resolved: In the United States, current income disparities threaten democratic ideals

Well.... I thank my opponent for his quick response! (lol, did you pre-write/pre-type that?) ==DEFINITION== As my opponent only defined 'disparities' and 'threaten'.... I'll take it into my own hands to define democratic ideals.... I define democratic ideals as the beliefs that support a democracy and are vital for a successful one. The most common ones are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Others include all people are equal, political rights, the right to food, to right to work, and the right to practice culture ==ARGUMENTS== -Contention 1- Well... I think I'll first take a look at the above mentioned ideals and examine how income disparities affect these ideals. Life Now, 'life' is a very broad topic, but I think it is acceptable to think of this as "the right to live." 1) Food and social programs exist for a reason, and that reason is to help out the needful. 2) Those who don't need extra help...Well, it's pretty obvious that they are 'living'. 3) Government cannot deprive you of life without due process. 4) Public Hospitals, nuff said. Liberty 1) All people are granted the same exact rights, when they gain citizenship. 2) Government cannot deprive you of freedom without due process. 3) Public schools give you the education needed. Pursuit of Happiness 1)Happiness is the state of being glad, pleased, etc. 2) You have the right to try to make a great life for yourself, although this doesn’t necessarily mean you will get it. 3) With both health and education, you have the opportunity to succeed in life (not guaranteed). Equal 1) All citizens possess the same exact rights. No one, due to their income differences, is inferior to some one else. Political Rights 1) Once again, all classes possess the same rights. Other Ideals 1) The other ideals that I stated above were the right to food, the right to work, and the right to practice culture. 2) Practicing culture has nothing to do with income disparities. 3) My opponent gave the definition “The definition of income as defines by National oceanic and atmospheric administration is the total payments received by individuals for employment.” The word ‘employment’ implies that the people we are talking about already have a job, so “the right to work” is fulfilled. 4) Finally, “the right to food” As I stated before, food programs that assist the needy are already implemented and functioning. -Contention 2- The American Dream must be achieved by the people themselves. Our belief is that any person deserves the chance to achieve the American Dream, but this doesn’t guarantee them a successful life. 1)On the Oregon Trail, travelers took everything they had, risked everything, and went West. An estimated 10% of them died through the hardships. http://www.blm.gov... 2) Take another example - The Pilgrims. Nearly half of them died in the first winter, yet all of them risked everything, hopeful for a chance to improve their lives. http://www.holidays.net... 3) Bill Clinton’s biological father died before he was born, and his stepfather was an alcoholic. Family life was frequently disrupted by domestic violence. Despite the state of his childhood, Clinton eventually rose to become president. This obviously proves that there exists a "chance". http://www.notablebiographies.com... -Contention 3-The existance of wealth among the citizens of America simply proves that our free markets are working. Many of America’s wealthiest citizens are also among the most ambitious, clever and hard-working. This is a sign of the freedom to successfully direct one’s economic self-destiny.==Rebuttals== Well thankfully, PRO put his arguments into a 'easy-to-comprehend' organization. Hence, I will go in order of his contentions.-Contention 1-He states that because of the lack of socioeconomic diversity in congress, Americans will be unequally represented, since the representive elite will ignore the people. 1) Congress doesn't hold all of the power - the Judicial and Executive branches help balance power between them. Some presidents come from poor families, such as Lincoln.2) These representives are voted into their positions. The 'elite' are a minority - if the majority middle and poor feel like they are not being represented fully, they don't need to vote for these 'elites' or they can step up on their own. Voting is in the power of the people.-Contention 2-He states in this contention that because of a disparity in income levels, minority voices are overshadowed.1) Who is the 'minority'? 44% of America live are in the middle class and 31% have low incomes...2) In his first contention, he states that the 'elite' are representing the people, and this suggests that he means the elite are overshadowing the minority. However, the elite are the minority, hence this argument is invalid.-Contention 3-Finally, PRO says that cantidates with more wealth have an advantage over those with less income. 1) Individuals without resources are still entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of their happiness, as I have explained in my original contentions. They are still entitled to every freedom outlined in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and can still vote and lobby.