1. It never snows in Miami.

2. Raising the minimum wage to $15.00 per hour will help solve the problem of poverty and income inequality in America.

3. Allowing the transgendered to choose which restroom or dressing area they wish to use and making marajuana use legal nationwide have no significant social consequences and are thus ideas whose times have come, but enacting strict gun control measures will be an effective start toward solving the problem of domestic violence and terrorism in America.

Answer these questions concerning these statements in your discussion thread: 1. Are these statements obviously TRUE or FALSE? 2. Might they actually ALL be FALSE and how or why might they be false? (HINT: They are, in fact, theoretically ALL falsehoods/untruths…) 3. Assuming they are UNTRUE, what are some of the specific reasons (or LOGICAL FLAWS in the statements) that make each of them a false statement? 4. How might the WORDING of the statements affect their validity…in other words, if they were more accurately worded, might they be make to be more definitively true statements? 5. Are there ASSUMPTIONS (inherent biases) in the statements that lead to false reasoning? 6. When social theorists and researchers study society, why is it very important that how they approach the subject under investigation communicatively be extremely precise, whether in developing theories or engaging in hard research, like surveying a sample of a population of individuals. Think SPECIFICITY… One note: Keep in mind that sociology attempts to be scientific to the greatest degree possible. The way sociologists describe things or attempt to precisely uncover social facts (ala Emile Durkheim) must be conducted with great care as there are already too many uncertainties in the study of human societies… this is the same reason mathematical calculations use exact numbers, not estimates or close enough quantities, for arriving at conclusions or proofs… You need to post a response to this discussion topic answering or commenting on the topic and questions and after at least seven (7) people have responded, you need to answer two of their responses with a reply posting to each in the form of agreement and/or critique of their posting, but one visible to all. Please be constructive in your responses to others and always use an academic tone and style of writing. Your initial responses do not have to be a dissertation, but it is expected that they fully encompass the subject well (addressing all points) and should not likely be shorter than a page or two would be if typed, double-spaced. Be specific and detailed! Post all initial responses on this discussion thread as a response, and follow-up responses to someone else’s response on their response as a response… you may post as many things as you like but make sure your initial posting is THOROUGH and SPECIFIC. Think mini-term paper when writing discussion responses (very complete, detailed, and which addresses everything that is asked!) You will get good credit if these simple instructions are followed. Anyone who does not post at least two responses–again, MEANINGFUL AND DETAILED RESPONSES– to two of your peers’ postings will receive a maximum grade of only 350 of the 500 maximum. As there are only two discussions for the semester, doing these are VERY important to your grade! Remember, you can post more than the two required response postings but post just one initial one. You may also RATE your classmates’ initial postings!