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Opposition to gay marriage is not equivalent of racism

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Reasons  to agree: Racism is hatred of those that are different. You can't assume that those who feel that our country will be benefited by opposing gay marriage or motivated by hate.  Not all people who oppose gay marriage are bad people, but all racist are bad people.  Victims of racism and homophobia experience similar treatment, but from a political standpoint you can't just say that because one form of discrimination was bad, that all forms of discrimination is bad. Some forms of discrimination are good. It is good to discriminate against people who do bad things. We may disagree about what is a bad activity, but we will all agree that some activities should be discouraged... I know, I know what you want me to do... you want me to give an example of a very bad activity, and then you will scream at me and say how dare I compare being gay to doing that bad activity, and I will say, I wasn't comparing the two, I was...

Usually compassion is not a limitless resource

Reasons to agree: When you give money to try and help ex-cons get a job, someone else will not get that job. Maybe they will get another job, but at least some of the times the person that didn't get the job needed it more.  Even your ability to be kind is a resource. Maybe not little things like saying thank you, and stuff, but everyone has limited time in a day.  You can show compassion, but when you are in debt, your only responsibility is to get out of debt.  Reasons to disagree: Sometimes you can show compassion, when it doesn't involve money, that helps people, but won't hurt anyone else.  Probable interest of those who agree: They agree with the argument, outside of any interest or alterior motivation (30%) Confirmation bias (you decide that you don't like Obama, and so this becomes the prism that you see him. People always root for the home team, because over time they start to show interest, and then each new story tells them they were correct. When the o...

Belief: The USA Should Cut Taxes

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Most Likely Benefits Higher disposable income for individuals and businesses. Increased business investment leads to job growth. Enhanced global competitiveness of U.S. corporations. Stimulated economic expansion through increased spending. Most Likely Costs Increased national debt if tax cuts are not offset by spending reductions. Potential underfunding of critical public services. Rising economic inequality due to disproportionate benefits to higher-income individuals. Short-term economic boost followed by long-term fiscal challenges. Best Objective Criteria for Assessing the Validity of this Belief Economic Growth Rates: Measuring GDP growth before and after tax cuts to assess impact. Job Creation Data: Evaluating employment trends following tax policy changes. Revenue Trends: Analyzing whether tax cuts increase or decrease overall government revenue. Deficit and Debt Levels: Assessing changes in national debt and budget deficits post-tax cuts. Consumer Spending Trends: Reviewi...

2009 stimulus was filled with waste and misconceptions +1

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Reasons  to agree: John Feehery. "Opinion: Obama’s fatal missteps." The Hill. October 3rd, 2011: "1. Failed to veto the initial stimulus package: Imagine for a moment if Obama had vetoed that initial stimulus package. Imagine if he insisted that Democratic leaders take out all the pork and cleanse the bill of unworthy projects. Imagine if he had insisted that congressional Democrats work with Republicans to include their ideas, because we are all in this together. He would have immediately branded himself as a different kind of president, as someone above the fray, as a leader who cares first about the country, not the Democratic Party. And if he had done that, he would have had the Republicans hopelessly divided. Of course, he didn’t take that step, congressional Democrats were able to walk all over him and Republicans stiffened up their resolve and presented a united front against the president and his plans." Reasons  to disagree:   Probable interest  of those wh...

Increasing taxes on big companies will limit job-creation +1

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Reasons  to agree:  "Obama Could Skip the Class Warfare and Let the Oil and Gas Industry Create Jobs." Fox News. October 3rd, 2011: "President Obama conjured up his favorite boogeyman recently: the oil and gas industry. He reached for it when he released his job creation and deficit reduction package. Despite the fact that the oil and gas industry pays over $86 million a day in income taxes, royalties, bonuses and rents to the federal government, the president claimed that U.S. energy producers have not paid 'their fair share.' The president is proposing an additional $41 billion in new taxes on energy producers. This will result in higher energy prices, more oil imports, and in the end, few jobs in America. No wonder why the economy continues to be mired in an economic funk. President Obama is trying to exploit the misperception that the energy industry earns undo profits, when in fact it earned a net income of just 6 cents on the dollar. That compares unfavorab...

The only way to fix the problem of the rich having too much money is for the government to take it from them

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Reasons  to agree: You can call it "taxes" but when you say the government has too much money, you are really saying that you want to take what they earned.  Reasons  to disagree:   Probable interest  of those who agree: Anti black racism Confirmation bias (you decide that you don't like Obama, and so this becomes the prism that you see him. People always root for the home team, because over time they start to show interest, and then each new story tells them they were correct. When the other team acts badly, you get mad. When your team acts badly, you feel justified. You continue to identify with Obama, because you once did).  Your a Republican. He is on the other team. He is the enemy.  Probable interest  of those who disagree: Pro black racial preference Your a Democrat. He is on the same team, against the enemy Common Interest Opposing Interest   Images  That agree Images  That disagree Videos That agree ...

Stimulus should have been bigger, not smaller as GOP claims

Reasons  to agree: "It needed to be bigger," according to Ezra Klein of the Washington Post and dozens of other economists such as Paul Krugman. Reasons  to disagree:   Probable interest  of those who agree: Anti black racism Confirmation bias (you decide that you don't like Obama, and so this becomes the prism that you see him. People always root for the home team, because over time they start to show interest, and then each new story tells them they were correct. When the other team acts badly, you get mad. When your team acts badly, you feel justified. You continue to identify with Obama, because you once did).  Your a Republican. He is on the other team. He is the enemy.  Probable interest  of those who disagree: Pro black racial preference Your a Democrat. He is on the same team, against the enemy Common Interest Opposing Interest   Images  That agree    Images  That disagree Videos That agree   Vi...