Forum/Audience:  Due to the new creation of a PAC that gives money to politicians that support a playoff, I’ve decided that this issue will be moving to a legal platform.  Therefore, I will write a letter to U.S. Senators urging them to break up the trust that is the BCS.

Outline:

I. Introduction

i.  Introduce myself

ii.  Show popular opinion of BCS

II.  Facts

i.  Regular Season is not a playoff because not everyone has an equal chance of winning; one loss no longer means elimination

ii.  FCS statistics:  Top two teams not typically best two teams

iii.  Stats on undefeated teams and big six vs. non-big six

iv.  Clinching playoff spots?  no team would rest stars because a loss would probably hurt their seed

v. Money facts:  Big Six schools get much more money;  that could qualify as a trust

III.  Proposed Solution

i.  16 Team Playoff

ii.  11 conference champions, 5 at-large bids

iii.  BCS rankings used to select the 5 at-large teams and seed the 16 teams

iv.  Two options for game locations

a.  First two rounds at the home stadium of the higher seeded team and semi-finals and final at one of the current BCS bowl game stadiums

b.  All 15 games take place at various current bowl game locations

IV.  Conclusion

i.  Restate how this would please all football fans and all football programs

issue: should nasa get continued funding

position: no, it should be temporarily frozen until our country is in a better economic position.

reasoning: constructing a system to monitor their spending as a means of controlling production and optimizing use of money was way too complicated to write a last minute essay about. also, it would save this country a lot of money to redirect towards ventures that are more meaningful and useful in the here and now.

audience: well, i didnt really think about it and i should have. probably a major florida legislator/senator, but honestly i think it’s the president who has final say over the budgeting. i guess i could address it there-ward. not really concrete there. i’ll work on it more when i get going on the final draft

plan?

err… a bit of a chronological walktrhough. i’ll start in the past, emphasizing the accomplishments of nasa. then i’ll bring it to the present with their recent actions and the state of our country. then the near future as i describe the direct effects of my plan, and the far future as i resolve it.

and now it’s time for class!

My Position: My position on this issue is that funding for abortion in the state of Florida should be further limited and that some of the reasons for abortion that are currently allowed should be prohibited from funding.

Forum/Audience: I will be addressing the Florida legislature in a letter to inform them of the situation and persuade them to cut back funding for abortion.

Outline:

I: Introduction

1)      State name, location (Central FL, Orlando area), and status (UCF first year student)

2)      Writing because…consequences of abortion becoming more pronounced, should be greater restrictions/less funding in place

II: Issue

1)      Give background on issue: what each side argues, some of court cases/bills that have been passed regarding the issue as well as their impact

2)      Causes many women to suffer from clinical depression & other psychological problems

1. Share stats taken from research in medical journals
2. Testimony?

3)      Why they should care: many constituents may be suffering from psychological illness and may not vote because of it…could have been avoided had  the women not had abortions

III: Proposed Solution

1)      My Claim: State should restrict funding to NOT include victims of rape/incest (unlike the Hyde Amendment which DOES allow funding for these victims)—while what happened to these victims is terrible, it does not mean that they can just erase the results: if they truly do not want the baby then they should put it up for adoption rather than denying the fetus the chance to grow and live

2)      Reason 1: A developing fetus is still a life.

3)      Reason 2: Many physical problems result from abortion (particularly in later terms)

4)      Reason 3: There are many psychological side effects for women who have had an abortion.

*Note: For each of the above reasons, provide support/evidence in the form of legitimate statistics, testimony, etc…

            5)   How proposal addresses problem:

                        a.   severely limitsthe number of women who can get an abortion thereby         decreasing the number of women who suffer from clinical depression (& other psychological problems)

                        b.    also greatly limits the number of fetuses denied the chance to live

            6)    Desirability/Feasability

IV: Conclusion

1)      Restate what the benefits are over any costs

2)      Readdress why legislature should care

Issue: Having limited federal funding for abortion makes women pay for a service that should be included in health insurance/health care coverage.

My position: Overturn the Hyde Amendment (which limits federal funding to abortion); do not overturn Roe v. Wade, this keeping abortion legal as well.

Forum/Audience: I plan on writing a letter to Florida’s congress, asking them to vote no on the Hyde Amendment, and lift the restrictions the state places on abortions.

Outline

1. My name is Sarah Wesson. I am 17 years old, a student at UCF, and a young woman.

                           -I am writing today asking you to look at the Hyde Amendment. Look at the rights American women are losing. Allow Florida to start a trend and be the first to lift funding restrictions and allow this medical service to be made available.

2. Issue

                        -Senators, understand that I am writing this not to reprimand you, but to ask you for your help. I understand that abortion is a hotly-debated issue throughout the nation, and I would like to change that. Recognize that the right to choose belongs solely to the woman. Understand that even though many may not share the same values, there must be an even playing field for all women.

3. Solution/Plan

               -Abortions are an expensive procedure, and they are becoming harder to receive. As women seek them out, they must pay anywhere from $350-900! I note this because if the Hyde Amendment is overturned, this fee will become $0. If federal funding supports this procedure and lifts the nationwide restrictions, this problem will be eliminated.

Issue: Keeping marijuana illegal puts lives at risk and it is limiting our nations ability to become powerful economically once again.

My position: The benefits of legalizing marijuana are greater than its risks. It is less potent than alcohol and tobacco, and hundreds of thousands of people don’t die from marijuana like alcohol and tobacco.

My solution: Legalizing marijuana is going to take a lot of work and time, so i would break it into three phases.

Phase 1: Before the government can officially legalize marijuana, it needs to end the skepticism about its health benefits. Scientific testing would need to be done by the most brilliant minds in America with no bias in the results. Testing can go on for months or even years if necessary to prove the health benefits. If the results support the notion, that its health benefits are there and the government can finally admit it was wrong, then we can move onto phase 2. 

Phase 2: In this phase the government would create a new agency to monitor, regulate, and distribute marijuana. It would branch out into the U.S.A.’s major cities and those places would be where people can legally purchase marijuana for a fraction of the price that it sells for now. The government would also buy land where it can grow, or find willing farmers who will be subsidized for their work. It would be very difficult to attain a growers license and if a grower does something illegal then the license would be revoked with severe penalties. People will have to apply for a marijuana license and there will be a certain criteria to determine if they can recieve one. The license is similar to a drivers license, you need one to buy marijuana, and you need it to smoke as well. An age limit of 18 will be set, as to avoid issues with minors like alcohol has created. Once the government recieves these applications, they will be able to document and create a database of all those who buy/smoke marijuana which will help in regulating and monitoring the drug. Once the database is created with a significant amount of people in it then the distribution centers will open signaling phase 3.

Phase 3: In major US cities, distribution centers would open and people will only be able to buy a certain amount of marijuana a day. The price would be cheaper than the average price it is now for specific strands as to drive out the home growers and dealers. As the demand expands, new centers will be open in more cities.

Audience :

The audience that i would be trying to reach is the representative of florida in the legislature so that this can spark a change across the nation

Forum:

I would present my plan and information supporting it in a video that’ll be educational and serious since I need to make a proposal to an important group of people.

Purpose:

My purpose is to bring a positive change to our nation. I want to clean up drugs from the playground. I want to make adults who can make responsible decisions have the ability to choose what they want to do for fun. I want to help this nation’s economy by presenting an idea that could very well change the face of our nation. Ethical and logical appeals will be most necessary, but I can throw in some pathetic appeals, though that won’t be the focus of my proposal. 

Outline

Intro
-I’m a college student looking for solutions to the problem of keeping marijuana illegal
-I believe that if we legalize marijuana it can be beneficial for our nation’s society and economy

Problem Section
-Because marijuana is illegal, it has created an underground society of growers, dealers, and buyers
-I value clean neighborhoods where children can play safely
-Since marijuana is illegal, it can sometimes make safe havens such as a playground into a dangerous area

Objectives
-Making marijuana illegal as to bring down the underground world that making it illegal has created
-Make neighborhoods and cities clean from crimes related to marijuana

Solution Section
-Legalizing marijuana to a certain extent to where people need licenses to grow/sell and to buy as well, and lowering the average price per oz.
-Taxing marijuana, like tobacco and alcohol, would generate a large amount of income
-Setting an age limit
-Making it harder and not economically sound for people to buy marijuana from homegrown dealers
-Having a set limit of marijuana that one can be in possession of at any given time would lessen the risk of people abusing marijuana

Cost Section
-It would take police and officials to regulate and create a database of growers, dealers, and those of age who can have the license

Management Section 
-It can be done in a few months after the government makes an agency to regulate and administer marijuana to the people in a safe and organized manner, and i would discuss the phases in this section

Conclusion

-Marijuana has benefits that our country can take advantage of.

Audience (Florida Senators): They need to know the negative risks involved with oil drilling and how it can potentially jeopardize our wildlife, beaches, and tourist industry. They also need to know that there isn’t very much oil to begin with and that it won’t be Bush’s goal of being energy independent. In addition to Florida’s senators reading this letter, it could be shared with other Senators who will help contribute to the decision on whether or not the ban should be lifted. As such, they will be looking for the facts, a clear and strong proposal with plenty of details and sources to support my ethos.

Proposal Arguments: This audience looks for a straight forward proposal. The use of headings to separate the main sections will be very helpful in organizing my letter and making it easier for them to locate the information they wish to look at. I’ll start with an introduction followed by the issue and my proposed solution.

Response: I want my audience (Florida Senators) to really consider not letting the bill to lift the ban pass through the Senate. I feel that lifting the ban is the wrong direction for Florida. As such, I want them to consider other options of raising money and becoming energy independent.

Outline:

Introduction

1. My name is Elizabeth Floegel, I have lived in Orlando for 18 years, and am currently a student at UCF.
2. I am writing today to discuss the possibility that the ban on offshore drilling will be lifted
3. Lifting the ban will jeopardize our beaches, marine wildlife, and our tourist industry

Issue/Problem

1. After performing countless research I found that offshore drilling proposes great threats
   1. Pollutants
      1. hydrocarbons, mercury, toxic drilling muds leak into waters
      2. harmful to wildlife (causes wide range of health and reproductive problems for fish and other marine life)
   2. Oil Spills
      1. Chances of a spill or accident are heightened by being placed in hurricane prone waters
      2. Could potentially ruin a $50 billion tourist industry for an estimated $2.6 billion temporary oil industry
   3. “The technology has really changed. They can do it in a very safe way” (Dougher, senior economic advisor for American Petroleum Institute).
      1. Recent spill in Australia had “new and improved” technology yet it was a terrible spill
2. There isn’t much oil to begin with
3. Allowing the ban to be lifted jeopardizes what Florida is known for, its pristine beaches and large tourist industry

Solution

1. Increasing fuel economy, increasing funding for public transportation, and planning better transportation systems
   1. It would reduce our consumption of oil, making what we use go further
   2. Provide incentive to walk, ride a bike, etc.
2. Look for an alternative energy source
   1. While this isn’t as desirable for the moment due to the current poor economy, it will be better for the future
   2. It’s the only true way to be energy independent
   3. Eventually there won’t be any more oil and we’ll be forced to look for another source…why not get a head start

Conclusion

1. I ask that the Senate really consider not lifting the ban on offshore drilling and, instead, make better our public transportation systems and provide incentive to the American people to walk, ride bikes, use public transportation, etc.
   1. This won’t jeopardize our beaches, wildlife, or tourist industry
   2. It will reduce our consumption of oil, providing more time to find an alternative energy source and it will protect our environment/ozone (Go Green!)

Specific Position: Without the support of the government in this public-sponsored resource(public education), there is little that low income areas can do to improve the quality of arts education; as a result, the low level of emphasis placed in music, visual art, and drama classes for students can begin to damper creativity. If this continues, citizens may begin to forget the importance of the arts to our students, no matter what their age may be. (When describing this importance, I will include some correlations to the experience  of a student in a first grade music class to the skills applied by a managing executive at a large corporation- surprisingly, there are ties, which can be supported through research statistics)

Audience: I will be writing to Florida State Senator Lee Constantine, representative of District 22 (my home district). I will be utilizing my connections with Senator Constantine (He is a UCF honors graduate, was born in my hometown, and is an active member of the K-12 education committee. Yes, I was very fortunate.) He is very active in the protection of the environment, so I wish to thank him for his work, as this is something students like me still value at the University of Central Florida. Because he is an alumnus, I will also say that I place my trust in him to do all that he can for the better of our Florida education system.

Forum: This proposal will be written in a professional letter format.                           Lee Constantine is a member of the Committee on Education PreK-12, he is aware of the programs of focus in our public schools, so my focus can be directed onto the benefits of keeping funding for arts education, which will be supported by studies completed by the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies and the U.S. Department of Education. I will also support my argument with personal experiences with the arts in my education and how it involved into a philanthropic event in my 12^th grade year. I will apply an emotional appeal to my argument and maintain credibility from the studies compiled by education agencies, groups supporting the arts, and even people who do not see the importance of arts in education (counterargument).

Purpose: I want to gain his support for funding of arts education in our Florida public schools. I am also hoping that he can be a voice in the Republican party for the benefits of continued funding for arts in our publicly-run schools. I will not be talking about funding for other arts events because I want this letter to directly focus on children’s benefits of receiving a well-rounded education that has opportunity for creative outlet (My plan is to include some reference to studies I have accumulated that speak on behalf of underprivileged children and the correlation between their success rates and their exposure to expressive outlets in their education).

Some key points:

- The arts are essential to public education and the establishment of civil engagement

- It is estimated that the same amount of funding that goes into most state art programs could not even pay for 30 miles of highway construction (Ohio Arts Council)

- The NEA has served the public good for years by nurturing human creativity, supporting community spirit, and fostering appreciation for excellence and diversity of our nation’s artistic accomplishments.

- Communities of all types find ways to come together through participation, creation, and celebration of the arts and culture in their area.

- All forms of the arts- theatre, visual, and music classes for public school students- create social connections that extend way beyond community borders.

Thank you for any suggestions or comments

Sarah Thomas

Position: Lower age will change teens attitude toward drinking, alcohol license will take irresponsible drinkers away from alcohol

Audience: Congressman Ander Crenshaw

Forum: Letter to congressman

Purpose: Changing the legislation

Outline:

INTRO

Who am I?

• 19 years old (not legal to drink in US)
• Enlisted at the age of 17
• Currently active in the US Marine Corps Reserve
• Canadian citizen (legal to drink in native country)

Why am I writing?

• Believe I have a strong ethos to my issue and have the ability to get the ball rolling

Significance and Stakes of problem

• New legislation will change the attitude of teen drinkers ultimately saving lives
• With more teens drinking it could result in a temporary spike in drinking related deaths

ISSUE

Understanding the issue

• Only reason the drinking age was changed back to 21 in the 1980s was because legislators were blackmailed by highway authorities with financial cuts
• Binge drinking is a huge problem in the US and is only getting worse
• Comparing US with other countries of a lower drinking age shows that the U.S. has the highest numbers of binge drinking
• The U.S. is ¼ countries with the high drinking age of 21

How does it effect me and others?

• Can not legally drink
• Results in people I know breaking the law, which results in less respect for the law itself
• When alcohol is obtained for a party have viewed first hand binge drinking and alcohol abuse, including pre-gaming for party then driving to it drunk because they knew they wouldn’t be able to get alcohol because of their age

Why should you care?

• If you’re under 21 and over 18 and want to drink legally
• Will result in more responsible teen drinkers with the education program and more respect for the law resulting in lower deaths

PROPOSAL

Specific claim and reasons

• Lower age
  • Show that government responds to the people and general view will be more respectful to the law
  • Make alcohol seem less like this forbidden fruit and more as a part America’s lifestyle, resulting in less binge drinking
• Education program
  • Teach teens no matter what they should always have a designated driver
  • Show teens what the signs of alcohol poisoning are and no matter what bring their friend to the hospital if they show these signs
• License
  • Make it a requirement to complete the education program to get the license to purchase alcohol
  • Could make the license restricted to age, 18 to buy beer, 21 to buy alcohol (done in other countries)
  • If someone is viewed abusing alcohol make it on a point system like a driving license, and if it’s a repeat offender make it impossible for them to buy alcohol

How does this address the problem?

• Will lessen binge drinking
• Instead of taking drunk drivers off the road remove them from alcohol altogether
• Knowledge is power, so if teens know more about the signs and costs of abusing alcohol they are less likely to abuse this new privilege

How to do it

• Grandfather people over 40 (or some high age) from the education plan, but still have to pick up the liquor license
• Everyone under the age will have to do the education program which could be done at the local DMV or online, once accomplished online a certificate could be sent into the government for the license itself
• Make it a requirement for places that sell alcohol to have magnetic scanners to scan the new ids, making it a lot harder to fake them and invalidate them if they are abusing alcohol (DUI’s)

END

• Bring this outdated law back on the legislation floor, don’t wait for more drunk teens to die on the floor because their “friends” are worried about getting caught underage drinking, and don’t see the sign that their friend is about to die, taking drunk drivers off the road is only half the problem, take them away from alcohol all together

Position: I believe that a salary cap should be put in place in order to control excessive by certain teams. This would also allow more competitive balance in baseball. My proposal is that MLB should completely restrict teams from spending past a certain amount instead of simply taxing those that do go over.

Audience: The audience for my proposal is MLB Commissioner Allan “Bud” Selig. As the Commissioner of MLB, he is one of the key people who could make a salary cap a reality along with the approval of the team owners and MLBPA. Selig should already be very knowledgable about this issue because of having to deal with it so many times in recent years. He has often stated that stated that a salary cap is not needed because the current luxry tax/revenue sharing system produces greater parity than in the other North American sports. However, I may be able to change his stance on the issue by showing the positive impact it would have on MLB and how badly it actually is needed. He was once the owner of the Milwaukee Brewers, a small market team, so I may be able to relate to him on that point since I am a fan of the Marlins, another small market team.

Forum: The forum for this proposal argument will be a letter sent to Commissioner Selig. I believe that a letter seems more formal and shows that the issue is important.

Purpose: The goal of this proposal argument is to convince Commissioner Bud Selig that MLB needs a salary cap, and then work towards actually implementing it. I will hope to achieve this through logos and pathos. I will use statistical information to show him that despite what he and others believe, there really has not been equality and balance in MLB since the current bargaining agreement was put into place. I will try to appeal to pathos by creating a connection to Selig as we are both baseball fans of small market teams. I will also detail how the proposed salary cap should be carried out by studying aspects of the salary caps used by the NFL and NBA, showing my credibility.

Outline

Introduction

          - Introduce myself as a baseball fan.       

          – Discuss the issue of a salary cap in MLB, my position on the issue, and why it’s relevant to me.

          – Discuss the overall importance of the issue by showing how it affects competitive balance and the growth of the sport.

Issue/Problem

          – Use facts, statistics, and my situated ethos as a fan to show that I understand how a salar cap works as well as how the current system works.

          – Provide examples of how a salary cap could be beneficial for fans of all teams.

           – Explain how a salary cap could positively affect the growth of MLB and help certain small market teams thrive.

Proposed Solution

           – Use database to provide claims and warrants for the use of a salary cap in MLB

           – Explain how a salary cap would create competitve balance in baseball.

           – Show the feasability of proposed action by comparing with other sports and showing how the other major sports in North America have carried it out.

End

          – Restate the benefits that would come from the salary cap and how MLB will be better off with it.

          -  Connect to Selig as one baseball fan to another.

Audience: My audience is my representative from my hometown 5^th Congressional district, Virginia Brown-Waite.  As a member of Congress, Congresswoman Brown-Waite knows of the piece of legislation currently in up for debate.  That piece of legislation is a ban on texting while driving by 16-18 year olds anywhere in the United States.  My representative is a republican, and republicans are known for resisting big government legislation; however, if she sees that my cause is to protect America’s safety she may be more likely to vote for the piece of legislation. 

Other Audience Members: My goal is to appeal directly to Congresswoman Brown-Waite, but parts of my letter may be brought to the House Floor.  If this happens I hope to appeal to everyone’s interest and remind members of Congress that this is an easy pass.  This piece of legislation is something a large majority of their constituents want.

Proposal Arguments: My representative would want a proposal that includes a specific suggestion for legislation and a compelling argument on why a vast majority of her constituents would support such legislation.

Response: My goal is to convince my representative to push this piece of legislation through and to hopefully convince my representative to expand the law to cover a ban on all ages.

Outline

Intro: -Introduce myself

-          Explain that I’m writing as a 19 year old student that knows my peers text regardless of dangers

-          Summarize the importance of banning the primary distracting component on the road

-          Explain that I’m at risk as a college student who drives on a campus packed with distracted drivers on a daily basis

Issue: -Texting and driving poses a major risk on a national level and federal legislation should be put into place to ban texting

-          26 % of Americans openly admit to texting and driving while 83 % of Americans think it should be made illegal

-          18 states plus the District of Columbia banned texting while driving (needs to made a national effort)

-          President Obama banned federal officials from texting while driving (not that far from unrealistic)

-          This is a piece of legislation that is making headway, can easily pass, and is widely recognized as crucial

Conclusion: Push legislature to think of the stardom building a piece of legislation gives to her because it is widely recognized by polls that texting while driving should be illegal

-          Most of her constituents are the baby boomer generation and they are in fear as they reach retirement of how texting while driving can jeopardize their lives

-Gavin Rynard