Individuals have a moral obligation to assist people in need

First I would like to start off with im sorry for the devistation that nature havs cause. But not too long ago, hurricane Katrina devistated my state of Texas. I know how it is. Thousand with no homes, thousand with no food, thousands with no hope. Our experiences arent so far apart from each other. But one thing we must both know is that the government was the first to respond. Our country was in need, help, what else can I say! You cannot say that say that the government hasnt played an extent role in our moral choises when you said it yourself, you have seen it first hand. Now you do keep comparing our moral obligations to the siplist of things. Helping someone to their car, holding an elevator, stopping to help someone pick up papers. These things do not even compare to a car wreck, murder, choking, hurricanes, ect. If you sit and read the constitution and look at the right of personhood, created by the social contract, you would see what I mean. The founding Fathers even mentioned the social contract to all of the people and states,To enjoy equally the rights, privileges and protections of personhood as established by law. It means that if we follow the laws set in place, our society WILL be more moral. Past experiences of the country showd that if they didnt have laws, we would fall into a monarchy. We have elected representatives to give the voice of the people to other representatives. From there , they vote for the best moral choices for us Americans. Without the government, the devistation of Katrina would still be dramatically seen, New Jersey would have a increasing number of casualties, our world would be in a crisis. That is what laws are for. They ensure that everyone follows the social contract, choose moral choices, and fufill their moral obligation. If we do not follow these laws, well there are consequences. Simply not helping someone pick up paper, or helping with their bags means your immoral. Yes, origanally morality was defined by every individual. But because of consequentalism, We the people chose to give up our moral rights, to make our society a better place. Now, like you said before, a person who is at an accident may experience fear, but that does not necissarily mean that wont do anything in their power to help. An untrained human can only do so much, until authorized personel arive(government officials). All Americans must follow the laws set in their society. in this case, he/she MUST render aid. If not, the punishments will be severe. Before a law can be passed, it must go through a series of stages. Representatives(that the people elect) must decide whether this law would be efficient to their moral country. It then must be passed by the President, then on to congress. Every detail must be put into consideration when dealing with such a huge law effecting a huge amount of people. If the majority rules, that must meant that more people belived that this law was going to benifit the United States. Fear was taken into consideration, for if it was not, it would make this law immoral itself. Though Americans may be in a state of shock, they (by majority rule) are still able to assist him/her. No obligation can arise if you are simply following a law that was made by a government. Im pretty sure if helping someone with their bags compared to a life or death situation, it would be created into a law, but sadly, it is not. Now us as American demand much from our government. Justice, Equality, and Moral choices are the major contentions. If we had no demand for a moral community, then we wouldn't have argued for a law to set our moral standards. We wouldn't have argued with Britain for fair treatment. We wouldn't have fought for our moral rights through the government. Yes the 1492 the pilgrims sailed the ocean blue to escape religion persecution, but it became much more than that. The Mayflower compact was the first example of self-government, which led to multiple self-governments within the colonies. Finally we American decided we wanted fair moral treatment and started the American Revolution. We won our independence, with demands of a moral society. From that point on , from WW1,WW2, and now our reaction to September 11, we have fought to keep our government entact to ensure morality. Demanding human rights, demanding moral societies, demanding equality, we have demanded to follow the dream America had first seeked. And if you believe that we do not demand much from our morals, then you must research on United States history once again. We believed that having the government enfore these laws that it would be more sufficient,so we gave up our moral rights for the benifit of our society.. Why my friend, if you did not follow the laws today ensuring morality, we wouldn't be having this debate right now. Individuals do not have a moral obligation to assist people in need. We have demanded that we have a moral society and laws, one which led to the "Fail to Render Aid Law." A little over 200 years ago, some men werent treated with equallity. Over the years, we the people change that, with representation in the government. By following the laws set for society, there is order. There is happiness. There is a moral country called the United Stated of America. how did we achieve this you may ask? We created a brand new government from scratch and set laws. If we didn't revolt, we would still be under British rule. We would still be listening to the parlement. We would still be living in an immoral community. These are facts! Ever since America, citizens have demanded for a moral society. Texas, won its indepenence from Mexico, and later was joined as the 28th state to join the Union. Its reason, a Moral Society. The people have given our moral obligations to the government to make a better and moral society for us. Other countries have followed. Though some forms of government are not strongly encourage, the people have to choos which moral community he/she wishes to live in. One is The United States of America. Which has ensured a moral community, as long as you follow their set of laws. In conclusion, We Do Not Have A Moral Obligation to assist people in need for two main reasons. 1)We can't blame individuals who fail to assist AND 2)Obligation to assist is over-demanding With the support of my core value of Social Contract. Which again states that the people simply give their moral obligtions to the government. From there they make our society a safer, more moral, and happier place to live in. Supporting my core value is Morality. Every individual has their own set of moral standards. Some in which support our version of government. Others may support another. Either way, they give their moral standard to them with high hopes of a better future. For my final word, i urge you to think about our everyday life and how moral our society is. This indeed is also my first debate on this website and hope to continue with this topic for a while. Please leave constructive critisisim in the comments. For my opponent, it has been a pleasure debating this formal topic with you, and wish you the best of luck in these hard times we are going through. Just know, the State of Texas has the Eastern Coast's back. And are doing everything they can to support the fight on the devestation. It is because of these reason that i Negate today's resolution:That individuals do not have a moral obligation to assist people in need. Thank you.