Opponents argue that the requirement is unnecessary because modern warfare is fought less and less with ground troops and more with unmanned technology including drones. In June tensions between the U. Iran denied any involvement. In early June Iran announced that it would break its uranium stockpile limit set under the Iran nuclear deal.
Under the deal Iran was allowed to keep a maximum of pounds of uranium enriched to 3. After the September 11, terrorist attacks the U. Congress passed the Authorization for Use of Military Force. The resolution authorizes the president to undertake war against al-Qaeda and its affiliates without Congressional approval.
Since the law has been used to approve military conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. Proponents argue that the law is necessary to give the President the powers to act quickly in order to prevent another terrorist attack on the U.
Opponents argue that all U. Last Spring the U. Proponents argue that current student loan interest rates are nearly double normal interest rates and should be lowered to provide relief for millions of low-income borrowers. Opponents argue that the borrowers agreed to pay the interest rates when they took out the loans and taxing the rich would hurt the economy.
Critical race theory is the claim that American institutions, laws, and history are inherently racist. It argues that white people have put up social, economic, and legal barriers between the races in order to maintain their elite status, both economically and politically and that the source of poverty and criminal behavior in minority communities is due exclusively to these barriers. The St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank estimates that U. Several Democratic Presidential Primary candidates have argued that the cost of college is out of control and that the government should pay for tuition.
Universal preschool is a proposal that would use funding from the federal government to provide school to children before they reach Kindergarten.
In the current U. Half of the states that offer pre-K programs limit enrollment to low-income children. Proponents that preschool is too expensive for most American families and according to The Chicago Child-Parent Center's Longitudinal Study children who attend preschool found on average that children make significant gains in cognitive, language and early math and reading skills.
Charter schools are tax payer funded K schools that are managed by private companies. Charter schools are approved and governed by city, county or state governments. Beneficiaries of private schools include real-estate investors who typically own the buildings and land where the schools are housed. Opponents of charter schools argue that they take money away from the public education system and enrich private companies and real estate investors who own the land where the schools are built.
Proponents argue that students in charter schools consistently have higher test scores than public school students and note that there are millions of students across the U. The Common Core State Standards Initiative is an education initiative that details what K students should know in English and Math at the end of each grade. Truancy is intentional, unjustified, unauthorized, or illegal absence from compulsory education.
Its absence is caused by students of their own free will and does not apply to excused absences. Penalties include fines or jail time for parents or children. A school voucher is a certificate of government funding that students can use to pay for the school of their choice. Students are given the vouchers and can use them to pay for non-public school systems including private schools, home schools and charter schools Proponents argue that the vouchers will create a better education system by promoting competition between schools.
Opponents argue that the voucher system removes funds from public schools and redirects it toward private institutions. Australia currently has a progressive tax system whereby high income earners pay a higher percentage of tax than low income tax. A more progressive income tax system has been proposed as a tool towards reducing wealth inequality. The federal minimum wage is the lowest wage at which employers may pay their employees. Since July 24, the U.
The federal minimum wage applies to all federal employees including those who work on military bases, national parks and veterans working in nursing homes. A Universal Basic Income program is social security program where all citizens of a country receive a regular, unconditional sum of money from the government. The funding for Universal Basic Income comes from taxation and government owned entities including income from endowments, real estate and natural resources.
Several countries, including Finland, India and Brazil, have experimented with a UBI system but have not implemented a permanent program.
Proponents of UBI argue that it will reduce or eliminate poverty by providing everyone with a basic income to cover housing and food. Opponents argue that a UBI would be detrimental to economies by encouraging people to either work less or drop out of the workforce entirely.
Senate blocked the Paycheck Fairness Act which would make it illegal for employers to pay unequal wages to men and women who perform the same work. The goals of the act were to make wages more transparent, require employers to prove that wage discrepancies are tied to legitimate business qualifications and not gender and prohibiting companies from taking retaliatory action against employees who raise concerns about gender-based wage discrimination.
Proponents point to studies including a census bureau report that stated that women's median annual earnings were Proponents argue that testing will prevent public funds from being used to subsidize drugs habits and help get treatment for those that are addicted to drugs.
Opponents argue that it is a waste of money since the tests will cost more money than they save. Proponents of deficit reduction argue that governments who do not control budget deficits and debt are at risk of losing their ability to borrow money at affordable rates.
Opponents of deficit reduction argue that government spending would increase demand for goods and services and help avert a dangerous fall into deflation, a downward spiral in wages and prices that can cripple an economy for years. Labor unions represent workers in many industries in the United States. Their role is to bargain over wages, benefits, working conditions for their membership.
Larger unions also typically engage in lobbying activities and electioneering at the state and federal level. The average corporate tax rate worldwide is Opponents of argue that raising the rate will discourage foreign investment and hurt the economy. Capital gains are the profits earned from the the sale of stocks, bonds and properties.
Supporters of the increase argue that capital gains should be taxed like any other income and should be raised to at least Opponents of an increase argue that taxing capital gains will discourage investments in the U. Several major U. In 5, estates in the U. Opponents of the tax, including Donald Trump, argue that people who have paid income taxes their entire life should not be subject to another tax when they die.
In May , the Obama Administration announced new regulations that would increase the number of American entitled to receive time-and-a-half overtime pay. The Labor department estimates that 4. In the European Union and U. Senator Warren proposed that the U. Opponents argue that these companies have benefited consumers by providing free online tools and bring more competition into commerce. An economic stimulus is a monetary or fiscal policy enacted by governments with the intent of stabilizing their economies during a fiscal crisis.
The policies include an increase in government spending on infrastructure, tax cuts and lowering interest rates. In response to the financial crisis Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of The Act included increased spending on energy, infrastructure, education, health and unemployment benefits.
An offshore or foreign bank account is a bank account you have outside of your country of residence. The benefits of an offshore bank account include tax reduction, privacy, currency diversification, asset protection from lawsuits, and reducing your political risk. In April , Wikileaks released The document exposed how world leaders and wealthy individuals hide money in secret offshore tax shelters.
The release of the documents renewed proposals for laws banning the use of offshore accounts and tax havens. Proponents of the of the ban argue they should be outlawed because they have a long history of being vehicles for tax evasion, money laundering, illicit arms dealing and funding terrorism.
Opponents of the ban argue that punitive regulations will make it harder for American companies to compete and will further discourage businesses from locating and investing in the United States. A tariff is a tax levied on the import and exports of goods in international trade.
The China - U. Proponents of tariffs argue that China breaks trade rules by subsidizing its exports, manipulating its currency and stealing intellectual property from the U. Opponents argue that tariffs will cause a dramatic rise in the cost of goods for U. In January , measles cases linked to an outbreak at Disneyland were reported in 14 states.
The outbreak alarmed the CDC, which declared the disease eliminated in the U. Many health officials have tied the outbreak to the rising number of unvaccinated children under the age of Proponents of a mandate argue that vaccines are necessary in order to insure herd immunity against preventable diseases.
Herd immunity protects people who are unable to get vaccines due to their age or health condition. Opponents of a mandate believe the government should not be able to decide which vaccines their children should receive.
Some opponents also believe there is a link between vaccinations and autism and vaccinating their children will have destructive consequences on their early childhood development. Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions that release energy to generate heat, which most frequently is then used in steam turbines to produce electricity in a nuclear power station.
Proponents argue that nuclear energy is now safe and emits much less carbon emissions than coal plants. Opponents argue that recent nuclear disasters in Japan prove that nuclear power is far from safe. Although no reports of ill effects from GMO foods have been documented, advocacy groups such as Greenpeace and the Organic Consumers Association argue that past studies cannot be trusted because they were sponsored by pro-GMO companies and do not measure the long-term effects on humans, the environment, and nature.
Opponents argue that labeling adds an unfounded stigma over organic foods and that if a nutritional or allergenic difference were found, current FDA regulations would already require a label. This represented. Militarization of police refers to the use of military equipment and tactics by law enforcement officers.
This includes the use of armored vehicles, assault rifles, flashbang grenades, sniper rifles, and SWAT teams. Opponents argue that police forces which received military equipment were more likely to have violent encounters with the public. In April , Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe issued an executive order which restored voting rights to more than , convicted felons living in the state. Opponents of felon voting rights argue that a citizen forfeits their rights to vote when they are convicted of a felony.
Proponents argue that the arcane law disenfranchises millions of Americans from participating in democracy and has an adverse affect on poor communities. Qualified immunity is a defense that police officers cannot be sued for misconduct if they were unaware at the time that their conduct was illegal and if there is no previous legal case with similar facts that ruled that officers may not engage in that conduct. Proponents argue that more intense criticism of police will disincentivize officers from doing their jobs resulting in crime rates going up.
Opponents argue that police officers should be held more accountable for misconduct. Prison overcrowding is a social phenomenon occurring when the demand for space in prisons in a jurisdiction exceeds the capacity for prisoners. The issues associated with prison overcrowding are not new, and have been brewing for many years.
Moreover, federal prison populations may increase if states adhere to federal policies, such as mandatory minimum sentences. On the other hand, the Justice Department provides billions of dollars a year for state and local law enforcement to ensure they follow the policies set forth by the federal government concerning U. Prison overcrowding has affected some states more than others, but overall, the risks of overcrowding are substantial and there are solutions to this problem.
Mandatory minimum sentences are automatic, minimum prison terms set by Congress. Judges in the U. Congress passed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act which enacted new mandatory minimum sentences for drugs. People caught with 5 grams of crack cocaine were given jail sentences of 5 years without parole the same sentence as people caught with grams.
In Congress and President Obama eliminated the crack cocaine mandatory sentence with the passage of the Fair Sentencing Act. Opponents of mandatory minimum sentences argue that they often impose long prison terms on non-violent criminals. In January , President Obama issued a series of executive actions banning federal prisons from using solitary confinement to punish juveniles and prisoners who commit low level infractions. His orders also lowered the number of days an adult inmate could be subject to solitary confinement from days to 60 days.
Currently, police unions are allowed to collectively bargain with government officials over the methods used to hold police officers accountable for misconduct. Proponents argue that collective bargaining stands in the way of accountability. Opponents of limiting collective bargaining argue that more intense criticism of police will disincentivize officers from doing their jobs resulting in crime rates going up. In the wake of the lethal shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri a petition has been launched to have the White House look into requiring all police officers in the country to wear body cameras.
The petition has now exceeded , signatures, the Obama Administration said it will respond to petitions that exceed , Private prisons are incarceration centers that are run by a for-profit company instead of a government agency. The companies that operate private prisons are paid a per-diem or monthly rate for each prisoner they keep in their facilities. In 8. Opponents of private prisons argue that incarceration is a social responsibility and that entrusting it to for-profit companies is inhumane.
Proponents argue that prisons run by private companies are consistently more cost effective than those run by government agencies. In March , President Trump asked the Justice department to seek more death-penalty cases against drug traffickers. Trump announced the proposal as part of a plan to combat the opioid epidemic which is claiming the lives of more than people a day in the U.
Analysts estimate that this law has resulted in only a few executions. The Affordable Care Act is a federal statute signed into law in that introduces a sweeping overhaul of the nation's healthcare system.
The act grants the federal government significant regulatory powers and price controls over U. When the Affordable Care Act Obamacare was enacted in it required all states to expand their Medicaid programs to include people with incomes slightly higher than those allowed under traditional Medicaid, as well as groups, like childless adults, that had not previously been covered.
In the Supreme Court ruled that forcing States to expand their Medicaid coverage was unconstitutional. Since then 22 states have expanded their coverage and more than 35 have opted not to do so. Proponents of the expansion argue that it will lower healthcare costs for everyone by reducing the number of Americans without health insurance.
Opponents argue that states should be allowed to run their own Medicaid programs without the intervention of the federal government. The WHO has led global public health efforts including the development of an Ebola Vaccine and the near-eradication of polio and smallpox. The organization is run by a decision-making body composed of representatives from countries.
It is funded by voluntary contributions from member countries and private donors. Supporters of the WHO argue that cutting funding will hamper the international fight against the Covid pandemic and sap the U. Single-payer healthcare is a system where every citizen pays the government to provide core healthcare services for all residents. Under this system the government may provide the care themselves or pay a private healthcare provider to do so.
In a single-payer system all residents receive healthcare regardless of age, income or health status. Countries with single-payer healthcare systems include the U. On January 29, , the CDC issued an Order that required face masks to be worn by all people while on public transportation traveling into, within, or out of the United States and U.
The Order also required all people to wear masks while at transportation hubs including airports, bus or ferry terminals, train and subway stations, seaports, U. In January , the Trump administration announced that it would allow U. Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that helps with medical costs for low-income Americans.
Each state determines its own requirements for Medicaid eligibility. In most states children from low-income households, pregnant women and low-income seniors are covered. Medicaid also offers benefits not normally covered by Medicare, like nursing home care and personal care services. The Trump administration said Arizona, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Utah and Wisconsin had requested approval to test programs including job training, job search, education, volunteer activities and caregiving.
In , officials in the U. In 64, people died in the U. To combat the epidemic cities including Vancouver, BC and Sydney, AUS opened safe havens where addicts can inject drugs under the supervision of medical professionals. The safe havens reduce the overdose death rate by insuring the addicted patients are given drugs that are not contaminated or poisoned.
Since 5, people have overdosed at a safe haven in Sydney, Australia but no one has died. Proponents argue that the safe havens are the only proven solution to lower the overdose fatality rate and prevent the spread of diseases like HIV-AIDS.
Opponents argue that safe havens may encourage illegal drug use and re-direct funding from traditional treatment centers. In September of , US Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton released a proposal that would create an oversight panel that would protect U. Proponents of drug price regulation argue that drug makers raise prices to benefit the value of their stock and invest little of their profits in the development and research of new drugs.
Opponents of regulation argue that consumers rely on drug companies to develop new drugs and limiting prices will prevent new lifesaving drugs from being developed. In September President Biden announced that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration would require businesses with or more employees to make vaccination a condition of employment.
Opponents argue that the rule is unconstitutional and cite evidence that people who already have natural immunity are at heightened risk of vaccine side effects caused by an augmented inflammatory response.
The government is currently prohibited by law from negotiating drug prices for Medicare. Medicare Part D is a federal government program which subsidizes the costs of prescriptions drugs for people enrolled in Medicare. Opponents of Medicare Part D argue that it should be changed to allow the federal government to negotiate prices with pharmaceutical companies. Proponents of Medicare D argue that the government should not interfere with prices set by private drug makers who use profits for the development and research of new drugs.
The proposed plan would use tax credits to finance individual insurance purchases and cut federal payments to states which have been used to expand Medicaid. They demanded that the new plan should remove the ACA requirement that health insurers could not discriminate against individuals with pre-existing conditions.
Under the ACA health insurers cannot deny coverage or charge higher premiums to individuals who have pre-existing conditions. Opponents argue that the requirement will raise costs for insurers and cause them to drop out of the ACA healthcare exchange.
Proponents argue that it is immoral to ban people with pre-existing conditions from getting health insurance. The above questions were selected because they give a broad sample of the most divisive issues being discussed this year in politics. We continue to add new issues on a weekly basis. United States Speaking English. Electoral Issues. Should the electoral college be abolished? Yes, and switch to a ranked voting system.
Yes, and switch to a representative democracy popular vote system. No, but the balance of votes by population should be updated. No, the electoral college ensures representation of the whole country instead of just major cities.
No, but reform so that votes are distributed proportionally instead of the current winner take all system. Add your own stance. This question is no longer relevant and should be removed.
How important is this to you? Least Less Somewhat More Most. Should foreigners, currently residing in the United States, have the right to vote? Yes, but only after living in the country for 5 years. Yes, but only after living in the country for 10 years.
Yes, anyone who pays taxes should have the right to vote. Yes, but they should not be allowed to vote in local elections. Yes, but they should only be allowed to vote in local elections. No, only legal citizens should be allowed to vote. Should a photo ID be required to vote? Yes, this will prevent voter fraud. No, and there is little evidence that voter fraud even exists. No, and automatically register every citizen to vote when they turn No, this will disadvantage those who do not have the resources to obtain one.
Was the US presidential election conducted fairly? Yes, there is not enough evidence to support widespread fraud.
Yes, and because COVID required different procedures, this led to many unfounded conspiracy theories. No, there was too much social media bias and censorship.
Should political candidates be required to release their recent tax returns to the public? Yes, and also required to release their medical records. Yes, and require a public audit each year they are in office. No, their income is none of our business. No, tax returns have nothing to do with their ability to perform their duties.
Should the minimum voting age be lowered? Yes, any citizen that pays taxes should be allowed to vote. No, it should be raised.
No, and voters should be required to pass a basic test demonstrating their understanding of politics in order to vote. Should there be a limit to the amount of money a candidate can receive from a donor?
Yes, politicians should not be bought by wealthy donors. Yes, and ban all political donations and publicly fund elections. No, this is a violation of free speech. No, as long as all donations are public knowledge. Should a politician, who has been formerly convicted of a crime, be allowed to run for office? Yes, as long as they have finished serving their sentence.
Yes, as long as the crime was not committed while in office. Yes, as long as it was not a felony, violent, financial, or sexual crime. No, and disallow politicians that are under investigation for a crime. Should corporations, unions, and non-profit organizations be allowed to donate to political parties? Yes, but limit the amount they can donate. No, these types of donations just turn into bribes.
No, but allow donations from unions and non-profits. No, and political campaigns should be publicly funded. Should foreign lobbyists be allowed to raise money for American elections? Yes, as long as all donations are public knowledge to ensure there is no conflict of interest. No, foreign interests should not be able to buy the influence of our politicians. Should there be a 5-year ban on White House and Congressional officials from becoming lobbyists after they leave the government?
Yes, and make it a lifetime ban. Yes, and ban all forms of lobbying. No, the current two-year ban is sufficient. Social Issues. Should the government continue to fund Planned Parenthood? Yes, as long as funding is not used for abortion procedures.
Yes, their services reach far beyond abortions and can save many lives through cancer screening, prenatal services, and adoption referrals.
No, and the government should not give funds to any organizations. No, and the government should not give funds to any organizations that perform abortions. What is your stance on abortion? Pro-life, and I also oppose abortion for victims of rape and incest. Pro-life, but allow in cases of rape, incest, or danger to the mother or child.
Pro-choice, but ban after the first three months. Pro-choice, and providing birth control, sex education, and more social services will help reduce the number of abortions. Should health insurance providers be required to offer free birth control? Yes, except for religious organizations and charities that oppose the use of contraception. No, it should be covered like any other prescription.
In the first sample the Virginia 30, Verhulst and his collaborators found that, while some modest correlations did exist between certain traits and attitudes—for example, between conservative economic views and measures of neuroticism—there was no evidence that there was anything causal to the correlations.
But genetic analyses can be tricky. So Verhulst and Peter Hatemi tried a longitudinal study: follow people over time, map their personality and political leanings, and see if changes in the one cause changes in the other. They looked at two samples, one of adults 7, twins and siblings who were between the ages of nineteen and seventy-eight in and one of adolescents 1, twins and siblings who were between sixteen and nineteen in Each group had been tested in two waves, ten years apart.
They found that personality did shift over time—not by huge amounts, but perceptibly. People could become more or less extroverted, more agreeable or conscientious, or any number of things. Political attitudes were slightly more stable, among both the adolescents and the adults: people who were conservative tended to stay conservative.
And, most important, changes in personality did not predict changes in politics. None of this work denies the possible existence of correlations between some traits and some beliefs, but it does raise the question of what those correlations signify—especially since, setting aside the issue of causality, some early research on politics and personality may have overstated the connections because of a built-in tautology.
As it turns out, in many of the early conceptions of personality traits political leanings were purposefully built into the survey questions used to assess personality.
From to , they were 43 points more likely to be Republican. The party identification of young, unmarried women stayed about the same — but the average American became significantly more likely to identify as Republican, magnifying the difference between these two groups.
Polarization has also made voters hesitant to support politicians willing to cooperate with the other side, contributing to legislative gridlock.
Worse, the alignment of party preferences with personal identities has fostered ugly, tribal politics. Voters today like their own party less than ever, but are motivated by their even stronger dislike of the other party.
Wronski said. The partisan gap between black and white voters is the most durable and powerful split in modern American politics. Afterward, the Republicans courted racist white voters by opposing school and housing integration. Among white people, religion is the most stable and important determinant of party choice. But the way religion shapes party attachment has changed.
Today, the best way to sort the population of white voters is not by which religion they belong to, but by how religious they are. Since at least the s, black Americans have overwhelmingly preferred the Democrats. White people have moved toward the Republicans. Historically, white Catholics and Jews were more likely to be Democrats than Protestants. But the gap has shrunk as Catholics have moved to the center.
The number of religious white Americans is plummeting. In the long term, that spells disaster for Republicans. The party knows this. Or at least it should. After Republicans lost the election, the party leadership commissioned a report on how to move forward. One answer was clear: appeal to nonwhite and less conservative voters.
But in the years since, the Republicans — led by Mr. Trump — have doubled down on white identity politics and seem to believe that their path to a majority is through gerrymandering, voter suppression or attempts to skew the census. College-educated white people have left the Republican Party over the past decade, but higher-income voters are, as ever, disproportionately Republican.
Wealthier people tend to be more educated, too, but now these forces push in opposite directions. That complicates the traditional relationship between Democrats and the white working class.
But those words don't paint the full picture. On the left, there are Joe Manchin Democrats worried about the debt, Joe Biden Democrats looking to cement a legacy and Elizabeth Warren Democrats who want to change the fabric of society. The same holds true on the right. Read More. And what kind of Republican is Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska? She is supportive of abortion rights and voted to convict Trump at one of his impeachment trials.
She announced Friday she'll seek reelection as a Republican. Different types of American political animals. An expansive new Pew Research Center survey, mostly conducted in July, breaks the American electorate into nine distinct groups, which Pew calls "political typology. Republicans, in this view, are a coalition of four subgroups:. Faith and Flag Conservatives. Committed Conservatives. Populist Right. Ambivalent Right. Democrats are also a coalition of four subgroups:. Progressive Left. Establishment Liberals.
Democratic Mainstays. Outsider Left.
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