About the Book
"Taking Sides" volumes present current issues in a debate-style format designed to stimulate student interest and develop critical thinking skills. Each issue is thoughtfully framed with an issue summary, an issue introduction, and a postscript or challenge questions. The pro and con essays - selected for their liveliness and substance - represent the arguments of leading scholars and commentators in their fields. "Taking Sides" readers feature annotated listings of selected World Wide Web sites. An online Instructor's Resource Guide with testing material is available for each volume. Using "Taking Sides" in the classroom (available in print and online) is also an excellent instructor resource that offers practical suggestions for fostering critical thinking.
Table of Contents:
Table of Contents TAKING SIDES: Clashing Views on Political Issues, Sixteenth Edition, Expanded Unit 1 Democracy and the American Political Process - Issue 1. Should Americans Believe in a Unique American Mission ? YES: Wilfred M. McClay, from The Founding of Nations, First Things (March 2006) NO: Howard Zinn, from The Power and the Glory: Myths of American Exceptionalism, Boston Review (Summer 2005) Humanities professor Wilfred M. McClay argues that America s myth, its founding narrative, helps to sustain and hold together a diverse people. Historian Howard Zinn is convinced that America s myth of exceptionalism has served as a justification for lawlessness, brutality, and imperialism.
- Issue 2. Is Democracy the Answer to Global Terrorism? YES: George W. Bush, from Speech at National Defense University (March 8, 2005) NO: F. Gregory Gause III, from Can Democracy Stop Terrorism? Foreign Affairs (September/October 2005) President George W. Bush argues that the best antidote to terrorism is the tolerance and hope generated by democracy. Political scientist Gregory Gause contends that there is no relationship between terrorism emanating from a country and the extent to which democracy is enjoyed by its citizens.
- Issue 3. Should America Adopt Public Financing of Political Campaigns? YES: Mark Green, from Selling Out: How Big Corporate Money Buys Elections, Rams Through Legislation, and Betrays Our Democracy (Regan Books, 2002) NO: John Samples, from Taxpayer Financing of Campaigns, in John Samples, ed., Welfare for Politicians? Taxpayer Financing of Campaigns (CATO Institute, 2005) Political activist and author Mark Green sums up his thesis in the subtitle of his book, a work that urges adoption of public financing of election campaigns in order to make politics more honest and to reduce the dependency of elected officials on selfish interests. Cato Institute director and political scientist John Samples opposes public financing of candidates for public office because it does not achieve any of the goals of its advocates and it forces voters to underwrite the financing of candidates they do not support.
- Unit 2 The Institution of Government
- Issue 4. Does the President Have Unilateral War Powers? YES: John C. Yoo, from Memorandum Opinion for the Deputy Counsel to the President (September 25, 2001) NO: Michael Cairo, from The Imperial Presidency Triumphant, in Christopher S. Kelley, ed., Executing the Constitution (SUNY, 2006) John C. Yoo, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, argues that the language of the Constitution, long-accepted precedents, and the practical need for speedy action in emergencies all support broad executive power during war. Michael Cairo, lecturer in International Relations at Southern Illinois University, deplores the unilateral military actions undertaken by Presidents Clinton and Bush; he argues that the Founders never intended to grant exclusive war powers to the president.
- Issue 5. Should the Courts Seek the Original Meaning of the Constitution? YES: Antonin Scalia, from Remarks at Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (March 14, 2005) NO: Stephen Breyer, from Active Liberty: Interpreting Our Democratic Constitution (Knopf, 2005) Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia rejects the notion of a living Constitution, arguing that the judges must try to understand what the framers meant at the time. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer contends that in finding the meaning of the Constitution, judges cannot neglect to consider the probable consequences of different interpretations.
- Issue 6. Is Congress a Broken Branch ? YES: Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein, from The Broken Branch (Oxford University Press, 2006) NO: Lee H. Hamilton, from How Congress Works (Indiana University Press, 2004) Congressional scholars Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein argue that Congress has become increasingly dysfunctional as a result of many self-inflicted wounds, from ethical violations to hyperpartisanship. Former representative Lee H. Hamilton contends that many of the Congress s so-called flaws are actually faithful reflections of how the American public thinks and feels.
- Issue 7. Should the President Be Allowed Executive Privilege ? YES: Mark J. Rozell, from Pro, in Richard J. Ellis and Michael Nelson, eds., Debating the Presidency: Conflicting Perspectives on the American Executive (CQ Press, 2006) NO: David Gray Adler, from Con, in Richard J. Ellis and Michael Nelson, eds., Debating the Presidency: Conflicting Perspectives on the American Executive (CQ Press, 2006) Public policy professor Mark J. Rozell believes that executive privilege is needed for the proper functioning of the executive branch, because presidents need candid advice from their staffs. Political Science Professor David Gray Alder concludes that neither debate in the Constitutional Convention nor the text of the Constitution provide any support for the view that the Framers supported giving the president the power to conceal information from Congress.
- Unit 3 Social Change and Public Policy
- Issue 8. Is Homosexual Conduct Constitutionally Protected? YES: Anthony Kennedy, from the Majority Opinion, in Lawrence v. Texas, U.S. Supreme Court (2003) NO: Antonin Scalia, from the Dissenting Opinion, in Lawrence v. Texas, U.S. Supreme Court (2003) United States Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy argues that sodomy laws are unconstitutional because no legitimate state interest justifies intrusion into the lives of homosexuals. United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia believes that sodomy laws reflect long-standing traditions regarding moral behavior that have been incorporated into American law and upheld by the courts.
- Issue 9. Does Affirmative Action Advance Racial Equality? YES: Glenn C. Loury, from The Anatomy of Racial Inequality (Harvard University Press, 2002) NO: Walter E. Williams, from Affirmative Action Can t Be Mended, in David Boaz, ed., Toward Liberty: The Idea That Is Changing the World (CATO Institute, 2002) Political scientist Glenn Loury argues that the prudent use of race-sighted policies is essential to reducing the deleterious effects of race stigmatization, especially the sense of racial otherness, which still remain in America. Economist Walter Williams argues that the use of racial preferences sets up a zero-sum game that reverses the gains of the civil rights movement, penalizes innocent people, and ends up harming those they are intended to help.
- Issue 10. Should Abortion Be Restricted? YES: Robert P. George, from The Clash of Orthodoxies: Law, Religion, and Morality in Crisis (ISI Books, 2001) NO: Mary Gordon, from A Moral Choice, The Atlantic Monthly (March 1990) Legal philosopher Robert P. George asserts that, since each of us was a human being from conception, abortion is a form of homicide and should be banned. Writer Mary Gordon maintains that having an abortion is a moral choice that women are capable of making for themselves, that aborting a fetus is not killing a person, and that antiabortionists fail to understand female sexuality.
- Issue 11. Should the Government Provide National Health Insurance? YES: Ezra Klein, from The Health of Nations, The American Prospect (May 2007) NO: John C. Goodman, from Health Care in a Free Society, Policy Analysis (January 27, 2005) Political essayist Ezra Klein argues that Canada, France, Great Britain and Germany provide better health care for everyone at less cos t than the United States. Political analyst John C. Goodman believes that none of the claims made for universal health coverage in other countries withstands objective analysis.
- Issue 12. Is America Becoming More Unequal? YES: Jeff Madrick, from Inequality and Democracy, in George Packer, ed., The Fight Is for Democracy (Perennial, 2003) NO: Christopher C. DeMuth, from The New Wealth of Nations, Commentary (October 1997) Editor and author Jeff Madrick maintains that the striking recent increase in income and wealth inequality reflects increasing inequality of opportunity and threatens the civil and political rights of less wealthy Americans. American Enterprise Institute president Christopher C. DeMuth asserts that Americans have achieved an impressive level of wealth and equality and that a changing economy ensures even more opportunities.
- Issue 13. Does the Patriot Act Abridge Essential Freedom? YES: Nat Hentoff, from The War on the Bill of Rights and the Gathering Resistance (Seven Stories Press, 2003) NO: Heather Mac Donald, from Straight Talk on Homeland Security, City Journal (Summer 2003) Village Voice columnist Nat Hentoff opposes the Patriot Act as an unjustified invasion of private belief and behavior, in the conviction that the sacrifice of liberty for security will result in the loss of both. Manhattan Institute fellow Heather Mac Donald believes that, since the new terrorism poses an unprecedented threat to America s survival, the Patriot Act is an appropriate response and contains adequate protection of fundamental liberties.
- Issue 14. Stopping Illegal Immigration: Should Border Security Come First? YES: Mark Krikorian, from Comprehensive Immigration Reform II, Testimony Before Senate Committee on the Judiciary (October 18, 2005) NO: Frank Sharry, from Comprehensive Immigration Reform II, Testimony Before Senate Committee on the Judiciary (October 18, 2005) Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, argues that we have not seriously tried to enforce the laws against illegal aliens, and recommends shrinking the illegal population through consistent and equitable law enforcement. Frank Sharry, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, contends that the enforcement only approach ignores the fact that the United States has an increasingly integrated labor market with Latin America, and recommends a comprehensive approach combining border control with expanded legal channels.
- Issue 15. Should There Be a Wall of Separation Between Church and State? YES: John Paul Stevens, from Dissenting Opinion in Van Orden v. Perry, 545 U.S. 677 (June 2005) NO: Antonin Scalia, from Dissenting Opinion in McCreary County, Kentucky et al. v. American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, 545 U.S. 844 (June 27, 2005) United States Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens believes that the Constitution creates a wall of separation between church and state that can be rarely broached and only insofar as the state recognition of religion does not express a bias in support of particular religious doctrines. United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia believes that both the Constitution and American history support the sympathetic acknowledgement of the nearly universal American belief in monotheistic religion as reflected in presidential proclamations, public oaths, public monuments, and other displays.
- Unit 4 America and the World
- Issue 16. Does the War in Iraq Help the War Against Terrorism? YES: J. R. Dunn, from Prospects of Terror, The American Thinker (March 21, 2006) NO: Robert Jervis, from Why the Bush Doctrine Cannot Be Sustained, Political Science Quarterly (Fall 2005) J. R. Dunn, a military editor and author, believes that the radical Islamists are losing the support of the Iraqi people, that Iraq is moving toward democracy, and that the war against terror is being won. In the same fashion, America and its allies will thwart Iran s quest for nuclear weapons. Robert Jervis, a professor of international relations, maintains that the war in Iraq distracted the United States from the war against terrorism, that preventive war risks grave errors of judgment, and that victory in Iraq will not necessarily result in more democracy or less terrorism.
- Issue 17. Is Middle Eastern Profiling Ever Justified? YES: Daniel Pipes, from Fighting Militant Islam, Without Bias, City Journal (November 2001) NO: David A. Harris, from Flying While Arab, Immigration Issues, and Lessons from the Racial Profiling Controversy, TestiA--mony before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (October 12, 2001) Daniel Pipes, director of the Middle East Forum, argues that heightened scrutiny of Muslims and Middle Eastern-looking people is justified because, while not all Muslims are Islamic extremists, all Islamic extremists are Muslims. Law professor David A. Harris opposes profiling people of Middle Eastern appearance because, like racial profiling, it compromises civil liberties and actually damages our intelligence efforts.
- Issue 18. Is the Use of Torture Against Terrorist SusA--pects Ever Justified? YES: Charles Krauthammer, from The Truth About Torture, The Weekly Standard (December 5, 2005) NO: Andrew Sullivan, from The Abolition of Torture, The New Republic (December 19, 2005) Charles Krauthammer argues that the legal protections for prisoners of war and civilians do not apply to terrorist suspects captured abroad, and in certain extreme cases torture may be used to extract information from them. Andrew Sullivan contends that any nation that uses torture infects itself with the virus of totalitarianism, belies its claim of moral superiority to the terrorists, and damages its chances of persuading the Arab world to adopt Western-style democracy.
- Issue 19. Is Warrantless Wiretapping in Some Cases Justified to Protect National Security? YES: Andrew C. McCarthy, from How to Connect the Dots, National Review (January 30, 2006) NO: Al Gore, from Restoring the Rule of Law, from a speech presented to The American Constitution Society for Law and PolA--icy and The Liberty Coalition (January 16, 2006) Former federal prosecutor Andrew C. McCarthy supports the National Security Agency program of surveillance without a warrant as an effective means of protecting national security that employs the inherent power of the president to protect the country against subversion. Former vice president Al Gore views the warrantless wiretapping of American citizens as a brazen violation of the Constitution and of specific acts of Congress that have spelled out the circumstances under which a president may receive judicial permission to wiretap or otherwise invade the privacy of citizens.
- Issue 20. Is China a Military Threat to the United States? YES: Robert D. Kaplan, from How We Would Fight China, The Atlantic.com (June 2005) NO: Ivan Eland, from Is Chinese Military Modernization a Threat to the United States? Policy Analysis (January 23, 2003) Robert Kaplan, senior associate for the Carnegie Endowment for InterA--national Peace, notes that China is poised to achieve political-strategic parity with the United States by planning asymmetric warfare with America and cultivating a series of pragmatic alliances with America s enemies. Ivan Eland, director of policy studies at the Cato Institute, contends that China s ongoing military modernization is still far behind that of the United States the gap is actually widening and that its purpose is merely to protect Chinese interests in the area.
- Issue 21. Must America Exercise World Leadership? YES: Robert J. Lieber, from The American Era: Power and Strategy for the 21st Century (Cambridge University Press, 2005) NO: Niall Ferguson, from An Empire in Denial, Harvard InternaA--tional Review (Fall 2003) International relations professor Robert J. Lieber believes that the United States, as the world s sole superpower, is uniquely capable of providing leadership against the threats of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, as well as extending the rule of law and democracy. Author Niall Ferguson maintains that, despite America s military and economic dominance, it lacks both the long-term will and the capital and human investment that would be necessary to sustain its dominance.
- Issue 22. Should Federal Taxes Be Increased? YES: Aviva Aron-Dine, from Tax Cuts: Myths and Realities (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2008) NO: Brian M. Riedl, from Ten Myths About the Bush Tax Cuts (The Heritage Foundation, 2007) Aviva Aron-Dine, former policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, believes that the tax cuts adopted in the George W. Bush presidency have hurt the economy, have not benefited most Americans, and have increased the national debt. Brian Riedl, budget analyst at The Heritage Foundation, concludes that the tax cuts adopted in the presidency of George W. Bush have encouraged economic growth, benefited lower-income Americans most, and have increased tax revenues.
- Issue 23. Does Conservatism Get the World Wrong? YES: Robert Borosage, from Conservatism Itself, The American Prospect (June 17, 2007) NO: Alfred S. Regnery, from Ideas Still Have Consequences, The American Spectator (December 2007/January 2008) Robert Borosage, codirector of the Campaign for America s Future, contends that conservative policies have failed because they make America weaker abroad and more unequal at home. Alfred Regnery, publisher of the American Spectator magazine, contends that conservative principles are powerfully resilient, have been woven into our laws and institutions, and may well be the most accepted political force in America.
About the Author :
McKenna received his Ph.D. at Fordham University. He has taught for 30 years at The City College of New York. He is the coeditor of two books in our Dushkin Taking Sides series: Taking Sides on social issues and on political issues. He has led local civic and environmental groups in New York and New Jersey.
