UUFF Sunday Discussions

Sunday Discussions are intended for people who enjoy discussing controversial public policy issues.  We meet from noon to 1pm on most 1st, 3rd, and 5th Sundays of the month. Participants are encouraged to suggest controversial topics of interest and to moderate those discussions.

Sunday Discussions meet online with Zoom.  

 Contact RickNeil@gmail.com if you would like to participate.  

----------------------------Schedule----------------------------
Date          Moderator     Topic 

05/19/2024 Stew "A Constitutional amendment: Governments shall not discriminate based upon citizens' marriage or living arrangements."? 

06/02/2024 TBD

06/16/2024 Stew "Unintended consequences: Why do governments insist on obtaining most revenue from Pigouvian taxes with universally negative side effects?"

6/30/2024 TBD

07/07/2024 TBD

07/21/2024 Stew "Is reincarnation real?  What are the public policy implications?" 

Past Discussions

05/05/2024 Steve B "What Are The Benefits of Covert Action?"

04/21/2024 Fred "Are Sales Taxes Fair?"

04/07/2024 Fred "Not specific - Whatever comes up"

03/31/2024 Fred "Has Christianity, on balance, been a net plus for the world?"

03/17/2024 Stew "Is improving health care, for the purpose of extending life-expectancy, good for society or patient?"

03/03/2024 Fred "Is NATO in the best interest of the US?"

02/18/2024 Stew "Are attacks against civilian populations ever justified?  Why/not?  When?"  

02/04/2024 Fred "Are electric vehicle drivers cheating us?" 

01/21/2024 Stew "Should future aid to Israel be contingent on Israel removing its settlers from the West Bank?"

01/07/2024 Fred "Should we increase aid to Ukraine?" 

12/17/2023 Stew "Is the widening U.S. military footprint making us more or less safe?"

12/3/2023 Fred "Should US increase aid to Israel?" 

11/19/2023 Ian "Does the sweeping new law of nature proposed by scientists expanding on evolution seem valid?" 

11/05/2023 Fred "Do we need career politicians?" 

10/29/2023 Stew "Are educators educated enough to educate others?" 

10/15/2023 Timothy "Is Stephen Jay Gould's concept of Non-overlapping magisteria intellectually sound and what might be its relevance to the UU religion?"

10/01/2023 Stew "Liberty & Equality are incompatible ideals.  How & where can we get them to co-exist?"

09/17/2023 Fred "Can the President Pardon Himself?" 

09/03/2023 Stew "Return to the OFFICE: long overdue or mindless & wasteful?"

08/20/2023 Timothy "Has what it means to be Human changed? If so, how and will this trend continue?" 

08/06/2023 Timothy "Is UU Asleep at the Wheel?" 

07/30/2023 Fred "Should the U.S. Ban TikTok?"

07/16/2023 Fred "What Should We Do About the Worldwide Falling Birth Rate Crisis?" 

07/02/2023 Stew "Standing"

06/18/2023 Timothy "Is Americans' trust in markets over government justified?"

06/04/2023 Stew "Is DEMOCRACY the best form of Government & the goal we should attain?" 

05/14/2023 Timothy "What Are We? How Did We Get Here? Why Are We Here?" 

05/07/2023 Stew "Is Support for the Israeli Government & Its Policies in the Best Interest of the U.S.?" 

04/30/2023 Ian "Framework: Is Autism a Risk Factor for Social Violence?" 

04/16/2023 Fred "What Should We Do About Social Security?"

04/02/2023 Pat "Does Artificial Intelligence represent early-stage consciousness?"

03/19/2023 Stew "Fentanyl: More Reefer Madness or a Genuine National Threat?"

03/05/2023     Stew              "Does ChatGPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) represent a threat to our ability to educate?  Is it some other threat?  Why?"

02/19/2023     Fred "Should the US National Debt Ceiling Be Repealed?" 

02/05/2023     Stew               "Given the highest vulnerability to COVID by the elderly, was it the correct moral decision to vaccinate the elderly first?  The correct economic decision?"

01/29/2023     Steve B          “Why is inflation a problem?"  

01/15/2023     Fred         "Is Overpopulation a Problem?" 

12/18/2022     Stew                  "Are We Too Prosperous?" 

12/04/2022     Timothy           "Is An American Humanist Party a Good Idea?"

11/20/2022     Fred         "What Do the Midterm Election Results Portend?"

11/06/2022     Steve B             “Government: Should We Throw The Baby Out With The Bathwater"

10/23/2022     Fred         "What Should Be the Response to Use of Tactical Nukes in Ukraine?" 

10/16/2022     Steve B             “Christianity: Should We Throw The Baby Out With The Bathwater" 

10/02/2022     Timothy      "Is morality based on enlightened self-interest? 

09/18/2022     Stew                  "Are Trade Embargoes an Intelligent, Effective Foreign Policy Tool?"

09/04/2022     Fred         "Should Student Loan Debt Be Cancelled?"

08/21/2022     Stew                  "What Should be Done to Control Invasive Species Like House Cats & Kudzu?"

08/07/2022     Timothy  "With Which Philosophy Do U Most Identify?"

07/31/2022     Fred         "Are Red Flag gun laws a good idea?" 

07/17/2022     Fred   "What new abortion issues does Virginia face now?" 

07/03/2022     Stew                  "Under what conditions should/could secession be a human right?"

06/19/2022     Timothy           "Is Nuclear Power the Only Hope/Solution for Climate Change?"          

06/05/2022     Stew                 "Is Taiwan next? What should U.S. policy be?"

05/29/2022     Fred                  "Is the U.S. a nation that would arrest political opponents?"

05/15/2022     Stew                 "Will Ketanji Jackson be a positive addition to the Supreme Court? Why?"

05/01/2022     Timothy          "What Kind of Government Would Be Compatible With Right-Libertarianism?"

04/17/2022     Fred                  "Is Under $400,000 Annual Income a Fair Threshold for No Tax Increase for Build Back Better?"

04/03/2022     Timothy           "Would U Agree to Assassination of Putin?"

03/20/2022     Fred                  "Do We Really Want Self-Driving Vehicles?"

03/06/2022     Stew "What, if anything, is Free Will? And depending on the answer, How should public policy change?"

02/20/2022     Pat "What should NATO and the US do to counter a major Russian invasion of Ukraine? Ground forces?"

02/06/2022     Timothy "What is This Thing Called Non-Theistic Religion?"

01/30/2022     Fred "Should Senate Hearings for Supreme Court Justices Be Public?" 

01/16/2022     Timothy     "What are our UUFF Sunday Discussion goals for the New Year, individually and as a group? Where might U like to see more emphasis?" 

12/19/2021     Stew                 "Parental Leave: Good, Bad, When, How Much?"

01/02/2022     Fred                  "Do we really want electric vehicles?"

12/05/2021     Steve B             “Should government power to tax be limited? If so, how?”. 

11/21/2021     Stew                 "Schools Debate: Gifted And Talented, Or Racist And Elitist?"

11/07/2021     Timothy          "If The Goal of Humanism Is To Improve the Lot of Humankind, What Should Its Core Issues Be?"

10/31/2021     Fred                  "Who Should Restrict Misinformation on Social Media?" 

10/17/2021     Fred                  "Should Government Have Laws On Personal Medical Decisions Such as Abortion and Vaccination?"  

10/03/2021    Steve B              "What is the basis of morality? Does science have a role to play?"

09/19/2021    Steve R              "Should U.S. immigration policy be more or less restrictive than it is today? What restrictions and incentives should apply?" 

09/05/2021    Stew                  "The Seven Deadly 'Sins': Are They? Why?"

08/29/2021    Timothy           "Can We No Longer Afford to Give Religion a Pass?" 

08/15/2021    Rick                   "How Should the U.S. Deal With Global Warming?"

08/01/2021    Fred                   "Should the District of Columbia Become a State?"

07/18/2021    Timothy           "If Not Government, Who/What?" 

06/20/2021    Stew                  "UFO, SETI, & METI Projects: Should 'We' Pursue them?  Why?"  

06/06/2021    Timothy           "Should There Be a Limit On Wealth?"

05/30/2021    Fred                  "What Can Be Done About Mass Shootings?" 

05/16/2021    Steve B             "Is Cryptocurrency Anti-social?" 

05/02/2021    Timothy          "Is the US  Military Degrading America's Security and Well Being?"

04/18/2021    Fred                 "What Religious Actions Should be Supported by US Taxpayers?"

04/04/2021    Stew                 "How Can We Stop Politicians' Lies Without Stifling Free Speech? 

03/21/2021    Fred                 "What Should the Republican Party Do Now?"

03/07/2021    Stew                "Should the President Alone Have Control of the Nuclear Button? If Not, How Should It Be Done?"

02/21/2021    Fred                 "Should the President's Constitutional Pardon Power be Amended?" 

02/07/2021    Stew                "Should Some Form of Recall Exist for Elected Federal Officials? If Yes, How Should It Be Done?"

01/31/2021    Fred                 "Should Supreme Court Justices' Terms Be Limited?" 

01/17/2021    Rick                  "Should Trump be Prosecuted?"

01/03/2021    Fred                  "Do the Advantages of a Minimum Wage Outweigh the Disadvantages?" 

Discussion Topics Back to 2003: