Res:
AFF:
Opening: We affirm the resolved:________________________________. For this
case, we will construct an ________ analysis and the side that best proves the UBI
impact is victor.
Contention 1 :
Contention 1 (AFF):
P1: __________ (the plan is topical)
Cite: _______________________
Founder of the Economic Security Project, Scott Santens speculated a UBI set at $1000
per adult per month and $300 per child per month would entirely eradicate poverty in
the U.S. The federal government can pass laws that immediately issue funds
for those who ask for them.
P2: In recent history, the COVID pandemic had a sizeable impact on income rates
which Increased need for UBI implementation (there is a problem)
ProCon, The Editors of. "Universal Basic Income (UBI)". Encyclopedia Britannica, 7
Nov. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/procon/universal-basic-income-UBI-debate.
Accessed 28 December 2024.
In the United States the Alaska Permanent Fund (AFP), created in 1976, is funded
by oil revenue. AFP provides dividends to permanent residents of the state. […Due to
UBI] The payout for 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, was $992.00, the smallest
check received since 2013. The most recent payment was $1,312 for 2023. Because of
state programs created by constituents who are interested in the money-economy, it
was easier for the federal government to implement UBI, which in return increased pay
during the pandemic. “Recent research has linked the stress of poverty with
inflammation in the brain…UBI could be set at a level to ensure that everyone’s basic
needs are met. This would reduce much of the stress faced by the working poor or
families on benefits.
P3: A UBI system would offset the economic “disruption” that would result as
new forms of automation (it won’t go away)
Marr, Bernard. “Will AI Make Universal Basic Income Inevitable?” Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024,
www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2024/12/12/will-ai-make-universal-basic-incomeinevitable/#open-web-0.
Will AI Make Universal Basic Income Inevitable?
According to Forbes contributor Bernard Marr, Traditionally, this involves implementing
expensive and often inefficient layers of human bureaucracy. AI, however, could
automate many of these functions. For example, it could verify eligibility, route
payments to the correct recipients, and detect fraud, cutting the need for labor-intensive
administration and oversight. The U.S eliminates the expense of having to pay for more
efficiency when there is one networking system is established for all job positions,
paying people money they don’t have to work for, reducing work stress.
P4: UBI improved health globally. (the plan that works)
ProCon, The Editors of. "Universal Basic Income (UBI)". Encyclopedia Britannica, 7
Nov. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/procon/universal-basic-income-UBI-debate.
Accessed 28 December 2024.
According to studies, people all over the world have shown increased felicity and
improved health due to UBI. According to Britannica, Namibia’s UBI program trial, the
Basic Income Grant, reduced household poverty rates from 76% of residents before the
trial started to 37% after one year. Child malnutrition rates also fell from 42% to 17% in
six months.
Impact: Future directions of UBI by the U.S government will increase the survival of the
money-economy.
ProCon, The Editors of. "Universal Basic Income (UBI)". Encyclopedia Britannica, 7
Nov. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/procon/universal-basic-income-UBI-debate.
Accessed 28 December 2024.
UBI would also help people, usually women and children, to leave abusive relationships.
Domestic abuse occurs more often in poorer households, where victims lack the
financial means to escape. Similarly, UBI might prevent the negative childhood
experiences believed to lead to mental illness and other problems later in life. These
include experiencing violence or abuse, or having parents with mental health, substance
abuse and legal problems. Behind these problems are often poverty, inequality and
social isolation,” says Matthew Smith, professor in health history at the University of
Strathclyde.
NEG:
Opening: We affirm the resolved: the United States should implement a universal basic
income. Britannica defines Universal Basic income as unconditional cash payment
given at regular intervals to all residents regardless of income status. The U.S in this
case functions as the federal government. WhiteHouse.gov states that the federal
government is composed of three branches whose powers are vested by the U.S
constitution in the Congress, the President, and the Federal Courts. For this case, we
will construct an income-impact analysis and the side that best proves the UBI impact is
victor.
Contention 1 (NEG): UBI removes the incentive to work.
P1: Jobs are changing, not disappearing (the plan is not topical)
ProCon, The Editors of. "Universal Basic Income (UBI)". Encyclopedia Britannica, 7
Nov. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/procon/universal-basic-income-UBI-debate.
Accessed 28 December 2024.
Earned income increases financial literacy and increased value of working.
However, “if we pay people, unconditionally, to do nothing…they will do nothing,” and
this leads to a less effective economy, says Charles Wyplosz, professor of international
economics at the Graduate Institute in Geneva. […] A strong economy relies on people
being motivated to work hard, and to motivate people there needs to be an element of
uncertainty for the future. UBI, providing guaranteed security, removes this uncertainty,
according to economist Allison Schrager. UBI would cause people “to abjure work for a
life of idle fun…[and would] depress the willingness to produce and pay taxes of those
who resent having to support them,” says Elizabeth Anderson, professor of philosophy
and women’s studies at the University of Michigan.
P2: UBI is incredibly expensive
“Five Problems with Universal Basic Income – Third Way.” Www.thirdway.org,
www.thirdway.org/memo/five-problems-with-universal-basic-income#causes-forconcern.
Five Problems with Universal Basic Income – Third Way
The cost for UBI would be greater than the federal budget. Thirdway.org states that a
$12,000-per-year UBI would cost the government $2.4 trillion annually, or one-eighth of
GDP. That’s nearly as large as the entire US safety net today.
P3: Economic growth would suffer
“Five Problems with Universal Basic Income – Third Way.” Www.thirdway.org,
www.thirdway.org/memo/five-problems-with-universal-basic-income#causes-forconcern.
Five Problems with Universal Basic Income – Third Way
With a foundational, albeit limited, income under UBI, some Americans may choose to
work part-time instead of full-time. Others may leave the labor force for years when they
would have otherwise worked. Eduardo Porter writes that, as almost one quarter of US
households make less than $25,000 a year, a $10,000 check each for two parents could
change their decisions on how to balance work, child care, and other obligations,
resulting in less full-time participation in the labor force. Decreases in motivation to work
would result in a non-taxable income, which fails the economy because people can’t
and won’t pay their taxes.
P4: The plan has been scarcely tested
“Five Problems with Universal Basic Income – Third Way.” Www.thirdway.org,
www.thirdway.org/memo/five-problems-with-universal-basic-income#causes-forconcern.
The idea has been scarcely tested. Only one of a handful of experiments with UBI
would provide insights relevant to the US economy, but that study is still in its early
stages.
Impact: UBI causes people to put in effort for good pay
“Five Problems with Universal Basic Income – Third Way.” Www.thirdway.org,
www.thirdway.org/memo/five-problems-with-universal-basic-income#causes-forconcern.
Because UBI is universal, it would divert assistance from the neediest. Even
under a leading proposal that leaves most of the safety net intact, a single parent
with three children could lose up to $19,000 in annual benefits on net. UBI is not
the solution to the country’s core economic problem: the concentration of
opportunity.
Closing: And for this reason judges, you must vote for the neg.
Rebuttal:
OFF-TIME ROADMAP
“Judges, I will start by delinking my opponent’s contentions line-by-line by pointing out
numerous logical holes before weighing my opponent's argument and, if time allows, I will
extend my own case.”
“Judges, to begin, my opponent’s first contention states… In my opponent’s first premise, they
claim… but even if I grant them this, their second premise… but even if I grant them this, their
third premise… but even if I still grant them this, judges, their fourth premise… but even if I
grant them that, judges, their fifth premise… which, therefore, cuts off their impacts due to an
insufficient link chain that cannot adequately be connected to the stated impacts and you must
scratch this contention from the flow..”
“In my opponent’s second contention, they state… In their first premise… but let’s grant them
that, in their second premise… but judges, even if I grant them that, their third premise… but
even if I grant them this, their fourth premise… but judges, even in granting them this, their fifth
premise… which inevitably leads to inaccessible impacts due to missing logical links, causing
their entire contention to fall apart so you must scratch this from the flow.”
“We outweigh on magnitude… we outweigh on probability because… we outweigh on
timeframe because… we outweigh on scope because…”
“I will now extend my case."
Summary: Overall, …
Final focus: Therefore, …