Policy+Briefings

 Marisa Xheka ECONOMY POLICY BRIEFING 1. Top 5 economic issues facing the US  1. Unemployment/jobs 2. Cost of imported oil 3. Social security and medicare 4. US debt 5. The estimated asset write-downs resulting from the 2007-2008 credit crisis [] [] 2. Unemployment is the main economic issue facing America today. 3. Main causes of current unemployment are rapid changes in technology, recessions, inflation, undulating business cycles, changes in tastes as well as alterations in the climatic conditions which in turn lead to decline in demand for certain services as well as products, increase in human population and outsourcing, and finally global competition with companies around the globe. [] [] 4. Main industries impacted by unemployment, considering the month of February, are construction (21.8%), leisure and hospitality (13.6%), and manufacturing (9.9%). [] 5. Region impacted the most by unemployment is the West which reported the highest regional unemployment rate in December of 10.9%. But the Northeast had the lowest rate in December of 8.4%. [] 6. The demographic group with the highest unemployment is teenagers at 21.6%, following them is Hispanics at 10.9%, then blacks at 13.4%, then adult men at 8.1%, whites at 7.3%, and finally adult women at 6.7%. [] 7. The estimated cost of unemployment on the US economy is unemployed Americans collecting $319 billion in jobless benefits over the past three years. [] 8. The estimated cost to fix unemployment is $33 billion to extend unemployment benefits and Obama’s budget costs $3.7 trillion which would increase funds for infrastructure. [] 9. The estimated human cost of unemployment is loss of lifetime earnings, loss of human capital, worker discouragement, adverse health outcomes, and loss of social cohesion. [] 10. Possible solution to the unemployment problem is to support an all-of-government, fully-empowered manufacturing and jobs policy that puts U.S. workers, miners and farmers first, keep unemployment benefits, and adopt "Buy American" requirements related to federal government procurement, and fund a 10-year program of significant public investment to upgrade and rebuild our nation's major infrastructure, which would immediately create 18,000 new jobs for each1 billion we spend. [] 11. The political allies of the solutions are President Obama who said in his state of the union “So over the last two years, we've begun rebuilding for the 21st century, a project that has meant thousands of good jobs for the hard-hit construction industry. And tonight, I'm proposing that we redouble those efforts. We'll put more Americans to work repairing crumbling roads and bridges. We'll make sure this is fully paid for, attract private investment, and pick projects based [on] what's best for the economy, not politicians.” Another political ally is Senator Coons from Delaware who said “I called for the long-term solution to our economic ailments to be a new focus on advanced manufacturing. To achieve this, we need investments in education, so we can once again produce the highest percentage of college graduates per capita than any other nation. We will need investments in public infrastructure so that multinational businesses will be attracted to the ease-of-access that will, in turn, lead them to site new facilities in our communities.” [] [] 12. Political adversaries to this solution are Speaker of the House John Boehner who said ““As the American people, facing near double-digit unemployment, mark Labor Day by asking, where are the jobs, the White House has chosen to double-down on more of the same failed ‘stimulus’ spending,” Boehner said in a prepared statement.” Another adversary is Representative Michele Bachmann “After the $700 billion bailout, the trillion-dollar stimulus, and the massive budget bill with over 9,000 earmarks that the president signed, many of you implored Washington to please stop spending money we don't have. But, instead of cutting, we saw an unprecedented explosion of government spending and debt at President Obama's direction; unlike anything we have seen in the history of our country." [] []

**//Foreign Policy Briefing //**

March 9 2011

Top 5 military threats:
 * Libya
 * North Korea
 * Afghanistan
 * China
 * Egypt

Military Threat: **LIBYA **

N ation or NGO P rior military conflict with USA C <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">urrent political leader · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Revolutionary Leader Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI <span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">C <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">urrent military leader · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Revolutionary Leader Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI <span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">D <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">emographics · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Sunni Muslim 97%, other 3% · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Berber and Arab 97%, · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">other 3% (includes Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, and Tunisians) · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Arabic · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Italian · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">English <span style="line-height: 15.8pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; tabstops: list -.25in; text-indent: 0in; vertical-align: middle;"> · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">0-14 years: 32.8% (male 1,104,590/female 1,057,359) <span style="line-height: 15.8pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; tabstops: list -.25in; text-indent: 0in; vertical-align: middle;"> · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">15-64 years: 62.7% (male 2,124,053/female 2,011,226) <span style="line-height: 15.8pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; tabstops: list -.25in; text-indent: 0in; vertical-align: middle;"> ·  <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">65 years and over: 4.6% (male 146,956/female 153,776) (2011 est.) <span style="line-height: 15.8pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; tabstops: list -.25in; text-indent: 0in; vertical-align: middle;"> · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Median Age <span style="line-height: 15.8pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.25in; tabstops: list 1.25in; text-indent: -0.25in; vertical-align: middle;"> o <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">total: 24.5 years <span style="line-height: 15.8pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.25in; tabstops: list 1.25in; text-indent: -0.25in; vertical-align: middle;"> o <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">male: 24.5 years <span style="line-height: 15.8pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.25in; tabstops: list 1.25in; text-indent: -0.25in; vertical-align: middle;"> o <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">female: 24.4 years (2011 est.)
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; tabstops: list .5in; tabstops: list .5in;">Nation
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; tabstops: list .5in; tabstops: list .5in;">Government in place
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; tabstops: list .5in; tabstops: list .5in;">Currently going through some governmental struggle
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Terrorism suspected, US eyebrow raised, <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">1986 US [|Bombing of Libya].
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Gulf of Sidraincident, August 19, 1981, two [|Libyan] [|Su-22 Fitter] attack aircraft were shot down by two [|American] [|F-14 Tomcats] off of the Libyan coast.
 * 1) <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">R <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">eligion
 * 1) <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">E <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">thnicity
 * 1) <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">L <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">anguage
 * 1) <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">A <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">verage age

<span style="line-height: 15.8pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; tabstops: list -.25in; text-indent: 0in; vertical-align: middle;"> · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female <span style="line-height: 15.8pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; tabstops: list -.25in; text-indent: 0in; vertical-align: middle;"> · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female <span style="line-height: 15.8pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; tabstops: list -.25in; text-indent: 0in; vertical-align: middle;"> · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female <span style="line-height: 15.8pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; tabstops: list -.25in; text-indent: 0in; vertical-align: middle;"> · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female <span style="line-height: 15.8pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; tabstops: list -.25in; text-indent: 0in; vertical-align: middle;"> · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2011 est.) <span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">M <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">ilitary capabilities · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Standard average troop strength · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Manpower fit for military service <span style="line-height: 15.8pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.25in; tabstops: list 1.25in; text-indent: -0.25in; vertical-align: middle;"> o <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">males age 16-49: 1,511,144 <span style="line-height: 15.8pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.25in; tabstops: list 1.0in; text-indent: -0.25in; vertical-align: middle;"> o <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">females age 16-49: 1,458,934 (2010 est.)
 * 1) <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">R <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">a <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">tio male/female
 * 1) <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">T <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">roop strength

· <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">3.9% of GDP (2005 est.) · <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">25 in the world o <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Armed Peoples on Duty (APOD, Army) <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">a. Tanks <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">b. Solder carriers <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">c. machine gun rifles <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">d. RPG o <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Libyan Arab Navy <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">a. Ships <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">b. Aircraft carriers <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">c. destroyers o <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Libyan Arab Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Jamahiriya al-Arabia al-Libyya, LAAF) <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">a. Jet fighters <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">b. Bombers <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">c. Capable of coordinated military strike o <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Libyan Coast Guard (2008)
 * 1) <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">B <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">udget expenditure on military issues
 * 1) <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">W <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">eaponry
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tabstops: list 1.0in; tabstops: list 1.0in;">Standard military weaponry

<span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">R <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">ecent conflicts with other nations · <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Chadian–Libyan conflict was a state of sporadic warfare events in [|Chad] between 1978 and 1987 between [|Libyan] and Chadian forces · <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">The Egyptian–Libyan War was a short border war between [|Libya] and [|Egypt] in July, 1977. <span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">A <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">vailable natural resources
 * 1) <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">N <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">uclear
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; tabstops: list 1.0in; tabstops: list 1.0in;">No known weapons of mass destruction/ Warheads
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">petroleum
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">natural gas
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">gypsum

**__<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Bibliography __** <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">[] <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ly.html

Maryann Laboe **__ Environmental Policy Briefing __** Casey Smith ** Top Five Issues: ** The top five environmental issues facing the United States are air pollution, industrial sites and illegal waste dumping, mercury exposure, water safety, and public transportation problems. []

** Main Environmental Issue: ** The main environmental issue is air pollution. []

** Main **** Causes: ** The main causes of air pollution are in divided into two categories; natural causes and unnatural causes. The natural causes are normal processes that cause pollution such as methane being released as part of our digestive system. Unnatural causes are things and activities that humans do that cause pollution such as sulfur dioxide being released when humans burn coal. []

** Main Contributors: ** Some of the main contributors are: chemical and nuclear plants, industrial factories, oil refineries, human sewage, oil and antifreeze leaking from cars, mining, littering, overcrowded landfills, deforestation, and construction debris. []

** Regions Impacted: ** The entire world is affected by air pollution but the most severely affected cities in the United States are: Bakersfield California, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, Los Angeles California, Visalia California, Birmingham Alabama, Fresno California, Cincinnati Ohio, Detroit Michigan, Cleveland Ohio, etc. []

** Estimated Cost of Damage: ** According to Ed B. Windham, there is approximately 145 to 530 billion dollars in damages as a result of air pollution. These damages are from a variety of different pollutions including: greenhouse effect damages, toxic metals damages, material damages, crop damages, Sulfer dioxide damages, Nitrogen oxide damages, health damages, etc. []

** Estimated Cost of Clean-up: ** According to Time Magazine, its estimated that the clean up of the American air alone will be over 60 billion dollars in the next 5 years. Not to mention approximately 100 billion dollars will be spent over a four year period to protect the United States from becoming a complete wasteland. []

** Estimated Cost If Not Cleaned Up: ** Air pollution, if not cleaned up, could continue to get worse. The damages would continue to get worse and would cost billions of dollars more. Human’s health would continue to get worse. People would breathe in more pollutants possibly causing severe life threatening diseases. The pollutants will cause the green house effect to continue to get stronger possibly causing enormous climate changes. []

** Possible Solution: ** Many things can be done to reduce air pollution if not completely get rid of it. One thing is to use more efficient transportation such as electric cars, hybrid cars, public transportation, carpooling, etc. Another way to reduce air pollution is to turn off unused appliances. This can help to reduce the amount of non renewable resources that are used. A very productive way to reduce air pollution is to use efficient appliances such as light bulbs, washers, dishwashers, etc. This can help to lower emission rates significantly. []

** Allies of Solution: ** The Clean Air Act was passed in 1990 to help to improve and clean the nation’s air. The Clean Air Act was a piece of legislation that established the Environmental Protection Agency’s responsibilities for protecting the air quality and ozone layer of the United States. This legislation helped to make stricter guidelines on many people and programs to make sure that air pollution was reduced significantly. []

** Adversaries of Solution: ** Many of the industries are against the Clean Air Act. The Clean Air Act forces the industries to be a lot more controlled and conservative at their emissions. They have to spend more money to produce things. They can no longer use certain materials to make goods causing a large increase in production costs. They also need to be more careful at what they produce and how they produce. Some of the major industries against the Clean Air Act are the car industries, coal industries, textile industries, forestry industries, electrical industries, etc. [] ** ENERGY POLICY BRIEFING ** 1. Top 5 energy issues facing the US 1. Addiction to fossil fuels 2. Clean energy 3. Smart electric grid 4. Energy efficient homes, cars and appliances 5. High speed rail and other mass transportation [] 2. Addiction to fossil fuels is the main energy issue facing America today.

3. Main causes of our addiction are the cheap prices of gasoline since the 60’s and 70’s. Oil to Americans means driving, we needed oil to make out car industry sector grow. And it been mostly keep and readily available to us for 30 to 40 years. Passenger vehicles are the single largest consumer of oil in the U.S. Oil meets 96 percent of our transportation needs currently. []

4. The main contributors to the issue of fossil fuels being used up too fast are the oil and gas companies. Some of the biggest companies include Exxon Mobile Corporation, ConocoPhillips, Chevron Corporation, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, and Marathon Oil Corporation. The nations who are the main contributors to this problem are Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, and Venezuela who have the top oil companies in the world in their nations. []

5. The region impacted the most is the United States. We use 20,680,000 bbl a day of oil. If oil were to run out our nation would be the most impacted also. The next most impacted region is China, then Japan, Russia, and India. These regions are the most impacted by oil in the world today. [] 6. American businesses and the United States spend from $700 billion to $1 trillion a year. If we continue down this path it is estimated that we will spend $23 trillion from the years 2010 to 2030. [] Another cost is the fact that our nation and the many nations who currently overuse fossil fuels will soon have a very low source of it because it is becoming depleted and as we used the fossil fuels and release them into the air we are causing pollution. Pollution is another cost to us because it creates holes in our ozone layer causing the sun’s UV rays to come through giving us no protection. This causes global warming and skin cancer. 

7. Estimated economic cost of expansion is more than $200000 per minute on //foreign oil// -- $13 million per hour alone. []

8. Estimated cost if not cleaned up, price will increase of fuel over years, 90 dollars a barrel now, in 5 years estimated 125 dollars a barrel.

9. Possible solutions = Use other energy methods <span style="border-bottom: windowtext 1pt; border-left: windowtext 1pt; border-right: windowtext 1pt; border-top: windowtext 1pt; color: #333333; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in;">o ** Solar Energy ** <span style="border-bottom: windowtext 1pt; border-left: windowtext 1pt; border-right: windowtext 1pt; border-top: windowtext 1pt; color: #333333; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in;">o ** Wind Energy ** o **Hydroelectric Power** o **Geothermal Power** o **Ocean Power** o **Other fuels** § **Ethonal**

10.) Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, proposed the America’s Low-Carbon Fuel Standard Act in 2009 to help end the U.S.’s addiction to fossil fuels. He proposed that standards be created to replace the significant amounts of fossil fuels used daily with other renewable sources such as electricity, petroleum based gases, etc. His legislation would also help to lower the amount of carbon based emissions in the US. This act can be seen as a major stepping stone towards a cleaner, brighter future where America isn’t addicted to fossil fuels and instead can rely on other renewable sources. []

11.) Industries such as the fossil fuel industry are completely against the idea of stopping the U.S.’s addiction to fossil fuels. One group from the fossil fuel industry went as far as to say that carbon dioxide doesn’t cause pollution. They even started a campaign called “Co2 is Green” declaring that bills to slow down the addiction on fossil fuels will increase your expenses and not change the environment. They declared that “the bill is based on the false premise that man-made CO2 is a major cause of climate change.” The industry’s ad was a major rebuttal to the government’s push towards a cleaner, more efficient, fossil fuel free future. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">[]

3/7/11   AP Gov/ 4th hour ** Health Policy Briefing **

1. Of the top five health issues facing the United States obesity is one that greatly affects our nation. [] 2. Although healthcare is a huge issue in America it is missing from the new healthcare plan enacted by Obama. He has nothing in his plan that helps to solve the problem of obesity. This is a huge political issue and is being worked on by many policy-makers to be solved. [] Economically, obesity is a problem because especially for obese women, it is hard to get a job. Also, healthcare costs go up when someone is obese. [] 3. The regions that are impacted are everywhere, but the regions in the United States that are the most impacted by obesity are; at 34.6% Montgomery, Alabama, also at 34.6% Stockton, California, at 34.1% Porterville, California, and at 34.0% York, Pennsylvania. [] 4. The top three demographics where obese people are the most prevalent are at number on black, then Hispanic, and then white. These nationalities are the most affected by obesity. [] 5. Obesity can cause hypertension, type 2 diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, heart disease, stroke, asthma, and arthritis. With all of these health problems that may come from obesity it causes obese people’s health bills to go way up. Estimated medical costs are at $147 billion a year, which is about 10% of the United States medical spending spent on obesity alone. [] 6. Obama has proposed to allocating $19 billion of healthcare costs to upgrade health IT (Investment in Information Technology). Also, economic experts say that 30% of the money spent on healthcare is not needed and therefore they are going to slowly streamline out of using this money for pointless things. They are given physicians a set paycheck which won’t allow them to make more. These things will reform the healthcare plan and hopefully help our nation to get more money to stop obesity. [] 7. In 2018, if the issue of obesity is not cleaned up, it is estimated the $344 billion will be spent and that 103 million American adults will be considered obese. Also, 21% of the nations healthcare spending will be spent on obesity-related health issues alone. The cost of obesity at a national level will be $1,425 per person. [] 8. Educating the public more about obesity will help them to be more aware and in know when it comes to health. It is suggested that elementary school kids spend at least 150 minutes a week in physical education and high school kids should spend at least 225minutes a week. Also, making healthy food more attainable for people. Many people don’t have time to spend making healthy meals and so they do what is easy and fast; fast food. This in the end causes more problems than it may have saved you from. Eating healthy foods along with exercising promotes a healthy lifestyle. [] 9. The Child Nutrition Act has been reauthorized and hopefully passed as a new piece of legislation to improve children’s health and help them not to become obese at an early age. Studies show that if a person is obese as a child they will most likely be obese as an adult also. Health and nutrition advisors have also been trying to get child’s food advertisements to be more for healthier foods encouraging kids to make the healthy choice. [] 10. There is no legislation against a solution for obesity, but there are many things that are slowing this solution down. Legislation takes a while to be passed and especially with obesity issues there are so many proposed ideas that can’t all be put into legislation and some cost money. With Obama’s new healthcare plan aiming to cover more people for a cheaper price the money that is needed to stop obesity is not something that his administration is willing to freely spend money on. []