I need help

>I am going to take it that merlinator wants me to give him refutations and suggestions. >Observation: Neg most likely agrees, Personally I would cite a source. >Definitions are very bare. Easy to refute due to simplicity. Use: *Democratic Society (democracy): government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power of the land is vested in the people and directly exercised by them *Disenfranchisement: the revocation of the right to vote or suffrage to any individual or group of people, or rendering a vote less effective, or ineffective *Felon: a person who has been convicted of a felony, which is sufficiently serious to be punishable by death or a term in state or federal prison, as distinguished from a misdemeanor These were never refuted in my rounds. >I hate that value and I slaughtered it in my debates. It's this simple: democracy has limits. That can easily be attacked by what is and is not societally reasonable. I would go with human rights. >If you keep that value, use human rights as a criterion. If not, I certainly suggest democratic society as a value criterion. Basically, a purely democratic society BEST protects human rights. >I like your idea in contention 1. It has a fundamentally simple yet effective idea. I'd recommend expanding. I know what you mean but a judge may not. Also, if you are going to have sub-points, have MORE THAN 1. >Go ahead and kill your second contention. It is veeeeeeerry simply rebutted. You basically say that you trust felons to make decent choices. Why did they commit a felony then? I'll suggest a different replacement contention at the end of my response. >Contention 3 is good in principle and true. HOWEVER, you have a burden of proof. You must prove the resolution in ALL cases. Saying that SOME felons deserve another chance will not work. >Add a conclusion. No other way to put it. >Here were some of my strategies (I went 4 - 0 and moved up through them): :: Contention 2 :: >My second contention is that disenfranchising felons does not fulfill any universally recognized penal goals; listed as retribution, deterrence, rehabilitation, vengeance and incapacitation. Disenfranchisement of felons does not fulfill any of these reasons to punish someone. To avenge a felony, one would not use disenfranchisement as this is not in any way proportioned to the crime. Violating suffrage is not a suitable method of retribution because it is also disproportioned to a felony. It quite obviously does not incapacitate or rehabilitate the felon. It is clear that felon disenfranchisement does not deter crimes, because a felon undeterred by the possibility of being incarcerated will not be deterred by the threat of disenfranchisement, and thus does not stop felons from committing future crimes. :: Contention 3 :: >My third contention is that disenfranchisement limits rights guaranteed to individuals in a democratic society. The disenfranchisement of an individual is cruel in that is revokes the individualï¿½ƒï¿½'ï¿½‚ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ƒï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½‚ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½‚ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ƒï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½‚ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½‚ï¿½ï¿½s right to choose their leader. It values the right to vote at a different level than other rights, which are not revoked (such as the right to operate a motor vehicle or the right to drink alcohol). According to ï¿½ƒï¿½'ï¿½‚ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ƒï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½‚ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½‚ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ƒï¿½€ï¿½"the Sentencing Projectï¿½ƒï¿½'ï¿½‚ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ƒï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½‚ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½‚ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ƒï¿½€šï¿½‚ï¿½ï¿½, racial disparities in the criminal justice system have made it so that about 13% of black men in the United States are not legally allowed to vote, as opposed to the roughly 9.5% of whites that cannot vote. Allowing for disenfranchisement ruins racial equality as well as human rights. Ergo this should not happen in a democratic society. In your SECOND ROUND, define citizen: A resident of a city or town, especially one entitled to vote and enjoy other privileges there Felons DO NOT lose citizen ship. Hinty hint hint hint USE THAT Use taxation without representation. I didn't use it myself but it gave me problems while I was Neg. >Good luck, do well, case makes the day (it really does), tell me how you do. (Don't hesitate to ask me questions)