Posted on 02/16/2010 5:54:08 AM PST by folkquest
My son is writing a paper for high school. He has developed the following thesis statement. I was wondering if any one of you brilliant Freepers could recommend published sources for him to review to help bolster his argument. I know I've come to the right place for help.
"The United States of America continues in a long-term decline because we have put our economic health at risk by funding a myriad of social and wasteful programs, which usurp power from the people in favor of unlimited and unchecked government, and which will socially and economically bankrupt our great nation."
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/778193e4-44d8-11de-82d6-00144feabdc0.html
Interesting piece looking at Argentina 100 years ago and how similar it was to the US at the time. Then Argentina went for a “Hope and Change” candidate and it was all downhill from there.
Go to The Heritage Foundation
Great topic. Some good sources:
American Enterprise Institute
Cato Institute
Foundation for Economic Education
Heritage Foundation
Center for Freedom and Prosperity.
good luck!
Thomas Sowell has an outstanding textbook on economics in contemporary America. I also suggest reading Friedrich Hayek’s text on economics. No discussion on American financial markets and ecline from a conservative perspective should be undertaken absent the materials of these texts as substance, support and actual framing of the discussion from a baseline of solid facts and theories.
Turn page paper diorama ping.
First thing: you couldn’t cover that topic if you wrote several volumes.
Get specific: zero in on one topic: farm subsidies, corporate welfare, affirmative action for example, and seek concrete data: history and statistical information.
Sources: Heritage Foundation, has funded studies.(on the web) Thomas Sowell has written several books on economics and provides data to back his claims.
Whatever the source, follow the footnotes provided to get as close to the original data as possible.
One brick at a time will bring down this monstrosity.
Thomas Sowell is outstanding. We’ll look up his book on economics. I’m not as familiar with Hayek, but we’ll look him up too! Thanks!
LOL!
Good advice! Thanks.
The word “myriad” does not need the modifier “of” after it. It is one of those words in our language that stands alone.
The first thing I noticed is his sentence is 51 words long. When I took an executive communications class, we had to strictly adhere to 20 words per sentence. I spent a semester rewriting, rewriting, and rewriting to get to that magic number.
If you can, find someone still alive from the Depression who owned a small business. Interview them.
Maybe two. ‘Testimonial literature’ and ‘1st-hand sources’.
This might be a way to get to know a neighbor, too.
Good luck!
You have a point. I like the point....
“The United States of America continues in a long-term decline because we have put our economic, social and political health at risk.”
Sub-categories:
1. Funding a myriad of social and wasteful programs
evidence #1, 2, 3
result
transition
2. Usurpation of power from the people in favor of unlimited and unchecked government
evidence #1, 2, 3
result
transition
3. Social and economic bankruptcy of our great nation is the result.”
evidence #1, 2, 3
result
Conclusion and call to action....
Check the recent posting here on FR for some of Victor Davis Hanson’s essays.
I am sure that in those essays you will find LOTS of materials.
The recent VDH essay on the Fall of Rome, for example - has wonderful comparisons to what we are seeing today in our culture!
Why is he using the future tense here?
ML/NJ
My daughter is working on a speech contest about the effects of climate change legislation. Your resource suggestions were very helpful to her topic as well. Not all had information but Heritage Foundation had a lot. Thanks!
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