WNDI 2008
1 Elections DA Addendum Neg
Elections DA Addendum Neg Elections DA Addendum Neg.......................................................................................................1 Elections DA Addendum Neg........................................................................................................1 Yes Obama....................................................................................................................................3 Yes Obama......................................................................................................................................3 Link – Bush Credit.......................................................................................................................4 Link – Bush Credit.........................................................................................................................4 Links – Carbon Tax......................................................................................................................5 Links – Carbon Tax.......................................................................................................................5 Links – SBSP................................................................................................................................6 Links – SBSP..................................................................................................................................6 Links – SBSP................................................................................................................................7 Links – SBSP..................................................................................................................................7 Links – Ethanol.............................................................................................................................8 Links – Ethanol..............................................................................................................................8 Links – Hemp...............................................................................................................................9 Links – Hemp.................................................................................................................................9 Links – RPS................................................................................................................................10 Links – RPS..................................................................................................................................10 Links - OTEC.............................................................................................................................11 Links - OTEC...............................................................................................................................11 Links – Nuclear Power...............................................................................................................12 Links – Nuclear Power................................................................................................................12 Links – PHEVs...........................................................................................................................13 Links – PHEVs.............................................................................................................................13 Internals – Energy Policy Key....................................................................................................14 Internals – Energy Policy Key....................................................................................................14 Internals – Environmental Policy key........................................................................................15 Internals – Environmental Policy key........................................................................................15 McCain Bad – Economy ............................................................................................................16 McCain Bad – Economy .............................................................................................................16 McCain Bad – Economy ............................................................................................................17 McCain Bad – Economy .............................................................................................................17
WNDI 2008
2 Elections DA Addendum Neg
McCain Bad – Roe ....................................................................................................................18 McCain Bad – Roe ......................................................................................................................18 McCain Drilling .....................................................................................................................19 McCain Drilling ......................................................................................................................19
WNDI 2008
3 Elections DA Addendum Neg
Yes Obama Majority thinks Obama will win, but race is close Agence France-Presse, 7/25/2008, “Most Americans see Obama win – poll”, News.com.au, http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24075777-23109,00.html
A MAJORITY Americans believe Democratic candidate Barack Obama will win the presidential election against Republican hopeful John McCain in November, according to a Fox News poll. While 51 per cent say Senator Obama, who is vying to become the first African-American president, will win the election, only 27 per cent are betting on Senator McCain, today's poll says. Voters registered as Democrats are more confident about their candidate's chances than their Republican peers, 71 per cent of Democrats see Senator Obama winning on November 4 while 51 per cent of Republicans believe Senator McCain will win. One in four Republicans think Senator Obama, a senator from Illinois, will succeed George W. Bush. A month ago, 47 per cent of Americans believed that Senator Obama, 46, would win the election compared to 32 per cent for Senator McCain, a 71-year-old Arizona senator. Even though many Americans are predicting an Obama victory, the race remains tight. In a head-to-head match-up, Senator Obama leads McCain 41 to 40 per cent among registered voters, the poll showed. If Libertarian candidate Bob Barr and independent hopeful Ralph Nader are added, Senator Obama leads Senator McCain by 40 to 37 per cent. If Senator Obama chooses former Democratic nomination rival Hillary Clinton as his running mate and Senator McCain picks former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, a former Republican candidate, the Democratic ticket leads 48 to 39 per cent. The survey was conducted on July 22-23 among 900 voters. The margin of error is plus or minus three percentage points.
WNDI 2008
4 Elections DA Addendum Neg
Link – Bush Credit Bush gets credit for energy policy UPI.com (United Press International), 7/19/2008, “Bush claims credit on energy, economy”, http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/07/19/Bush_claims_credit_on_energy_economy/UPI-87061216476600/
U.S. President George W. Bush Saturday trumpeted steps his administration took this week on rising energy costs and sagging home values. In his weekly radio address, the president chided Congress for refusing to lift its ban on drilling for oil in key areas of the Outer Continental Shelf. "Experts believe that these areas of the OCS could eventually produce nearly 10 years' worth of America's current annual oil production," Bush said. "So on Monday I lifted an executive branch prohibition on exploration in these areas. "Unfortunately, a full month has passed since I called on Congress to lift a similar legislative ban, and Congress has done nothing." Bush said long-term energy policy will require wider use of energy sources other than oil. "So my administration has worked to expand the use of alternative fuels and raise fuel efficiency standards," he said. "We're investing in new advanced batteries, plug-in hybrids and hydrogen fuel cells. We're working to expand the use of clean, safe nuclear power, solar and wind power and clean coal technology." Bush also claimed credit for action taken this week to rescue mortgage giants Fannie Mae (NYSE:FNM) and Freddie Mac (NYSE:FRE) and reminded listeners that U.S. taxpayers had received $91 billion under the tax stimulus plan enacted by Congress this year.
WNDI 2008
5 Elections DA Addendum Neg
Links – Carbon Tax Carbon Tax is popular among tax payers Ronald Bailey, science correspondent for Reason, 5/24/2007, “Carbon Taxes Versus Carbon Markets”, Reason Magazine Online, http://www.reason.com/news/show/120381.html
Although businesses—especially utilities involved in the SO2 market—might initially prefer a carbon market, the price stability promised by carbon taxes should eventually win most companies over. Taxpayers can be brought on board if carbon taxes are used, for instance, to reduce their payroll tax burdens. “The great political advantage of carbon taxes is that they raise large revenues which governments can use to reduce other unpopular and more distorting taxes, or finance popular spending programs,” says Robert Shapiro, who served as undersecretary of commerce for economic affairs under President Clinton and is now a private consultant. As for establishing precise limits on emissions, taxes can be adjusted over time to achieve whatever limits policymakers decide best balance the costs of climate change with the benefits of economic progress. Nordhaus suggests that the optimal carbon tax trajectory, balancing costs and benefits, would start with a tax of about $17 per ton, rising to $84 in 2050 and $270 in 2100. Economist Paul Portney, former president of the Resources for the Future think tank and now dean of Arizona University’s Eller College of Management, proposes starting with a $5-per-ton tax on carbon and raising it by $5 per ton every other year. The first year would raise $9 billion in revenues for the Treasury, rising to $25 billion by 2010 and $75 billion by 2020. A $25per-ton carbon tax translates into a 5 percent increase in average electricity rates and a boost of about 6 cents per gallon of gasoline.
WNDI 2008
6 Elections DA Addendum Neg
Links – SBSP Voters care about science technology Melissa Lafsky, DISCOVER's deputy Web editor. A former practicing attorney in New York City, she has been an associate editor at The Huffington Post and the editor of The New York Times's Freakonomics blog. She has written for The New York Times, The New York Post, and other publications, 7/2/2008, “New Poll Shows Voters Like Science (in Theory, Anyway)”, Discover Science, Technology, and The Future, http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/realitybase/2008/07/02/new-poll-shows-voters-like-science-in-theory-anyway/
Today, Scientists and Engineers for America released the results of a poll intended to gauge whether (and how much) voters care about science, as part of a campaign by SEA and a coalition of scientific societies to highlight the issue in the 2008 election. Of the sample of 1,005 adults, the vast majority agreed that science-based policy decisions on problems like health care and global warming were important, that candidates needed to focus on better science education, and that the respondents would be more likely to vote for a candidate who is committed to meeting energy demands and addressing climate change through investments in science and technology. Heartening results all, though the questions asked leave something to be desired as far as tackling the gap between support for scientific advances and the willingness to pay for them to happen. Voters want solar power Jerome Douglas, 12/1/2006, “U.S. voters mandate shift towards renewable energy”, NaturalNews.com, http://www.naturalnews.com/021222.html California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a law this past September that accelerates the timetable for 20 percent of electricity to come from solar, wind and other clean power sources. The move to renewable energy is gathering steam in several states as voters and governors push electric utilities to generate a set percentage of electricity from clean sources such as wind and solar power. According to the Department of Energy, 20 states and the District of Columbia have approved similar measures that require various percentages of electrical power come from renewable sources by the year 2020. In fact, more and more states are forcing utilities toward wind, solar and other renewable energy sources in order to curb the consumption of coal and natural gas and spur greater U.S. energy independence along the way.
WNDI 2008
7 Elections DA Addendum Neg
Links – SBSP Voters like science technology John Timmer, Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the UC, Berkeley, 7/2/2008, “Poll: US taxpayers want more funding for scientific research”, Ars Technica, http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080702-poll-us-taxpayers-want-more-funding-for-scientificresearch.html
The Scientists and Engineers for America (SEA) released the results of a phone poll performed early in June that show the US public is strongly in favor of addressing many of the country's problems through scientific innovation. Although there were partisan differences on specific issues, majorities in both parties favor dedicating federal funding for scientific research, including that directed to climate change. The poll may help the organization's campaign to get Congressional and Presidential candidates to commit to positions on science policy issues. Strong majorities (roughly 85 percent) favored candidates that supported science education efforts and research directed toward improving healthcare, with a majority of voters saying those candidates were much more likely to get their vote. Nearly 80 percent would support candidates that proposed handling energy issues through scientific research, and 70 percent had a similar opinion on the related issue of climate change. Perhaps most significantly, all of the questions were phrased specifically in terms of spending federal money. When asked more generally about federal funding of science, over 70 percent would support candidates that favored government research funding. At a press conference announcing the poll, Lesley Stone, SEA's Executive Director, said the poll was decisive. "It's really clear to me from the poll that public policy decisions need to be based on science," she said, "that's what the public thinks." Shawn Otto, from Science Debate 2008 went further, suggesting that a preference for scientific solutions to issues have become, "an important part of the American psyche and the American way of life."
WNDI 2008
8 Elections DA Addendum Neg
Links – Ethanol All voter groups favor ethanol GQR (Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research), Public Opinion Strategies, 7/10/2008, Public Support for Ethanol National Survey Results, http://www.ethanolrfa.org/objects/documents/1819/rfa___public_survey_analysis__gqrr.pdf
The pro-ethanol majority is big…and broad. Asked if they favor or oppose continuing to increase use of ethanol, an impressive 59 percent come out in favor, while just 30 percent oppose. Support is even higher (63 percent) among environmentalists. Men and women, older voters and younger voters, high school educated and college graduates, and voters from all regions in the country support this alternative fuel. Most impressive, though, at a time when Democrats and Republicans cannot seem to agree on anything, they agree on the increased use of ethanol. National candidates are advantaged by supporting ethanol. A 50 percent majority of voters describe themselves as more likely to support a candidate for president who supports increasing the use of ethanol. Just 20 percent are less likely and 22 percent argue it would make no difference. This advantage extends to both Obama voters and McCain voters.
WNDI 2008
9 Elections DA Addendum Neg
Links – Hemp Voters like industrial hemp Thomson Reuters, 3/12/2008, “New Poll Shows Strong Voter Support for Industrial Hemp Farming in North Dakota”, http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS227688+12-Mar-2008+PRN20080312
Vote Hemp, the nation's leading grassroots organization working to give farmers the right to grow industrial hemp (the oilseed and fiber varieties of the Cannabis plant), which can be made into food, clothing, paper, body care products, bio-fuel and even auto parts, has released a new poll of 807 likely North Dakota voters about industrial hemp. North Dakota is the only state to implement rules for farmers to grow industrial hemp; however, those farmers are still threatened with federal prosecution and loss of their farms through asset forfeiture if they do so. The telephone poll has a 3.5% margin of error and sampled likely North Dakota voters on February 11, 2008. The survey was conducted by the respected research firm Zogby International on behalf of Vote Hemp and was sponsored by Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps. According to the poll, a total of 74% of North Dakota voters support changing federal law to allow farmers to grow hemp, including 40% who "strongly support" and another 34% who "somewhat support" changes so that farmers in the U.S. can supply manufacturers with hemp seed, oil and fiber. Presently, American companies must import hemp from other countries. Despite the stifling effect that relying on imports has had on the use of hemp in everyday products, the Hemp Industries Association (HIA) estimates that annual retail sales of hemp products in North America exceeded $330 million in 2007. "The poll results released today confirm that there is overwhelming support in North Dakota for federal relief on the issue of industrial hemp," said Vote Hemp President Eric Steenstra. "The state legislature passed bi-partisan hemp farming legislation, Agriculture Commissioner Johnson issued carefullycrafted licensing regulations, and Governor John Hoeven has expressed his support for the effort. Now we need the North Dakota delegation in Congress to help their farmers grow industrial hemp, as the obstacle continues to be the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). We hope that Members of Congress recognize the fact that this issue has broad bi-partisan support in North Dakota and across the U.S. We feel that it is time for North Dakota's congressional delegation to take on this challenging issue," added Steenstra, who met with North Dakota Representative Earl Pomeroy's Chief of Staff last week to discuss the issue. "We hope that evidence of the broad-based support for hemp farming in North Dakota will convince them that they need to learn more about this issue and begin working on a solution."
WNDI 2008
10 Elections DA Addendum Neg
Links – RPS Voters want RPS- 28 states with RPS laws prove U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), June 2007, “States with Renewable Portfolio Standards”, http://www.eere.energy.gov/states/maps/renewable_portfolio_states.cfm A renewable portfolio standard is a state policy that requires electricity providers to obtain a minimum percentage of their power from renewable energy resources by a certain date. Currently there are 24 states plus the District of Columbia that have RPS policies in place. Together these states account for more than half of the electricity sales in the United States. Four other states, Illinois, Missouri, Virginia, and Vermont, have nonbinding goals for adoption of renewable energy instead of an RPS. RPS is popular among major voting groups RenewableEnergyWorld.com, 8/2/2007, “Last Chance: RPS Vote Looming in House”, http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=49528
Business, farm, labor, environmental leaders and congressional members gathered on Capitol Hill this week in a last-minute push to garner support for the National renewable portfolio standard (RPS) legislation up for debate on the U.S. House of Representatives floor. The vote, however, will come down to the wire since Congress will adjourn for its August recess after Friday. Based on a stand-alone measure first introduced in the House in 2002 by Rep. Tom Udall (D-NM), and co-sponsored by Reps. Todd Platts (R. PA), the amendment has since continued gaining broad, bipartisan support. To-date, the legislation has 154 cosponsors.
WNDI 2008
11 Elections DA Addendum Neg
Links - OTEC The public likes OTEC New York Times, RODNEY M. FUJITA, Staff Scientist, Environmental Defense Fund, 6/4/1990, “Ocean Energy Raises Environment Issues”, http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CEEDC1531F937A35755C0A966958260&n=Top/News/Scienc e/Topics/Oceans
Ocean thermal energy conversion is a promising new source of renewable energy (''Tapping Ocean's Cold for Crops and Energy,'' Science Times, May 22). Although the pilot facility in Hawaii you describe has not drawn protests from environmentalists, this does not mean the technology is completely benign. The potential for ecological disruption by ocean thermal energy conversion is enormous. It will work best in tropical regions, where the temperature difference between surface and deep water is greatest. Even when mixed with warm surface water to ameliorate environmental effects, the effluent carries a double shock to tropical marine ecosystems that have evolved within narrow temperature fluctuations and extremely low nutrient levels: the effluent is both cold and rich in nutrients. This effluent is virtually free of disease organisms, which should improve public acceptance. A mariculture system using ocean thermal energy conversion effluent could produce valuable crops and release a nutrient-free, highoxygen, low-carbon effluent at temperatures similar to those of receiving waters, minimizing the environmental impact of discharge and maximizing economic feasibility. People want OTEC Christopher Barry, naval architect and co-chair of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers ad hoc panel on ocean renewable energy. He currently works for the Coast Guard, 7/1/2008, “Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion and CO2 Sequestration”, RenewableEnergyWorld.com, http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/ate/story?id=52762 Other developers have been working on techniques to use the stranded energy, usually by making an energy intensive chemical at sea that can be used as a fuel or to supplant energy
that would otherwise be used to make the chemical. One candidate is ammonia, which currently requires substantial energy to provide the world's need for fertilizers, and can be used as an alternative fuel as well. Another is sodium, made from salt; combining eleven pounds of sodium with water makes one pound of hydrogen. So sodium is potentially a very effective "storage medium" for hydrogen. These developments, plus the growing cost of energy, have people looking again at OTEC.
WNDI 2008
12 Elections DA Addendum Neg
Links – Nuclear Power Voters want nuclear power Bob Moore and Hans Kaiser, 5/18/2008, U.S. Voters and Energy Options, Moore Insights, http://www.moore-info.com/MI_USenergy5.08.pdf
Despite gas prices reaching record levels, voters have not significantly changed their views about how to reduce the United States’ dependence on foreign oil. Furthermore, increasing gas prices do not appear to have a major impact on views about oil and gas exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Yet the idea that nuclear energy does not contribute to global warming increases support for this as an energy option, according to the findings from our April national survey of voters. Following are the details. A majority of voters today say they would favor building nuclear power plants after hearing that nuclear power, like wind and solar energy, is one of the energy sources that does not contribute to global warming (57% favor, 34% oppose). McCain gets popularity for nuclear power JOHN DISTASO, Senior Political Reporter, 7/23/2008, “Energy plan: McCain would open 45 nuclear reactors across country”, Unionleader.com, http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Energy+plan%3A+McCain+would+open+45+nuclear+reactors+ across+country&articleId=3cbeaafc-d7e2-4b68-aefb-1f84c61369f4 McCain, placed by two recent state polls in a dead heat with Barack Obama in this
battleground state, said he would consider the viability of uncapping the long-closed Seabrook Unit 2 to determine if it may fit with his plan to open 45 nuclear reactors across the country by 2030 to help the nation become energy independent. McCain said his energy plan includes aggressive drilling for oil and a push for a new generation of nuclear generating stations. Could his plan include a look at the possibility of uncapping canceled plants, specifically Seabrook Unit 2? "I've been told, and I'm not an expert on it, but I've been told that that may have some viability," McCain said. "But I'd like to look at it some more." He said he had not studied Seabrook closely enough "to know exactly what the viability is." McCain said that in town halls across the country, voters express concern about the economy, "and the most visible issue regarding the economy is the energy situation." He said they "are angry at Congress and the (Bush) administration for not acting." He said that while voters want more off-shore drilling and nuclear power, Obama opposes those options, "so, he's not part of the solution. He's part of the problem."
WNDI 2008
13 Elections DA Addendum Neg
Links – PHEVs 75% of voters want PHEVs and 2/3 will vote for candidates who support them A. Siegel, founding board member of The Energy Consensus and Energize America, 7/12/2008, “A path that can unite America …”, Energy Smart, http://energysmart.wordpress.com/2008/06/12/a-path-that-can-unite-america/
Plug-in-Hybrid-Electric-Vehicles (PHEVs) offer “a path that can unite America,” according to David Sandalow, in his opening talk today to the Google/Brookings Institution two-day conference Plug-In Electric Vehicles 2008: What Role for Washington? Dan Reicher of Google.ORG spoke to Google’s efforts and that they are focusing on what they see as the two most promising arenas for positive and significant chane when it comes to Global Warming: moving transport to electricity (PHEVs) and developing renewable electricity less expensive than coal. The “overall vision”? 10s of millions of vehicles plugging into a greenre grid. Reicher emphasized that government role is one of enabler, perhaps most importantly work on fostering and rapidly implementing a smart grid. He also highlighted that this is politically popular, according to a poll released earlier today, 75% of voters support plug-ins and 2/3rds will vote for candidates who support PHEVs and will pay more to buy a PHEV.
WNDI 2008
14 Elections DA Addendum Neg
Internals – Energy Policy Key Voters want energy policy Ka Uila News, May 2004, “Global Warming- A Primer”, LIFE OF THE LAND, http://www.lifeofthelandhawaii.org/Newsletters/Ka%20Uila%20May%202004.pdf
Three-fourths of voters surveyed want the U.S. government to require power plants and industry to cut emissions linked to global warming, and not rely on voluntary cuts endorsed by the White House, according to a poll released by an environmental group this week. The Zogby survey of 1,008 likely U.S. voters across the nation was commissioned by the Union of Concerned Scientists, an activist group that backs a Senate proposal for strict cuts in industrial emissions of carbon dioxide. Some 76 percent of those surveyed said the U.S. government should set standards requiring power plants, oil refineries and other industries to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Another 16 percent said they supported a voluntary approach, while 8 percent said they were undecided.
WNDI 2008
15 Elections DA Addendum Neg
Internals – Environmental Policy key Environmental policy is key to the election Al Meyerhoff , Past Director of the Natural Resources Defense Council ("NRDC") Public Health Program, environmental lawyer, July 21, 2008 “The Next Green President”, The Huffington Post, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/al-meyerhoff/the-next-green-president_b_114091.html
In past elections, the environment has been viewed by some voters and most media as "fringe", "soft," or "marginal." During Clinton's campaign, it was "the economy stupid." Al Gore ignored the environment while running in 2000; in 2004 it cost John Kerry West Virginia. Republicans and Democrats alike say they are "pro-environment." Who wants to be pro-polluter? While dismantling the EPA, President Reagan often "wore green," usually holding an axe or sitting on a horse. Even George W. Bush claimed the title. But not this time. The environment is primed to be center stage in November. The debate will not be about saving pelicans -- or even polar bears. It will be about saving ourselves. Floods in the Midwest, droughts from Georgia to California, a disappearing arctic, $5.00 a gallon gasoline -- and radically different visions from the candidates - are combining to make it a wedge issue. This election season, there will be no ducking (no pun intended) the environment. Both Obama and McCain will be required to address -- with specifics -how they will clean up the Bush mess - and, where they intend to lead the country. FDR had his New Deal in the 1930's. What is the Obama or McCain Green Deal for 2008? Are their promises of change real or illusory?
WNDI 2008
16 Elections DA Addendum Neg
McCain Bad – Economy McCains Stance on Iraq ensures a worse economy Associated Press, 3-8-2008, WASHINGTON (AP), 3/8/2008 11:50 AM, http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-03-08-demsaddress_N.htm Speaking on behalf of the Democratic Party, an Iraq combat veteran said Saturday that apparent GOP nominee John McCain should not win the presidential election because he would continue the war in Iraq. Roger Martinez, who served as an Army ranger in Afghanistan and Iraq, noted in the Democrats' weekly radio address that President Bush endorsed McCain this week. Bush said McCain "won't flinch in the face of danger" and McCain strongly supports the U.S. efforts in Iraq. Electing a leader who would continue Bush's policies in Iraq would be a mistake, Martinez said. "Our country and our armed services cannot afford another leader like President Bush who would keep our overstretched military in Iraq for 100 years while ignoring the other threats our country faces both at home and around the world." McCain has said that U.S. troops could be in Iraq for many years if those troops were no longer being injured or killed. "I honor and thank John McCain for his years of military service to our country," said Martinez, who is studying at the University of Texas at San Antonio. "But I don't think he offers the right leadership on Iraq or understands how to reinvigorate our economy here at home." Martinez said U.S. troops are fighting bravely, "but no matter what they do they cannot solve the political problems in Iraq." The next commander in chief needs to promise to make the fight against al-Qaeda in Afghanistan a greater priority than the war in Iraq, Martinez said. McCain Stance on Econ Ensures Continuation of Current Economic Practices The huffington post march 21 2008 In the past 24 hours, Dick Cheney has been in Baghdad, calling the Iraq War a "successful endeavor." John McCain's there too, and actually uttered those four magic words, "the surge is working," which only differs from Cheney's analysis in the scary possibility that McCain might actually believe it. Then again, maybe Cheney's pronouncement can be chalked up to youthful exuberance -- after all, he's almost 5 years younger than McCain. And then there's that other possibility, the one that's starting to scare me: That by a certain neocon definition, Iraq is a success. What if the war in Iraq did go on for 100 years, as McCain suggested it might? What are we looking at? An entire century of ever-increasing military spending, necessitating deep cuts in all other government programs -- like public education and health care and all that other sissy stuff. A staging ground for ten decades of warfare with Islamist militants, for whom the place is becoming a terrorist fantasy camp ("Come to Iraq and fight real Americans in your own back yard! Get your picture taken with real al Qaeda pros! Learn the fundamentals of blowing yourself up!"). And endless, lucrative contracts for American companies that support the war effort, from Grumman to Raytheon to -- of course -- Halliburton. Companies that in the absence of a Cold War might otherwise see their prospects dwindling. What about that is not a success, by neocon standards? I've been scoffing at it for so long that think I missed the point. It's not a question of if the surge is working -it's about whom it's working for.
WNDI 2008
17 Elections DA Addendum Neg
McCain Bad – Economy McCain wont restore the economy WASHINGTON (AP), 3/8/2008 11:50 AM, http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-03-08-demsaddress_N.htm Martinez said McCain also is out of touch with families like his own. "He says the economy is strong” but how can he not see that families like mine are struggling to pay for out-of-control health care costs, home heating bills, gasoline and college tuition," Martinez said McCain, who has said economics isn't his strong suit, said Friday tax cuts and job training are needed to lift an economy that is either in recession or is headed toward one. He was responding to a report showing widespread job losses amid the housing and credit crisis. Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
WNDI 2008
18 Elections DA Addendum Neg
McCain Bad – Roe McCain Is For Overturning Roe V. Wade Judith Faucette, Jul 15, 2008 http://feminism.suite101.com/article.cfm/senator_mccains_stance_on_womens_issues http://www.suite101.com/ Women's Health and Reproductive Issues One sticking point for women opposed to McCain's candidacy the fact that he has repeatedly stated his opposition to Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that declared a woman's right to choose whether or not to have an abortion. With several aging justices on the "left side" of the bench, an anti-choice candidate could have an opportunity to replace one of those justices with someone in favor of overturning Roe or further restricting the abortion right, which stands on tenuous ground in some areas. According to a 2008 Planned Parenthood report, McCain has also voted against related measures dealing with reproductive health, including a 2003 vote against requiring insurance companies to cover oral contraceptives (birth control) and a 2005 vote against providing emergency contraception for rape survivors. He has indicated support for the global gag rule, opposition to comprehensive sex education, and opposition to federal funding to prevent teen pregnancies. He voted in favor of the Vitter Amendment, which would de-fund Planned Parenthood. Roe V. Wade is Key to Stopping thousands of Medical Complications Judith Faucette, Jul 15, 2008 http://feminism.suite101.com/article.cfm/senator_mccains_stance_on_womens_issues http://www.suite101.com/ Back-Alley Abortions. The prohibition of legal abortion from the 1880s until 1973 came under the same anti-obscenity or Comstock laws that prohibited the dissemination of birth control information and services. Criminalization of abortion did not reduce the numbers of women who sought abortions. In the years before Roe v. Wade, the estimates of illegal abortions ranged as high as 1.2 million per year.1 Although accurate records could not be kept, it is known that between the 1880s and 1973, many thousands of women were harmed as a result of illegal abortion. Many women died or suffered serious medical problems after attempting to self-induce their abortions or going to untrained practitioners who performed abortions with primitive methods or in unsanitary conditions. During this time, hospital emergency room staff treated thousands of women who either died or were suffering terrible effects of abortions provided without adequate skill and care. Some women were able to obtain relatively safer, although still illegal, abortions from private doctors. This practice remained prevalent for the first half of the twentieth century. The rate of reported abortions then began to decline, partly because doctors faced increased scrutiny from their peers and hospital administrators concerned about the legality of their operations. back to top Liberalization of Abortion Laws Between 1967 and 1973 one-third of the states liberalized or repealed their criminal abortion laws. However, the right to have an abortion in all states was only made available to American women in 1973 when the Supreme Court struck down the remaining restrictive state laws with its ruling in Roe v. Wade.
WNDI 2008
19 Elections DA Addendum Neg
McCain Drilling McCain would life the drilling ban Michael D. Shear, 6-20-2008 http://www.washingtonpost.com/ Democrats are not about to let Sen. John McCain's support for offshore oil drilling go unnoticed. In a letter to McCain, Rep. Rahm Emanuel of Chicago asks McCain to "clarify" his position on drilling in the Great Lakes, which, Emanuel points out, are bordered by "Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin." "As you are undoubtedly aware, in 2005 a bipartisan majority in Congress enacted a permanent ban on drilling for oil and gas in the Great Lakes," Emanuel wrote. "Drilling in the Great Lakes would adversely affect millions of Americans in the eight states that border these lakes, further endanger the ecological web and threaten the beauty of our shores." He continues: "Seeing as you signed a pledge to preserve and restore the Great Lakes during your primary campaign, I hope your newfound stance on offshore drilling will not be followed by support for drilling in the Great Lakes." McCain's position on drilling is actually to lift the federal ban, giving states the right to do what they want. Presumably, the states around the Great Lakes are not likely to drill anytime soon. But that is a distinction that Emanuel ignores in the letter. In an interview, Emanuel said that he listed the states that surround the Great Lakes because "I just want to help, in case geography wasn't where he got an 'A.'" He said that 30 million people get their drinking water from the Great Lakes, and said that public opinion is firmly against drilling. Despite the ban on drilling in the Great Lakes, Canada allows drilling from its beaches into the oil reserves under the lakes, he said.