Research Topics with Explanation

ResearchTopics with Explanation

ShouldChildren of Parents who do not Allow Them to be Vaccinated be Allowedto Attend Public School?

Childrenwho are not vaccinated should not be allowed to attend public schoolsbecause they risk getting infected with vaccinable diseases as wellas spreading the disease to children with weakened immune systems.The topic on vaccination of school going children is importantbecause it has major health implications not only to the US but tothe whole world. The problem should be of concern to parents withchildren in public institutions. Also, the issue on vaccinationshould be a concern to local leaders since they will be the peoplewho will have to combat the disease, should anything happen.According to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Controlstatistics, there have been over 1,450 reported cases of measlesalone in the US since 2010. The CDC attributes most of these cases topersons who have not been immunized (&quotMeasles- Cases andOutbreaks,&quot 2015). These figures should raise concern sincemeasles was supposedly eradicated in the US in the year 2000.

Someparents who are against immunization state that vaccines put theirchildren at risk of developing diseases such as autism, while otherssay that if other parents vaccinate their children, then they do notneed to inoculate theirs since their children can survive throughherd immunity (Harmsen et al. , 2013). A possible solution to thisproblem would be to educate parents on the risks that their childrenface when they have not been immunized and the risks they pose totheir fellow children. Also, health experts and authorities shouldinvest in addressing concerns raised by anti-vaccination persons soas to dispel any rumors and misinformation.

Shouldthe Government Offer Tax Credits for the Purchase of a Hybrid orAlternative Energy Vehicle?

Federaland state government should offer tax credits on hybrid andalternative energy vehicles to entice buyers to purchase hybrid andalternative energy cars because they reduce greenhouse gas emissions.Addressing this topic allows the writer and the reader to understandthe importance of tax credits on the purchase of non-gas vehicles.This information is pertinent to policymakers and vehicle buyers.According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 26 percent of allgreenhouse gasses comes from the transport sector (&quotSources ofGreenhouse Gas Emissions,&quot 2014). Even though climate change isa phenomenon that is of great concern to the entire global communityand vehicles are some of the biggest contributors of the greenhousegasses, there is little uptake of eco-friendly cars. According toDavis, Williams, Boundy and Moore (2016), electric and hybridvehicles receive a maximum of 7,500 dollars from the federalgovernment in the form of tax rebates. However, slightly over half amillion electric and hybrid cars were sold in the US in 2015.Comparatively, over 16 million gas-powered cars were sold in the USin the same year.

Themajor stumbling block towards the purchase of environmentallyfriendly cars is the cost. Electric and hybrid cars cost much morethan their gas-powered equivalents (Wolfram and Lutsey, 2016). Thesefederal taxes reduce the amount of money that a buyer has to fork outto buy a Prius or a Nissan Leaf. However, these taxes are not usuallyadequate to dent the price of alternative energy vehicles such asTeslas whose price ranges in the tens to hundreds of thousands ofdollars. Thus, tax exemptions and rebates need to be increased.However, these deductions will reduce the revenue available to statesand the federal government which could have been used for more urgentprojects such as healthcare.

ShouldTaxes on Alcohol and Tobacco be Increased to Help Pay for RisingMedical Costs?

Taxeslevied on tobacco products and alcoholic substances should be raisedto cater for the rising healthcare expenses and to deter people fromusing these products which in turn will reduce related medicalexpenses.Discussing the topic of tobacco and alcohol usage with regards tomedical expenses creates awareness of the economic implications oftobacco and alcohol use and provides possible solutions to theproblem. This topic is relevant to policymakers and the generalpublic. It is widely accepted knowledge that smoking and alcoholabuse result in negative health implications yet people still misusethese drugs on an everyday basis. Consequently, taxpayers are forcedto pay medical bills for people who knowingly and willingly engage insuch activities.

Accordingto Xu, Bishop, Kennedy, Simpson, and Pechacek (2015) the UShealthcare sector spends up to 170 billion dollars in treating peoplewho have tobacco-related diseases. Comparatively, tobacco companiesremitted just over 13 billion dollars to the US government in theform of taxes in the year 2015. Further, according to CDC statistics,alcohol abuse costs US taxpayers over 223.5 billion dollars(&quotExcessive Drinking Costs,&quot 2014). Therefore, these twocommonly used substances are costing the US healthcare systemhundreds of billions that could have been invested in treating otherdiseases. Raising taxes may reduce revenue from alcohol and tobaccocompanies and may result in job losses. However, the overall costsoutweigh the loss of income and employment.

References

Davis,S., Williams, B., Boundy, R., and Moore, S. (2016).&nbsp2015Vehicle Technologies Market Report.Washington, D.C: United States. Office of the Assistant Secretary ofEnergy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Retrieved 16 January 2017,fromhttp://cta.ornl.gov/vtmarketreport/pdf/2015_vtmarketreport_full_doc.pdf

ExcessiveDrinking Costs.(2014). Cdc.gov.Retrieved 16 January 2017, fromhttps://www.cdc.gov/features/alcoholconsumption/

Harmsen,I., Mollema, L., Ruiter, R., Paulussen, T., de Melker, H., &amp Kok,G. (2013). Why parents refuse childhood vaccination: a qualitativestudy using online focus groups. BMCPublic Health,13(1).http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-13-1183

Measles-Cases and Outbreaks.(2015). Cdc.gov.Retrieved 16 January 2017, fromhttps://www.cdc.gov/measles/cases-outbreaks.html

Sourcesof Greenhouse Gas Emissions.(2014). Epa.gov.Retrieved 16 January 2017, fromhttps://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions

Wolfram,P., and Lutsey, N. (2016). Electricvehicles: Literature review of technology costs and carbon emissions.International Council of Clean Transportation. Retrieved16 January 2017, fromhttp://www.theicct.org/sites/default/files/publications/ICCT_LitRvw_EV-tech-costs_201607.pdf

Xu,X., Bishop, E., Kennedy, S., Simpson, S., and Pechacek, T. (2015).Annual Healthcare Spending Attributable to Cigarette Smoking.AmericanJournal Of Preventive Medicine,48(3),326-333.