Pay for Grades?

Recently a billionaire philanthropist made headlines when he offered students in Chicago $6.3 million of his own money to give them incentive for getting good grades. Students could earn up to $50 for an A in each class (with seven classes, you could earn $350). Is this a good idea to motivate students, or should students be motivated by the desire to learn, not a paycheck?

Pass a Grade - Pass a Test!

Studies show that many students in the United States graduate high school each year without the basic skills they need to write an email or read a newspaper. Should we require students to pass a test each year before they move on to the next grade, or should we continue to allow students to move through school without learning basic skills?

Protect the Planet?

Is our planet in danger? Is human progress out of control? Are global warming, deforestation, and urban sprawl destroying the world? Or is the threat to our environment overexaggerated by hippies and tree-huggers?

Too Many Computers?

There was recently an article in a magazine called The Atlantic which argued that computers are making people stupid. We have become so dependent on Google for our information, and are conditioned by the instant gratification of the Internet, cell phones, and computer games that we have lost the ability to think deeply or to make real human connections and relationships. Have computers taken over our society? Are people losing their ability to think deeply and to make real friendships with real people instead of "online friends"?

They're Watching You

Everything we do is monitored in today's society. Cameras write tickets to drivers, are used by campus monitors to track down students, and the government searches computer records and emails. Is all this monitoring an invasion of privacy? Has our society become too heavily monitored and controlled? Is this a threat to our freedom, or is it necessary to keep control in our society?

Over Paid?

Professional athletes and actors are millionaires while average people who work hard every day are barely getting by in today's economy. Are actors and athletes overpaid for the work they do?