The slow fading disappearance of the middle class is most terrifying because it is making it harder to get a job without a degree or some sort of certification and live a good or decent life. I think the middle class should be reinforced in American democracy because I think it is the heart of the economy.

I believe that people can bandwagon a lot whether it is intentional or by accident. This is becoming a bigger issue because it is starting to take away peoples individual opinions and just quickly follow onto the most popular side of an argument.

This statement couldn't be closer to the truth in my opinion because I believe that there is still a systemic racism that still needs to be addressed in society.

I do agree here that while it is more of a desire to be able to go Mars rather than it is a necessity but it is such a complex topic. I don't think a person could easily say that either side of this argument is better than the other. I think that the idea of the human race becoming extinct at any moment and the huge expenditures it takes to get there have to be looked at carefully before having any real answer to this argument.

This is true, there are so many other endeavors that should be considered first before we make a pathway towards Mars. There are many issues like that of of pollution, starvation, extinction of species, and tensions between nations. If we could fix major issues like those first, than the mission to Mars would be a no brainer, but I think it is one of those things that we have to allocate some money and resources while also fixing other issues here on Earth or else it would never become a reality in my opinion.

The amount of money being spent to be able to achieve a colony on Mars seems to be the biggest drawback that we face in order to achieve this mission. I think that people have to look at the mission as a whole instead of pinpointing reasons why going there isn't the best use of our resources.

I do believe that getting to Mars first is also a race, much like it was with getting to the Moon. The difference here is that people are actually planning on living there, so creating a democracy there by Americans would be the best quality of life on the new planet, rather than a communist or monarchy form of government.

Another critical viewpoint that I believe that not many people that are against the trip to Mars seem to understand. Not only would going to Mars benefit us for the reasons of having an insurance of the human race, but it also creates advancements in technology that enhance the quality of human life.

This is such an important factor to consider for the cause of going to Mars. Not only could we wipe ourselves out with a world war, but also measures beyond our control, like an asteroid or a super volcano erupting could put our entire species at risk of extinction at any given moment. Having a civilization somewhere else ensures that we will live on if Earth becomes inhabitable in the future.

The anchoring effect is truly something very damaging to a person that I too experience because when we gain a new piece of information, that is all we know. That piece of information is what we base our opinions from whether it is true or not. Instead of believing the information offered right away, I think the appropriate thing would be to challenge it, then after could we form an opinion around it.

I think that this "IKEA effect," goes back and forth for me. If I assemble something that I understand, like a bmx, then I do place a high value on it, whereas if I were to assemble an engine together, I wouldn't place the same high value, but rather have a sense of anxiety that I did something wrong.

I find this text specifically fascinating in the way that so many people do feel disconnected from their future self, so we tend not to put to much attention to it, like saving money. If we became more connected with ourselves, I believe this idea of giving money to a "stranger," would not feel the same way.

I do not believe that this is the best way to go about issues like these. Instead they should rely on scientists and organizations such as the CDC for important matters like these while also being able to keep the economy from tanking.

This quote reminded me of Presidents Obama's proposal of spending taxpayers money to increase the nations stability in case if a pandemic were to break out. Many people around him believed that this was outlandish so it was never taken seriously until now. Hopefully now the government reduces defense spending slightly to have better actions if another pandemic were to break out.

I think that this idea of the democratic model being long under stress could not be even more truthful. It has been criticized for so long by other countries as well as our own. With the pandemic going on, it allowed people to step back and clearly see the problems with our democratic model causing abruptions like the protests and riots due to people not being heard and valued.