The great debate: which presidential candidate speaks for you on the big issues? Find out in this JS debate!Americans everywhere are debating politics right now. No debates, however, will be more important than the face-to-face meetings between Republican George W. Bush and Democrat John F. Kerry. The presidential candidates are scheduled to meet for three televised debates. What solutions will they propose for problems facing America? You'll have to tune in to find out. Until then, check out this sneak preview sneak preview n. A single public showing of a movie before its general release. Noun 1. sneak preview - a preview to test audience reactions based on past speeches and statements made along the campaign trail. Moderator moderator - A person, or small group of people, who manages a moderated mailing list or Usenet newsgroup. Moderators are responsible for determining which email submissions are passed on to the list or newsgroup. : Good evening. Tonight, President George W. Bush and Senator John F. Kerry will discuss their views on Iraq, terrorism, taxes and the economy, education, the environment, and health care. Iraq War Iraq War: see under Persian Gulf Wars. Iraq War or Second Persian Gulf War Brief conflict in 2003 between Iraq and a combined force of troops largely from the U.S. and Great Britain; and a subsequent U.S. Moderator: Mr. President Mr. President can refer to:
(born April 28, 1937, Tikrit, Iraq—died Dec. 30, 2006, Baghdad) President of Iraq (1979–2003). He joined the Ba'th Party in 1957. Following participation in a failed attempt to assassinate Iraqi Pres. in March 2003. Your administration said Iraq had weapons of mass destruction Weapons that are capable of a high order of destruction and/or of being used in such a manner as to destroy large numbers of people. Weapons of mass destruction can be high explosives or nuclear, biological, chemical, and radiological weapons, but exclude the means of transporting or , but no such weapons have been found. Was the invasion a mistake? Bush: Although we have not yet found any weapons of mass destruction, we were right to invade in·vade v. in·vad·ed, in·vad·ing, in·vades v.tr. 1. To enter by force in order to conquer or pillage. 2. Iraq. We removed a cruel dictator and a declared enemy who could have provided terrorists with deadly weapons deadly weapon n. any weapon which can kill. This includes not only weapons which are intended to do harm like a gun or knife, but also blunt instruments like clubs, baseball bats, monkey wrenches, an automobile or any object which actually causes death. . In a post-September 11 world, we could not take that risk. Moderator: Senator Kerry, do you regret your vote to send troops to Iraq? Kerry: No, but I would have done everything differently. I would have allowed United Nations inspectors more time to search for weapons: I wouldn't have ignored warnings that we needed more troops. I would have made sure that our soldiers had the equipment they needed. I would have built a strong, broad coalition of our allies around the world. And I would never have gone to war without a plan to win the peace. Terrorism Moderator: Senator Kerry, how will you stop terrorism? Kerry: I will add 40,000 active-duty troops to help our overstretched o·ver·stretch v. o·ver·stretched, o·ver·stretch·ing, o·ver·stretch·es v.tr. 1. To stretch excessively; overstrain. 2. To stretch or extend over. v.intr. military and give our soldiers the newest battlefield technology. Also, I will fight a smarter war on terror This article is about U.S. actions, and those of other states, after September 11, 2001. For other conflicts, see Terrorism. The War on Terror (also known as the War on Terrorism by using our economic power and by working more closely with our European allies. Moderator: President Bush, your response? Bush: I have tripled funding for homeland security Noun 1. Homeland Security - the federal department that administers all matters relating to homeland security Department of Homeland Security executive department - a federal department in the executive branch of the government of the United States and trained 500,000 firefighters, police officers, and other first-responders. We are strengthening and reforming both the military and our intelligence services. We are also staying on the offensive--striking terrorists abroad so we don't have to face them at home. Economy and Taxes Moderator: The U.S. economy has lost an estimated 1 million jobs since 2001. President Bush, how can these jobs be recovered? Bush: By cutting taxes, so people have more money to spend. That's why I signed into law two tax cuts that have pumped nearly $2 trillion One thousand times one billion, which is 1, followed by 12 zeros, or 10 to the 12th power. See space/time. (mathematics) trillion - In Britain, France, and Germany, 10^18 or a million cubed. In the USA and Canada, 10^12. into the economy. We've already added more than 1 million new jobs in the last 11 months. But the tax cuts will expire soon. Making them permanent will help ensure our prosperity. Moderator: Senator Kerry? Kerry: The President's tax cuts have mainly helped wealthy Americans. I will cut taxes for the middle class and roll back the tax cuts for those who earn more than $200,000 a year. I will also end tax breaks to companies that ship good jobs overseas. Over the past three years, we've lost roughly 1 million jobs in America. Herbert Hoover is the only other President in our history to have presided over such a loss of jobs--and that was during the Great Depression. Schools and Education Moderator: How can we improve public education? Kerry: We need to raise teachers' salaries. Also, teachers should get bonuses based on how well their students perform. I voted for my opponent's "No Child Left Behind" reforms. But the reforms were not properly funded, and schools are judged only by test scores. I think parent satisfaction and graduation Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the associated ceremony. The date of event is often called degree day. The event itself is also called commencement, convocation or invocation. rates should also be considered when judging schools. Moderator: President Bush? Bush: My "No Child Left Behind" law is changing schools by raising academic standards and focusing on results. By testing every child, we are identifying those who need help, and we're providing a record level of funding to get them that help. Environment Moderator: How should we protect the environment? Mr. Bush? Bush: In many cases, voluntary environmental guidelines guidelines, n.pl a set of standards, criteria, or specifications to be used or followed in the performance of certain tasks. are better than mandatory rules that hurt businesses. I have promoted non-polluting technologies and created new wetlands. I have also signed laws that will clean up industrial-waste sites, and moved to reduce some types of air pollution. Moderator: Senator Kerry? Kerry: Unlike this President, I believe we can safeguard the environment and make our economy grow at the same time. This administration has refused to sign a treaty to stop global warming global warming, the gradual increase of the temperature of the earth's lower atmosphere as a result of the increase in greenhouse gases since the Industrial Revolution. . And it wants to drill oil in the Alaska wilderness. I will fight harder to preserve our environment and protect public lands. Health Care Moderator: In 2003, the number of people without health insurance rose to 45 million. What should be done? Mr. Kerry? Kerry: Americans spend about $1.5 trillion a year on health care. At least $350 billion of it pays for paperwork. Cutting this waste would save each family $1,000 a year. I plan to reduce the cost of health care by making it more efficient. I will cover the cost of prescription drugs prescription drug Prescription medication Pharmacology An FDA-approved drug which must, by federal law or regulation, be dispensed only pursuant to a prescription–eg, finished dose form and active ingredients subject to the provisos of the Federal Food, Drug, , and make sure all Americans, especially children and seniors, have affordable health care. Moderator: President Bush, you get the last word. Bush: We must allow small firms to join together to purchase health insurance at a discounted rate. I will offer a tax credit to encourage small businesses and their employees to set up health savings accounts A Health Savings Account (HSA) is a tax-advantaged medical savings account available to taxpayers in the United States who are enrolled in a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP). The funds contributed to the account are not subject to federal income tax at the time of deposit. . Such accounts will also be available to low-income families. And I will ensure that every poor county in America has its own health center. Moderator: Thank you, gentlemen. Unfortunately, we don't have time to address other important issues. Voters, now it's your responsibility to get informed, discuss the issues--and then cast your vote! * OBJECTIVE Students should understand * Some of the issues that will be included in this year's presidential debates: Iraq, terrorism, taxes and the economy, education, the environment, and health care. * WORDS TO KNOW weapons of mass destruction: nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons that can kill many people quickly * coalition: an alliance that takes joint action. * TEACHING STRATEGY Ask students: "What do you think are some of the major issues important to this year's presidential election?" * BACKGROUND The Commission on Presidential Debates has scheduled three presidential debates to take place from September 30 to October 13. Senator Kerry has agreed to participate in each one. President Bush reportedly may not agree to participate in as many debates. Organizers from both presidential campaigns are still negotiating which topics will be discussed and the format of each debate. * CRITICAL THINKING MAKING COMPARISONS: How do President Bush and Senator Kerry plan to protect the country against terrorism? (President Bush has increased funding for homeland security, strengthened the military, and proposed reforming the intelligence services. He also calls for preemptive strikes Preemptive strike may refer to:
* ACTIVITY MOCK DEBATE: Host a mock debate of the presidential candidates. Ask different students to represent President Bush, Senator Kerry, and Ralph Nader  This page is currently protected from editing until (UTC) or until disputes have been resolved. . Students should research the positions each candidate has on the
debate topics.
STANDARDS SOCIAL STUDIES, GRADES 5-8 * Individuals, groups, and institutions: How the presidential candidates will debate the issues critical to the 2004 election. * Civic ideals and practices: How voters will watch the televised debates to learn how the candidates plan to lead the nation. RESOURCES * Jamieson, Kathleen Hall, Presidential Debates: The Challenge of Creating an Informed Electorate Electorate may refer to:
* Schroeder, Alan, Presidential Debates (Columbia University Press Columbia University Press is an academic press based in New York City and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by James D. Jordan (2004-present) and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fields of literary and cultural studies, , 2001). Grade 8. WEB SITES * Commission on Presidential Debates www.debates.org * Presidential Debates, 1960-1992 http://cgi.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/ 1996/debates/history WORDS TO KNOW * weapons of mass destruction: nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons that can kill many people quickly. * coalition: an alliance that takes joint action. * prosperity: financial success. * middle class: the section of society between the poor and the wealthy. Your Turn THINK ABOUT IT 1. Did any of the responses in this debate surprise you? Which ones? 2. Did your views of either candidate change? Why or why not? |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion