Resolved: US Politics has become useless.

It appears that the instigator of this debate is no longer interested in participating in it. For the sake of the intellectual exercise, I will continue. Thus far I have demonstrated the weakness of my opponent's argument by pointing out that Pro's examples do not support his claim. I have further expanded on the definition of politics to include multiple groups, which I will further expound upon below. Moreover, I have tried to give the audience a sense of my perspective on how I view and approach political discussions as they pertain to guiding public policy. Before I get into providing evidence for why politics is still useful in the US --for guiding public policy, I think it is important to understand that the US is a de facto political duopoly (1) with a winner takes all voting structure. This is evident at all levels of government. This duopoly creates a divisive political environment often times with votes falling along ideological political lines. But this in and of itself doesn't preclude the possibility that a public policy is properly debated or that a compromise can be reached. In round 1, Pro established that politics is competition within government. In round 2, I extended that definition to include the voting public, among others. The reason was because it is the voting public that elects government officials (i.e., politicians) who ultimately control and decided which public policies are to be discussed. So, collectively, if the voting public doesn't approve the approach an administration is taking or the priorities the majority in power are putting forth, these elected officials will ultimately be judge accordingly. But more importantly, the voting public can and do provide pressure on politicians that help keep important issues in the spotlight such as seen in current Wall Street protests (2). On the level federal level, states often provide important political pressure to set the tone of a particular issue such as seen as in the fracking debate (3). Even the President of the United States can use his position as a bully pulpit to guarantee important policies are discussed and weighed in on as is evidenced by the most recent Obama jobs bill proposal (4). Pressure from the states and the Oval Office ensure that voters are aware of the issues and positions regarding the particular policy being addressed. In addition to the pressure from the voting public, the states and the federal Executive Office, political action committees (PACs) can finance campaigns or political ads to raise awareness of an issue that they are supporting on behalf of the sector they represent (5). The Supreme Court has established a legal precedence that money is equivalent to speech. As consequence, folks can use money or rather the purchasing power of money through campaign ads and political donations to help highlight an issue or support their preferred candidate--who presumably has a similar political worldview for what is right for society, and thus support similar public policy positions. The US constitution affords both its citizens and corporations the inalienable right to be actively involved in the democratic political process that guides public policy and ultimate sculpts our society. The structure of the system demands compromise. Often times, compromise leads to a less-than-desirable outcome for those who have steadfast convictions. To further muddy the waters, American politicians often times have diametrically opposite ideas for not only how they perceive a problem but also how to address it appropriately. Public policy decision are often made with the best intentions but can have unintended results such is the case with the North American Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which has become a contentious issue. In the end, the American system of politics is highly fallible but not useless. It leads to a stabilize society—at least domestically, and affords people the right to speak publicly for or against those issues that directly affect the public weal. References: 1)http://en.wikipedia.org... 2)http://occupywallst.org... 3)http://www.huffingtonpost.com... 4)http://abcnews.go.com... 5)http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk...