Any topic (writer’s choice)

1) Have Americans become more reliant on interest groups that they agree with rather than participating on their own? Is this positive or negative? Would America be better or worse if interest groups were eliminated and made illegal?

2) There are advocacy interest groups on hundreds of different issues, often in direct competition with one another. Listed below are three major political issues with interest groups taking opposing positions on the core issue. Abortion Issue: National Right to Life Committee: www.nrlc.org (Links to an external site.) National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League: www.naral.org (Links to an external site.) Gun Control: Center to Prevent Handgun Violence: http://www.bradycampaign.org/california-chapters (Links to an external site.) National Rifle Association: www.nra.org (Links to an external site.) Immigration Reform: Federation for American Immigration Reform: http://www.fairus.org/home (Links to an external site.) National Council of La Raza: http://www.nclr.org/ (Links to an external site.) Marijuana Legalization: National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws: www.norml.org (Links to an external site.) Drug Watch International: www.drugwatch.org (Links to an external site.) Choose one of the issues and visit both interest group web sites. Then answer the questions below. Which issue did you select? Identify the ways in which the two groups working on the issue differ on their approach to the issue, as well as the way they package their arguments to appeal to a broader base of potential support. (i.e. To which values do they appeal; which arguments do they highlight?)