Nearly 70 students and faculty gathered Monday for the second of three Election Salons hosted by the Norton Family Center for the Common Good and students in this fall’s Presidential Election class.

The Election Salons are modeled after the salons of the Enlightenment period, which were characterized by civil discourse and a free exchange of ideas with the purpose of informing and educating. The economy was the topic for discussion at this week’s salon.

Three students kicked off the dialogue by reading their previously submitted statements addressing economic issues.

Senior Tony Ziang questioned how the significant tax cuts proposed by Republican nominee Donald Trump would improve the economy. “These tax cuts, while very attractive to the private sectors, will have huge implications to the overall market and economy. It is true that private enterprises as well as wealthy individuals will benefit greatly from these tax cuts and will, as [Mr.] Trump says, bring jobs back into America. The real truth lies in that it does not help increase government revenues at all,” read Tony. He shared documentation to support his assessment. “Tax cuts have not worked in the past and will not work in the future,” he said.

Senior Aly Haver, in her prepared remarks, stated that both nominees intend to ensure fairness and encourage prosperity in their tax policies. Yet, she said, they have “fundamental differences in their approach to reform.” Aly compared Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s approach of collecting more revenue from wealthy Americans to Mr. Trump’s proposal of collapsing the tax brackets across all income levels.

“Clinton’s plans are detailed, extensive, and feasible, but, as some criticize, further complicate our tax system rather than simplifying it. Our tax code is incomprehensible to the majority of citizens and … businesses spend 175 hours per year doing their taxes,” Aly noted. By contrast, she stated, Mr. Trump’s is a much more simplified plan that offers tax cuts across all income levels – benefiting highest earners the most, said Aly who also provided supporting references.

“Personally, I don’t think economics is Hillary’s strong suit as she tailors her economy policy around her social reform policy,” said senior Cynthia Hui. “Although the policies may initially appeal to the disadvantaged in the society, [and] although the economy itself may maintain stability due to its strong currency and its established roots, this presents no distinct economic improvement," she states. It is too simplistic, Cynthia furthered, to focus mainly on social policy to shape America’s economic policy because it ignores global issues of importance, such as the environment and foreign relations.

Eric read from senior Taseen Anwar’s statement, which addressed Taseen’s view of the Trans Pacific Partnership, which, if ratified, would lower tariffs and make goods cheaper for consumers among its 12 member nations including the United States.

“Supporters of the agreement promise huge results, however many, including myself, remain wary,” wrote Taseen in his submission. Taseen points to our experience with the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement and suggested that since 1994 the United States has lost a significant number of jobs, and the trade surplus the U.S. had with Mexico has become a trade deficit.

“Ultimately, I believe the U.S. needs to look inwards opposed to outwards,” wrote Taseen.

After the statements were read, several students took turns weighing in on the effectiveness of “trickle-down” economics as a way to stimulate economic growth; a comparison of the a free market economic system versus a government-managed system; the validity of the presidential candidates’ proposals for stimulating personal and corporate economic growth; and the issues of whether trade deals are good or bad for the economy.

“Even the students who did not speak had an opportunity to learn more about the economics of this election,” said Molly Pond, associate director of the Norton Center. “And they learned how to ask the questions they didn’t know to ask before.”

“I thought it was a really good experience,” said junior Rachel Ramenda. “I’m looking forward to hearing more student views on the topic of rights at the next salon.”

The next Election Salon on the topic of “rights” will be Tuesday, October 18, in the Nee Room in Founders Hall.