Government—The Problem or the Answer?

The inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the U.S. on January 20, marks an end to economic policies based on the ideology that big government is the problem; and unregulated free enterprise and trade are the solution to prosperity for all. The evidence of the lack of growth of the income of the middle class during the last eight years of economic growth is unprecedented in our economic history.

The current recession is more evidence of the policies of unregulated financial markets that precipitated the current crisis. President Obama promises not more government, but smarter government. He promises government that will address the needs of all Americans through policies that stimulate growth in sectors that have been neglected in the past—alternative energy, conservation, and infrastructure improvements. These policies will create jobs that can't be outsourced, so the incomes stay in America. Unemployment goes down and tax revenues go up to help balance the budget in the future recovery period.

President Obama's policies contrast sharply with the policies of President Bush on outsourcing of government, tax cuts for the rich, and deregulation of the financial markets.

The 2008 presidential campaign and the election of President Obama have brought a new interest in economics and the federal government's role in creating prosperity. The current crisis draws comparisons with the collapse of the Stock Market in 1929 and the failure of the government to act quickly enough to avoid a deep recession. Obama and the Democratic Congress are prepared to implement economic stimulus policies that were first proposed by John Maynard Keynes, the Depression-era noted economist, who influenced the policies of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Keynes' policies saw "government as the spender" as last resort. Government stimulus spending and investment would be required when consumers, state governments, and businesses were afraid or unable to spend and invest as was the situation in the 1930s and is today.

ProQuest has created hundreds of BookCarts that librarians and teachers can copy and adapt for immediate use by students. One of these BookCarts, "Financing Government--Taxes and Budgets" is especially appropriate now. This BookCart is one of a collection of 21 BookCarts that correlate to U.S. Government & Civics courses and textbooks that can also be copied.

Each of the 21 BookCarts in this collection is called a CourseCart because they all correlate to the typical textbook used by teachers to teach U.S. Government & Civics courses. The collection creates an easy and compelling reason for teachers to assign more inquiry-based learning activities (21st-century skills) for their students. Each of these CourseCarts can be copied by the librarian or the teacher and then easily edited to add (a) additional resources, (b) directions for students, (c) call # of relevant print resources, (d) an optional quiz, and (e) essential questions for critical thinking for students to address.

Teachers or librarians can copy "Financing Government--Taxes and Budgets" and any other CourseCart from this collection by using the following procedure:

• Logon to the eLibrary CE Teacher Edition.
• Click the BookCart Admin link at the top right of the Teacher Edition.
• Click the ProQuest Carts tab.
• Scroll down the folder list on the left and click U.S. Govt/Civics CourseCarts
• Locate "Financing Government--Taxes and Budgets."
• Click the Copy icon (middle one) in the Actions column to the right of this title.
• Click Return to My Local Carts.
• Repeat to copy other CourseCarts.

Librarians or teachers can edit this BookCart and others to customize it for students.

To edit each CourseCart for your students to use:

• Click the first new BookCart Title with the prefix "Copy of".
• Delete "Copy of" and then type your name in the Author boxes and your email.
• Type any Essential Questions for your students in the Description box.
• Edit the existing Student Directions for your students to use in the Description box.
• Scroll down and click Save.
• Return to My Local Carts.

Few students know that some of our Presidents were also gifted authors of books, poetry, and famous speeches. Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and John F. Kennedy are some examples of the most well-known.

Students should select one of these authors and write a report of at least 150 words that cites at least three resources and addresses these examples of essential questions for critical thinking (you can substitute or add others):

• What were some of this author's most famous works and why were they recognized as such?
• How did the author's background and experiences affect his writing?
• How did the author's work make a difference to people in his era?

Pathfinder: Click the Author tab > type the name of the author you selected > Search

Use our custom ProQuest models for written or PowerPoint reports written and PowerPoint-style reports.

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