For many Americans, it's more lucrative to stay unemployed and collect welfare entitlements than to work.

Welfare / Incentives

Reasons to Agree:

🔗 Reasons Database

1. Welfare Pays More Than Low-Wage Jobs – Some studies suggest that government assistance provides more disposable income than minimum-wage employment.
2. Welfare Cliff Effect – Many welfare programs reduce benefits as income increases, sometimes at a rate that discourages full-time work.
3. Labor Market Participation Decline – Expanded welfare benefits post-pandemic have correlated with a decrease in workforce participation in some sectors.

---

Reasons to Disagree:

🔗 Reasons Database

1. Many Welfare Recipients Already Work – Most able-bodied adults on welfare already have jobs but remain eligible due to low wages and high living costs.
2. Work Requirements Exist in Most Programs – Programs like TANF and SNAP require work participation, limiting long-term dependency.
3. Flawed Comparisons – Some studies compare gross wages to total welfare benefits, without factoring in taxes, childcare, and transportation costs.

---

Evidence That Agrees:

🔗 Evidence Scores

1. Gary Alexander’s Chart (Pennsylvania Welfare Secretary) – Suggests that in some cases, welfare recipients have more disposable income than full-time workers.
2. Cato Institute Study (2013) – Found that in 35 states, welfare benefits exceeded full-time minimum wage earnings.

---

Evidence That Disagrees:

🔗 Evidence Scores

1. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) Report – Welfare recipients rarely receive all possible benefits simultaneously.
2. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Data – Most able-bodied welfare recipients do work but have jobs with low wages and inconsistent hours.

---

Most Likely Benefits of Accepting This Belief:

🔗 Most Likely Benefits

1. Encourages Workforce Participation – If welfare is reduced or restructured, more individuals may seek employment over dependency.
2. Economic Growth – A larger workforce contributes to higher GDP and lower government spending on social programs.
3. Lower Tax Burden – A reduction in welfare programs may allow for tax cuts or reallocating funds to other areas like infrastructure or education.

---

Most Likely Costs of Accepting This Belief:

🔗 Most Likely Costs

1. Increased Poverty and Hardship – Cutting welfare without raising wages or creating better jobs may push more families into poverty.
2. Strain on Local Governments and Charities – If federal aid decreases, nonprofits and state-level programs may struggle to fill the gap.
3. Higher Turnover in Low-Wage Jobs – Pushing people off welfare without sustainable job opportunities may increase job instability.

---

Books That Agree:

🔗 Books

• "Losing Ground: American Social Policy, 1950-1980" – Charles Murray
• "The Tragedy of American Compassion" – Marvin Olasky

---

Books That Disagree:

🔗 Books

• "Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City" – Matthew Desmond
• "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" – Barbara Ehrenreich

---

Laws That Agree:

🔗 Local, Federal, and International Laws

• 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act – Enforced work requirements and time limits on welfare.
• Right-to-Work Laws – Promote employment and limit government dependency.

---

Laws That Disagree:

🔗 Local, Federal, and International Laws

• Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) – Ensures a minimum wage, but critics argue it's not enough to replace welfare benefits.
• Affordable Care Act (ACA) – Expanded Medicaid eligibility, reducing incentives to leave welfare for low-wage jobs without benefits.

---

Songs That Agree:

🔗 Songs That Agree

• "Take This Job and Shove It" – Johnny Paycheck
• "Welfare Cadillac" – Guy Drake

---

Songs That Disagree:

🔗 Songs That Agree

• "9 to 5" – Dolly Parton
• "Working Class Hero" – John Lennon

---

Web Pages That Agree:

🔗 Web Pages

• Cato Institute Reports on Welfare Reform
• Heritage Foundation Research on Welfare Incentives

---

Web Pages That Disagree:

🔗 Web Pages

• CBPP Reports Debunking Welfare Myths
• Brookings Institution Research on Work and Welfare

---

Images That Agree:

🔗 Images That Agree

• Charts comparing welfare benefits to wages.
• Infographics from conservative think tanks on welfare disincentives.

---

Images That Disagree:

🔗 Images That Agree

• Graphs showing workforce participation among welfare recipients.
• Cost-of-living comparisons explaining welfare necessity.

---

Supporting Media (Movies, Videos, Podcasts):

🔗 Media

Videos That Agree:

• "Welfare Reform: The Case for Work" – Heritage Foundation
• "The Welfare Trap Explained" – PragerU

Videos That Disagree:

• "The Myth of the Welfare Queen" – Vox
• "Why People Stay on Welfare" – PBS Frontline

---

Best Objective Criteria for Assessing This Belief:

🔗 Objective Criteria Scores

1. Disposable income comparisons between welfare recipients and workers.
2. Studies on workforce participation rates among welfare recipients.
3. Longitudinal analysis of welfare recipients transitioning into employment.

James is tall and growing fast (+0, unresolved)

Background 
Megan took James to his yearly doctors appointment. James was cute, and asked many time: "what are you doing to me". He didn't try to stop the nurse when she gave him the nasal inhaler flu shot.

James is tall and growing fast (+1, unresolved)

Best reasons to agree: +3

1. He is in the 95.72 percentile. This means of 100 kids, 4.28 of them would be taller. 
2. He gained 7 lbs, and 3" this year. 
3. We could say that we are using the McDonald's systems of measurement: small, medium, and large. Using these categories we could sort of "grade on a curve" and decide 33% of people are small, 33% of people are average, and 33% of people are tall. James, at 95.72 percentile, would be in the "tall" category as long as the sample population is limited to people born in O4. 
4. James has doubled his size in just a few years. The universe will take billions of years to double its size. Therefore, James is growing fast. 

Best reasons to agree: -2

1. Some pumpkins can grow 40 lbs a day. All things being relative, James is not growing fast.
2. Robert Pershing Wadlow was 8'-11". All things being relative, James is not tall. 

Best Images that agree: -1

1. 

Opposing Values between those who agree and disagree:

1. 
   

Interest of those who agree:

1. 
   

Interest of those who agree:

1. 
   

Score:

# of reasons to agree: +4

# of reasons to disagree: -3

# of reasons to agree with reasons to agree: +0

# of reasons to agree with reasons to disagree: -0

Total Idea Score: +1

Explanation: 

I'm looking for items from everyday life that I can turn into conclusions, with evidence to support them. 

I hate it when people state opinion as facts, and don't have evidence to support their beliefs. And so at the risk of sounding weird, I'll give my evidence to believe the above conclusion. 

See here for an explanation of my plan. 

Feds

Governments are inefficient

Reasons to agree:

1. Governments are monopolistic, and monopolies (lack of competition) lead to inefficiency. People are less strongly motivated to improve when they have a monopoly.
2. Big organizations are difficult to change, and change is needed to continually ensure that they maximize efficiency. Very few organizations can stay efficient over time. Only one Fortunee 100 company from 1900 is still on the list.
3. Governments tend to have inefficient policies. 
4. Governments don't have to be efficient to get money, and Organizations that don't have to be efficient will not choose to be efficient.t 
5. Very few organizationcanto stay efficient over time. 
6. Governments don't reward efficiency, and neither do the private sector. 
7. Governments don't punish inefficiencies, and neither does the private sector. Businesses that aren't efficient go out of business.

Images that agree

Web-pages that agree:

1. https://docs.google.com/drawings/pub?id=1uDYJdsIZK8CD-4VzrlwAH2KbvtX7-x8f9MJyK3o33Zc&w=2090&h=1428

The federal government should return power to the states and the people

Reasons to agree:

1. The federal government does many things that the states can do better. 
2. The federal government should not duplicate things the states do better. 
3. It is wrong for one state to get free stuff, and make another state pay for it. 
4. Money should be used as closely to the place that it was raised as possible.
5. The federal government should mostly only do things that the individual states all agree are OK.

The Republican party has taken a fairly radical position on things like freedom of and from religion

Reasons to agree: +

1. 
   

Reasons to disagree: -

1. It was radical of Democrats to remove any reference to God from their platform. Radical means outside of the majority. Most Americans think it is OK to reference God periodically and are right. After World War, we had to prosecute war criminals. It is hard to prosecute people in a war, because they take an oath to do what their leaders tell them. We felt that when we pledged allegiance to our country that it was wrong to pledge absolute allegiance, and it is. We shouldn't hand our brain and soul to our government. We should promise to do what our country tells us to do, as long our our country is acting within a moral code. The most efficient way of accomplishing this is to ask each person to promise to support the country, as long as the country is doing what they think someone they want to worship is OK with that support. 
2. You can disagree with official school prayers, but still think the Democrats went to far by removing any reference to God from their platform. 
3. Sure, Mike Huckabee and Rich Santorum mixed religion and politics too much, but so did Reverend Wright.

Score:

# of reasons to agree: +3

# of reasons to disagree: -0

# of reasons to agree with reasons to agree: +0

# of reasons to agree with reasons to disagree: -0

Total Idea Score: +3

Don't like the score? It is easy to change the score. Just post a reason to agree or disagree with the overall idea, or any of the reasons and the score will change.

===============================================================

Images

Images that agree: +

1. 
   

Images that disagree: -

1. Leave a comment with a link to a photo, and I'll add it. 

===============================================================

Websites

Website that agree: +

1. http://www.nationalreview.com/
2. http://townhall.com/
3. http://www.newsmax.com/
4. http://www.gop.com/
5. http://www.nrcc.org/
6. http://www.texasgop.org/

Websites that disagree: -

1. http://www.democrats.org/

===============================================================

Videos

Videos That agree: +

1. Religulous by Bill Maher

Videos That disagree: -

1. The South Park episode about Richard Dawkins

===============================================================

Interest

Valid Interest of those who agree: + (help me put the more valid interest towards the top of the lists)

1. An honest support of the Separation of Church and State
2. Emotional validating their decision to not be religious. (I can reject your beliefs and still be a good person). 
3. Group solidarity. (I am going to signal solidarity with my friends and family, who have also chosen similar paths by publicly criticizing those who have made other decisions.)
4. The desire to disagree with tradition. The desire to say that you are smarter than people that went before. The desire to make something new. 

Valid Interest of those who disagree: - (help me put the more valid interest towards the top of the lists)

1. Not throwing out the baby with the bath water. Our country was pretty good for a long time, why do we have to change everything all of a sudden? 
2. If you can't afford to send your kids to elite private schools, or get them a good start on life, perhaps the best way to ensure they don't mess things up too bad is to try to raise them up in a faith that keeps them from making bad mistakes. The belief that public confessions of faith will help guide your kids, and keep them out of trouble. 
3. Emotionally validating their decision to be religious (my decision to be religious proves that I am a good person. I am going to signal solidarity with my friends and family, who have also chosen similar paths by publicly criticizing those who have made other decisions). 
4. The desire to stick with tradition.
5. The desire to stick with a decision made early in life. Emotional investment. I have being saying these things so long, that I believe them, and it is too hard to change now. This is part of who I am. This is what I have told people I believe. I can't just go changing all the time. 

Common Valid Interest:

1. 
   

Opposing Valid Interest:

1. The desire to do the math required to figure out that we are headed towards a fiscal cliff. 
2. The desire to face our problems, or pretend they don't exist. 

===============================================================

Podcast

Podcast that agree: +

1. http://www.learnoutloud.com/Podcast-Directory/Politics/Conservative-Politics

Podcast that disagree: -

1. http://www.learnoutloud.com/Podcast-Directory/Politics/Liberal-Politics

===============================================================

Experts

Unbiased Experts who agree: +

1. 
   

Unbiased Experts who disagree: -

1. 
   

===============================================================

Books

Books that agree: +

1. 
   

Books that  disagree: -

1. 
   

===============================================================

Miscellaneous

Related arguments:

Big governments are inefficient +3

Reasons

Reasons to agree: +

1. Most government agencies have no competition and are monopolies. Monopolies and lack of competition lead to inefficiency.
2. Governments often base this years budget on last years budget. 
3. It is inefficient to base this years budget on last years budget. 

Reasons to disagree: -

1. Leave a comment so I can add a reason.

Score:

# of reasons to agree: +3

# of reasons to disagree: -0

# of reasons to agree with reasons to agree: +0

# of reasons to agree with reasons to disagree: -0

Total Idea Score: +3

Don't like the score? It is easy to change the score. Just post a reason to agree or disagree with the overall idea, or any of the reasons and the score will change.

===============================================================

Images

Images that agree: +

1. https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/19MpWsq5Olm3pOYlEdv2S8s58xeEh5FqcV-VDpp-O3cI/edit
2. 
   

Images that disagree: -

1. Leave a comment with a link to a photo, and I'll add it. 

===============================================================

Websites

Website that agree: +

1. http://www.nationalreview.com/
2. http://townhall.com/
3. http://www.newsmax.com/
4. http://www.gop.com/
5. http://www.nrcc.org/
6. http://www.texasgop.org/

Websites that disagree: -

1. http://www.democrats.org/

===============================================================

Videos

Videos That agree: +

Videos That disagree: -

1. Leave a comment so I can add a reason.

===============================================================

Interest

Valid Interest of those who agree: +

1. 
   

Valid Interest of those who disagree: -

1. 
   

Common Valid Interest:

1. 
   

Opposing Valid Interest:

1. The desire to do the math required to figure out that we are headed towards a fiscal cliff. 
2. The desire to face our problems, or pretend they don't exist. 

===============================================================

Podcast

Podcast that agree: +

1. http://www.learnoutloud.com/Podcast-Directory/Politics/Conservative-Politics

Podcast that disagree: -

1. http://www.learnoutloud.com/Podcast-Directory/Politics/Liberal-Politics

===============================================================

Experts

Unbiased Experts who agree: +

1. 
   

Unbiased Experts who disagree: -

1. 
   

===============================================================

Books

Books that agree: +

1. After America: Get Ready for Armageddon by Mark Steyn
2. Ameritopia: The Unmaking of America by Mark R Levin
3. Mugged: Racial Demagoguery from the Seventies to Obama by Ann Coulter

Books that  disagree: -

1. 
   

===============================================================

Miscellaneous

Related arguments:

The federal government should be as small as possible +10

Reasons

Reasons to agree: +

1. Big governments are inefficient. +3
2. Governments that promise the most often end up giving the least. 
3. Forced tax collections are bad 
4. Large governments require forced tax collection Power is bad. 
5. Large governments are powerful 
6. New presidents should be able to take the federal government in a new direction.
7. If the federal government is too big and complex no one can change it, and it takes on a life of its own.

Reasons to disagree: -

1. Leave a comment so I can add a reason.

Score:

# of reasons to agree: +7

# of reasons to disagree: -0

# of reasons to agree with reasons to agree: +3

# of reasons to agree with reasons to disagree: -0

Total Idea Score: +10

Don't like the score? It is easy to change the score. Just post a reason to agree or disagree with the overall idea, or any of the reasons and the score will change.

===============================================================

Images

Images that agree: +

1. https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/19MpWsq5Olm3pOYlEdv2S8s58xeEh5FqcV-VDpp-O3cI/edit
2. 
   

Images that disagree: -

1. Leave a comment with a link to a photo, and I'll add it. 

===============================================================

Websites

Website that agree: +

1. http://www.nationalreview.com/
2. http://townhall.com/
3. http://www.newsmax.com/
4. http://www.gop.com/
5. http://www.nrcc.org/
6. http://www.texasgop.org/

Websites that disagree: -

1. http://www.democrats.org/

===============================================================

Videos

Videos That agree: +

Videos That disagree: -

1. Leave a comment so I can add a reason.

===============================================================

Interest

Valid Interest of those who agree: +

1. 
   

Valid Interest of those who disagree: -

1. 
   

Common Valid Interest:

1. 
   

Opposing Valid Interest:

1. The desire to do the math required to figure out that we are headed towards a fiscal cliff. 
2. The desire to face our problems, or pretend they don't exist. 

===============================================================

Podcast

Podcast that agree: +

1. http://www.learnoutloud.com/Podcast-Directory/Politics/Conservative-Politics

Podcast that disagree: -

1. http://www.learnoutloud.com/Podcast-Directory/Politics/Liberal-Politics

===============================================================

Experts

Unbiased Experts who agree: +

1. 
   

Unbiased Experts who disagree: -

1. 
   

===============================================================

Books

Books that agree: +

1. After America: Get Ready for Armageddon by Mark Steyn
2. Ameritopia: The Unmaking of America by Mark R Levin
3. Mugged: Racial Demagoguery from the Seventies to Obama by Ann Coulter

Books that  disagree: -

1. 
   

===============================================================

Miscellaneous

Related arguments:

Belief: The US Federal Government is Too Big

Reasons to Agree:

1. The Federal Government Should Be as Small as Possible – A smaller government reduces bureaucracy, limits overreach, and encourages efficiency.

   • Reduced Bureaucracy: Less government involvement streamlines processes and reduces red tape.

   • Limited Overreach: A smaller federal government is less likely to intrude on individual liberties and state autonomy.

   • Increased Efficiency: Reduced scope can lead to more focused and efficient government operations.

   • Lower Taxes: Potentially lower taxes due to reduced government spending.

   • Economic Growth: Less regulation and lower taxes can stimulate economic growth.

2. The Federal Government Should Return Power to the States and the People – Decentralization allows states to create policies more tailored to their unique populations and needs.

   • Tailored Policies: States can create policies more specifically suited to their diverse populations and local needs.

   • Increased Responsiveness: State and local governments may be more responsive to their citizens.

   • Policy Innovation: States can experiment with different policies that could be adopted nationally if successful.

   • Reduced Federal Control: Shifting power away from the federal government empowers states and communities to make their own decisions.

---

Reasons to Disagree:

1. The Federal Government Plays a Necessary Role in Addressing National Issues:

   • National Standards: The federal government ensures nationwide protections for civil rights, workplace safety, and environmental regulations.

   • Interstate Issues: Many issues like climate change, national security, and interstate commerce require federal coordination.

   • Economic Stability: The federal government plays a role in managing the national economy, stabilizing markets, and implementing fiscal policies.

   • Social Safety Nets: Federal programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid protect vulnerable populations.

   • Infrastructure and Research: Large-scale infrastructure projects and scientific research benefit from federal funding and coordination.

2. A Larger Federal Government Can Be More Effective and Equitable:

   • Economies of Scale: Government functions like defense and Social Security can be more efficiently managed at a federal level.

   • Redistribution and Equity: The federal government can address economic inequality across states.

   • Preventing a "Race to the Bottom": Without federal oversight, states may lower regulations to attract businesses, harming citizens.

   • Protecting Minority Rights: The federal government plays a crucial role in ensuring equal treatment under the law.

---

Score:

• # of reasons to agree: +2

• # of reasons to disagree: -2

• # of reasons to agree with reasons to agree: +0

• # of reasons to agree with reasons to disagree: +0

• Total Idea Score: 0

Don't like the score? It is easy to change the score. Just post a reason to agree or disagree with the overall idea, or any of the reasons, and the score will change.

---

Images

Images That Agree: +

1. Link to image

Images That Disagree: -

1. Leave a comment with a link to a photo, and I'll add it.

---

Websites

Websites That Agree: +

1. National Review

2. Town Hall

3. Newsmax

4. GOP

5. NRCC

6. Texas GOP

Websites That Disagree: -

1. Democratic National Committee

---

Videos

Videos That Agree: +

1. Milton Friedman - Why Government Is the Problem - Free To Choose Network

2. The Danger of Big Government - PragerU

Videos That Disagree: -

1. The Case for Big Government - The Young Turks

2. Why We Need Big Government - Second Thought

---

Books

Books That Agree: +

• After America: Get Ready for Armageddon by Mark Steyn

• Ameritopia: The Unmaking of America by Mark R. Levin

• Mugged: Racial Demagoguery from the Seventies to Obama by Ann Coulter

• The Road to Serfdom by F.A. Hayek

• Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell

Books That Disagree: -

• The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better by Richard G. Wilkinson and Kate Pickett

• Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty

---

Interest / Motivation

Valid Interest of Those Who Agree: +

1. Efficiency

2. Individual Liberty

3. Limited Government

4. Fiscal Responsibility

5. Free Markets

Valid Interest of Those Who Disagree: -

1. Government Safety Nets

2. Social Justice and Equality

3. Public Services

4. Regulation and Oversight

5. Collective Action

Common Valid Interest:

1. American Strength

Opposing Valid Interest:

1. Fiscal Responsibility vs. Social Needs

2. Individualism vs. Collectivism

3. Trust in Government

---

Miscellaneous

Related Arguments:

• Federalism and States' Rights

• Economic Regulation vs. Free Markets

• The Role of Government in History

We should cut federal government spending.

Reasons

Reasons to agree: +

1. The USA federal government is too big. +10
   
2. Spending is out of control.

Reasons to disagree: -

1. Leave a comment so I can add a reason.

Score:

# of reasons to agree: +2

# of reasons to disagree: -0

# of reasons to agree with reasons to agree: +10

# of reasons to agree with reasons to disagree: -0

Total Idea Score: +12

Don't like the score? It is easy to change the score. Just post a reason to agree or disagree with the overall idea, or any of the reasons and the score will change.

===============================================================

Images

Images that agree: +

1. 

Images that disagree: -

1. Leave a comment with a link to a photo, and I'll add it. 

===============================================================

Websites

Website that agree: +

1. http://www.nationalreview.com/
2. http://townhall.com/
3. http://www.newsmax.com/
4. http://www.gop.com/
5. http://www.nrcc.org/
6. http://www.texasgop.org/

Websites that disagree: -

1. http://www.democrats.org/

===============================================================

Videos

Videos That agree: +

Videos That disagree: -

1. Leave a comment so I can add a reason.

===============================================================

Interest

Valid Interest of those who agree: +

1. Balancing the budget
2. Avoiding financial meltdown
3. Avoiding leaving debt for our kids

Valid Interest of those who disagree: -

1. Getting free stuff
2. Getting "mine"
3. Getting "my fair share"

Common Valid Interest:

1. 
   

Opposing Valid Interest:

1. The desire to do the math required to figure out that we are headed towards a fiscal cliff. 
2. The desire to face our problems, or pretend they don't exist. 

===============================================================

Podcast

Podcast that agree: +

1. http://www.learnoutloud.com/Podcast-Directory/Politics/Conservative-Politics

Podcast that disagree: -

1. http://www.learnoutloud.com/Podcast-Directory/Politics/Liberal-Politics

===============================================================

Experts

Unbiased Experts who agree: +

1. 
   

Unbiased Experts who disagree: -

===============================================================

Books

Books that agree: +

1. After America: Get Ready for Armageddon by Mark Steyn
2. Ameritopia: The Unmaking of America by Mark R Levin
3. Mugged: Racial Demagoguery from the Seventies to Obama by Ann Coulter

Books that  disagree: -

1. 
   

===============================================================

Miscellaneous

Related arguments:

Belief: The US Federal Government is Too Big

Reasons to Agree:

1. The Federal Government Should Be as Small as Possible – A smaller government reduces bureaucracy, limits overreach, and encourages efficiency.

   • Reduced Bureaucracy: Less government involvement streamlines processes and reduces red tape.

   • Limited Overreach: A smaller federal government is less likely to intrude on individual liberties and state autonomy.

   • Increased Efficiency: Reduced scope can lead to more focused and efficient government operations.

   • Lower Taxes: Potentially lower taxes due to reduced government spending.

   • Economic Growth: Less regulation and lower taxes can stimulate economic growth.

2. The Federal Government Should Return Power to the States and the People – Decentralization allows states to create policies more tailored to their unique populations and needs.

   • Tailored Policies: States can create policies more specifically suited to their diverse populations and local needs.

   • Increased Responsiveness: State and local governments may be more responsive to their citizens.

   • Policy Innovation: States can experiment with different policies that could be adopted nationally if successful.

   • Reduced Federal Control: Shifting power away from the federal government empowers states and communities to make their own decisions.

---

Reasons to Disagree:

1. The Federal Government Plays a Necessary Role in Addressing National Issues:

   • National Standards: The federal government ensures nationwide protections for civil rights, workplace safety, and environmental regulations.

   • Interstate Issues: Many issues like climate change, national security, and interstate commerce require federal coordination.

   • Economic Stability: The federal government plays a role in managing the national economy, stabilizing markets, and implementing fiscal policies.

   • Social Safety Nets: Federal programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid protect vulnerable populations.

   • Infrastructure and Research: Large-scale infrastructure projects and scientific research benefit from federal funding and coordination.

2. A Larger Federal Government Can Be More Effective and Equitable:

   • Economies of Scale: Government functions like defense and Social Security can be more efficiently managed at a federal level.

   • Redistribution and Equity: The federal government can address economic inequality across states.

   • Preventing a "Race to the Bottom": Without federal oversight, states may lower regulations to attract businesses, harming citizens.

   • Protecting Minority Rights: The federal government plays a crucial role in ensuring equal treatment under the law.

---

Score:

• # of reasons to agree: +2

• # of reasons to disagree: -2

• # of reasons to agree with reasons to agree: +0

• # of reasons to agree with reasons to disagree: +0

• Total Idea Score: 0

Don't like the score? It is easy to change the score. Just post a reason to agree or disagree with the overall idea, or any of the reasons, and the score will change.

---

Images

Images That Agree: +

1. Link to image

Images That Disagree: -

1. Leave a comment with a link to a photo, and I'll add it.

---

Websites

Websites That Agree: +

1. National Review

2. Town Hall

3. Newsmax

4. GOP

5. NRCC

6. Texas GOP

Websites That Disagree: -

1. Democratic National Committee

---

Videos

Videos That Agree: +

1. Milton Friedman - Why Government Is the Problem - Free To Choose Network

2. The Danger of Big Government - PragerU

Videos That Disagree: -

1. The Case for Big Government - The Young Turks

2. Why We Need Big Government - Second Thought

---

Books

Books That Agree: +

• After America: Get Ready for Armageddon by Mark Steyn

• Ameritopia: The Unmaking of America by Mark R. Levin

• Mugged: Racial Demagoguery from the Seventies to Obama by Ann Coulter

• The Road to Serfdom by F.A. Hayek

• Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell

Books That Disagree: -

• The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better by Richard G. Wilkinson and Kate Pickett

• Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty

---

Interest / Motivation

Valid Interest of Those Who Agree: +

1. Efficiency

2. Individual Liberty

3. Limited Government

4. Fiscal Responsibility

5. Free Markets

Valid Interest of Those Who Disagree: -

1. Government Safety Nets

2. Social Justice and Equality

3. Public Services

4. Regulation and Oversight

5. Collective Action

Common Valid Interest:

1. American Strength

Opposing Valid Interest:

1. Fiscal Responsibility vs. Social Needs

2. Individualism vs. Collectivism

3. Trust in Government

---

Miscellaneous

Related Arguments:

• Federalism and States' Rights

• Economic Regulation vs. Free Markets

• The Role of Government in History

You should try to convince your kids to not use drugs

Best reasons to agree: +5

1. Drugs addiction will often kill you.
2. Drugs addiction often causes people to live on the street. 
3. Drugs will often cause you to steel from and lie to your family.
4. Drugs will addict you. Addiction takes control of your life. It is bad to loose control of your life.
5. In general most parents should tell their kids not to use drugs. Obviously there is a right and a wrong way to do it. You should wait until they are the right age, but not too long. If you are struggling with your kids, and they have no respect for you, perhaps you should find someone that they respect more. 

Best reasons to disagree: -5

1. All kids will rebel to some degree against their parents. This is a natural process of finding yourself, and creating your own separate identity. By telling your kids not to use drugs this creates a situation when they will have a physiological or emotional reason to do the opposite.  
2. Telling kids not to use drugs only peaks their interest. 
3. Most kids are smart enough to figure out not to use drugs themselves.
4. The schools will teach your kids what they need to know about drugs. They have training about these subjects. 
5. You shouldn't just "try and convince them". You should do random drug tests if you have any suspicions. You need to ensure they have good friends. You need to do specific things to ensure they are not using drugs, especially the important long term things of developing long term relationships with them... 
6. Kids use drugs for specific reasons: to fit in, and because they have psychological problems. If you keep them from having psychological problems or needing to be accepted by stupid people, they will naturally avoid drugs. 

Score:

# of reasons to agree: +4

# of reasons to disagree: -5

# of reasons to agree with reasons to agree: +0

# of reasons to agree with reasons to disagree: -0

Total Idea Score: -1

Don't like the score? It is easy to change the score. Just post a reason to agree or disagree with the overall idea, or any of the reasons and the score will change.

                                                                                      
Best books that agree: +

1.  

                                                                                      

Best podcast that agree: +

1. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00w949w

                                                                                      

Best songs that agree: +

1. Might as well be walking on the sun by Smash Mouth
1. 
   
2. The Needle and the Damage Done by Neil Young
1. 
   
3. Keep on Rocking in the Free World by Neil Young
4. Hurt By Johny Cash

                                                                                      
Best webpages that agree: +

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Substance_dependence
2. http://www.asam.org/
3. http://www.dpri.com/
4. http://www.theantidrug.com/

                                                                                      
Interest of those who agree: +

1. Saving their kids from trauma. 

Interest of those who disagree: -

1. Being counter-intuitive. 

                                                                                      

Best Videos that agree: +

Best videos that disagree: -

1.  

                                                                                      

Poems that agree: +

1. 
   

                                                                                      

Poetry can be the best way to motivate yourself

Reasons to agree: +1

1. People have spent time to put important life lessons into poetry, that are well said enough that they tell a story or hold a truth that is more powerful than just stating the belief as a summary, or cliffs notes version of the poetic statement. For instance to me the Palace by Rudyard Kipling tells me that when people look back on the wreck of your life, that they won't just see your permanent long lasting improvements that you made, but that they will also see what you tried to do, and that that can be good enough, perhaps. That idea is much better explained in his story / alagory / poem, printed below for your ease of use.
2. Come Let Us Anew by Wesley should be motivating to most people
1. Reasons to agree: +2
1. Its nice to think that you can start again. 
2. It may be depressing to think about how fast life is passing, but it is true, and so you need to deal with truths.
2. Reasons to disagree: -3
1. Its depressing to think about how fast live moves.
2. You don't really get to start again. A year is a continuation of the previous year, and you don't start with a new situation. People often sing this at the new year, but they continue to live their old lives.
3. Unfortunately some people have so much emotional need to validate their rejection of religion that they might not be able to apply anything from a poem that has a faithful perspective. 

Reasons to disagree: -1

1. A well rounded person won't look for motivation just from poetry, but will try to have good health, excercize, friends, and family, and also try to have an inner life, and think deaply about things from time to time. Part of thinking about things can include seeking out and learning good poetry. But is is sort of wrong to say that poetry is the "best" way to motivate yourself. Sometimes anti-depressents, or exercize are the best way to motivate yourself. 

Palace by Rudyard Kipling

When I was a King and a Mason-a master proven and skilled-

I cleared me ground for a Palace such as a King should build.

I decreed and cut down to my levels, and presently, under the silt,

I came on the wreck of a Palace such as a King had built.

There was no worth in the fashion-there was no wit in the plan-

Hither and thither, aimless, the ruined footings ran-

Masonry, brute, mishandled; but carven on every stone: 

"After me cometh a Builder. Tell him I, too, have known."

Swift to my use in my trenches, where my well-planned ground-works grew, 

I tumbled his quoins and ashlars, and cut and reset them anew. 

Lime I milled of his marbles ; burned it, slacked it and spread; 

Taking and leaving at pleasure the gifts of the humble dead.

Yet I despised not nor gloried; yet as we wrenched them apart, 

I read in the razed foundations the heart of that builder’s heart. 

As though he had risen and pleaded, so did I understand 

The form of the dream he had followed in the face of the thing he had planned.

When I was King and a Mason-in the open noon of my pride,

They sent me a Word from the Darkness-They whispered and called me aside.

They said-"The end is forbidden." They said-"Thy use is fulfilled,

"And thy Palace shall stand as that other’s-the spoil of a King who shall build. "

I called my men from my trenches, my quarries, my wharves and my sheers. 

All I had wrought I abandoned to the faith of the faithless years. 

Only I cut on the timber-only I carved on the stone: 

"After me cometh a Builder. Tell him I, too, have known."

2. Come, Let Us Anew (Wesley)
Come, let us anew our journey pursue,
Roll round with the year,
And never stand still till the Master appear.
His adorable will let us gladly fulfill,
And our talents improve,
By the patience of hope and the labor of love,
By the patience of hope and the labor of love.

Our life as a dream, our time as a stream,
Glides swiftly away,
And the fugitive moment refuses to stay.
The arrow is flown, the moments are gone,
The Millennial year
Presses on to our view, and eternity’s here,
Presses on to our view, and eternity’s here.

O that each in the day of His coming may say,
“I have fought my way thro’—
I have finished the work Thou didst give me to do.”
O that each from his Lord may receive the glad word:
“Well and faithfully done;
Enter into my joy and sit down on my throne,”
“Enter into my joy and sit down on my throne.”

My Mom pointed out that she like this hymn. She felt her life had gone so fast, and liked the 2nd verse... the part about your life flying by like an arrow, a dream, or a river.

You should gather a list of poems that mean things to you, and explain why you liked them

Reasons to agree:

1. You can review the list when you feel that life has no meaning, beauty, or meaning. 
2. Its unfortunate that people read books, and poems while in school, but sit on their asses and just watch TV for the rest of their lives. 
3. If their is no God, perhaps the only way you can leave something lasting when you die is to say something in a way that gets remembered.
4. Poetry can help you tell your kids how you feel about them.
5. People can write poems that describe the type of parent you want to be.
6. Authors of good poetry can force you confront difficult topics  
7. Poetry can put your shortcomings in perspective
8. Poetry can motivate you.

Poetry can put your shortcomings in perspective

Poems that agree: +

1. William Shakespeare - Sonnet #129
The expense of spirit in a waste of shame
Is lust in action; and till action, lust
Is perjured, murderous, bloody, full of blame,
Savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to trust;
Enjoy'd no sooner but despised straight;
Past reason hunted; and no sooner had,
Past reason hated, as a swallowed bait,
On purpose laid to make the taker mad:
Mad in pursuit, and in possession so;
Had, having, and in quest to have, extreme;
A bliss in proof, and proved, a very woe;
Before, a joy proposed; behind, a dream.
All this the world well knows; yet none knows well
To shun the heaven that leads men to this hell.

Shakespear's sonnet #129 is a great poem about addition. It sort of reminds me of the song that Johnny Cash sang called Hurt. I want me kids to be free. I want them, and all of humanity, to be free from all addictions. I don't want them to be slaves to alcohol, drugs, or any other addiction. It doesn't make them more noble or heroic to overcome addiction, like Cash... It is more noble to just avoid it.

Shame

Authors of good poetry can force you to confront difficult topics

Poems that Agree: +

1. Spring and Fall: [Margaret, Are You Grieving] by Gerard Manley Hopkins

Margaret, are you grieving
Over Goldengrove unleaving?
Leaves, like the things of man, you
With your fresh thoughts care for, can you?
Ah! as the heart grows older
It will come to such sights colder
By and by, nor spare a sigh
Though worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie;
And yet you wíll weep & know why.
Now no matter, child, the name:
Sorrow's springs are the same.
Nor mouth had, no nor mind, expressed
What héart héard of, ghóst guéssed:
It is the blight man was born for,
It is Margaret you mourn for.

Megan, an English major, told me about this poem.
You can find better explanations on other sites, but:
Margaret is a young girl... Can't remember. Perhaps a niece or something... She was sad when she watched the leaves fall from the trees.
Goldengrove yellow trees.
Unleaving = leaves falling off.

People can write poems that describe the type of parent you want to be

Poems that agree: +

1. "Genes" - Sharon Dunn

My eleven year son wants to fish,
he owns two rods, one saltwater,
one freshwater. He loves knives,
Bowie knives, Swiss Army
knives, "Knives like this one?"
my brother says, opening his desk
drawer and taking out a small
jackknife with antler handle.
My boy camps outdoors, begs to sleep
outside, is always shooting
arrows, rubber band guns,
he is lashing together a fort
in the backyard. He sails,
swims, kayaks and wants
to know the stars.
The outdoor hunting genes
are in the dark men in my family.
Yet I believe he is a son of light.
His joy in reading, cooking
and piano are fanned
from the tinderbox
of his father's heart.
He will save rainforest,
he will grow vegetables,
keep horses, fly his own plane.
He will make his own brave life,
he will not remake our lives
nor redeem us, nor pity us.

Poetry can help you tell your kids how you feel about them

Poems that agree: +

1. Daughter Lyrics by Loudon Wainwright III
Everything she sees
she says she wants.
Everything she wants
I see she gets.

That's my daughter in the water
everything she owns I bought her
Everything she owns.
That's my daughter in the water,
everything she knows I taught her.
Everything she knows.

Everything I say
she takes to heart.
Everything she takes
she takes apart.

That's my daughter in the water
every time she fell I caught her.
Every time she fell.
That's my daughter in the water,
I lost every time I fought her.
I lost every time.

Every time she blinks
she strikes somebody blind.
Everything she thinks
blows her tiny mind.
That's my daughter in the water,
who'd have ever thought her?
Who'd have ever thought?
That's my daughter in the water,
I lost everytime I fought her
Yea, I lost every time.

Teenagers can be OK to live with +1

Poems that agree: +

An Easy-Going Weekend by Gerald Locklin

With my wife and daughter away at

My daughter's college for four days,

It has been a bachelor's weekend

For my fifteen-year old son and me.

We get along easily because we

Like a number of the

Same few basic things: eating,

Reading, writing, music. his social

Life is different from my current

One: he visits with his friends,

Girls and boys, while I swim at

The YMCA pool. Then he watched

Videos—a compromise between

The ones that he picks out—

Empire Records, Strange Brew—

And the ones I think he ought to

Be exposed to—Citizen Kane,

La Strada, Dr. Strangelove. He

Plays his amplified guitar; I switch

A game on when the Yankees are

At bat. I give him In Our Time

To read; finish up a Flann

O'Brien for my class. We both

Like Italian one day, Mexican the

Next. He feeds the cats and does

The dishes for his mother.

At night, he works late on

A story at the MAC; I write

A poem with a pad and pencil.

I exercise the dog and feed it.

I go to bed before he does.

We both say, "love you; see

You in the morning." And

We mean it

Poems that disagree: -

========================================= 

Reasons to agree: +

1. 
   

Reasons to disagree: -

1.  Teenagers are moody 

Score:

# of reasons to agree: +1

# of reasons to disagree: -0

# of reasons to agree with reasons to agree: +0

# of reasons to agree with reasons to disagree: -0

Total Idea Score: +1

Don't like the score? It is easy to change the score. Just post a reason to agree or disagree with the overall idea, or any of the reasons and the score will change.

=========================================

Books that agree: +

1. 
   

Books that disagree: -

1. 
   

=========================================

Webpages that agree: +

1. 
   

Webpages that agree: -

1. 
   

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Interest of those who agree: +

1. Optimism 

Interest of those who disagree: -

1. 
   

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Videos that agree: +

1.  

Videos that disagree: -

1.