Instigator / Pro
0
1444
rating
16
debates
34.38%
won
Topic
#5224
The U.S. faces the crisis of democracy
Status
Finished
The debate is finished. The distribution of the voting points and the winner are presented below.
Winner & statistics
Winner
0
0
After not so many votes...
It's a tie!
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Parameters
- Publication date
- Last updated date
- Type
- Standard
- Number of rounds
- 2
- Time for argument
- One week
- Max argument characters
- 10,000
- Voting period
- One week
- Point system
- Winner selection
- Voting system
- Open
Contender / Con
0
1500
rating
6
debates
8.33%
won
Description
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Round 1
Pro
#1
Godblessus, thank you for accepting the debate. Once upon the time Abraham Lincoln delivered a speech at Gettysburg on November 19,1863 that democracy must be ``for the people ,by the people , of the people .`` However, unfortunately his desire is not functioning well in the U.S. these days.
What triggers this problem ? Some of the urgent problems are widening economic inequality between the rich and the poor, the disappearing of the Middle Class,
confrontation between Democratic party and Republican party, the aging of social infrastructure, anger and disappointment toward the government among many
people,and the lack of social welfare. I believe that the root of these problems dates back to the 1990s when the idea of Neo Liberalism was introduced and promoted
by the Democratic party of the U.S. In this new principle the power was concentrated in the capitalists and managers of big business.
Viewing from the different angle, small government and less intervention of the government in the private sector were highly evaluated.
They prioritized on profit-oriented business strategy and seeking for their own benefits. They moved their production facilities into low-waged countries like China and
many other developing countries. Therefore, Neoliberalism is closely linked to the globalization of economy.
``Neoliberalism is often associated with the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, the prime minister of the U.K. from 1979 to 1990 ( and leader of the Conservative Party
from 1975 to 1990) and Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the U.S. from 1981 to 1989.`` 1)
``Neoliberalism is a political and economic philosophy that emphasizes free trade, deregulation, globalization and a reduction in government spending.
It is related to laissey-faire economics, a school of thought that prescribes a minimal amount of government interference in the economic issues of individuals and
society.`` 2) It supports mainly following beliefs. 3) `` Firstly, minimizing government control of industry and boosting private sector ownership of business and
property. Secondly, a reduction in union power and greater flexibility in employment. Thirdly, an increase in the impact by the private sector on the economy.
Fourthly, government intervention when it is needed to help implement, sustain and protect free market activities.``
In particular, the loss of union power causes declining wages and loss of their purchasing power. They are fueling economic recession and the condition of oversupply among many companies. Many workers are demanding higher wages to lead a stable life. However, managers are not accepting their demand.
Regarding to this problem, Daniel Bush argues as follows. ``Corporations across industries now spend more resources on union-busting, labor historians say.
Companies are also adept at taking advantage of weak federal labor laws and ineffective oversight by the National Labor Relations Board , NLRB, the independent
federal agency that protects union rights. Last year, workers at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, New York, voted to unionize, joining a wave of successful
organizing drives at Starbucks stores around the country. But Amazon and Starbucks delayed collective bargaining and the new unions still don`t have contracts
with better wage and job protections. The two companies are not alone in using loopholes in the law to outnumber unions. ``4)
Further Bush continues to argue that ``the efforts at labor law reform have run into ardent opposition from Republicans and influential business groups such as
the United States Chamber of Commerce, who have argued that unions drive up business costs and help push jobs overseas to China and elsewhere.`` 5)
Furthermore, we must point out the lobbying activities by the lobbyists in the U.S. For example, military companies offer millions of dollars as political donation
to get business contract from the government officials. Here, professional lobbyists play an important role to connect business firms with government officials.
``Professional lobbyists are people whose business is trying to influence legislation, regulation or other government decisions, actions, or policies on behalf of
a group or individual who hires them.``6) The important thing is that ``the failure of government officials to serve the public interest as a consequence of lobbying by special interests who provide benefits to the official is an example of agent misdirection. That is why lobbying is seen as one of the causes of a democratic deficit.`` 7) As I mentioned before, there is a strong bond and close relationship between military firms and government officials after the World War second.
Lobbyists have been playing an important role to keep harmonious relationship among military firms, political leaders and the members of congress.
Therefore, a large amount of public money is being used for strengthening military power not being used for the benefit of people and society.
This dire situation triggers anger and disappointment among people toward the government. In other words, politics is not functioning for people but for the benefit and interest of big business and political leaders. Reflecting this situation, many American people are urging the government to retreat the position as the
world policeman which the country has been playing since the end of World War second.
It is fresh our memory that former president, Donald Trump asked for the allied countries like Japan, Germany, Briton to increase their military expenditure for the purpose of reducing the huge deficit of U.S. government.
We must pay attention to the fact that the U.S. has become a highly militarized country which prioritizes on fighting wars in the world.
This has contributed to undermining peace, harming human rights, and threatening liberal and democratic values at home these days.
1), 2), 3) https://www.investopedia.com.
4),5) Daniel Bush, The union fight for the future of work, ``Newsweek``, December22, 2023, p.26-p27.
6),7) https://en.wikipedia.org.
Con
#2
This is my summary of your points.
God bless us, thank you for accepting the debate. Once upon a time, Abraham Lincoln delivered a speech at Gettysburg on November 19, 1863, that democracy must be ``for the people, by the people, of the people .`` America is not this.I cite the military-industrial complex, the lobbyists for it, big business, and income inequality.I say these things to prove that America faces a crisis of Democracy
This is my rebuttal
The fact that Abraham Lincoln said anything or cited anything is no merit as to whether it is an accurate definition.
Firstly America is not a Democracy it is a democratic republic. There are various forms of democracy.
Assuming though that you are referring to more the perils of a Crisis of government not on the part of the government existing but on the part of the evil that the citizens will eventually suffer.
So whether it is a democracy or a dictatorship the citizens are the focus of your gripe.
America is not lacking in its Democracy’ess any more than any non Utopian Democratic government variant.
Yes in a perfect Democracy, we all sing Kumbia and vote with intelligence and act well. And there are no bad scary evil men.
Tough stuff kid.
You give me your example of a perfect democracy and I'll laugh at that. Historically, government, that survives becomes full of lobbyists. Evil men harming their populace. Massive groups ruling over the common man. And yes, the taxes are wasted on useless infrastructure.
Nobody here can even imagine the democracy you are describing. We can't. The moment any decision needs to be made we will all just defer to a loud persuasive individual. That is the government.
You cannot sit everyone down and get them to vote on whether or not Ted gets to cut his grass.
And all major decisions are decided by the people in time. America can be tricked into supporting the military-industrial complex, if we knew it was truly bad as a whole the people could vote it out, just like anything else.
And if you truly want to vote on any issue in the United States. Guess what. You can
You can work your butt off and bring on literally any issue.
Transgender rights actually come up on the how-to-run-a-country agenda for my leaders because every idiot gets a voice. This does not mean that trans rights are idiotic. I'm just saying that truly as a fact an idiot that is not in an asylum has a voice.
There is no part of America that a normal man cannot access and change. But if you had a king you would hit a roadblock where you are not part of the conversation.
You work for your own good. Every person works for money, pays taxes and provides a service. You are typing like me on evidence of corporate greed and wage slaves. A computer. You use a phone. You have Tv’s the economy in all its evil is not so evil you do not receive what you put in.
You are not represented by men who can destroy your entire neighborhood. You or anyone else can represent your issue, not be beheaded and change the moral fabric of the nation.
And the horrible waste of your money that just hurt your soul.
Why does it matter? If you touch their money the nation will die and its shareholders will move on, you lose all your rights and all your freedoms.
If you develop a horrible illness you are more likely to survive because of the modern world. In most cases, our horrible medical pay system is the only case you get to make that you shouldn’t be taxed by the government.
I should get my boss's income. Then he leaves. No money for you to enjoy your inequality good news we all suffer.
So define what you mean by of the people.
By the people.
For the people.
I have rights money a roof over my head I do not have to share a bed with a soldier nobody breaks into my home. Nobody orders me to participate in any social good. I am a free citizen and may come and go as I please. I have rights in other nations because of the power of this one. America is not in crisis.
I’m sorry I have absolutely no experience with formal debate and any time I’ve invested in laws of inference truth tables and formal logic have been a dry tired pain and as you can see have not yielded any results to making me coherent. Put down my argument and fix yours and then hopefully the next discussions will be more prosperous on both our parts, may I treat you with respect and rebut your points more kindly, and may you make points that follow your argument.
Your entire argument is a Non sequitur. Please fix it.
Thanks dude God bless.
P.S. I know that it is a horrible shock, but even if all the evils you are citing were to become twice as horrible, as they likely are, it still wouldn’t matter. You only know these things because the news is its own corporate Giant. If you didn’t watch the news and lived your life normally you would never face any of the horrible things you are sweating about. You would live a normal life with less money than you want and die likely of old age or auto accident. Just like anyone else. Maybe I’m not getting it?
Round 2
Pro
#3
First of all, I tell Con that in formal debate it is urgently required to present sources which support debater`s arguments.
They are books, newspapers, magazines, academic papers. Con has not presented any sources in Round 1. This is not reasonable.
Con should have presented references to justify the arguments.
Answering to the question raised by Con: Con asked the meaning of democracy ``for the people, of the people, and by the people``.
This is important to know democracy. Generally speaking, people means `general public` and `people of all walks of life`.
All walks of life means that``people of all ethnicities and socioeconomic classes>`` 1)
`` Of the people refers to the government`s target, indicating what is governed. By the people indicates that government was designated by the people.
It refers to democracy. For the people indicates that the objective of the government is to improve common welfare.`` 2)
Rebuttals: Con argues that ``I am a free citizen and may come and go as I please. I have rights in other nations because of the power of this one.
America is not in crisis.`` As Con points out, freedom of expression and movement to any places or foreign countries are guaranteed in America.
People can take part in the social movement to make the society better. And they can criticize the government`s policy.
From this perspective, we could say a democracy is functioning in America.
However, what I want to argue and discuss is the newly emerging trend and waves which are threatening American democracy from wider economic and social
perspectives. Con says that ``there are various forms of democracy.`` But I believe the most important thing is the basic forms of democracy, in which human right, freedom of expression and a dialog between government (including local government) and people of all walks of life are guaranteed.
My argument in Round 2
As I mentioned in Round 1, the U.S. faces economic insecurity, widening economic disparity between the rich and the poor, unstable employment, shrinking of
life expectancy and declining of negotiating power of labor union toward the managers. In particular, social and racial inequality between the Black people and the
White people is a serious problem. ``The racial gap in homeownership in the U.S. is wider now than it was back when it was legal to refuse to sell a house to a
family because they were Black. The difference is that in the `60s, it was people who were turning minority families away, now it`s systems.``3)
Lisa Rice says that``data shows that every single year, high-income Black people get denied for mortgages at rates that are on par with or higher than low-income
white people. The market absolutely cannot solve the problem. ``4)
The fact which we must pay attention to is that many American people find it difficult to paint a brighter picture for their future these days.
Therefore, social vitality and dynamism are being replaced with pessimism and anger toward the government.
The important thing is that the U.S. government does not live up to the expectation for many American people.
So,they feel American democracy is not beneficial for them. This situation causes distrust toward the government among them.
Regarding to this problem, Winner of the Nobel Prize, Joseph E.Stiglitz argues that ``there can only be trust if there is a belief that the political system is fair ,
and that our leaders are not just working for themselves. Nothing destroys trust so much as hypocrisy and gaps between what leaders promise and what is delivered.`` 5) And he continues to argue that ``we had created a system where the inequalities in justice seemed as wide as those in income, wealth, and
power. No wonder that so many Americans were angry. It was not inevitable, though, that the anger would take the form that it did. It could have been directed
against those who were most responsible for the plight faced by the vanishing middle- those who had advocated unfettered globalization and financialization,
but who simultaneously opposed progressive taxes and transfer programs and assistance for workers who lost their jobs as a result of globalization or were
hurt by financialization, financial deregulation, and their aftermath.`` 6)
When we look at American society, ageing of population is serious problem these days. However, unfortunately the government can not offer enough social
welfare for older people because of the lack of financial sources of the government. Therefore, those who do not have enough personal savings can not receive enough medical care. They are leading a very hard life in their later stage of life.
The important thing is that the government and the congress are no longer the institution which work for the people of all walks of life.
They have become the institution which contributes to keeping and working for the interests of big business and powerful politicians.
In other words, plutocracy controls and manages American society and economy.
Lastly, I discuss the problem facing immigrants and their families these days. In democratic society people who have different value, culture, languages, collar
and way of life must be widely accepted. Racial discrimination is not justified. Once upon a time America has been an ideal country for people coming to the
country from many countries of the world after World War Second.
They have been united and penetrated into American society. They contributed to creating dynamism and to developing American society and economy.
However, unfortunately the government is trying to introduce the policy which is harmful for them.
The problem is that many immigrants are urged to leave America by remaining their children in the U.S..
In October, 2023 ``the U.S. federal government announced a proposed settlement agreement in the class action lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties
Union on behalf of immigrant parents who were wrongfully separated from their children at the border under the Trump administration`s zero-tolerance policy.``7)
And ``the government`s short-term and impermanent relief denies families the stability and support they deserve as they piece their lives back together.
Justice for separated families must include permanent immigration status in this country, so that families can focus on rebuilding their lives without the looming fear
of deportation to dangerous circumstances.`` 8)
From above arguments so far, I believe that the spirit of Social Contract is not working well in the U.S. these days.
It seems this causes the crisis of democracy in the country. Minouche Shafik argues that `` as monarchies increasingly had to cede power to citizens, debate
about the social contract shifted to the obligations of citizenship and what we owed each other. In The Theory of Moral Sentiments Adam Smith, whose thinking
laid the foundations for modern economics, talked about the need for `circles of sympathy ` whereby self-interested individuals also cared about the well-being
of others. According to Smith, the social solidarity that empathy fostered had moral, political and economic rationales. `` 9)
And Shafik continues to argue that `` the political rationale for social solidarity is that, for democracies to function, citizens have to share enough common
experience to feel they have a common purpose. `` 10)
The important thing is that a new Social Contract is urgently required for the 21st century of America.
``We must rethink the roles and responsibilities of workers, employers, and the government. If we do, we can foster safety, security and long-term prosperity so
that each American gets a better, fairer deal.`` 11)
References: 1) https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com.
3),4) Time, February.12,2024. p.46.
5),6) Joseph E. Stiglitz, People,Power and Profits, Penguin Book, 2020. p.151- 152.
7),8) Kelly Albinak Kribs, Immigrant families need urgent help to be reunited, The New York Times International Edition, December 2-3, 2023.
9), 10) Minouche Shafik, What we owe each other, Vintage. 2022. p.6-7.
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