Richard Nixon was at least not a bad President

OK to start this out let's good back to when I first posted this debate I clearly said: "I will be arguing that President Richard M. Nixon was, at least, not a bad president, but rather an average or possibly good one. Topics will be: Environment Economics Relations with the Soviet Union Civil Rights" However, my opponent started out talking Nixon's resignation which was not a topic to be discussed. He then went into the Vietnam War which is another topic that was not to be discussed and he did talk about relations with China. For this, I ask for the point of conduct because I actually listened to the rules. I will still follow the rules and only talk about the 4 topics seen above. My opponent left the environment argument totally un-talked about. "Dï¿½tente proved to be short sighted as well. Dï¿½tente only succeeded in taking pressure off of the Soviet Union. In fact, once Nixon's Dï¿½tente was reversed by Ronald Reagan the Soviet Empire would crumble under the economic and political pressure placed on it by the United States a mere eleven years after the reversal of the policy. This is why Ronald Reagan is remembered as a great president, and Nixon is remembered as a disgraceful one." I don't see many people say that Nixon was disgrace for helping in making the world safer. In fact, the SALT Treaty made the Soviets weaker because it limited the amount of nuclear weapons they could have. Reagan was brilliant in taking down the Soviets, but Nixon helped by making them weaker and also increasing relations with them. Remember, Reagan did not declare war on the USSR, but destroyed them peacefully with no fighting, just like Nixon. In the end, Nixon and Reagan both contributed to the USSR's defeat as did other presidents. The Soviets were already dying due to the high amount of money put into their military anyway. Also my opponent seems unaware that in a way there was two Cold Wars. The one that Nixon was in was the first and Reagan was in the second. Furthermore, Reagan also somewhat signed an arms limitation treaty, but it was called IRN. The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty eliminated nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with intermediate ranges, defined as between 500-5,500 km (300-3,400 miles). So it looks like Reagan also limited arms. We should also not forget that the pen is mightier than the sword. Anyway, I would like to point how my opponent typed out this paragraph. When referring to Nixon's policy with the USSR he said: "This is why Ronald Reagan is remembered as a great president, and Nixon is remembered as a disgraceful one." It kind of sounds like he saying that Nixon's foreign policy with Russia was the only reason why he is remembered as a disgraceful president. (1,2,7,8,9) My opponent has also talked about Nixon and oil, but did you know in order to fix this Nixon signed a bill allowing construction of the Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline? Since the completion of the Trans Alaska-Pipeline System in 1977, the government of the state of Alaska has been reliant on taxes paid by oil producers and shippers. Prior to 1976, Alaska's personal income tax rate was 14.5 percent—the highest in the United States. The gross state product was $8 billion, and Alaskans earned $5 billion in personal income. Thirty years after the pipeline began operating, the state had no personal income tax, the gross state product was $39 billion, and Alaskans earned $25 billion in personal income. Alaska moved from the most heavily taxed state to the most tax-free state. The difference was the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System and the taxes and revenue it brought to Alaska. Alyeska and the oil companies injected billions of dollars into the Alaska economy during the construction effort and the years afterward. In addition, the taxes paid by those companies altered the tax structure of the state. By 1982, five years after the pipeline started transporting oil, 86.5 percent of Alaska revenue came directly from the petroleum industry. (3,4,5,6,9) In terms of attempting the economy it was not Nixon's fault that there was a stalemate in congress. Nixon tried to his "New Federalism" which would devolve power from the federal government to state and local elected officials. In 1972, the U.S. Congress appropriated $200 million to the Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund to support the program with the goal of conserving wild areas and saving the disappearing open spaces around the country's urban areas. Local governments were able to obtain 50-50 matching funds for new parks, playgrounds, and open spaces with priority given to the development and improvement of land already in public ownership. Special attention was given to projects that featured increasing the recreational use of the land. (9,10,11) In terms of Civil Rights, my opponent already admitted he did great in enforcing the rule of law and integrating schools. That is good. Nixon sought a middle way between the segregationist Wallace and liberal Democrats, whose support of integration was alienating some Southern whites. So Nixon tried to compromise. He also endorsed the Equal Rights Amendment after it passed both houses of Congress in 1972 and went to the states for ratification.(9,12) Also, my opponent has placed no sources for his arguments and even if he does post some on next round he failed to post some in the previous. I think that I should as well get the point of reliable sources. 1. http://en.wikipedia.org... 2. http://en.wikipedia.org... 3. http://en.wikipedia.org... 4. http://fairbanks-alaska.com... 5. http://www.taxfoundation.org... 6. http://alaskajournal.com... 7. http://www.state.gov... 8. http://www.atomicarchive.com... 9. http://en.wikipedia.org... 10. http://en.wikipedia.org... 11. http://en.wikipedia.org... 12. http://hnn.us...