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NATO expansion
|
NATO expansion will improve the operational capacity of NATO
|
PRO
|
NATO expansion
|
Expansion will make more resources available to NATO
|
PRO
|
European missile defense
|
A European missile defense system threatens and antagonizes Russia
|
CON
|
European missile defense
|
US missile defense proposals in Europe violate Moscow Treaty
|
CON
|
European missile defense
|
European missile defense would foster stability, not instability
|
PRO
|
European Union Expansion
|
New entrants into EU suffer from increased tax burdens.
|
CON
|
European Union Expansion
|
EU member states suffer from socialist economic environment
|
CON
|
European Union Expansion
|
Richer EU states cannot afford to subsidize poorer states.
|
CON
|
European Union Expansion
|
Drugs will flow more easily due to entry of new countries into the EU.
|
CON
|
European Union Expansion
|
Admitting new members to the EU will increase transmission of diseases.
|
CON
|
European Union Expansion
|
EU expansion will improve flow of knowledge and technology
|
PRO
|
European Union Expansion
|
EU enlargement will improve foreign direct investment into eastern Europe.
|
PRO
|
European Union Expansion
|
Integration is not prevented by EU expansion.
|
PRO
|
Banning cell phones in cars
|
Cell phone ban in cars would simply be ignored
|
CON
|
Banning cell phones in cars
|
Fumbling for ringing phone while driving is dangerous
|
PRO
|
Child beauty pageants
|
Child beauty contests amount to child abuse.
|
CON
|
Child beauty pageants
|
Parental ambitions can make kid queens mentally unwell.
|
CON
|
Child beauty pageants
|
Beauty pageants are not good for a child's confidence.
|
CON
|
Child beauty pageants
|
Beauty contests can boost a child's self-esteem.
|
PRO
|
Child beauty pageants
|
Pageants teach kids to follow rules and play fair.
|
PRO
|
Death penalty
|
Capital punishment wastes time and energy and burdens courts
|
CON
|
Death penalty
|
Individuals are executed on murder charges whom deserved manslaughter
|
CON
|
Death penalty
|
Capital punishment best prepares an evil soul for the after life
|
PRO
|
Death penalty
|
Capital punishment has a deterrent effect on criminal activities
|
PRO
|
Death penalty
|
The death penalty helps protect inmates and prison guards
|
PRO
|
Hunting for sport
|
Hunting is dangerous, injuring and killing many humans.
|
CON
|
Hunting for sport
|
Hunting is a good way of controlling widlife
|
PRO
|
Hunting for sport
|
Proceeds of hunting industry go to wildlife sustainability
|
PRO
|
Prisoners right to vote
|
Prisoner voting cheapens votes of citizens
|
CON
|
Prisoners right to vote
|
Prisoner voting would demean the entire electoral system.
|
CON
|
Prisoners right to vote
|
Prisoner voting undermines punishment and so rehabilitation.
|
CON
|
Prisoners right to vote
|
Criminals, dangerous to society, are dangerous with vote
|
CON
|
Prisoners right to vote
|
Rehabilitation is main goal (not punishment); voting helps
|
PRO
|
Lowering US drinking age from 21 to 18
|
21 drinking-age general lowers under-age drinking
|
CON
|
Lowering US drinking age from 21 to 18
|
Safer roads with 21 drinking laws outweighs all trade-offs
|
CON
|
Lowering US drinking age from 21 to 18
|
Lowering drinking age will undermine parental oversight
|
CON
|
Lowering US drinking age from 21 to 18
|
18-and-over law enables teaching of responsible drinking
|
PRO
|
Lowering US drinking age from 21 to 18
|
Introducing children to alcohol teaches responsible use
|
PRO
|
Lowering US drinking age from 21 to 18
|
Hang-overs teach responsibile drinking; laws unecessary
|
PRO
|
Ban on laser pointers
|
Laser pointers have the capability to bring down aircraft and cause major accidents
|
PRO
|
Gay adoption
|
Children do better with mother and father role models
|
CON
|
Gay adoption
|
Children adopted by gays are subjected to homophobia/prejudices
|
CON
|
Funding for space exploration
|
Space exploration is inspiring and pushes humans to advance
|
PRO
|
Funding for space exploration
|
Public funding is necessary to achieve real results in space.
|
PRO
|
Funding for space exploration
|
Humans could benefit from natural resources of other planets
|
PRO
|
Funding for space exploration
|
Multinational space programs are good for international diplomacy.
|
PRO
|
Catholic Church contraception policy
|
Undoing ban on condoms would prevent schisms in Church.
|
CON
|
Catholic Church contraception policy
|
Removing Church objections to condoms would increase attendance at Church.
|
CON
|
Catholic Church contraception policy
|
While not 100%-effective, condoms reduce risk of HIV-transmission
|
CON
|
Catholic Church contraception policy
|
If people followed Christian principles; they would not contract HIV/AIDS.
|
PRO
|
Catholic Church contraception policy
|
Contraception use leads to the degradation of women and their bodies
|
PRO
|
Turkey EU membership
|
Admitting Turkey undermines European values.
|
CON
|
Turkey EU membership
|
Turkish membership may cause a backlash among EU publics.
|
CON
|
Turkey EU membership
|
Admitting Turkey leads to a slippery slope of non-European admissions
|
CON
|
Turkey EU membership
|
EU membership would help strengthen democracy in Turkey
|
PRO
|
Turkey EU membership
|
EU membership for Turkey would help liberalize the Middle East
|
PRO
|
Turkey EU membership
|
Turkey's EU membership would help the fight against terrorism
|
PRO
|
Ban on human reproductive cloning
|
Human clones will not reduce human biological diversity
|
CON
|
Ban on human reproductive cloning
|
Reproductive cloning would entail dehumanizing experimentation
|
PRO
|
Ban on human reproductive cloning
|
Cloning will lead to eugenics, or the artificial manipulation and control of the characteristics of people.
|
PRO
|
Trans fat ban
|
Alternatives to trans fats aren't much healthier.
|
CON
|
Trans fat ban
|
Trans fats extend shelf life of foods.
|
CON
|
Trans fat ban
|
Trans fat ban will hurt small restaurants most.
|
CON
|
Trans fat ban
|
Banning trans fats means saving thousands of lives
|
PRO
|
Trans fat ban
|
Trans fats can be replaced w/o changing taste/price.
|
PRO
|
Trans fat ban
|
Replacement fats will get cheaper with time.
|
PRO
|
Banning Muslim hijab
|
Many Muslim women view the veil as a means to protect their modesty and privacy.
|
CON
|
Banning Muslim hijab
|
The Muslim veil liberates women from sexual attention.
|
CON
|
Banning Muslim hijab
|
Muslim head-coverings help keep women safe.
|
CON
|
Banning Muslim hijab
|
Banning Muslim head scarves will not cause fundamentalist backlashes
|
PRO
|
Banning Muslim hijab
|
Allowing head scarves would foster a greater clash of civilizations
|
PRO
|
Banning Muslim hijab
|
Veil-wearing can make it very hard to identify individuals.
|
PRO
|
Assassination of a Dictator
|
Assassinations breed destabilizing counter-assassination attempts
|
CON
|
Assassination of a Dictator
|
Assassinations erode norms against assassination; jeopardizes leaders.
|
CON
|
Assassination of a Dictator
|
Measures can reduce risk of collateral damage from assassinations
|
PRO
|
Assassination of a Dictator
|
Assassinations protect publics from terrorism; even while it's hard to measure
|
PRO
|
Single-payer universal health care
|
Universal health care is not free; people pay with their taxes.
|
CON
|
Single-payer universal health care
|
US health care costs more because Americans pay to avoid waiting.
|
CON
|
Single-payer universal health care
|
Universal health care creates dependencies on government
|
CON
|
Single-payer universal health care
|
Universal health care lowers long-term health costs
|
PRO
|
Single-payer universal health care
|
Universal health care systems incentivize improving patient health.
|
PRO
|
Single-payer universal health care
|
Universal health care decreases the likelihood of health related problems.
|
PRO
|
Abortion
|
Abortions encourage infanticide
|
CON
|
Abortion
|
Abortions are emotionally and psychologically unsafe.
|
CON
|
Abortion
|
If a fetus was defined as a person, the legal shifts would be too dramatic
|
PRO
|
Abortion
|
Legal abortion protects women with serious illnesses that are vulnerable.
|
PRO
|
Vegetarianism
|
Offering rights to animals based on evolution is a slippery slope.
|
CON
|
Vegetarianism
|
Eating meat is bad for both animals and for humans; simple ethics
|
PRO
|
Libertarianism
|
Free market economics fosters capitalist authoritarianism; undermines rights
|
CON
|
Libertarianism
|
Libertarianism does not allow for essential public services (i.e. roads)
|
CON
|
Libertarianism
|
People need government to prevent them from making mistakes.
|
CON
|
Libertarianism
|
Libertarians would decriminalize many crimes, so reduce crime.
|
PRO
|
Animal testing
|
Animals endure tremendous stress from being locked up.
|
CON
|
Animal testing
|
Animal testing has significantly improved human welfare
|
PRO
|
Assisted suicide
|
Euthanasia would not cut health care costs by very much
|
CON
|
Assisted suicide
|
Assisted suicide makes everyone think they can do suicide on their own.
|
CON
|
Assisted suicide
|
Right to die allows opponents to not participate.
|
PRO
|
Assisted suicide
|
Most people that believe euthanasia is wrong never sat by a bed side.
|
PRO
|
Assisted suicide
|
Third party euthanasia regulators can ensure against abuse (family, doctor...)
|
PRO
|
Polygamy
|
Polygamy undermines the traditional institution of marriage.
|
CON
|
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