BREXIT

(and other nationalist economic policies)

Is the controversy overblown?

The European Union was making decisions about far more than economic issues, and had become a political entity, which the the majority of UK voters objected to.

This isn't to say the passport/transportation, jobs, aspect of the EU was bad, but decisions were being made in Belgium about what each country should or should not be doing politically.

That's more like the US government to the individual states than something like NATO or the UN, which respect country sovereignty.

Vaping

Is the controversy overblown?

Vaping was initially designed as a way to lessen cigarette addiction.

We've lost sight of that and are merely replacing cigarettes with vapes instead of using vapes to lessen tobacco addictions.

Marketing targeted children (flavors and "coolness" factor)

Marketing has changed, and now flavors are being banned.

Is that enough? Or do we have to ban vapes?

How come we don't ban cigarettes or alcohol?

Psychedelics for Mental Health and Medical Uses

Microdosing DMT/LSD/Psilocybin plus counseling shows potential mental health benefits

But studies are mixed

However, this isn't really a good argument for legalization for recreational use.

Anxiety

(particularly among Millennials and
the post-Millennial generations)

Common news items say Millennials and later are suffering anxiety at higher rates than previous generations.

Why?

And is that true?

What variables could be contributing to the increase (if there is one)?

Or what variables are making it seem like there's an increase (numbers could be misleading)

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Dreamers / Immigration /

Border Wall

Is ICE actually bad news or is it just getting a bad rap?

How do you enforce border laws?

Should you even bother with borders?

Why or why not?

Jobs, Safety, Refuge

The United States has among the most permissive immigration laws in the world. In fact, even Canada's laws are more restrictive than our own, and they police them more actively. Their requirements for asylum are much stricter and granted far less frequently. While sheer numbers-wise we deport more people, Canada's per-capita rate dwarfs ours.

Minimum Wage Increase

Under the new law, the minimum wage for most workers will increase to $10 an hour on July 1.

Every January it will go up another dollar until it tops out at
$15 on Jan. 1, 2024. 

The tipped minimum wage will rise to $5.13.

Economists' opinions on the effects of raises in minimum wages are scattered and contradictory.

The biases of your sources will definitely reflect their conclusions.

Artificial Intelligence

Why are we so worried?

We use it all the time, often without knowing, because it doesn't resemble the science fiction we were promised.

Climate Change

The topic is simply too broad on its own. And the controversy about its existence is not the right starting point.

Global warming is real. It is being caused by humans. There is a 97% consensus among climate scientists worldwide. Climatologists are even more certain about this than archaeologists are about how the pyramids were created.

• Taxes?

• Laws?

• Limitations on energy use?

• Rationing?

• Restrictions on the growth of developing nations?

Should we combat global warming?

If so, how?

Alternative Energy

(Especially wind and solar)

People vastly overestimate how much power these sources produce, how widely usable they are, and how much area they'd actually provide power for.

People also make terrible comparisons. One of the worst is saying that Denmark is powered almost exclusively by wind, so why can't the US. Well, Denmark is roughly twice the size of New Jersey, with about half the population, and it is one of the windiest countries in the world.

What about the rest of the US?

Banning/Restricting Plastics

(specifically bags, take out containers, and straws)

Some Concerns

• Accessibility concerns (plastic straws)

• Financial (plastic take out containers vs paper: styrofoam is also usually banned, leaving few options)

• Convenience and weight reduction (plastic bags/bottles, and other packaging)

• Safety/purity (plastic packaging is more tamper resistant and also more sterile)

Mass Shootings

And Gun Control in general (though too broad)

Why do shooters tend to pick schools and concerts?

What measures should we take to stop them?

What qualifies as a mass shooting?

Does that definition corrupt the understanding of the problem?

How likely are you to be a victim of a mass shooting?

Using the definition, in general who are the victims and perpetrators of mass shootings?

Nuclear Proliferation

There is currently only one major nuclear arms treaty still in effect, and it's set to expire.

Are we more or less likely to see another nuclear strike than we were during the Cold War?

South China Sea

China claims a large portion of the waters around it, in opposition to the UN Law of the Sea. These claims worry other nations and could spill over into war. The claims have even showed up as propaganda in children's movies, like Abominable.

Social Media

How much information is too much for a technology company to have?

Privacy concerns?

Drug Addiction

Imprisonment or rehab?

Is NARCAN a good thing

or a bad thing?

Vaccines

Vaccines work.

Opposition is based almost entirely on celebrity opinions and lies by people who aren't immunologists.

Before the vaccine, measles caused an estimated
2.6 million deaths
each year

Before the vaccine, mumps was the primary cause of deafness in humankind

Coronavirus

(And other epidemic diseases)

Quarantines/Containment

Ethical Concerns

Efficacy

GM Foods vs Organic

All foods have been genetically modified

The newest method is actually the most scientific and easiest to control and experiment with

Plant-Based Diets

Agriculture, specifically of meat, is one of the leading causes of global warming.

There are also concerns about ethics of eating sentient animals

Electric Cars

Current Issues

• Battery capacity

• Charging time

• Distance

• Recharging locations

Other concerns

• Shifting from gas to electric only works if the electric is supplied by renewable energy

Physician Assisted Suicide

Morality of death

Morality of pain and suffering

Mental health

Economic concerns

Photo/Video Manipulation