Research Topics with Explanation - Assignment Example

Research Topics with Explanation al Affiliation Research Topics with Explanation Should the Family and Medical Leave Act bechanged?Two decades ago, the then President Clinton signed into law the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) which effectively allowed American workers to have up to 12 weeks of protected unpaid leave to enable them have time and care for their children and sick family members or to recover from poor health condition (US Department of Labor, 2014). Accordingly, I chose this topic because there has been a growing debate as to whether or not the law should be changed.

As the population of Americans is increasingly aging, a section of Americans feel that the law should be changed to factor in the changes that have occurred over the past two decades since the law was passed to meet the needs of employees (Glynn, 2013). As such, the appropriate audiences that are targeted by this discussion are the employees, the employers and the legislatures who are responsible for making the laws. Certainly, although Americans workers have benefited from the law, it should be changed to incorporate the changes that have occurred in the past years since the signing of the act into law as will be demonstrated in the paper.

Should taxes on people making over $250,000 a year be changed?The issue of tax has often been characterized by the strong debate. In 2012, President Obama proposed that the tax rate on earnings above $250,000 be raised (McArdle, 2012). Accordingly, I have chosen this topic because the tax is an issue that is of great concern to all American workers. Whenever a tax is raised or reduced, it affects Americans workers directly, thus a need to understand the effects of any changes in the tax proposal (Kasprak, 2012).

This discussion will be addressed to the stakeholders who are impacted with the tax proposals, including the American middle class, lawmakers and the public at large. Accordingly, the paper will analyze the impacts that raising the tax on earning above $250,000 will have on the Americans who earn above this amount and its overall effect on the U.S. economy.Should rules requiring all members of a jury to agree for conviction be changed?According to American law, a criminal defendant can only be convicted of an offense when all the jurors agree and vote guilty as charged (Mackenzie, 2013).

This ruling was handed by the Supreme Court in 1972 in which the court found that the 6th Amendment requires that unanimity in the countries federal courts (Jones, 2010). However, I found this topic interesting to study because it highlights the controversy between the federal and state courts since some state courts do not require unanimity in a criminal conviction. Therefore, studying this topic can be of value to the state and federal courts, the convicts, and the jurors. This paper will analyze the reasons why it is important to change the law to give federal courts permission to convict a criminal without necessarily having to reach a unanimous decision.

ReferencesGlynn, S. J. (2013, Feb. 5). The Family and Medical Leave Act at 20: Still necessary, still not enough. The Atlantic.Jones, A. (2010, Aug. 12). Why juries must agree. The Wall Street Journal.Kasprak, N. (2012). The $250,000 threshold: How does it work? Retrieved from http://taxfoundation.org/article/250000-threshold-how-does-it-workMackenzie, D. (2013). What’s the Best Jury Size? Retrieved from http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2013/04/the_mathematics_of_juries_the_jury_size_and_voting_margins_necessary_for.single.htmlMcArdle, M. (2012). Should people who make $250,000 a year worry about Obamas tax proposals?

The Daily Beast.US Department of Labor. (2014). Wage and Hour Division (WHD): Family and Medical Leave Act. Retrieved from http://www.dol.gov/whd/fmla/