ASSIGNMENT
DONALD TRUMP'S PRESIDENCY, IT'S IMPACT ON TEXAS, AND ON YOU
Now that Donald Trump is the president and has been in office over 100 days, tell me your thoughts about Trump the man, the president, the country under this president, and the effect this president's policies you believe will have on the people of the State of Texas. Tell me a bit about your background with regard to politics and government. Also discuss what the future will be like for you because of Donald Trump's presidency. Discuss what he will do about subjects that Trump campaigned on that directly affect many Texans: immigration policy, sanctuary cities, his proposed border wall with Mexico, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals war. (I have provided you with a list of newspaper and magazine articles about these subjects if you wish to use any of them in discussing these important Texas topics.) Additional, if you wish, you can address your thoughts on Mr. Trump and more general issues such as terrorism, the economy, his relationship with Vladimir Putin and allegations of Russian influence in his administration, student loans, jobs, health care, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, civil rights, crime, abortion, birth control, Iran, North Korea, nuclear weapons, and anything else that has grabbed your attention. (Obviously, you cannot address all of those issues but I place them there to aid you in your reflection about issues. You should, however, definitely address the particular topics relating to Texas.)
In your paper, address the subjects dealing with Texas highlighted above and as many of the following points as possible:
Where are you from (where you grew up) and did your home town, state, or country influence your political beliefs?
How did you learn about government growing up?
How did the area of the country or the world you're from help determine your political socialization ("political socialization" being a term from our first unit referring how the attitudes, beliefs, and understanding of one's government is transmitted to new generations)?
What influenced (and how) your political socialization-your parents, your religion, your peers, your school, the media?
If 18 or older and a citizen, are you registered to vote and have you voted before? Why or why not?
Did you or did you not vote in the 2016 general election (and why)?
If you are not a citizen, do you plan to be and will you vote? Regarding voting, why or why not? Who would you have voted for in the presidential race if you could have voted?
Do you consider yourself a Republican or Democrat? Other? No party? Independent voter?
Why do you identify with a party or do not do so?
Were your parents active in a political party, which one? Are you active or identify with the same party? If different from your parents in this regard, why did you change?
Did follow the campaigns for the 2016 general election and, if so, how did you follow the campaigns: Television? Newspapers or magazines? Internet? Social media (such as Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc.).? Talking with friends and family? Other?
Who did you want to be the president and discuss your reasons why.
What are your impressions and reactions to the allegations that the Russian government hacked the election? President Obama, in his final press conference as president, stated that the computer hacking by Russia was discovered and confirmed by several different. U.S. national security agencies and confirmed that later and that it had an impact on the outcome of the election. What do you know of this and was do you think about it?
What are your feelings and opinions about Donald Trump? (Are you happy? Despondent? Hopeful? Frightened? Why?
What do members of your family say about Trump, his campaign, and his presidency?
What do your friends think about Donald Trump? Do you talk about the new president and issues and your futures with friends?
Hillary Clinton won almost three million more votes of the people of the United States than Donald Trump did but lost the Electoral College vote to him. Why, or how, did this happen? Do you have any thoughts about this as to how this process works?
What do you think of Mr. Trump's first 100 days in office? What about the Muslim travel ban. About cuts to higher education and student loans. About proposed changes in taxes to reduce taxes for the wealthy. About overturning Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act)? About North Korea? About bombing Syria? About his appointee, Judge Neil Gorsuch, to the Supreme Court? About overturning Roe v.
Wade and making abortion illegal in the United States again? About ending funding to Planned Parenthood? About cutting funding for the foreign service and foreign aid? About cutting back drastically on environmental regulations? About any issue of which you might be concerned?
President Obama, in his first public appearance after leaving office, told a group of young Americans that they (and you) will be responsible for changing the country back from the direction it is taking now, and that it is the duty of young citizens to become involved, that it is the cost of citizenship in this country to do so. Do you believe you have a responsibility to this country?
You are to present in this essay your opinions and thoughts on what you know, where you learned it in general, and why you've made the decisions you did about voting and arrived at the opinions you had about the candidates for president, and, in particular about the president-elect and his ideas, behavior, plans, and what he will do as president and what you think will be the results.
This is a chance for you to take the stage and tell your audience (me, the reader of your paper) what you think and feel. Do not worry if you think you are not a strong writer. Don't worry if you are ESL and have, at this time, weak language skills. Write in your best form and style and language skills, but I am nowhere close to being as interested in the formalities of all that as I am in hearing, in reading what you think, what you believe, what you have heard from your family and friends, and what your hopes or your fears may be. (NOTE: No one will read this paper but me. I will erase the papers after the end of the semester. So, do not worry that I might share your personal feelings and believes in the paper. I am the only member of your audience and will protect your privacy.)