By The United States Having Over 49,000,000 People In Poverty And 1/5 Of Children We're Unethical

I would first like to take this moment to compliment my opponent on a great debate thus far. Points have been made clearly and concisely. And there has been great discourse and discussion thus far. Top compliments to you and although we do not agree, many people could not get this far in a discussion without starting the mud-slinging and jabbing. Again, a compliment to you! I would like to first say that I am glad, very glad, that you brought forth the point of how much other people in the world live in monetary value compared to the U.S. As stated, "The percentage of the world"s population living under $2.50 USD: 50% (3 billion)." Can you even comprehend this? 50% live under $2.50 a DAY in other parts of the world. That is one gallon (roughly, currently it is $2.21 in Dallas, Texas) of gas. Less than we pay for a gallon of milk (and not the top brand either but the "store brand"). We truly as American"s live such a blessed and fruitful life we squander it and do not appreciate it as we should. And it is said that 21,000 people a DAY, every single day, die from hunger in the world. That is roughly 1 person every 3 seconds. By the time you"ve read this far in the paragraph between 10-13 people have died somewhere in the world due to hunger, not a disease or medical issue, but simply hunger. Now, to the debate. My opponent gave a good, well formed, statistically correct response to my objection in Round 2. And although I do not wish to repeat myself word for word, I will make the point that draws from a point I made in Round 2, but I think is critical. Let me state, I do not fault my opponent for thinking in this manner, because it has, again, been ingrained in society to think in these terms. And it was not until I thought outside these terms that I saw the crux that American society is standing on. 1.Sadly, again, the state of American poverty is brought down to comparing statistics to other parts of the world. And again I ask the sincere and honest question, "So, at what point do we do something to change it? When we surpass the European Union by 5%? By 7%? 10%? I would like to bring my argument down to an example that may seem dramatic, but it is needed for the point that needs to be made. Example: Standing in a room is 3 people against the wall. Their hands are tied above their head, and their legs died beneath their feet to the wall. There is a gun, fastened to a stand in front of each person. In the very middle of the room is a red button with a sign that says, "If pressed. All guns will shoot all 6 bullets. One bullet every other second." You have been placed in this room. A man comes up behind you and says, "You must press the button. Those are my orders to tell you." You look at the man and are horrified at the thought. You then notice, behind the man, is a fire extinguisher hanging on the wall, as well as an assault rifle on the other side. The man as stepped towards the red button to show you exactly where to push. You now have 3 options: (1)You step with him and get his instructions, pushing the button knowing once it is done you will be free. (2)You can grab the assault rifle and instead shoot the guard, knowing you will have time to untie each individual and save all 11 of you. (3)Or, you can grab the fire extinguisher and hit the guard over the head, knowing he will be knocked unconscious for a time period. You can begin saving people, but are not sure how many more lives will be saved than just your own. Which is the most ethical to do? It is not an easily answered question. But, in most cases, it is answered that even though you may be injured or even killed, it is most ethical to knock the guard unconscious and save as many as you can, with a chance you all can escape, but it is not certain. So, it is imperative we stop looking away from the issue and simply shrugging our shoulders saying, "Well. The European Union has the same or slightly higher poverty, so we are okay." That is a scape goat to a question, and using a type of argument children and teenagers give when they are caught with their hand in the cookie jar, "Well, Johnny did it! So I did it after him!" But we know better than to fall for that, or do we? I propose that we have 49,000,000 people on the wall in America. We can click the red button which simply keeps them in their place they are in, or we can knock the guard unconscious, putting ourselves in a place of distress, to begin saving these millions. Of course, there is no chance of death in our case in America, like in the example. There is no chance of our demise. And there is no chance of being harmed. The only opportunity is to see individuals brought out of poverty and likened into society again. 2.My opponent mentions my speaking of the wealthy and "Super-Wealthy", and disregards my statement with the rebuttal of, "They earned it, they deserve it." In which I again refer back to what I state of that they as individuals are completely entitled to their riches. They are to not be demonized for buying valuable pieces of art, cars, handbags, or houses. But, again I reiterate and ask, "At what point do we bring the point that the majority of their wealth simply sits in bank accounts doing"nothing (other than earning interest to make more money to do"nothing)." And it is the difference of having a "Myself" mind set, than a mindset of "What"s best for society." And in this round I will not bring the point out other than to say, it is simply because there is a depersonalization from the wealthy from those in poverty. But more on that in a later round. 3.In my opponents third point he brings a common misconception to ground I hoped would not be mentioned. But, indeed, it is mentioned and I suppose it is good so as to bring some thoughts to it. My opponent states, "America was not built for people who sit around all day. It's survival of the fittest. Graduating college gives you bigger benefits than not. Getting a business job is better than flipping burgers for a living. That is why I point to some country's having poverty or not." And I rebuttal with these statements: a.What of those that want to get a college degree, but since their parents lived in poverty, and even their parent"s parents, with unreliable transportation it is not only nearly impossible some days to go to school, but the cost of going to college is impossible (even with aid from the government or grants). b.What of those people "flipping burgers" that would, in a heartbeat, be in an office doing whatever it takes to master the new filing system and computer program. And could actually pick it up in 3X the speed of the person currently assigned the job. But, anyone that would look at his/her resume would throw it out because, "How smart can a person flipping burgers be?" c.And if the "Hardness" of the work is the means of deciding a person"s pay, why is it not the garbage man who is up at 6AM and done at 7PM or 8PM, riding on the back of a truck, picking up and slinging 10-20 Lbs bags all day, making more than the CEO that sits in a plush chair in an office, writing simple emails and flipping through news websites half the time. We cannot base pay-wage on the exertion of work that is done. We would see quite a different workforce compensation than we do now. 4.I digress from expounding on my opponents final statements, by only responding and asking, "Food banks only add a band aid to the wound, it does not fix it. Homeless shelters only put a roof over the heads of the poverty stricken (which is good) but does not begin a process to bring them OUT of poverty. We are simply adding Band-Aids to problems that could be fixed." Final Statement: I will be brief. I believe the words above have made my point and there is no need to continue repeating myself. The biggest problem I have with those who respond is that they continually point the finger the other way and say, "But they"." Instead of pointing the finger back to ourselves and asking, "What do we need to do to kick it in the butt"" It"s time we quit comparing statistics in an effort to boost our feeling of being "okay" because "Well, we are not worse than them!" That is irrelevant to the argument. And an egotistical argument at that. I finish by saying, As a society, but continue to point the finger the other way, make assumptions and bad arguments, we have fallen to an unethical level by not saying, "Okay, let"s fix it. 49,000,000 individuals is a huge number."