Students Argue About Abortion, Drug Policy, and the Wall at Mock Debate
Before the U.S. Presidential Election on Tuesday, Student Government Association at AUP staged a mock debate to discuss policy issues most important to Americans. The debate was moderated by Professor Peter Hägel, with three students representing the Republican platform, and three students representing the Democratic. The moderator would ask six policy questions to be debated, then two policy questions would be taken at the end from the audience.
Each side was allotted three minutes to present an argument for their side, while the opposing side was granted a two minute rebuttal. At the end of the debate, judges comprised of AUP's debate club would determine which side had won the debate solely based on clarity of argument. The moderator stressed that each side was not representing candidates, rather they were representing the party so ad hominem attacks were forbidden. Below is a summarization of the debate.
Drug Policy and Control
Republican main points
- Mandatory taxation for states that wish to legalize marijuana
- If outlawed completely, abuse will soar
- Drug taxes can raise revenue
Democrat main points
- Marijuana legalization has benefited the economy
- When compared with alcohol, legal marijuana is more beneficial to health as a recreational activity
Republican rebuttal
- Requires increased study on long-term effects
Democrat rebuttal
- There is strong medical evidence that points to the benefits of legalization
Healthcare Reform — Should the government continue to intervene in healthcare and continue the Affordable Care Act?
Democrat main points
- Healthcare is a right of the people, the purpose should be to help people not profits
- The Affordable Care Act is a stepping stone to eventual legislation supporting universal healthcare
- Repealing the ACA would render tens of millions of people without insurance and unprotected
- The government can make sure that costs stay low by keeping pharmaceutical companies in check
Republican main points
- The Affordable Care Act is health insurance, not healthcare nor health services
- The ACA is considered to be more of a tax than a service to Americans
- The ACA is unnecessary because programs such as Medicaid and Medicare already exist
- The ACA will raise prices on insurance by charging insurance companies who will then charge the insured
Democrat rebuttal
- Taxes go towards federal expenses that benefit the entire nation
- Medicaid and Medicare are for the elderly, not working-age citizens who still need insurance
Republican rebuttal
- Healthcare is truly not cheaper now than it has been in the past
- There are citizens who are in such debt that they can't even sign up for the cheapest option of the ACA
- Healthcare today is much more expensive as a direct result of the ACA
Immigration — How should the U.S. deal with irregular immigration?
Republican main points
- Immigrants are welcome so long as they respect the legal system
- It is imperative to secure the border
- The only people who should be immigrating to the U.S. should be ones who believe in U.S. values and pay U.S. taxes
Democrat main points
- The Wall (which is an official policy on the Republican platform) will be unable to be paid for: Visa fees and trade tariffs cannot even come close to how much the Wall will cost
- The State Department gives that the estimated cost for the Wall would be about $6 billion USD for a simple metal fence
Republican rebuttal
- Not all Republicans are in favor of building a Southern Border Wall
- Even still, 70% of illegal immigration comes from Mexico
Democrat rebuttal
- Illegal immigrants are not a burden on the U.S. economy — they pay taxes
- Most illegal immigration comes from people overstaying their visas — building a wall will not solve that problem
Climate Change — Should the U.S. government redirect energy sources to renewables?
Democrat main points
- It is imperative to cut energy waste in schools, homes, etc
- Fix manufacturing to provide bicycle infrastructure
- Reduce fossil fuel consumption
- Kill loopholes for corporations to exploit the system
- This is science, this is non-argumentitive
Republican main points
- Jobs will be lost if excessive restructuring is established, specialized re-training is expensive
- The Democrats propose a short-sighted idea
- Fossil fuels, like everything in the country, is already taxed
- Economic prosperity is most important, the lifeblood of the U.S. is in its economy
Democrat rebuttal
- Infrastructure to defend against disasters caused by climate change has already been overwhelmed, this is evident by disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy which caused massive destruction hurting the economy
- The Dakota Access Pipeline cutting through half the country has sparked mass protests because it could poison the water supply
Republican rebuttal
- People are not being arrested at the Dakota Access Pipeline construction sites because of protesting, they are being arrested because they are exercising violence, throwing rocks, and tresspassing
- Green energy develops through private companies and most innovation happens through private enterprise
- When water and oil subsidies are cut, then the market will find innovation through green energy
- Government programs for change do not work
U.S. and Russia Relations — How should the U.S. respond to Russian aggression?
Republican main points
- We should support our allies who are victimized by Russian aggression
- Putin is a de-facto dictator who washes away civil liberties
- It is imperative to take a strong stance in Eastern and Western hemispheres, notably Syria and condemn the actions of the Russian Federation
- Also imperative to support NATO allies
Democrat main points
- Agree that Russian aggression is very dangerous, but escalation to war should be off the table
- The U.S. should remain neutral and be prepared to cooperate with Russia and side for peace
Republican rebuttal
- Peace comes at a price, the U.S. is obliged to maintain the balance of power
- The U.S. cannot remain neutral as the Russian Federation violates sovereignty of other states
Democrat rebuttal
- Neutrality does not mean being taken advantage of
- At the moment, the U.S. is not friends with Russia, though there needs to be a proper course of action
Israel — Should the U.S. place more conditions on aid to the country?
Democrat main points
- The U.S. already gives a tremendous amount of aid to Israel
- This support must be reassessed
Republican main points
- Israel is a country surrounded by enemies, the U.S. must militarily support the country
- Palestinians were spearheading attacks against the country throughout history, and Israel's ideas towards Palestine are justified
- The U.S must continue to strongly support our shared ideals
Democrat rebuttal
- Reassessing support does not mean that the U.S. and Israel will not have friendly relations
What does the future of abortion laws and women's health look like for the U.S.?
Republican main points
- Public revenue should not be used to pay for abortions, the money given to Planned Parenthood by the federal government is taken from the taxpayer
Democrat main points
- The right to personal health and safety falls under citizen protection
- There should be a continued funding of Planned Parenthood
Republican rebuttal
- Every life, even unborn, has non-derogable constitutional rights
Democrat rebuttal
- Only 3% of Planned Parenthood's expenses is for abortions and that money is privately funded anyway, not taken from the federal government or the taxpayer
Refugee Crisis
Democrat main points
- The democratic candidate has set a plan to increase the refugee ceiling allowing 60,000 refugees to enter the country
- Canada accepts over three times than that with little or no difficulty
- If we restrict refugees into the country, that would be history repeating itself as the U.S. had turned away Jewish refugees during the Second World War
Republican main points
- The GOP is humanitarian at its base, but accepting refugees into the country has more risk than is worth it
- There is a limited vetting process
- We don't want repeats of the attacks that have gone down in France and Germany
- There is a huge uncertainty and the CIA, Homeland Security, and other executive agencies need to work harder
Democrat rebuttal
- The FBI, CIA, and Homeland Security already do extreme vetting
- In fact, Syrian refugees have an additional level of security screening
Republican rebuttal
- The U.S. gets its information on the Syrian refugees from the U.N. and that information comes from the Syrian government
- There is not enough information on these people and these agencies cannot confirm who they are
Image Credit: Peregrine Olander
Result
After the judges had asked their clarifying questions, they decided overwhelmingly in a short statement that the Republican panel had won the debate because they had stronger arguments and spoke with distinguished clarity.
If you would like to see the Facebook Live broadcast of the debate follow this link.
Disclaimer: None of the claims on either side of the debate have been fact-checked.
