Sorry Terrence!
FAR too simplistic, and too much *assumed* yet not in evidence.
Re: #1).
'None of the above' is the correct answer.
The question presupposes facts not in evidence (that 'Intense scientific studies have shown that all the planets are experiencing climate change' --- merely a hypothetical, and a silly, unfounded one at that.... and 'that the source is the sun.' Presumably all the 'planets' have gotten along just fine for a few billion years without a 'massive campaign' by humans to 'fix' things! LOL!!!!!!! Also assumes (facts not in evidence) that all of this hysteria AMOUNTS TO A 'looming emergency', and that there would be anything we humans could DO about solar output, LOL!
'Ya wanna get WORRIED about some potential danger, get worried about an asteroid hitting Earth --- the odds for that extinction level event are far greater then some unverified, not understood or explained, supposed 'change' in our Sun. And, with the asteroid risk, we can at least quantify it... and presumably our level of technology is close to permitting us to actually *do* something about it --- unlike a 'problem' with the Sun.
Re: #2). 'Ruthless enemy desiring to return the world to the 14th. Century'.
(Aren't *all* enemies 'ruthless', almost by definition? :) When was the last time we faced a polite, 'nice' enemy? :)
Correct answer is (as I indicated), the FIRST half of option A: "oppose ruthlessly".
The second half of option 'A', "Extermination from the face of the Earth" (again, ASSUMING it's actually some 'enemy' similar to what we face currently, i.e., a VERY POPULOUS enemy, one drawing upon religious and nationalistic and ethnic fevors for their strength and appeal) is likely to either be not realistically possible, or else would actually be SERIOUSLY COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE to the goals we are trying to achieve (among which goals we can, no doubt, include survival for our own side!)
Defeat, on a military and a socio-political level, is far more desirable then genocide. :)
Re: #3). 3. Gasoline prices are hitting all-time highs at American pumps.
The 'cause' is, of course, found in choice D --- Supply and demand. (Simple economics.)
Re: #4) (Illegal alien 'hordes' are pouring across our unprotected borders....)
The correct answer to this question depends largely upon who you are, and therefore, WHAT you desire.
If you are the typical 'Chamber of Commerce' businessman, (as we can see from the HISTORICAL proclivities and patterns of campaign contributions for the Chamber, for example), *especially* in our globalized world where you must deal with wage competition from ALL OVER THE WORLD (from China, from India, Vietnam, Bangladesh, etc.), then DESPITE whatever mouth-service you give in PUBLIC to other results, likely you greatly APPROVE of maintaining a steady stream of low wage workers.
If you are a 'native' American low wage worker, who's wages are thus DEPRESSED by this ill-controled influx of competition, by this sweep of Adam Smith's 'Invisible Hand', then likely you are not so in favor of this state of affairs! :)
If we assume that the 'national' interest lies somewhere between these two extremes... then so must the prescribed solution....
Re: #5) 5. The tax cuts have been extended to 2010. The proper course of action would have been:
The answer to THIS ONE is EASY! The 'proper course of action would be to have enacted COMPREHENSIVE and TRUE TAX REFORMS, both LOWERING the tax rates (ideally to a single rate, and ideally for all income, regardless of source, to be taxed the same), and ELIMINATING NEARLY EVERY 'SPECIAL TAX PREFERENCE ITEM' AND OTHER LOOPHOLE from the tax codes, thus getting the government completely out of the business of choosing the winners and losers in the economy, and allowing businesses to get back to making business decisions based upon rational economic factors --- instead of to capture narrow-based tax benefits.
This would not only SPUR economic growth to new highs, but also provide a recurring dividend of drastically lower annual 'compliance costs', and much greater efficiency in our enterprises.
To complete this Utopian trifecta... government SPENDING should ALSO be IMMEDIATELY and DRASTICALLY SLASHED... eliminating the annual budget deficits and the drag that the growth of the government sector places upon capital formation.
But, to get all stary-eyed over this latest (& quite typical) lame, weak, government mismash and re-complication of the already massively over-complex and corrupted tax codes, is just plain SILLY.
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Better luck next time at designing a test.... |
