Presidential Debate: Walle_Ras v. Tejretics

Economic Policy (1) Stability > Deflation My opponent entirely drops the rebuttal which I presented showing that he was Pro-deflation while I intended to maintain stability at a 1-2% inflation rate. Thus, my opponent has *conceded* this, and their basic inflation-deflation economic policy is poor. (2) Flat Tax My opponent is for a flat income tax. Income taxes disrupt wealth production and penalize saving. [1] “Person A pays $20 of tax on his wages and consumes the remaining $80, which is 20 percent less than he consumed in the no-tax world. Person B also pays $20 of tax on her wages and lends the remaining $80 to the firm. On her $80 loan, she earns $80 of interest and is therefore repaid $160 by the firm. However, a $16 tax is imposed on the $80 of interest. Person B is left with $144, which is 28 percent less than the $200 she consumed in the no-tax world, compared to a 20 percent reduction for Person A.” [1] My proposition is to shift to a Bradford X-tax, a form of the progressive consumption tax that “splits consumption into two pieces, wages and business cash flow, and taxes them separately. Workers are taxed on wages at graduated rates, above an exemption amount, and businesses are taxed on cash flow at a flat rate, equal to the highest wage tax rate.” [2] The X-tax is better than the ‘fair-tax’, i.e. a flat consumption tax, as a flat consumption tax is regressive, as already mentioned above. Pro drops this entire argument and still hails the flat tax. A flat income tax is poor compared to a Bradford X-tax, and most economists hail the X-tax as the best. [3] (3) Minimum Wage My opponent agrees with me on this issue, thus I need not address anything here. Fight for reducing or abolishing the minimum wage. (4) Fiscal Stimulus My opponent has entirely dropped my fiscal stimulus argument, in which I absolutely demonstrated why a fiscal stimulus will negatively impact the economy. A fiscal stimulus is *not* “anything that stimulates the economy”. Rather, it is federal spending to ‘stimulate’ the economy. I will drop the fiscal stimulus, but my opponent holds on to it without *any* defense whatsoever. My opponent has not shown *why* he wants the fiscal stimulus, and I have shown the electors it is a bad idea. (5) Federal Reserve My opponent is against the existence of a Federal Reserve, according to his Big Issues. Since this is a Presidential Debate, personal opinions *do* matter, though my opponent may clarify if he is Pro the maintenance of the Fed. The Federal Reserve has ensured fixed stability in the US economy. The Fed has kept a low rate of inflation, at around 0.8% last year [4], and the US has not experienced deflation since the gold standard [5]. This is amazing stability that will be impossible without the Fed. The quantitative easing programs of the Fed have been successful in reducing unemployment by around 1.5% [6]. My removal of the fiscal stimulus, which my opponent shall retain, will further strengthen the Fed, and there will be no need to abolish it. Domestic Policy (1) Social If the church and the state are together, as my opponent is pro-Christian, the United States will no longer remain a secular nation. The secular policies of the United States must be embraced, and I declare that one is free to practise their own religion. My opponent claims that abortion is ‘cruel’ with *no* justification. However that may be, it is impractical to illegalize abortion, thus it shall remain legal as is the status quo. My opponent is implying a change in the status quo, thus they must properly defend it. (2) Border Fence My opponent has *dropped* my argument that the border fence is *ineffective*. “Since 2001, we have more than doubled the Border Patrol, deployed highly capable manned aircraft and Unmanned Aerial Systems including the Predator aircraft, and installed fixed and mobile surveillance systems. And, the Department of Homeland Security is in the process of developing its plans to deploy additional technology capabilities along key areas of the border to enhance the effectiveness of these agents.” [7] These drone aircraft and surveillance systems in addition to additional technology capabilities are much more cost-efficient and more effective in blocking illegal immigration, thus spending money on building a border fence with the already low budget is impractical and useless [7]. (3) Environmental Protection 3A. Mankind Is the Main Cause of Global Warming As seen, there has been a drastic increase (by about 180 ppm) of CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere in a period of 10,000 years. [8-9] “In pre-industrial times over the last 10,000 years, CO2 was relatively stable at around 275 to 285 parts per million. Over the last 250 years, atmospheric CO2 levels have increased by about 100 parts per million.” [10] As seen, a rise in CO2 levels is caused by humans. The above graph shows that CO2 emissions majorly influence rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere. [10] The level of CO2 is correlated with a rise in temperature, as atmospheric presence of CO2 traps heat within the atmosphere and Earth via. the greenhouse effect. [11] In the above graph, there is shown a statistical correlation between rise in CO2 levels and rise in atmospheric temperature. The below graph shows a rapid decline in cooling in the lower stratosphere and rise in heating of the mid-to-upper troposphere. [12] As shown in the NASA graph in my previous argument, there is a documented rise in temperature. Thus, we can infer the following: (1) There is a documented rise in atmospheric and sea-level temperature. (2) There is a documented rise in human-caused carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which traps heat. (3) There is a major correlation between CO2 levels and temperature. (4) Global warming is primarily man-made and anthropogenic. The graph that my opponent presents is from a study by Friis-Christensen (et al) in 1991. Christensen’s study actually made some major mathematical errors, and the supposed correlation between solar cycle length and rise in temperature has since been falsified. [13] The arithmetic errors are given below. [14] The arithmetic errors made by Christensen were corrected by P. Stauning in 2012, and have new data that falsifies the correlation. Below is Stauning’s graph [13]. As seen, Pro’s source is flawed and newer measurements prove that solar cycle lengths cannot explain the modern warming. 3B. Nuclear Power My opponent and I agree on this, so there is nothing to refute. Foreign Policy My opponent seems to agree with my principles of non-aggression, so there is nothing to defend or contend here either. Conclusion 1. I will present a Bradford-X type progressive consumption tax which is much more effective, equal and fair than my opponent’s flat income tax. 2. My opponent wishes there to be deflation, whereas I will maintain a stable economy. Pro also wishes to abolish the Federal Reserve, without which there will be major instability, and major increases in unemployment. 3. I will abolish the ineffective fiscal stimulus, but my opponent wishes to retain the stimulus and engage in stimulus spending, thus increasing government spending, contrary to their claims that they will decrease government spending. I have demonstrated the flaws in the fiscal stimulus which my opponent has still not responded to. This also contrasts with my opponent’s claim that he will maintain an Austrian economic policy. 4. I will maintain complete social equality and prevent discrimination. My opponent *claims* he is a libertarian, but contrasts this by maintaining that there should be no separation of Christianity and the state, thus placing him in an authoritarian right position. 5. My opponent wishes to spend money on an ineffective border fence, instead of the effective and cost-efficient means I will use to prevent illegal immigration. 6. Pro denies the existence of anthropogenic global warming using flawed and outdated studies, while I have presented conclusive proof that global warming is man-made. Vote Tejretics 2016. 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