Lam (John) Van Shari Sowards POLS 1100 October 29, 2013 Paper #2 The majority of people living

in the United States today are commonly divided into two political parties. The platforms for these two parties are perhaps the best reflection of each partys values and core beliefs. One party is the Democratic Party who promotes a socially liberal and progressive platform. The other is the Republican Party whose view on policies and position are based upon American conservatism. After analyzing the data regarding political attitudes and views of Salt Lake Community College students in my POLS 1100 class, I have determined the views of many students in our class to be both evenly conservative and liberal. When students were asked whether or not the United States government should promote additional tax cuts to stimulate the economy, sixty-three percent agreed there should be cuts. Students believe tax cuts for high-income households do little to stimulate economic activity. Whereas if there were tax cuts for households the working family will create more incentive for people to work, save, and invest. While people may be conservative, they are not necessarily republicans. Republicans proposed raising tax for the middle class and lowering for the upper class. They believe by doing so, corporate businesses will hire more people as a result stimulating the economy. Students in my POLS 1100 class are convinced that a more restrictive immigration policy in the United States is unnecessary. Students supports legal immigration and take a liberal approach for illegal immigrations. They support amnesty for those who enters the U.S. illegally. Immigrants make the economy more efficient by reducing blockages caused by labor shortages, both in the high and lowskill areas. This in turn create more jobs for our native born Americans. With a flexible immigration policy, many people those who dont have educational background will flood to America to fill labored jobs and encourage international students to immigrate and expand in the U.S. Freedom is the cornerstone of the Americans identity and way of life. And for that reason, students in my class are not willing to give up individual rights in order for protection. When ask whether the United States should be reduce the rights of the 1st amendment to fight terrorism, many people decline to give up any rights. They disagree with the United States to conduct surveillance on its citizens through NSA. Conservatives believe that each person is responsible for his or her own place in society. Government should enable each person the ability to secure the benefits of society for themselves, their families and for those who are unable to care for themselves.

Students are lead to believe all law-abiding citizens have the rights to keep and bear arms. It is part of our second amendment, therefore a widely number of people believes in practice of it. Individuals have the right to defend themselves. Many students suggested there are too many guns control laws, and additional will not lower gun crime rates. By having more guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens means less crime. A fragile woman will have the ability to protect herself from an assailant in broad daylight if the situation arises. For the most part, students are influence by the generation differences and many learn to adapt and accept to social changes that were once unacceptable. Students support the recognition by states and federal government for sex same marriage. They share a liberal view on the topic. Marriage is the union of people who love each other. It should be legal for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals, to ensure equal rights for all. Students support same sex marriage and oppose the notion and creation of a constitutional amendment establishing marriage as the union of one man and one woman. All individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation, have the right to marry. Disallowing same-sex marriage would infringe their civil rights. When students were asked if the U.S. should implement stricter rules dealing with emissions to reduce global warning if the rules reduce economic productivity, sixty percent agree because emissions has significant implications on health. A similar view to most liberals, global warming poses the greatest threat to the U.S. Rising temperatures will likely lead to more frequent and severe heat waves, heavier rainstorms and flooding, and increased air pollution. All of these changes could pose serious, and costly, risks to public health. By having stricter rules, we can lower the level of pollutants in the air to help create an ideal living environment. The majority of students have the impression the government should provide a health care system for all citizens. We rely on our government to provide a structure with laws enacted to protect every individual for an equal society, so a universal health care system is appropriate. With health care in mind, students also believe a person has the right to die by his own choice. A terminally ill person should have the right to choose to end pain and suffering. It is wrong for the government to take away the means for a terminally ill person to quicken his death. It is wrong to force a person to go through so much pain and misery. By permitting euthanasia, it would reduce health care costs, which would then make funds available for those who could truly benefit from medical care. Sixty percent of students feel the United States should intervene and take a stronger military stance towards Iran and North Korea regarding nuclear weapons. Iran continues to engage in a pattern of illicit and deceiving activities to acquire nuclear weapons. A nuclear-armed Iran could pose an overwhelming threat to U.S. national security. By intervening, we can prevent future terrorists attacks.

Every individual in our class all want to live a life with the freedoms we are promise through the content written in the Constitution. We all pursue the opportunity to find success and live a healthy and happy life. To live on a street where you may leave your front door unlock. But to achieve these goals, we take different course of actions. The students social and political view in this class is a mixture of both liberal and conservative. No one individual supports the entire beliefs of one party. There shouldnt be a classification of one either. We should learn to understand and respect each others viewpoints and compromise on solutions on social, political, economic, and environmental issues.