topic
stringlengths 3
73
| argument
stringlengths 24
222
| label
stringclasses 2
values |
---|---|---|
Health insurance mandates | Insurance mandates violate the rights of employers. | CON |
Health insurance mandates | Mandatory insurance violates right to engage in contracts | CON |
Health insurance mandates | Mandate deters uninsured from going to hospital, receiving penalty | CON |
More troops to Afghanistan under Obama | More troops in Afg will inflame broader Muslim anger, terrorism | CON |
More troops to Afghanistan under Obama | More troops in Afghanistan perpetuates corrupt Afghan government | CON |
More troops to Afghanistan under Obama | The military industrial complex profits from escalation in Afg. | CON |
More troops to Afghanistan under Obama | W/o more troops, Afgh will become terrorist haven | PRO |
More troops to Afghanistan under Obama | Defeat in Afghanistan would embolden terrorists globally | PRO |
Health insurance cooperatives | Co-ops lack scale to negotiate prices of drugs, services | CON |
Health insurance cooperatives | Advocates of co-ops are really aiming for socialized medicine | CON |
Health insurance cooperatives | Co-ops compete with insurers like public option could | PRO |
Public health insurance option | Public insurance would stifle medical innovation and advancement | CON |
Public health insurance option | Public insurance inefficiencies can be hidden by taxpayer-funding | CON |
Public health insurance option | Public insurance option will increase taxes, drag-down economy | CON |
Public health insurance option | Public insurance will give doctors/hospitals millions of new patients. | PRO |
Public health insurance option | Public insurance delivers same quality insurance at a lower price | PRO |
Mandatory calorie counts on menus | Mandatory calorie counts infringe restaurants' freedom of speech | CON |
Mandatory calorie counts on menus | Calorie counts are ineffective at compelling healthier choices | CON |
Mandatory calorie counts on menus | Calorie counts on menus will turn-off customers. | CON |
Mandatory calorie counts on menus | Calorie counts eliminate ability of restaurants to be spontaneous. | CON |
Mandatory calorie counts on menus | Calories on menus empower consumers to make healthier choices | PRO |
Mandatory calorie counts on menus | Calorie counts will be ignored by some, but help others | PRO |
Manned mission to Mars | Weight of supplies for long Mars trip is impractical. | CON |
Manned mission to Mars | A manned mission to Mars would unify humankind | PRO |
Manned mission to Mars | Mars mission would inspire kids to become scientists | PRO |
Colonization of the Moon | Moon's gravity is too low for human health | CON |
Colonization of the Moon | Temperature extremes make colonizing the Moon very challenging. | CON |
Colonization of the Moon | Territorial claims on the Moon will become a source of conflict. | CON |
Colonization of the Moon | Moonbase would be ideal staging area for space exploration | PRO |
Colonization of the Moon | Moonbase advances knowledge of human viability on alien planets. | PRO |
Colonization of the Moon | Moonbase will help answer remaining scientific questions | PRO |
Mandatory labeling of genetically modified foods | Arbitrary labeling rules do not offer any real choice | CON |
Mandatory labeling of genetically modified foods | Labeling of genetically modified foods increases food prices. | CON |
Mandatory labeling of genetically modified foods | Different GM labeling standards across countries is a problem | CON |
Mandatory labeling of genetically modified foods | Labeling respects opinion of those not wanting to consume GM foods. | PRO |
Mandatory labeling of genetically modified foods | It is good for labeling to turn consumers off to GM foods. | PRO |
Legality of coca production and consumption | Coca chewing is bad for human health. | CON |
Legality of coca production and consumption | Allowing coca undermines successful eradication efforts. | CON |
Filibuster | Filibuster wrongly burdens majority party | CON |
Filibuster | During turmoil, filibusters impede government progress | CON |
Filibuster | The filibuster helps protect the will of the minority | PRO |
Criminalization of Holocaust denial | Outlawing Holocaust denial risks revisionists being called deniers | CON |
Criminalization of Holocaust denial | Holocaust denial psychologically harms Holocaust survivors | PRO |
Criminalization of Holocaust denial | Holocaust denial is inherently descriminatory and damaging | PRO |
Criminalization of Holocaust denial | Holocaust denial opens doors to harmful, non-factual views | PRO |
Needle exchanges | HIV transmission has increased despite needle exchanges | CON |
Needle exchanges | Needle exchanges don't save lives; cause drug-related deaths | CON |
Needle exchanges | Drug dealers sell drugs near needle exchanges | CON |
Needle exchanges | Needle exchanged increase discarded needles on streets | CON |
Needle exchanges | Needle exchanges generally degrade community cleanliness. | CON |
Needle exchanges | Needle exchanges rightly place harm reduction over all else | PRO |
Needle exchanges | Needle exchanges decrease infections and therefore costs | PRO |
Election of judges | Elected justices are corruptly influenced by campaign funders | CON |
Election of judges | Lawyers may fund judge campaigns to influence trials | CON |
Election of judges | Impossible to avoid big-money influence in judicial elections | CON |
Election of judges | Elections make judges more democratically accountable | PRO |
Election of judges | Elected judges are more in tune with public opinion | PRO |
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty | Test ban ties hands of good states, while rogue states ignore it | CON |
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty | Fear will cause nuclear proliferation, despite testing ban. | CON |
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty | Warheads and deterrence cannot be maintained without testing | CON |
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty | Test ban halts R&D and development of nuclear weapons | PRO |
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty | Test ban would help combat growing nuclear threats | PRO |
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty | Improved monitoring from test ban provides important information | PRO |
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty | Nuclear test ban reduces risks of nuclear fallout | PRO |
Israeli settlements | Israeli settlements impede creation of Palestinian state | CON |
Israeli settlements | Settlements create separate/unequal laws for Israelis/Palestinians | CON |
Israeli settlements | Settlements undercut Palestinian rights to land | CON |
Israeli settlements | Israeli settlements do not impede creation of Palestine | PRO |
Two-state solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict | A two-state solution makes Israel too narrow, vulnerable. | CON |
Two-state solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict | Israel loses strategic West Bank mountains in two-state solution | CON |
Two-state solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict | Two-state solution offers peace, the most important factor | PRO |
Two-state solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict | Two-state solution offers adequate territory to Palestinians | PRO |
Two-state solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict | Two-state solution and peace is critical to regional stability. | PRO |
Merit pay for teachers | Merit pay focuses teachers on measures over their passion | CON |
Merit pay for teachers | Merit pay punishes teachers assigned to bad students | CON |
Merit pay for teachers | Past examples of merit pay for teachers have failed | CON |
Merit pay for teachers | Merit pay gives teachers an incentive to work harder | PRO |
Merit pay for teachers | Merit-pay helps attract teachers where there are shortages | PRO |
Merit pay for teachers | Merit pay works in markets, can work for teachers | PRO |
Enhanced interrogation techniques | Enhanced techniques hamper work with allies against terrorism. | CON |
Is a nuclear Iran intolerable? | Military strikes on Iran would invite painful retaliation | CON |
Earmarks | Earmarks are often unrelated to legislation; holds up bill. | CON |
Earmarks | Earmarks create unsustainable institutional dependencies | CON |
Free public transportation | Car sales would drop significantly. | CON |
Free public transportation | There are many people who would also lose their jobs. | CON |
Free public transportation | Some public transport cities are already terrible; this would just increase the strain. | CON |
Free public transportation | The government would be forced to improve public transport. | PRO |
Free public transportation | A lot of people would already be using it if it didn't cost so much. | PRO |
Education vouchers | Vouchers damage public schools that can't compete with private schools. | CON |
Education vouchers | Profit motive of private schools is costly, undermining vouchers. | CON |
Education vouchers | Vouchers drain talent from public schools, undermining competitiveness. | CON |
Education vouchers | Vouchers improve choice/access despite private school right to deny | PRO |
Education vouchers | Education vouchers improve minority academic achievement. | PRO |
Education vouchers | Vouchers promote innovation and specialisation. | PRO |
No Child Left Behind Act | NCLB sets overly restrictive qualifications for teaching. | CON |
No Child Left Behind Act | No Child Left Behind subjects disabled to same test standards. | CON |
No Child Left Behind Act | No Child Left Behind effectively penalizes diversity in schools. | CON |
No Child Left Behind Act | No Child Left Behind offers valuable measure of student progress | PRO |
No Child Left Behind Act | NCLB has succeeded in improving test scores | PRO |
No Child Left Behind Act | Standardized tests ensures students learn essential information. | PRO |