Directions: On October 29, 2008 you will be voting in a nationwide mock election for the president of the United States, as well as on a few other issues. This packet of questions will help you become more informed about some of the candidates and issues. Answer any two of the following questions. Complete these questions on loose leaf paper or feel free to type them. Make sure to use your best spelling and grammar. Each answer should be two to three paragraphs. You will need to do a little research to help you. Some sources are provided below, but you are free to use other sources as well. Make sure to cite all sources.

The Issues

1. Do you think the next president should begin to pull troops out of Iraq to end the war, or should U.S. troops remain until all militants in Iraq are defeated? Why? Explain your answer. For background information on the Iraq War, search Infohio.org for this article:

Deese, David A. "Iraq War." World Book Online Reference Center. 2008. 22 Oct. 2008 .

2. Should the next president focus on helping the development of alternative energy sources like solar, wind, hydroelectric, or clean coal technology, or should the next president support new drilling for oil in the U.S.? What are the benefits and risks for each? Explain your answer. Use the following links to help you.

http://www.altenergy.org/
http://www.doe.gov/energysources/index.htm

3. How should the next president help improve the U.S. economy and support U.S. companies? Use the following links to help you:

http://www.barackobama.com/issues/economy/#trade
http://www.johnmccain.com/Issues/JobsforAmerica/trade.htm

4. Education is tremendously important to the future success of the U.S. in the global marketplace. Which of the two major candidates do you think has the right plan to get America’s schools back on track? Why? Use the following resources to help you:

http://www.barackobama.com/issues/education/
http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/19ce50b5-daa8-4795-b92d-92bd0d985bca.htm

(You can also just visit the candidates’ websites and find these same links under “Issues”).

The Candidates

Use the official websites of the two major candidates, as well as other sources, to help you answer the following questions. These questions should be completed on loose leaf paper or typed in paragraph form. Use your best spelling and grammar. Each question should be about two paragraphs.

1. What are two things you think John McCain would do well as president? Explain your answer.
2. What are two things Barack Obama would do well as president? Explain your answer.
3. What are two weaknesses that you believe John McCain has that would hinder his performance as president? Explain your answer.
4. What are two weaknesses of Barack Obama that you think would hinder his performance as president? Explain your answer.

Tools and Resources

http://www.barackobama.com/
http://www.johnmccain.com/
http://factcheck.org/

http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/ - The Department of Education’s site for students.

http://www.energy.gov/forstudentsandkids.htm - The Department of Energy’s site for students.

http://bensguide.gpo.gov/ - Ben’s Guide to Government for Kids

Rubric: This assignment affects your Government and Civics Standards. It is worth 100 points.

A 93-100 – Your answers are complete and they demonstrate thought and effort. You have no spelling or grammatical errors. You support your opinions with facts from reliable sources.
B+ 90-92 - Your answers are complete and they demonstrate thought and effort. You have few, if any, spelling or grammatical errors. You support most of your opinions with facts from reliable sources.
B 85-89 - Your answers are complete and they demonstrate thought and effort. You have some spelling or grammatical errors. You support most of your opinions with facts from reliable sources.
C+ 81-84 – Your answers are mostly complete. They demonstrate some thought. You have some spelling or grammatical errors. You support most of your opinions with facts from reliable sources.
C 76-80 - Your answers are mostly complete. They demonstrate some thought. You have some spelling or grammatical errors. You only support some of your opinions with facts from reliable sources.
D 70-75 – Your work is not complete. You only show some thought or effort. You have multiple spelling and grammatical errors. You only support some of your opinions with facts from reliable sources. Redo this assignment.
F Below 70 – Your work is not complete and is unacceptable. You have multiple spelling and grammatical errors. You do not support your opinions with facts from reliable sources. Redo this assignment.

Your Grade: ________

Food for Thought

“Democracy consists of choosing your dictators, after they've told you what you think it is you want to hear.” – Alan Corenk

“Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” – Winston Churchill