Monday, August 31, 2009

Do we need a public health care plan?

In an article published June 24, 2009 on the opinion page of The Wall Street Journal, Richard Reich describes why the United States needs a public health option. One of the biggest questions for many participating in this debate, he argues, is whether or not the cost of a public health-care option outweighs the benefits of the plan. Although financial cost is clearly a concern when suggesting and implementing a new policy, Reich argues that "it's important to recognize that those terrifying CBO (Congressional Budget Office) cost projections significantly overstate the costs."


The Wall Street Journal published this cartoon (above) alongside Reich's article. What argument does that cartoon present? How does it complement Reich's arguments?

To read the full article, visit the opinion page of The Wall Street Journal.

Blogger Tutorial

This video from youtube was developed to help students post to a blog.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Welcome to CMN 220

Welcome to CMN 220! In this course you will learn how to:

· Evaluate specific messages, both your own and others’, in order to understand how they achieve or fail to achieve their intended effects on policy.

· Analyze an issue and present your own policy position.

· Increase your oral and written persuasion skills in the context of a specific public policy of your choice.

· Provide useful feedback for your classmates’ work and revise your own work based on responses you receive from them.

· Participate in public policy debates online using our class blog.