Gastonia, NC Correspondent-Every time you hear the words “campaign finance reform” in the press, they’re inevitably accompanied by “hot-button issue” or some similar harbinger of doom. We’re warned repeatedly that there will be donnybrooks the likes of which man has never seen if we try to modify the current dog’s breakfast of methods by which our elected officials belly up to the public trough. Continue reading
Symposium 2015: Are the Democrats and Republicans both becoming more extremist and does this give rise to a viable third party?
Prescott Valley, AZ Correspondent-Both the Democrats and Republicans have become more extremist, though in differing ways with varying yet similar characteristics. Democrats have gone from a party of state’s rights to one of progressive and socialist thought and policy, while Republicans have gone from a party of decentralized government philosophy to one that has compromised its conservative values and further weakened itself through alignment with and capitulation to Democrat ideas, along with limited opposition to Democrat sponsored programs, legislation, executive overreach, and Supreme Court and lower court rulings. Continue reading
Symposium 2015: Has social media’s impact on society and the world done more good or more harm?
Sheffield, Jamaica Correspondent-Social media is the ultimate news platform. Whatever information you can think about collecting, social media is the aggregator. Exerting such power, it’s not surprising people of various socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds flock to social media, to find what they want. The innovation of the #hashtag has made it even more seamless for people to discover what they want. With a simple search, they have information right at their fingertips. Continue reading
Thinking Outside the Boxe Announces Correspondents’ Weekly Forum 2016
Myrtle Beach, SC February 9, 2016—Thinking Outside the Boxe is pleased to announce its weekly correspondents’ forum for 2016. The forum will feature opinions from correspondents throughout the United States as well as Jamaica. They will cover topics such as current political events and the elections, geopolitics, societal issues, the economy, and foreign affairs. The correspondents have diverse geographical, political and socioeconomic backgrounds. The purpose of these weekly questions is to begin conversations and gather interest in the important topics facing Americas. Thinking Outside The Boxe openly asks for feedback regardless of political affiliation, and takes pride in offering opinions from all “sides” in the matters at hand. Continue reading
Symposium 2015: Do schools need more authority to discipline students? If so, how do we accomplish this?
Sheffield, Jamaica Correspondent-Through a video watched on Facebook, I was quite appalled by the level of indiscipline in the classroom. Teachers have no authority whatsoever with regards to disciplining children. Students do absolutely whatever they want, even in the presence of their teacher. Also, think about the level of violence meted out to teachers daily. These include verbal and at times, physical abuse. Should we allow the morals of students to collapse in the classroom or do schools need more authority to discipline students? Continue reading
Symposium 2015: should all states mandate water conservation at some level?
Prescott Valley, AZ Correspondent-Not all states have mandated water conservation, but there are those that should implement it at some level, as water tables and underground aquifers are in the process of depletion due to drought and unfavorable environmental conditions in many states across the nation. Continue reading
Symposium 2015: The majority of greenhouse gas emissions come from automobiles. Is it time to institute a carbon pricing system for individuals who drive automobiles?
Owatanna, MN, Correspondent-Factoring the cost of cleaning up pollution into the overall cost of owning and driving a car is long overdue. However, the way this carbon pricing is done is the key to successfully eliminating greenhouse gas emissions. Continue reading
Symposium 2015: Should federal anti-gaming legislation be scrapped?
Gastonia, NC Correspondent-If you’ve seen the “Godfather” films, you got a taste of what Vegas and Atlantic City life was like when the Mafia owned a large part of the casino and other gaming business. While the rubes through the door didn’t get fleeced any more thoroughly than they do today, the behind-the-scenes goings-on were bloody, ruthless and heavy-handed. Continue reading
In light of the recent proposed boycotting of The Oscars, should the standards be changed to ensure more diversity or should nominees be judged on their work alone? Does the boycotting have merit or is it hypocritical seeing as the BET awards are mainly African American?
Myrtle Beach, SC, Orlando, FL January 28, 2016
Prescott Valley, AZ Correspondent-In light of the recent boycotting of The Oscars, the standards have indeed been quickly overhauled to ensure diversity. The Academy recently announced that a number of its current rules would be changed to promote diversity in its membership. Any new rulings would not go into effect until after the 2016 Oscars, and from there it would be retroactive for all current members. Continue reading
Donald Trump has proposed a tariff on goods imported from China. Would this ultimately hurt or help the American economy?
Myrtle Beach, SC, Orlando, FL January 22, 2016
Owatonna, MN Correspondent-On the surface, the United States government imposing a tariff on a country that doesn’t play fair when it comes to trade, like China, sounds like a good thing to do. We stand up to a cheater, exert our sovereign rights, and possibly add tax revenue to the balance sheet. A tariff would prevent China from artificially cutting their prices on their exports, thereby gaining market share at the expense of US producers or producers from other countries. Continue reading
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