism or big bang?

Many of us have a view on how the world was created. What is your view? Do you think that God really created Earth? If so, do you think He created the entire universe? Scientists believe that our universe came into existence as a result of an explosion, a "big bang," and that our universe continues to expand, but this belief directly contradicts what you read in the Bible.

So how did we and other living creatures end up on this planet? Is there persuasive proof to either side of the argument between creationists and scientists?

Samantha Odendaal

A better environment and a better future?

Do you feel that we have a healthy environment?

It has been proven that hybrid vehicles are good for the environment. Do you believe these cars can help towards a better future? If you were forced to only be able to buy a Hybrid vehicle (an electric/gas) would you be opposed to it? Why?

Do you recycle or just throw away your trash in a garbage can? How about Styrofoam, for example? Did you know that Styrofoam not only holds in more heat, but by using it for insulation in your house, it will also lower the cost of your utility bills?

What can we do to make our lives more environmentally friendly around us and our homes?

What would you be willing to do knowing you would be able to have more cash if you were more environmentally friendly?

Cameron Smucker