Barnes@LHS
  • AP Euro
    • Activity Websites >
      • "Leaders of Men" Activity
      • "Fantasy Christianity": The Protestants vs. The Catholics
      • Thirty Years War: Eyewitnesses To Horror
      • "Colonial Expansion" Activity
      • Absolute Monarch "Stock Market" Simulation
      • The Great "Fate" Debate: The English Civil War
      • "Bow Tie Flip" Activity
      • French Revolution HEADLINES Activity
      • Napoleon's Paris
      • Napoleonic "Praise or Infamy" Activity
      • 1848: National Powder Kegs
      • "Step Forward, Step Backward" Activity
      • "Strong Borders, Strong Governments" Industrialization Activity
      • "Industry and the People" Analysis
      • "White Australia" Immigration Activity
      • Imperialism: Rationale, Criticism, and Response
      • World War I: A Gallery Walk
      • "Age of Anxiety": Art, Literature, and Thought
      • Sachsenhausen: The Model Camp
      • Stasiland: Life Behind 'The Wall'
  • U.S. Government
    • Activity Websites >
      • U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights: IN PLAIN ENGLISH
      • "Voting History" Activity
      • "Political Socialization" Activity
      • Media and The Government - The Right to Know
      • That's My Congress?!
      • Lobby Infographics
      • Electoral College Activity
      • "Keep It / Cut It" Cabinet Positions Activity
      • "Court Leanings" Activity
      • "Power Through Precedence" Supreme Court Activity
      • UBER: Supply & Demand
      • "Sacred Cows" Budget Cutting Analysis
      • "A Guy Walks Into a Bar..." / U.S. Government Services Activity
      • "Good GDP" Activity
      • Rubber Bands: Global Crises Explained
      • Obamacare: The Obama Legacy
      • U.N. Debate Activity
      • Zombie Apocalypse Activity
      • "American Immigration" Activity
      • American Foreign Policy - "Why We Fight"
      • American Foreign Policy - "Through The Eyes of a Cartoonist"
      • Make MONEY, MAKE Money!
      • "Life Lines" Activity

"A Guy Walks Into a Bar..."
U.S. Government "Services" Activity

Picture
Ok...this activity doesn't start out with a joke (..."A guy walks into a bar..."), but the idea is the same: American citizens walk into the Government services office...and what happens? That's what we'll be examining today!
Picture
We've spent most our time examining the pie chart on the left: "Mandatory Spending". Those "pie slices" are things the U.S. Government has to spend money on - Social Security, Medicare and Health, etc., etc. But, after those expenditures are tallied, we shift focus to "Discretionary Spending" - things the U.S. Government funds differently every year, based on the decisions of the leaders and the needs of the people. Think of it this way: Every month, your family has to spend money on your house / apartment, food, various bills, etc. But, then you make choices for how much to spend on things like clothing, entertainment, certain bills that came up for one month, etc. There are the "have to's", and then the "need to's"; think of the Discretionary Spending amounts as "very important", but only after the other stuff has been paid for...

So, in the Discretionary Spending areas, we see that most of the money is spent on national defense, and the rest is spent on things like education, social security, veterans benefits, etc. We'll talk about the "spending on education" later, but for now, we'll focus on the services of:
  1. Social Security Insurance (for the “non-elderly”…), called “Supplementary Security Income (SSI)
  2. Disability Insurance
  3. Veterans Benefits
Today, you will be "teaching yourself" for an activity to be completed next class where you'll play the part of a government service provider. But for today, you need to teach yourself!

So, start out this way: Simply choose one government services that interests you. Do you want to learn more about:
  1. Social Security Insurance (for the “non-elderly”…), called “Supplementary Security Income (SSI)? These services are provided to people that have a sickness, illness, are significantly poor, or have fallen on other "hard times" that makes life very difficult.
  2. Disability Insurance? These services are provided to people who are either hurt on the job, have suffered an injury elsewhere, or are born with a disability (or have children with a disability) that makes life more difficult. 
  3. Veterans Benefits? Every year, the federal government provides education, job training, home buying services, and health insurance to veterans of our armed services. It's a way of saying "thank you", but also a way of taking care of those hurt in the line of duty.
Again, choose one government service that interests you and click on the link below. This is Step 1 of the activity, and will continue next class. Let's get started! Click on your desired link below...
Social Security (SSI)
Disability Insurance
Veterans Benefits
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.