The Death Penalty

Here's my defense against my opponent's rebuttal. Here's a list of the powers of the government. My opponent says that one of those powers is executing criminals. Take a look at this list. National Government andState Government * Print money * Regulate interstate (between states) and international trade * Make treaties and conduct foreign policy * Declare war * Provide an army and navy * Establish post offices * Make laws necessary and proper to carry out the these powers * Issue licenses * Regulate intrastate (within the state) businesses * Conduct elections * Establish local governments * Ratify amendments to the Constitution * Take measures for public health and safety * May exert powers the Constitution does not delegate to the national government or prohibit the states from using * Collect taxes * Build roads * Borrow money * Establish courts * Make and enforce laws * Charter banks and corporations * Spend money for the general welfare * Take private property for public purposes, with just compensation [1] Executing criminals is not on the list, as far as I can see. Liberty - the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. [2] According to the definition, you're still able to provide liberty with the a life sentence. Why take one unalienable right with the death penalty when you can keep life and liberty with a life sentence? There are many reasons why the cost for the death penalty is so high. It's most likely because of lawyers, judges, multiple trials, housing, etc. [3] I'd like to see the sources of this claim that those who hate justice are the ones to blame. It isn't a matter of hating justice, it's a matter of trying to be right with their results, which is often ineffective, like I said in my opening statements. You are right on one thing; every single person who has been put to death was said to be guilty in court, but that doesn't mean that no innocent people have ever been executed. Here's a make believe scenario to put this in perspective. Let's say your brother put a bag of weed in your room. Your mother finds that weed and questions you about it. All the evidence seems to point towards you. In reality, like I said earlier, your brother put the weed in your room. Later, she accuses you to be a drug addict after she finds a bong and sends you to rehab. With the insider information, you know that you're not guilty, but the judge (your mother) says you're guilty. Just because you're accused of a crime doesn't mean you committed it. To get back to the statement, you say I'm anti-punishment. I never mentioned being against life sentence. That's the better alternative to capital punishment, as there are less factors to consider. Next, you say that if you make capital punishment mandatory race becomes irrelevant. How exactly? Race would still be an issue, as it shows how unfair the system is when it comes to the sentencing of such criminals. If you looked at the statistics I presented in the last round then you would've seen the striking difference between the sentencing of white-on-black murder and black-on-white murder. And exactly what does "Make capital punishment mandatory" mean? I'd like an explanation, as your wording is quite confusing. And now I bring myself to mention the next argument that closure is irrelevant. Death impacts the entire family, whether it be the victim's family or the criminal's family. So your saying that you shouldn't consider the families involved? Trauma of the family doesn't matter? A life sentence as a far less negative impact than the alternative. Finally, I'll end on the last argument that justice is not subjective. Justice - just behavior or treatment. [4] If you saw the definition of just last round, then you also saw the part where it says "morally right and fair." Morality - principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior. [5] Morality is quite subjective. Some say that abortion is immoral, others say the opposite. Same thing for gay marriage, sex before marriage, etc. Good and bad isn't always black-and-white, there's a grey area too, just like justice. One may seek justice through death, others through life, and some go to that grey area. Every person has a different idea of what just behavior or treatment is. You may either waive the next round or answer the questions I asked. I'd still like to see those 19 crimes, though with a valid source. Thank you for your time. Citations [1]http://www.infoplease.com... [2]http://www.google.com... [3]http://deathpenalty.org... [4]http://www.google.com... [5]http://www.google.com...