By Friday 3/16/12 at 11:59pm comment to the following post (first name, last initial, class period) . . . share this 2 point extra credit opportunity ONLY WITH THE COOL KIDS!
Background:
During World War II (and World War I), citizens and businesses were asked to sacrifice for the war effort . . . .
Other propaganda encouraged people to plant Victory Gardens . . .
Or encouraged people to buy War Bonds . . . .
Rationing was also a major part of people's lives . . . .
And now for your questions . . .
Since we are currently, or recently have been, involved in two very costly "wars" (Iraq and Afghanistan = >$1 trillion so far):
- What one thing would you be willing to give up/sacrifice in order to help support these "wars" and the massive USA debt to which they have added?
- How would giving that thing up help the war effort and/or help pay down the war debt?
Your life is unique, so your answer should be unique, as well!
Good Luck!
17 comments:
I would not be willing to give up any of my rights to fight these two pointless wars. Neither of the wars are taking place close to home, so they are not a direct threat to me. Any rights that people would give up to help the war would barely make a dent in the huge bill that the two wars make. While some rationing would help, the overall debt caused from the wars would probably still come close to 1 trillion dollars.
I would have been willing before class on Tuesday to give up some rights for the war effort for American to prosper, but after hearing Dave's point of view that we should not give up are rights to fight a war to protect are rights, i believe that efforts should be done to help the war rather than a sacrifice of rights. For instance, i believe that the American Garden system is a good idea in spirit, because more supplies could be sent to our troops. However, i do not believe this is a necessity, because over production of food is rampant enough as it is with big time manufactured farms. Instead we should try to ration our oil more effectively within our country to save money and conserve il for our troops.
I would not be willing to give up any of my rights for any kind of war. Many citizens would not give up their rights freely. Congress would have to pass a seris of laws that would prohibit the citizens these rights. This would lead to a downturn in a national effort to support the war. I think that the best way to support the war is to buy war bonds. This way people would not have to give up any of their rights but the war could still have an outlet for funding. The government could make a lot of money off the bonds for the military while still keeping the public happy.
Alright well everybody seems to be getting really hostile here...While I am a huge (maybe the biggest?) 1st amendment rights supporter, I am also a huge supporter of our brave men and women overseas who are willing to serve our country and report for duty whether or not they agree with the United States' involvement in the war or not- they simply serve and choose to stand up because someone must if our country is to have at least some troops at all times on guard and/or doing what the nation calls of them to do- my point with this is that I would be willing to give up some dessert foods so that the government could buy those companies out and use the money to provide better living standards for the military men and women overseas. This will make Americans healthier anyway and will only be temporary. I would be willing to do this for the sake of helping the military, not for the sake of putting the money towards the actual war effort itself, which I don't neccessarily feel as passionate about and in agreement with (although I do like the idea of fighting to end terror and take out threatening terrorist groups). This change (giving up dessert) would help the war effort because it would give the military stronger moral and put them in a stronger position to finish the job and wrap up in the Middle East.
I would not be willing to give up any of my rights for any war, but I would happily limit my gas usage, food purchases and etc. to help limit the debt our government is getting into. And there are approximately 300,000,000 Americans, I believe, so if everyone (on average) could pitch in $3,333, the war debt would be practically paid off.If we give up products, the demand for them is less, and the price goes down for the government to buy them.
I don't feel that giving up any of my rights would help the war effort in anyway.I support the troops and would not do anything to put them in anymore danger than they are already in. I would try my best to do what the government ask of me to support the war effort but they dont really ask of anything from the citizens. I do believe that although our military is very inefficient and expensive it one of the few things ran by the federal government that is ran well.
Even for the war effort, I dont believe that i would give up any of my human rights because these are a given, not something that is earned or can be given up. Since we are fighting in a country other than my home, I would not have been directly threatened at home so nothing should have needed to change. Any rights we have would also barely contriubte to helping the debt so it is downright pointless. Yes, having Liberty Gardens would help the amount of food for our troops, but with the amount of debt we were in, they might as well buy the food from the farmers to help our economy in the process of war.
If we are talking about giving up any rights, there would be no way I would sacrifice my rights for a war. Who knows if or when the rights will be given back and that is a risk that I am not willing to take. However, if we are discussing giving up other things, like an ipod or sliced bread, then it would be acceptable. I would give up camoflage clothing. The government could buy out the camo companies and for cheap labor use them to produce the uniforms to keep our soldiers hidden and safe. I think that it would help pay for the debt because the government would no longer have to pay a company to make the uniforms, they could make them themselves.
First of all....why is everyone talking about giving up rights? No where in the prompt did Hoffman insinuate you were solely giving up rights...you guys are crazy. But, in response to the question I would be willing to give up some things for the war. For instance, I would be okay with the government poking around in peoples' computers because I would much rather have the CIA find out my neighbor is a terrorist than find out myself when he blows up the whole neighborhood. If you don't have anything to hide, you shouldn't mind this small invasion of privacy. This would help the war effort by uncovering domestic threats while also leading to tips about international threats.
I would be willing to pay war bonds. I have no problem in supplying the government with money for when they need it, and then recieving money later. The most important goal at the time of the war should be the war. If i can help the government by giving up a little bit of money then without a doubt i would be willing to help out.
whoops!
There are not any rights that I would be willing to give up. I have become accustomed to having them and would find it very difficult to give up such things. On the other hand, when it comes to things that I consume for a limited amount of time. I think war bonds would be effective and would look into such a thing. I also might limit how much clothing I buy or the types of materials so the government could use it for military uniforms...and that is coming from a shopper!!
Many people gave up rights during the war to support this country and the war. I would have given up rights in order to help out my country. In order to help out my countries I would sacrifice my hard earned money with a small increased income tax in order to help the war effort. Although money is very important to me it is more important to provide it to the military to help them overcome the German and Japanese threat.
Katelin is totally correct, the prompt asks for something we would give up, whether it is a right is totally our choice. Personally, I wouldn't mind paying higher taxes on consumer goods line gas, food, or clothing if the money went to funding the war. This would help offset the trillion plus cost of the war on terror and would help to keep the budget balanced.
To support this crucial war against terrorism that threatens the United States, I would be willing to make a sacrifice in monetary terms. Whether this be thorough a one time tax assessment or war bonds (as previously mentioned), I believe that it is a citizen's duty to ensure the security of the United States. By doing this or implementing these measures, it would allow the government to lower certain costs of the war (hopefully) making it a little more affordable than before- with out sacrificing the security of the United States in the process.
I would be willing to fight for the United States Army in Iraq or Afghanistan in order to help the war effort. By fighting in battle, I am supporting the war effort by puting my life on the line and fighting for my counrty. I would be fighting against the enemy and working towards an end to the war.
(PS, I dont know whats going on with my blog posts, for some reason none of them seem to be going through! I have a 0/5 on the previous survey homework, and apparently I didn't complete this "Top Secret Assignment" on Friday.
Gun H.--
1) try posting from another computer . . . your computer apparently does not like you
or
2) make sure if you are posting a comment to this blog that it shows up immediately...if not, try again (you must do the word verification)...if that doesn't work, email me or tell me in class the next day so we can see what's going on
or
3) don't wait until the last minute...all problems can be fixed if they are caught ahead of time...problems brought up after the due date tend to look "sketchy" if you know what I mean!
Good luck!
Mr. H.
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