Small businesses will not be able to hire the large numbers of unemployed residents, especially at good wages. Jobs will not go to zone residents. Instruct each group to assess the impact of its Zone initiative. After students present their findings, have them write position papers on whether or not they support the Empowerment Zone program. The telemarketing industry says it has the same rights as other businesses and citizens, and points to the First Amendment's freedom of speech clause to support its marketing approach.
Many consumers say the telemarketing calls are intruding on their private lives.
Discuss how either argument, taken to its extreme, could actually challenge civil liberties. Direct your students to learn more about their state's approach to telemarketing. Have each student write a paper proposing realistic measures designed to minimize telemarketing problems in your state. As a class, brainstorm ways that businesses keep their names, products, and services in front of consumers. List the students' ideas on the board.