BeIR/webis-touche2020 huggingface dataset:
Construction costs are good now for building tunnel.

"Delaying the Green Tunnel is Seattle’s Biggest Risk." lightandair. July 13th, 2010: "Construction cost overruns are a red herring because the cost of construction and materials now are at rock bottom; worst-case estimates were developed during the bubble when construction costs were expected to escalate; estimates were made following the adoption of conservative estimating procedures that assumed prices might continue to escalate; and additional risk contingency was added to the project over and above that for more traditional construction projects. Because the construction industry is on its knees now, the idea that construction will be cheaper in the future is absurd."
The Seattle tunnel itself will not be safe.

Seattle Citizens Against the Tunnel: “Because of the confined environment, accidents in tunnels, and particularly fires, can have dramatic consequences. The fires in the Mont Blanc and Tauern tunnels in 1999 and in the Gotthard tunnel in 2001 have put the risks in tunnels in the spotlight again and call for decisions at the political level. Accidents are normally caused by a combination of several factors. In the case of accidents in tunnels the factors could be related to characteristics of the tunnel – the length of the tunnel, the illumination, the portal height, the curviness, the longitudinal gradient… Accidents in tunnels and other underground structures often lead to serious consequences, more serious in general than would have been the case in the open air. In addition to the serious direct consequences in the tunnel, large societal consequences are associated with the closure of such life lines."
Tunnel perpetuates wrong car-centric mentality

Paul Andrews. "Richard Conlin Interview, Part 1: Deep-Bore Tunnel is “green” solution." Bike Intelligencer. July 5th, 2010: "Having seen city after West Coast city make the call against car dependency and in favor of livable waterfronts, we've been inclined to support the Surface Transit option — a boulevard along the waterfront, with former viaduct traffic using the boulevard or finding alternate routes. The surface option is admittedly not the fastest way to move vehicles — but then, in a post-carbon era, the whole point is that the car is no longer king."
Seattle tunnel less disruptive than other options

Glenn Pascall. "Is deep-bore tunnel best hope to replace viaduct?" Puget Sound Business Journal. December 30th, 2007: "Alan Dyke, managing director for the high-speed rail route between London and the English Channel, said a tunnel under London was chosen because disruption and environmental mitigation requirements of a surface route through the city would been excessive. [...] The Paris A86 beltway automobile tunnel holds a similar lesson. Jeff Hall is vice president of Cofiroute, a subsidiary of Vinci, one of the largest construction firms in the world and builder of A86. Hall said Paris went through alternatives -- surface roads, a cut-and-cover tunnel -- and rejected them due to a quality of life issue: Protection of the Parisian greenbelt. 'A deep-bore tunnel was the only way to do this while adding capacity.'"
Good chance Seattle tunnel will go over budget

Laura Kaliebe. "Bore, Baby, Bore? Sightline Report Compares Cost Overruns of Seattle-Area Tunnels." Northwest Hub: A new report from Sightline Institute, a Seattle-based, nonprofit think tank, could dig the debate a little deeper. The report, titled “Cost Overruns for Seattle-Area Tunnel Projects,” compares high-profile tunnels recently constructed in the area [...] A cost overrun of $100 million, which is just 2.4 percent of the project’s total cost, could cost a Seattle family of four almost $700, the report notes. A larger cost overrun of 25 percent could create more than $1 billion of new tax liability for Seattle taxpayers. Cost overruns for tunnel projects are common: The downtown Seattle bus tunnel experienced a cost overrun of more than 56 percent, Sound Transit’s Beacon Hill tunnel exceeded expected costs by 30 percent, and King County’s bored tunnels for the Brightwater Sewage Plant are already over budget (the final overrun is currently unknown). Overruns such as these aren’t unique to Seattle. Oxford University professor Bent Flyvbjerg surveyed 258 megaprojects from around the world, and found that 90 percent experienced cost overruns, with the average cost overrun at nearly 30 percent."
Opponents of tunnel lack ambition on what is possible.

"Delaying the Green Tunnel is Seattle’s Biggest Risk." lightandair. July 13th, 2010: "Tunnels are not risky unknown technology. The one mile long Great Northern railroad tunnel was built under downtown Seattle in 1904 at depths of up to 125 feet. At the time it was the highest and widest railroad tunnel in the United States! Mayor McGinn says Seattle is a great city – but he seems reluctant to embrace the idea that we can do great things on time and under budget. Criticism the tunnel’s risk is not a realistic assessment but negative thinking that can harm the public will to take on large projects."
Seattle's traffic is declining; tunnel unnecessary.

Scott Bernstein. "Five Reasons to Oppose the Deep-Bore Tunnel." Slog Blog on Seattle Stranger. Mar 23rd, 2011: "First, the tunnel proponents project growing traffic, but all measures show traffic declining. At the metropolitan level, the Federal Highway Administration shows a 13 percent decline in daily vehicle-miles-traveled (VMT) per capita, from 25.5 in 2000, to 22.1 in 2008. In King County, total annual on-road VMT per-household dropped 11 percent from 2000 to 2009. And Seattle DOT finds daily traffic in Seattle dropped 6.25 percent from 2000 to 2009, despite growing population; the net effect is 14 percent decline per capita."
Seattle has good experience with deep-bore tunnels

Glenn Pascall. "Is deep-bore tunnel best hope to replace viaduct?" Puget Sound Business Journal. December 30th, 2007: "Seattle's tunneling history is more extensive than many residents realize. Red Robinson, lead geo-technician for locally-based engineers Shannon & Wilson, described several of the more than 100 tunnels in Seattle that total over 65 miles in length. The 64-foot wide Mount Baker Tunnel on I-90 is the world's largest soil ridge tunnel. Seattle City Council transportation committee chair Jan Drago added that in recent years, 'We've been building deep bore tunnels in Seattle -- Third Avenue, Beacon Hill, Brightwater.' In opening remarks, Drago noted that 'tunnel technology has changed significantly if not dramatically since we started searching for solutions to the viaduct.'"
Tunnel unnecessary to increase economic growth.

Scott Bernstein. "Five Reasons to Oppose the Deep-Bore Tunnel." Slog Blog on Seattle Stranger. Mar 23rd, 2011: "proponents state that economic growth requires new capacity, but growth occurred in the face of declining traffic. From 2000 to 2009, Seattle Gross Metropolitan Product per-household rose from $125,208 to $142,419, a net increase of 14 percent. Your region is producing more while driving less, which is the right path to economic sustainability. One reason this works is that a large fraction of people in Seattle and King County enjoy urban form—small block sizes, high density of intersections per square mile—and location efficiency, meaning the accessibility that results from proximity, connectivity and choices in how to get around. As good as the economy is to you, it could be even better—and it needs to be. From 1999 to 2009, household income increased $1,108 per month, but combined housing and transportation costs increased by $808, leaving the average citizen just $300 to pay for increased food, medical, retirement, and loan expenses."
Seattle tunnel is better than surface transit option

"Delaying the Green Tunnel is Seattle’s Biggest Risk." Light and Air. July 13th, 2010: "The Surface/Transit solution will place 30,000 to 75,000 vehicles a day on the waterfront (the GEHL report says 30-50k). This number of vehicles will make the waterfront a miserable place. Imagine if all of the traffic on the current viaduct was on the waterfront and you get the idea. Not livable. Definitely not an improved economic asset. Considering Surface/Transit proponents avowed commitment to the environment and livability, one has to speculate where nonchalance at tens of thousands more surface vehicles on our streets comes from. An extremely attractive and livable town where people want to live is the most sustainable green strategy. One reason you see extraordinary infrastructure projects in great cities is that these projects are necessary to support dense livability."
Seattle's deep-bore tunnel creates jobs

"Delaying the Green Tunnel is Seattle’s Biggest Risk." lightandair. July 13th, 2010: "Spending 4.4 billion dollars now is better for Seattle than spending 3.5 billion dollars years later. This is true for two reasons. First, the low construction costs we enjoy now won’t last forever. Second, the economy needs stimulus right now, not years from now when it may be overheated again. John Maynard Keynes said that to get out of a situation where the public is not creating enough demand to fuel the economy – exactly our situation – government should, if necessary, pay people to dig a hole and fill it back up again. A tunnel is a better payoff."
Seattle doesn't need a tunnel highway

David Roberts. "Follow-up on Seattle’s proposed deep-bore tunnel." Grist. December 16th, 2010: "the debate comes down to whether Seattle needs a highway at all. Some people are convinced, to the point of religious conviction, that the loss of the highway would mean chaos. But lots of cities have gotten rid of urban highways and the outcome is inevitably positive. Cities are not for getting through, they're for living in. Urban space should belong to people."
Tunnel works well with surface-street option.

Glenn Pascall. "Is deep-bore tunnel best hope to replace viaduct?" Puget Sound Business Journal. December 30th, 2007: "The bypass tunnel assists the surface street option by providing a capacity solution for the 60,000 vehicles that use the Viaduct each day as a through route, taking this load off the design of a surface street plan. Some strategists are already talking about a tunnel finance plan that includes funds which could be applied to surface street and transit amenities."
Tunnels are inherently green.

"Delaying the Green Tunnel is Seattle’s Biggest Risk." lightandair. July 13th, 2010: "Tunnels are inherently green, contrary to what others say: 1. Tunnels last a very long time, often hundreds of years, with far less maintenance than surface improvements. 2. Because tunnels last a long time they are often a very wise investment. Witness the Burlington Northern Tunnel. Tunnels are much more resistant to seismic damage than surface infrastructure. 3. Tunnels can be repurposed. The deep-bore tunnel can be converted to transit or rail use if this makes sense in the future. And the tunnel will serve bus rapid transit well as soon as it is finished. 4. This deep-bore tunnel gives Seattle planners more flexibility to make downtown livable. For instance, the additional lanes available offer the possibility of closing some north-south surface streets to through traffic."
Frat culture is hostile to academics in favor of machismo.

Caitlin Flanagan. "Shutter Fraternities for Young Women's Good." Wall Street Journal. April 23, 2011: "The Greek system is dedicated to quelling young men's anxiety about submitting themselves to four years of sissy-pants book learning by providing them with a variety of he-man activities: drinking, drugging, ESPN watching and the sexual mistreatment of women."
Fraternity membership can boost academics and salaries.

Jeffrey DeSimone. "The Role of Drinking." The New York Times. May 6th, 2011: "fraternities might actually convey benefits on members and even their host institutions. While fraternity membership has been associated with cheating on exams and poor academic performance, other evidence suggests that fraternity members declare majors earlier, obtain higher-paying entry-level jobs and donate more to their alma maters. Anecdotally, simply requiring a higher G.P.A. to permit membership than simply to remain academically eligible might boost school performance among current and would-be fraternity members."
Banning fraternities won't end masculine domineering.

Charles Eberly. "Unfairly Singled Out." New York Times Room for Debate. May 5, 2011: "The hegemonic masculinity widely reflected in current American society and embedded in contemporary undergraduate men, including many who are members of college fraternities, was thoroughly examined in 'Guyland,' a 2008 book by Michael Kimmel. Banning college fraternities will not eliminate the underlying hegemonic masculinity in American society, nor will banning fraternities end college student sexual assaults."
Fraternities organized around sexual exploitation of women.

Nicholas Syrett. "Schools Are Culpable." The New York Times. May 6th, 2011: "By the 1980s, a number of studies have shown that there was a widespread movement among fraternities toward alcohol-fueled sexual aggression and assault, whereby victimized women are understood as vehicles for men's pleasure and bonding. While statistics on the incidence of sexual assault are notoriously unreliable, over the past 30 years psychologists, anthropologists, sociologists and educators have continued to document alarming trends in pressure to have sex among fraternity men, coerce it from unwilling women through the use of alcohol, and report about it afterward to the assembled brotherhood. While statistics on the incidence of sexual assault are notoriously unreliable, over the past 30 years psychologists, anthropologists, sociologists and educators have continued to document alarming trends in pressure to have sex among fraternity men, coerce it from unwilling women through the use of alcohol, and report about it afterward to the assembled brotherhood."
Couple bad apples shouldn't cause blanket frat ban

"Mistakes of one group shouldn’t ruin image of all." Cardinal Points Editorial. May 6, 2011: "Theta Kappa Beta, commonly known as Beta, lost its appeal to stay recognized as an organization at Plattsburgh State, and quite frankly, other members of Greek life should be happy they're gone. As we see it, this fraternity was bringing the rest of fraternity and sorority life down, causing a mass generalization of what it means to be a part of Greek life on this campus. But don't let this one organization take away from Greek life as a whole. Joining a fraternity or sorority has proven to be a source of better academics for some. Four fraternities and one sorority showed a positive differential between pre-pledging and post-pledging GPA."
Rape culture needs changing; frat ban is no fix.

CHLOE. "Caitlin Flanagan calls for the end of fraternities." Fleministing. April 26th, 2011: "The problem here is rape culture, which is particularly pronounced within fraternities. But rape culture exists in many places on college campuses. Again, this is not to excuse it or to argue that many wrongs make a right. Rather, I propose that the more productive solution of keeping fraternities intact, while working to change the particularly egregious rape culture that they so often foster, which is simply a more concentrated version of the rape culture that exists on so many campuses – even those with no Greek life at all."
Bad behavior common among non-fraternity members too

CHLOE. "Caitlin Flanagan calls for the end of fraternities." Fleministing. April 26th, 2011: "'Yes, date rape happens at frat houses. It also happens at marching band parties, and at crew training camp, and in ROTC barracks and at chess club away meets. This is not to minimize what happens in frat houses or to tell women who have suffered sexual violence there that their experiences don’t matter. It is simply to say that sexual assault happens all over college campuses. And that’s what we need to change."
Alcohol, not frat-membership, is main culprit

Jeffrey DeSimone. "The Role of Drinking." The New York Times. May 6th, 2011: "My research shows that fraternity membership does indeed contribute to increased binge and frequent drinking and intoxication, including consequences such as hangovers, forgetting or regretting actions, missing classes and arguing with friends. [...] However, for most types and effects of alcohol use, only a small fraction of the gap between fraternity members and non-members is actually caused by fraternity membership. Specifically, for most drinking behavior, only 10 to 20 percent of the difference between members and non-members is plausibly attributable to being in a fraternity. Most of these differences, therefore, would persist even in the absence of fraternities, to which many pledges are attracted precisely because members engage in alcohol-related behavior in which pledges already participate."
Fraternities can rob women of their education.

Caitlin Flanagan. "Shutter Fraternities for Young Women's Good." Wall Street Journal. April 23rd, 2011: "Can the mere presence of slur-chanting fraternity men really create an environment that robs young women of equal opportunity to education? Yes, it can. [...] My fourth night at school, I went with some friends to Rugby Road, where the fraternity houses are located. [...] they seemed sinister, to stand for male power at its most malevolent and institutionally condoned. I remember standing there thinking I'd made a terrible mistake. It wasn't worth it, I decided. The next day I withdrew from the university. [...] I went back in the spring, and while few things have had as a profound an effect on my life as my UVA education, my deep mistrust of the fraternities limited the ways I engaged in life on campus and almost robbed me of the education itself. If you want to improve women's lives on campus, if you want to give them a fair shot at living and learning as freely as men, the first thing you could do is close down the fraternities."
Controversy hides all the good coming from frats

Charles Eberly. "Unfairly Singled Out." New York Times Room for Debate. May 5, 2011: "negative consequences surrounding the actions of fraternity and sorority members seem to be highlighted with far greater frequency than the positive outcomes associated with membership. Typical of the latter are examples from a fraternity chapter I counsel at Eastern Illinois University. One member who is graduating with a master's in school counseling developed a program on healthy men's development that is presented to all new members of the college's fraternity system each year, and another brother created a charity to support a local children's advocacy center. Yet a third is running marathons in all 50 states to support suicide prevention in memory of a brother who committed suicide in 2008. The chapter is planning a fund raising drive to construct a wishing well on campus in coordination with another fraternity chapter that lost brothers in a bus accident, with the contributions going to the children’s advocacy center."
Most fraternities are openly hostile toward women.

Nicholas Syrett. "Schools Are Culpable." The New York Times. May 6th, 2011: "In the 20th century some fraternities became quite organized in their hostility toward women, with protests against coeducation, and coordinated ostracism of the first classes of female students; one 1960s California fraternity sponsored “Hate Women Week” on campus. [...] Do all fraternity men behave this way? Of course not. But have fraternity men, as a group, been the most organized and vocal in creating a hostile climate for female students on campuses? The historical record says yes."
Frat members most likely to perpetrate sexual assault.

Caitlin Flanagan. "Shutter Fraternities for Young Women's Good." Wall Street Journal. April 23, 2011: "A 2007 National Institute of Justice study found that about one in five women are victims of sexual assault in college; almost all of those incidents go unreported. It also noted that fraternity men—who tend to drink more heavily and frequently than nonmembers—are more likely to perpetrate sexual assault than nonfraternity men, according to previous studies. Over a quarter of sexual-assault victims who were incapacitated reported that the assailant was a fraternity member."
Shuttering frats creates false sense of security.

CHLOE. "Caitlin Flanagan calls for the end of fraternities." Fleministing. April 26th, 2011: "my concern is that shutting down the frats would leave us with a false sense of security. Does frat culture need to be changed? Yes, frat culture desperately needs to be changed. Will scape-goating fraternities, and imagining that by closing them down, we can eradicate rape culture, help in the long run? I don’t think it will."
Frats control supply of alcohol to minors and social scene.

Elizabeth Armstrong. "How Fraternities Dominate." The New York Times Room For Debate. May 6th, 2011: "While concerns about legal liability have led colleges and universities to vigilantly police alcohol consumption and public intoxication in university-owned housing, fraternities have mostly been spared such scrutiny. As a result, these organizations often monopolize the supply of alcohol to under-aged students. Fraternity dominance of the social scene of many campuses heightens risks for young women. As party hosts, fraternity men often control the space — establishing party themes that encourage women to wear provocative clothing, making and distributing the drinks, controlling the door, and sometimes even preventing women from leaving."
College fraternities are based on exclusion

Nicholas Syrett. "Schools Are Culpable." The New York Times. May 6th, 2011: "College fraternities are built on exclusion. For nearly 200 years fraternities have been exclusive organizations for men who want to spend time with others like themselves: usually straight white men. Men in these organizations have identified with what sets them apart from those they exclude, their manhood. Fraternal masculinity has, for at least 80 years, valorized athletics, alcohol abuse and sex with women, while disdaining intellectual inquiry for its own sake (colleges’ ostensible purpose)."
Congress would have voted against Iraq War knowing costs now.

Francis Fukuyama. "Iraq May Be Stable, But the War Was a Mistake" Wall Street Journal. August 15th, 2008: "ask yourself whether Congress would ever have voted to authorize the war in 2002 if it knew there was no WMD, or that there would be trillion-dollar budget outlays, or that there would be 30,000 dead and wounded after five years of bitter struggle."
The world is a better place without Saddam Hussein

Donald Rumsfeld said to NPR's Steve Inskeep in a February 2011 interview: "And a vicious, truly vicious regime that was shooting at our aircraft every day, more than 2,000 times when we were patrolling the northern and southern no-fly zones for the United Nations, that regime is gone, and the region is safer, our country is safer, and the world's a better place without Saddam Hussein."[1]
Solving problems created by war does not justify war.

War in Iraq might have become, on a very small level, a front in the War on Terror, but this was as much a result of the act of waging such an unjust war and "occupation" as anything else - many locals were incited to fight the occupation and were subsequently labelled "terrorists." Fighting the terrorism that resulted from the war is clearly not a justification for waging the war in the first place; it nets no benefits.