A PROJECT SAVE

The Economic Crisis in the United States

Presented by: Mr. Sandberg

Fredrick Douglass Academy II

New York City, NY

INTRODUCTION

There is a significant financial crisis in the U.S. today, probably the worst since the Great Depression. Banks are not able to lend money, houses are being foreclosed as a result, and people are losing their jobs and wealth. It all started with the housing crisis, where homeowners who took risky loans could not pay them back. This started a cycle of despair, with a decline in housing wealth. As a result, people could not afford their mortgage payments and were unable to refinance their mortgages at a lower rate. Banks were stuck with these bad loans and could not make new loans as a result. The key question is “How can we address the problem so that banks can start giving credit again and the economic crisis can be lifted?”

President Obama has tried to stimulate the economy with a $787 billion stimulus package that contains a combination of tax cuts and spending. There has been much debate about this stimulus package and whether it is too much or too little. It focuses on creating jobs, helping houses from being foreclosed and related issues like energy and health care. He has also proposed a separate plan to buy out some of the bad loans that belong to the banks so they could start lending again at a normal rate. It is too early to tell if this package will work. However, you are an adviser to President Obama and have a chance to come up with a report with your own ideas about how to get the U.S. economy going again. Remember, this is a complex issue and you must deal with various factors. Perhaps your public policy ideas will work well and help save the lives of millions. Your task is immense but it can be done. Good luck!

TASK

Your task is to create a report for President Obama that contains two parts. The first part is a report of a minimum one page. You must use STATISTICS (such as job losses) that describe the present condition o f the economy.

The second part is a PERSUASIVE ESSAY explaining main elements of your plan. Be sure to also explain how your plan will work. This essay should be written as if you were an adviser to President Obama. You will research the whole question of the economic crisis in the US today with the objective of developing a governmental policy to improve and even save people’s lives.

The completed essay must be at least two pages typed using MS Word and should contain charts, graphs and other illustrations that clarify your key policy points.

All essays MUST use the SIX-STEP PUBLIC POLICY ANALYST format described in the process. You will use the PUBLIC POLCIY ANALSYT WORKSHEETS AS A GUIDE FOR YOUR ESSAY.

PROCESS

Working alone, you will research the Internet Links that describe the condition of the economic crisis in 2008 and today. You may use outside sources as well. Then, each person will use the Public Policy Analyst as the outline and basis for your persuasive essay. Each of the six steps linked below have important worksheets. These worksheets correspond to the steps of the “PPA”. You will complete the worksheets using the Internet links in the resource section. These worksheets will be used as resource material for completing your essay. All six steps must be included in your final product. Remember-use the INTERNET links in the resources section and other text material to complete the worksheets. Click on the links below, read about each step and then complete the worksheets.

Click on each link below

Step #1: Define the Problem

Step # 2: Gather evidence

Step # 3: Identify causes

Step # 4: Evaluate a policy

Step # 5: Develop solutions

Step # 6: Select best solution

Step # 7: Benefits and Costs (optional)

Most importantly you must select an economic plan that you feel is most feasible and most effective from the policies you have devised in step #5. Then persuasively argue why you feel this is the best economic plan according to the rubric below.

RESOURCES

ARTICLE ON UNEMPLOYMENT STATISTICS

ARTICLE ON HOUSING FORECLOSURES

ARTICLE ON BANKING CRISIS

WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE ON THE STIMULUS PACKAGE

ARTICLE ON PRESIDENT OBAMA’S NEW BUDGET

ARTICLE ON BANKING CRISIS AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

GENERAL SEARCH ENGINES

WWW.GOGLE.COM

WWW.YAHOO.COM

WWW.ASK.COM

EVALUATION

Persuasive Essay : #2 Persuasive Essay Rubric

CATEGORY	4 - Above Standards	3 - Meets Standards	2 - Approaching Standards	1 - Below Standards	Score
Focus or Thesis Statement	The thesis statement names the topic of the essay and outlines the main points to be discussed. Uses all six PPA steps	The thesis statement names the topic of the essay. Uses five of the six PPA steps.	The thesis statement outlines some or all of the main points to be discussed but does not name the topic. Uses PPA steps inaccurately	The thesis statement does not name the topic AND does not preview what will be discussed. Does not use PPA steps.
Attention Grabber	The introductory paragraph has a strong hook or attention grabber that is appropriate for the audience. This could be a strong statement, a relevant quotation, statistic, or question addressed to the reader.	The introductory paragraph has a hook or attention grabber, but it is weak, rambling or inappropriate for the audience.	The author has an interesting introductory paragraph but the connection to the topic is not clear.	The introductory paragraph is not interesting AND is not relevant to the topic.
Closing paragraph	The conclusion is strong and leaves the reader solidly understanding the writer's position. Effective restatement of the position statement begins the closing paragraph.	The conclusion is recognizable. The author's position is restated within the first two sentences of the closing paragraph.	The author's position is restated within the closing paragraph, but not near the beginning.	There is no conclusion - the paper just ends.
Persuasiveness	The final product was extremely persuasive, giving more than 3 supporting arguments.	The final product was persuasive, giving more than 2 supporting arguments.	The final product was somewhat persuasive, giving 2 or less supporting arguments.	The product was not persuasive at all, giving 1 or no supporting arguments.

GRADING: A=14-16 P0INTS

B=11-13 POINTS

C=8-10 POINTS

D=5-7 POINTS

F=0-4 POINTS

CONCLUSION

Upon completion of this web quest, you should now understand the difficulties involved in making public policy decisions. The economy is one of the MOST complex issues facing Americans today. You should also have gained a better understanding regarding the deep complexities for creating a budget that includes $ Billions in expenditures. Moreover, you now see democracy in action. There are many differences between Democrats and Republicans on the economy which leads to involved compromises and political debate. However, the Democrats control the Senate and the House of Representatives, making an economic plan easier to pass. Yet there is urgency for creating a sensible economic plan to get banks to lend again and help Americans reclaim their jobs and lives. A lot is at stake.

You now know what it is to be a public policy analyst. This social scientist makes investigates social problems and makes solid public policy decision from gathering evidence to selecting the best solutions. Let’s hope your investigation has yielded a workable public policy that will help millions. Let’s hope you made a difference.

Thanks for your participation!!!!

STANDARDS

Social Studies

Standard 1:   History of the United States and New York

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United States and New York.

Standard 4:   Economics

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of how the United States and other societies develop economic systems and associated institutions to allocate scarce resources, how major decision-making units function in the United States and other national economies, and how an economy solves the scarcity problem through market and nonmarket mechanisms.

Standard 5:   Civics, Citizenship, and Government

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the United States and other nations; the United States Constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.

English Language Arts

Standard 1:   Language for Information and Understanding

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for information and understanding. As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information.

Standard 2:   Language for Literary Response and Expression

Students will read and listen to oral, written, and electronically produced texts and performances from American and world literature; relate texts and performances to their own lives; and develop an understanding of the diverse social, historical, and cultural dimensions the texts and performances represent. As speakers and writers, students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for self-expression and artistic creation.

Standard 3:   Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for critical analysis and evaluation. As listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to present, from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.

Standard 4:   Language for Social Interaction

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for social interaction. Students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for effective social communication with a wide variety of people. As readers and listeners, they will use the social communications of others to enrich their understanding of people and their views.