Home

American Studies

AP US History

MyGradeBook.com (Check your grade)

Scholastic Bowl

Political Union

Hillary Clinton (as played by Ruth Tam)

Iraq

Q: As President, what would you do with the war in Iraq?

A: Americans getting tired of waiting around for our current government to ameliorate the situation in Iraq. In my first sixty days as President, my decisive actions would make up for the years of ineffectiveness in the Middle East. My first official action as President would be to meet with my Secretary of State, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and my National Security Council to initiate a plan to bring our troops home. To provide stability for Iraqis, I will direct organizations to get the efforts of aid to civilians themselves. I will also initiate the appointment of a U.N. representative who will negotiate peace among Iraqi parties. In addition, I will create a stabilization group of allies, global powers, and Iraq’s neighbors to mediate between sectarian groups, keep surrounding countries from involving themselves in Iraq’s civil war, and hold countries to their past pledges.

Reconstruction will also be supported by a multi-billion dollar effort I will organize under the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees in order to concentrate on the needs of Iraqi refugees. I will also work with the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs in order to insure quality healthcare benefits for every service member and their families.

Gun Control

Q: What does the 2nd Amendment mean to you?

A: The right to bear arms is a right that I feel must be interpreted with greatest of care.  Even though many gun-owning Americans practice basic gun safety and employ common sense, there are still too many who abuse the rights outlined in the 2nd Amendment, which is why I believe the Amendment must be protected for those who value safety in our society but restricted to those who exploit it. Although my opponents support the easing of gun control say that gun-related crime rates are falling, these rates only make more painful when horrendous tragedies like the Omaha Mall and Virginia Tech shootings appear in the media.

Q: Given the Omaha Mall Shooting and the Virginia Tech Tragedy, what do you think the Federal government should do to prevent future shootings?

A: I have believed for years that we need sensible gun control legislation. After the Columbine shootings, Bill and I visited the families of victims and survivors in Littleton, Colorado -a devastating experience. Afterwards, I proposed to raise the legal age of handgun ownership to 21 and limit purchases of such weapons to once a month. More needs to be done. In the case of Virginia Tech, all the killer needed to acquire a handgun was identification and a clean criminal record. I would advocate stricter requirements such as permits, safety certificates, and help from social workers, counselors, and parents to inform authorities of potential problems and to educate children about gun safety.

Homeland Security

Q: What should we do about the illegal immigrants currently living in our nation?

A: The comprehensive immigration reform I would support as President involves understanding who is in our country. I would do this by first securing our borders and ensuring that employers comply with the law against hiring and exploiting undocumented workers. I would also support the installation of technology that would stop the flow of illegal immigrants into the country and also create an employer verification system that would not lead to discrimination and abuse by employers.

Q: How would you, as President, protect our nation from another terrorist attack?

A: Although some of my opponents will criticize me on my support of withdrawing troops from Iraq during our War on Terror, I promise you that as President, I will not lose sight of our goal to end terrorism. Even though I will pull troops out of Iraq, I acknowledge our strategic interests in that region and would devote the necessary resources to the cause. I will also order specialized units to engage in narrow, targeted operations against al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations in the area.

Moral Crisis

Q: What is the most significant moral crisis today?

A: The most significant moral crisis to me is the deplorable achievement gap between Caucasian students and students of color. 1.4 million African American men between the ages of 16-24 are out of school and out of work. America looks at these 1.4 million and sees dropouts, failures. I see the potential for change. Jobs are going empty because companies can’t find trained, skilled employees to fill them. When young people in America lose motivation to fill these jobs or to seek an education, it is truly a moral crisis. I will cure this by providing mentoring, tutoring, college and career programs in schools that will narrow the gap we see between whites and minorities.

Q: To what extent should the U.S. condone torture in the War on Terror?

A: Mainly I am opposed to torture in the War on Terror. However, based on what we’ve seen the past few years –9/11, the London bombings, the Bhutto assassination- that attacks are often very sudden and sometimes there are exceptions that must be made for the good of a country. In the event we were ever confronted with having to interrogate a detainee with knowledge of an imminent threat to millions of Americans, then the decision to depart from standard international practices must be made by the president. That narrow exception within limited circumstances is better than the potential destruction of millions of Americans.