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NATO expansion
NATO expansion will improve the operational capacity of NATO
PRO
NATO expansion
Expansion will make more resources available to NATO
PRO
European missile defense
A European missile defense system threatens and antagonizes Russia
CON
European missile defense
US missile defense proposals in Europe violate Moscow Treaty
CON
European missile defense
European missile defense would foster stability, not instability
PRO
European Union Expansion
New entrants into EU suffer from increased tax burdens.
CON
European Union Expansion
EU member states suffer from socialist economic environment
CON
European Union Expansion
Richer EU states cannot afford to subsidize poorer states.
CON
European Union Expansion
Drugs will flow more easily due to entry of new countries into the EU.
CON
European Union Expansion
Admitting new members to the EU will increase transmission of diseases.
CON
European Union Expansion
EU expansion will improve flow of knowledge and technology
PRO
European Union Expansion
EU enlargement will improve foreign direct investment into eastern Europe.
PRO
European Union Expansion
Integration is not prevented by EU expansion.
PRO
Banning cell phones in cars
Cell phone ban in cars would simply be ignored
CON
Banning cell phones in cars
Fumbling for ringing phone while driving is dangerous
PRO
Child beauty pageants
Child beauty contests amount to child abuse.
CON
Child beauty pageants
Parental ambitions can make kid queens mentally unwell.
CON
Child beauty pageants
Beauty pageants are not good for a child's confidence.
CON
Child beauty pageants
Beauty contests can boost a child's self-esteem.
PRO
Child beauty pageants
Pageants teach kids to follow rules and play fair.
PRO
Death penalty
Capital punishment wastes time and energy and burdens courts
CON
Death penalty
Individuals are executed on murder charges whom deserved manslaughter
CON
Death penalty
Capital punishment best prepares an evil soul for the after life
PRO
Death penalty
Capital punishment has a deterrent effect on criminal activities
PRO
Death penalty
The death penalty helps protect inmates and prison guards
PRO
Hunting for sport
Hunting is dangerous, injuring and killing many humans.
CON
Hunting for sport
Hunting is a good way of controlling widlife
PRO
Hunting for sport
Proceeds of hunting industry go to wildlife sustainability
PRO
Prisoners right to vote
Prisoner voting cheapens votes of citizens
CON
Prisoners right to vote
Prisoner voting would demean the entire electoral system.
CON
Prisoners right to vote
Prisoner voting undermines punishment and so rehabilitation.
CON
Prisoners right to vote
Criminals, dangerous to society, are dangerous with vote
CON
Prisoners right to vote
Rehabilitation is main goal (not punishment); voting helps
PRO
Lowering US drinking age from 21 to 18
21 drinking-age general lowers under-age drinking
CON
Lowering US drinking age from 21 to 18
Safer roads with 21 drinking laws outweighs all trade-offs
CON
Lowering US drinking age from 21 to 18
Lowering drinking age will undermine parental oversight
CON
Lowering US drinking age from 21 to 18
18-and-over law enables teaching of responsible drinking
PRO
Lowering US drinking age from 21 to 18
Introducing children to alcohol teaches responsible use
PRO
Lowering US drinking age from 21 to 18
Hang-overs teach responsibile drinking; laws unecessary
PRO
Ban on laser pointers
Laser pointers have the capability to bring down aircraft and cause major accidents
PRO
Gay adoption
Children do better with mother and father role models
CON
Gay adoption
Children adopted by gays are subjected to homophobia/prejudices
CON
Funding for space exploration
Space exploration is inspiring and pushes humans to advance
PRO
Funding for space exploration
Public funding is necessary to achieve real results in space.
PRO
Funding for space exploration
Humans could benefit from natural resources of other planets
PRO
Funding for space exploration
Multinational space programs are good for international diplomacy.
PRO
Catholic Church contraception policy
Undoing ban on condoms would prevent schisms in Church.
CON
Catholic Church contraception policy
Removing Church objections to condoms would increase attendance at Church.
CON
Catholic Church contraception policy
While not 100%-effective, condoms reduce risk of HIV-transmission
CON
Catholic Church contraception policy
If people followed Christian principles; they would not contract HIV/AIDS.
PRO
Catholic Church contraception policy
Contraception use leads to the degradation of women and their bodies
PRO
Turkey EU membership
Admitting Turkey undermines European values.
CON
Turkey EU membership
Turkish membership may cause a backlash among EU publics.
CON
Turkey EU membership
Admitting Turkey leads to a slippery slope of non-European admissions
CON
Turkey EU membership
EU membership would help strengthen democracy in Turkey
PRO
Turkey EU membership
EU membership for Turkey would help liberalize the Middle East
PRO
Turkey EU membership
Turkey's EU membership would help the fight against terrorism
PRO
Ban on human reproductive cloning
Human clones will not reduce human biological diversity
CON
Ban on human reproductive cloning
Reproductive cloning would entail dehumanizing experimentation
PRO
Ban on human reproductive cloning
Cloning will lead to eugenics, or the artificial manipulation and control of the characteristics of people.
PRO
Trans fat ban
Alternatives to trans fats aren't much healthier.
CON
Trans fat ban
Trans fats extend shelf life of foods.
CON
Trans fat ban
Trans fat ban will hurt small restaurants most.
CON
Trans fat ban
Banning trans fats means saving thousands of lives
PRO
Trans fat ban
Trans fats can be replaced w/o changing taste/price.
PRO
Trans fat ban
Replacement fats will get cheaper with time.
PRO
Banning Muslim hijab
Many Muslim women view the veil as a means to protect their modesty and privacy.
CON
Banning Muslim hijab
The Muslim veil liberates women from sexual attention.
CON
Banning Muslim hijab
Muslim head-coverings help keep women safe.
CON
Banning Muslim hijab
Banning Muslim head scarves will not cause fundamentalist backlashes
PRO
Banning Muslim hijab
Allowing head scarves would foster a greater clash of civilizations
PRO
Banning Muslim hijab
Veil-wearing can make it very hard to identify individuals.
PRO
Assassination of a Dictator
Assassinations breed destabilizing counter-assassination attempts
CON
Assassination of a Dictator
Assassinations erode norms against assassination; jeopardizes leaders.
CON
Assassination of a Dictator
Measures can reduce risk of collateral damage from assassinations
PRO
Assassination of a Dictator
Assassinations protect publics from terrorism; even while it's hard to measure
PRO
Single-payer universal health care
Universal health care is not free; people pay with their taxes.
CON
Single-payer universal health care
US health care costs more because Americans pay to avoid waiting.
CON
Single-payer universal health care
Universal health care creates dependencies on government
CON
Single-payer universal health care
Universal health care lowers long-term health costs
PRO
Single-payer universal health care
Universal health care systems incentivize improving patient health.
PRO
Single-payer universal health care
Universal health care decreases the likelihood of health related problems.
PRO
Abortion
Abortions encourage infanticide
CON
Abortion
Abortions are emotionally and psychologically unsafe.
CON
Abortion
If a fetus was defined as a person, the legal shifts would be too dramatic
PRO
Abortion
Legal abortion protects women with serious illnesses that are vulnerable.
PRO
Vegetarianism
Offering rights to animals based on evolution is a slippery slope.
CON
Vegetarianism
Eating meat is bad for both animals and for humans; simple ethics
PRO
Libertarianism
Free market economics fosters capitalist authoritarianism; undermines rights
CON
Libertarianism
Libertarianism does not allow for essential public services (i.e. roads)
CON
Libertarianism
People need government to prevent them from making mistakes.
CON
Libertarianism
Libertarians would decriminalize many crimes, so reduce crime.
PRO
Animal testing
Animals endure tremendous stress from being locked up.
CON
Animal testing
Animal testing has significantly improved human welfare
PRO
Assisted suicide
Euthanasia would not cut health care costs by very much
CON
Assisted suicide
Assisted suicide makes everyone think they can do suicide on their own.
CON
Assisted suicide
Right to die allows opponents to not participate.
PRO
Assisted suicide
Most people that believe euthanasia is wrong never sat by a bed side.
PRO
Assisted suicide
Third party euthanasia regulators can ensure against abuse (family, doctor...)
PRO
Polygamy
Polygamy undermines the traditional institution of marriage.
CON