PROS AND CONS OF 50 CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES

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PROS AND CONS OF 50 CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES by Mind Map: PROS AND CONS OF 50 CONTROVERSIAL  ISSUES

1. POLITICS

1.1. 28. ACLU

1.1.1. CORE QUESTION

1.1.1.1. Is the ACLU Good for America?

1.1.2. Right to Privacy

1.1.2.1. Abortion

1.1.2.1.1. Does the Hyde Amendment, Prohibiting the Use of Federal Funds for Abortions and Allowing Health Care Professionals to Refuse to Perform Abortions, Conflict with Women's Reproductive Rights?

1.1.2.1.2. Do Mandatory Parental Involvement Laws Infringe on Minors' Rights and Endanger Their Health?

1.1.2.1.3. Should "Partial-Birth" (Third Trimester) Abortion Be Banned?

1.1.2.1.4. Does the "Unborn Victims of Violence Act" (UVVA), Protecting Fetal Rights, Threaten Abortion Rights?

1.1.2.1.5. Does the ACLU Protect the First Amendment Rights of Abortion Protesters?

1.1.2.2. Birth Control

1.1.2.2.1. Should Employers Be Required to Provide Health Insurance Coverage for Contraceptive Services and Supplies?

1.1.2.2.2. Would Mandatory Parental Notification Laws Regarding Contraceptive Prescriptions Negatively Affect Teenage Girls' Health?

1.1.2.2.3. Should Health Care Workers Be Required to Offer Emergency Contraceptives (aka Plan B or the "Morning After Pill") to Victims of Sexual Assault?

1.1.2.2.4. Does Abstinence-Only Education Work?

1.1.2.3. DNA Database

1.1.2.3.1. Should Employers and Insurance Companies Be Allowed to Gain Access to Our Genetic Information?

1.1.2.3.2. Should the Government Be Allowed to Collect DNA Samples from Non-Violent and Non-Convicted Offenders?

1.1.3. Religion

1.1.3.1. Religion and Religious Holidays

1.1.3.1.1. Is the ACLU Anti-Religion?

1.1.3.1.2. Is the ACLU Anti-Christian?

1.1.3.1.3. Is the ACLU Against Christmas or Other Religious Holidays?

1.1.3.2. Religion and Government

1.1.3.2.1. Is the Principle of "Separation of Church and State" Mandated by the Constitution?

1.1.3.2.2. Do Religious Displays on Public Property Violate the Constitution?

1.1.3.2.3. Do School Vouchers Violate the Prohibition on Government Funding of Religion by Making Public Money Available to Private Religious Schools?

1.1.3.2.4. Should the ACLU Challenge Government Sponsorship of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA)?

1.1.3.3. Religion in Public Schools

1.1.3.3.1. Should School-Sponsored Prayer Be Allowed in Public Schools?

1.1.3.3.2. Would Amending the US Constitution to Allow for a Moment of Silence or Voluntary Prayer in Public School Undermine the First Amendment?

1.1.3.3.3. Should Intelligent Design Be Taught as Science in Public Schools?

1.1.4. Discrimination

1.1.4.1. Race

1.1.4.1.1. Does the US Need Affirmative Action?

1.1.4.1.2. Should Racial Profiling Be Accepted as a Law Enforcement Practice?

1.1.4.1.3. Is Desegregation in Public Schools Still Necessary to Achieve Racial Equality?

1.1.4.2. Gender

1.1.4.2.1. Has Welfare Reform Helped Poor Women Improve Their Lives?

1.1.4.2.2. Is the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) a Good Law?

1.1.4.2.3. Is Title IX, the Law Protecting People against Discrimination Based on Their Sex, a Good Law?

1.1.4.2.4. Should HIV Testing for Pregnant Women Be Mandatory?

1.1.4.3. Disability

1.1.4.4. Sexual Preference/Orientation

1.1.4.4.1. Should Homosexuals Have "Equal Protection" Rights Based on Their Sexual Orientation?

1.1.4.4.2. Should Same-Sex Marriage Be Allowed?

1.1.4.4.3. Should the US Constitution Be Amended to Prohibit Same-Sex Marriage?

1.1.4.4.4. Should Gays and Lesbians Be Restricted from Adopting Children?

1.1.4.4.5. Should Public Schools Allow Gay-Straight Alliances?

1.1.4.5. Immigrants

1.1.4.5.1. Does the Real ID Act Unfairly Target Immigrants?

1.1.4.5.2. Is Illegal Immigration an Economic Burden to America?

1.1.5. National Security

1.1.5.1. USA PATRIOT Act

1.1.5.1.1. Full Text of the USA PATRIOT Act (PDF 400 KB)

1.1.5.1.2. Should the USA PATRIOT Act Have Been Made Law?

1.1.5.1.3. Does the USA PATRIOT Act Diminish Civil Liberties?

1.1.5.1.4. Does the PATRIOT Act Allow the Government to Conduct Secret Searches and Access Records of Individuals Held by Third Parties, without Providing Sufficient Judicial Overview?

1.1.5.1.5. Does the PATRIOT Act Provide the Government with Excessive Power to Conduct Searches, Surveillances and Wiretaps of US Citizens?

1.1.5.1.6. Does the PATRIOT Act Unfairly Target Minority and Immigrant Communities?

1.1.5.2. War on Terror

1.1.5.2.1. Does the ACLU Undermine the War on Terror?

1.1.5.2.2. What are National Security Letters (NSLs)?

1.1.5.2.3. Do National Security Letters Give Excessive Surveillance Power to the Government?

1.1.5.2.4. Does the "No-Fly" List Make Us Safer?

1.1.6. Criminal Justice System

1.1.6.1. Police Conduct

1.1.6.1.1. Is the ACLU Pro-Criminal?

1.1.6.1.2. Should Racial Profiling Be Accepted as a Law Enforcement Practice?

1.1.6.1.3. Should the Government Be Allowed to Collect DNA Samples from Non-Violent and Non-Convicted Offenders?

1.1.6.2. Sentencing / Prisons

1.1.6.2.1. Have Mandatory Minimum Jail Sentences Been an Effective Tool in the War on Drugs?

1.1.6.2.2. Should Felons Be Allowed to Vote?

1.1.6.2.3. Does the Protection of Prisoners' Civil Rights Go Too Far?

1.1.6.3. War on Drugs

1.1.6.3.1. Should Illegal Drugs Be Legalized?

1.1.6.3.2. Have Mandatory Minimum Sentences Been an Effective Tool in the War on Drugs?

1.1.6.3.3. Should Incarceration Be Substituted with Treatment for Drug Offenders?

1.1.6.3.4. Do Current Drug Laws and Policies Discriminate Against Minorities and Women?

1.1.6.4. Death Penalty

1.1.7. Freedom of Expression

1.1.7.1. Free Speech

1.1.7.1.1. What Is Free Speech?

1.1.7.1.2. Would Amending the US Constitution to Prohibit the Desecration of the US Flag Limit Free Speech?

1.1.7.1.3. Is the ACLU Justified in Claiming That Limits on Political Campaign Contributions and Expenditures Compromise Free Speech?

1.1.7.1.4. Does the ACLU Fail to Protect the First Amendment Rights of Abortion Clinic Protesters?

1.1.7.1.5. Does the ACLU Support Child Pornography?

1.1.7.1.6. Does Regulating Access to Pornographic Content on the Internet to Protect Minors Infringe on the First Amendment Rights of Adults?

1.1.7.2. Hate and Offensive Speech

1.1.7.2.1. Do University Regulations Against Offensive Speech Often Inhibit Freedom of Expression?

1.1.7.2.2. Do Hate Crime Laws Often Violate the Right to Free Speech?

1.1.7.2.3. Should the ACLU Defend Free Speech Rights of White Supremacists?

1.1.8. Other Issues

1.1.8.1. Boy Scouts

1.1.8.2. Voting Rights

1.1.8.3. Political Affiliations

1.1.8.4. Second Amendment

1.1.8.5. Prostitution

1.1.8.6. Physician-Assisted Suicide

1.2. 29. Concealed Handguns

1.3. 30. Death Penalty

1.3.1. CORE QUESTION

1.3.1.1. Should the Death Penalty Be Allowed?

1.3.2. Background / General

1.3.2.1. What is the Death Penalty and Capital Punishment?

1.3.2.2. What Makes a Death Penalty Case Different from Other Criminal Cases?

1.3.2.3. What Are Considered Capital Crimes in the United States?

1.3.2.4. What Are the Forms of Execution in the United States?

1.3.2.5. What Are the Federal Acts and Policies Governing the Death Penalty?

1.3.2.6. How Are Federal and State Death Penalty Standards Different?

1.3.3. Moral & Ethical Issues

1.3.3.1. Is the Death Penalty Immoral?

1.3.3.2. Should Physicians Participate in Executions?

1.3.3.3. What Is the Hippocratic Oath?

1.3.4. Legal Considerations

1.3.4.1. Is the Death Penalty Unconstitutional?

1.3.4.2. Has DNA Testing Led to Significant Improvements in the Criminal Justice System?

1.3.4.3. Is Poor Representation by Public Defense Attorneys a Widespread Problem in Capital Cases?

1.3.4.4. Is Prosecutorial Misconduct a Widespread Problem in Capital Cases?

1.3.4.5. What Is Clemency?

1.3.4.6. Does Clemency Serve as a Safeguard in Capital Punishment Cases?

1.3.5. Deterrence & Retribution

1.3.5.1. Does the Death Penalty Deter Crime?

1.3.5.2. Should Executions Be Made Public?

1.3.5.3. Should the Death Penalty Be Used for Retribution?

1.3.6. Social Issues

1.3.6.1. Does a Person's Race Affect the Likelihood of Him/Her Receiving the Death Penalty?

1.3.6.2. Does a Person's Income Level Affect the Likelihood of Him/Her Receiving the Death Penalty?

1.3.6.3. Should a Death Penalty Moratorium Be Implemented?

1.3.6.4. Should Victims' Opinions Matter When Considering the Death Penalty?

1.3.7. Death Penalty vs. Life in Prison

1.3.7.1. What Is Life in Prison without Parole?

1.3.7.2. Is Life in Prison without Parole a Better Option Than the Death Penalty?

1.3.7.3. Does the Death Penalty Cost Less Than Life in Prison without Parole?

1.3.8. Religious Views

1.3.8.1. Does Buddhism Support the Death Penalty?

1.3.8.2. Does Christianity Support the Death Penalty?

1.3.8.3. Does Hinduism Support the Death Penalty?

1.3.8.4. Does Islam Support the Death Penalty?

1.3.8.5. Does Judaism Support the Death Penalty?

1.4. 31. Drinking Age

1.5. 32. Illegal Immigration

1.5.1. CORE QUESTION

1.5.1.1. What Are the Solutions to Illegal Immigration in America?

1.5.1.1.1. Is the legalization of illegal aliens a good solution to illegal immigration in America?

1.5.1.1.2. Is amnesty a good solution to illegal immigration?

1.5.1.1.3. Is deportation a good solution to illegal immigration?

1.5.1.1.4. Is a fence along the U.S. Mexico Border a good solution to illegal immigration?

1.5.1.1.5. Is the enforcement of existing immigration laws alone a good solution to illegal immigration in America?

1.5.2. Definitions

1.5.2.1. What Is Illegal Immigration?

1.5.2.2. What Is Legal Immigration?

1.5.2.3. Should the Term "Illegal Alien" Be Used to Define Persons in Violation of Immigration Law?

1.5.3. Immigration Quotas

1.5.3.1. Should Immigration Quotas Be Increased?

1.5.3.2. Would an Increase of Immigration Quotas Reduce Illegal Immigration?

1.5.4. Cuban Refugees

1.5.4.1. Should Cubans Who Are Intercepted at Sea while Trying to Reach the United States Be Sent back to Cuba?

1.5.5. Economic Impact

1.5.5.1. Is Illegal Immigration an Economic Burden to America?

1.5.5.2. How Are Illegal Immigration and Globalization Related?

1.5.6. Immigrants' Rights and Access to Services

1.5.6.1. Should Immigrants in the United States Illegally Have Constitutional Rights and Protections When on American Soil?

1.5.6.2. Should Immigrants in the United States Illegally Have Access to Social Services Such as Health Care and Public Education?

1.5.6.3. Should Immigrants in the United States Illegally Be Allowed to Buy or Rent Homes in the United States?

1.5.6.4. Should Immigrants in the United States Illegally Be Allowed to Obtain a Driver's License?

1.5.7. Taxes

1.5.7.1. Are a "Fair Share" of Taxes Being Paid by Immigrants Who Are in the United States Illegally?

1.5.8. Labor Market - American Workers and Employers

1.5.8.1. Does Illegal Immigration Harm American Workers (for Example, through Job Displacement or Lower Wages)?

1.5.8.2. Should Employers Who Unknowingly Hire Immigrants Who Are in the United States Illegally Receive Lighter Penalties?

1.5.8.3. Should E-Verify, the Federal Government's Electronic Employment Verification System, Be Mandatory for All Employers?

1.5.9. Amnesty and Legalization Debate

1.5.9.1. What Is an Immigration Amnesty?

1.5.9.2. Is Amnesty a Good Solution to Illegal Immigration?

1.5.9.3. Is the Legalization of Immigrants in the Country Illegally a Good Solution to Illegal Immigration in America?

1.5.9.4. Should Labor Unions Support an Immigration Amnesty?

1.5.10. Deportation Debate

1.5.10.1. What Is Deportation?

1.5.10.2. Is Deportation a Good Solution to Illegal Immigration?

1.5.10.3. Should Immigrants in the United States Illegally Who Are Parents of US Citizen Minors Be Deported?

1.5.11. Borders

1.5.11.1. Should the US Military Patrol the Borders?

1.5.11.2. Should Volunteer Civilian Groups Such as the Minutemen Patrol the Borders?

1.5.11.3. Was a Fence along the US Mexico Border a Good Solution to Illegal Immigration?

1.5.12. Federal Immigration Law Enforcement

1.5.12.1. Is the Enforcement of Existing Immigration Laws Alone a Good Solution to Illegal Immigration in America?

1.5.12.2. Does Immigration Law Discourage Legal Immigration?

1.5.13. State and Local Law Enforcement

1.5.13.1. Should State or Local Governments Enforce Federal Immigration Laws?

1.5.14. Crime

1.5.14.1. Should Overstaying a Visa Be Considered a Federal Crime (vs. a Civil Offense)?

1.5.14.2. Does Illegal Immigration Relate to Higher Crime Incidence?

1.5.14.3. How Does Illegal Immigration Affect the US Prison System?

1.5.14.4. What Happens (Deportation, Prison Transfer, Incarceration, etc.) to Immigrants Who Are in the United States Illegally Who Commit Crimes in the United States?

1.5.14.5. Should Immigrants in the United States Illegally Who Are Convicted of a Crime be Deported from the United States?

1.5.15. Terrorism

1.5.15.1. Does Illegal Immigration Pose a Terrorist Threat to the United States?

1.5.16. National Identification Card

1.5.16.1. Should the United States Implement a National Identification Card to Help Control Illegal Immigration?

1.5.17. Legislation, 2000 - 2007

1.5.17.1. Is the Secure America through Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act of 2007 (H.R. 4088) a Good Piece of Legislation?

1.5.17.2. Is the 2006 Kennedy-McCain Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act (CIRA) a Good Piece of Legislation?

1.5.17.3. Is President Bush's Secure Border Initiative a Good Plan?

1.5.17.4. Is the 2005 Sensenbrenner-King Border Protection, Anti-terrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act a good piece of legislation?

1.5.17.5. What Was the 2000 Legal Immigration Family Equity (LIFE) Act?

1.5.18. Historic Legislation, 1790 - 1996

1.5.18.1. What Was the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility (IIRIRA) Act?

1.5.18.2. Was the 1994 Californian Proposition 187 a Good Piece of Legislation?

1.5.18.3. What Was the 1990 Immigration Act (IMMACT 90)?

1.5.18.4. Was the 1986 Simpson-Mazzoli Immigration Act a Good Piece of Legislation?

1.5.18.5. What Was the 1965 Hart-Cellar Immigration Act?

1.5.18.6. What Was the 1952 McCarran-Walter Immigration Act?

1.5.18.7. What Was the 1943 Magnuson Immigration Act?

1.5.18.8. What Was the 1924 Johnson-Reed Immigration Act?

1.5.18.9. What Was the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act?

1.5.18.10. What Was the 1790 Alien Naturalization Act?

1.6. 33. Social Security Privatization

1.7. 34. WTC Muslim Center (archived 2013)

2. RELIGION

2.1. 35. Churches and Taxes

2.2. 36. Under God in the Pledge

3. SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

3.1. 37. Alternative Energy vs. Fossil Fuels

3.2. 38. Animal Testing

3.3. 39. Cell Phones

3.4. 40. Climate Change

4. SEX & GENDER

4.1. 41. Born Gay? Origins of Sexual Orientation

4.2. 42. Gay Marriage

4.3. 43. Prostitution

5. SPORTS

5.1. 44. College Football Playoffs(archived 2012)

5.2. 45. Drug Use in Sports

5.3. 46. Golf - Is It a Sport?

6. WORLD / INTERNATIONAL

6.1. 47. Cuba Embargo

6.2. 48. Drones

6.3. 49. Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

6.4. 50. US-Iraq War(archived 2011)

7. MONEY & BUSINESS

7.1. 24. Big Three Auto Bailout (archived 2009)

7.2. 25. Corporate Tax Rate & Jobs

7.3. 26. Gold Standard

7.4. 27. Insider Trading by Congress (archived 2012)

8. MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

8.1. 22. Social Networking

8.2. 23. Video Games and Violence

9. HEALTH & MEDICINE

9.1. 12. Abortion

9.2. 13. Euthanasia

9.3. 14. Medical Marijuana

9.4. 15. Milk

9.5. 16. Obamacare / Health Care Laws

9.6. 17. Obesity

9.7. 18. Prescription Drug Ads to Consumers

9.8. 19. Right to Health Care

9.9. 20. Vaccines for Kids

9.10. 21. Vegetarianism

10. ELECTIONS & PRESIDENTS

10.1. 6. 2008 Presidential Election (archived 2009)

10.2. 7. 2012 Presidential Election (archived 2013)

10.3. 8. Bill Clinton

10.4. 9. Felon Voting

10.5. 10. Ronald Reagan

10.6. 11. Voting Machines

11. EDUCATION

11.1. 1. College Education

11.2. 2. D.A.R.E.

11.3. 3. Standardized Tests

11.4. 4. Tablets vs. Textbooks

11.5. 5. Teacher Tenure