State Disads
DDW 2009
Gonzo and Chaitali
States DAs Index
States DAs Index ___________________________________________________________________ 1
Notes on the Disads _________________________________________________________________ 3
*** California Fiscal Discipline DA *** ________________________________________________ 4
Cali Girl 1/2 _______________________________________________________________________ 5
Cali Girl 2/2 _______________________________________________________________________ 6
Uniqueness Extensions ______________________________________________________________ 7
Uniqueness Extensions ______________________________________________________________ 8
Link Extension ____________________________________________________________________ 9
Fiscal Discipline Key _______________________________________________________________ 10
California Key to U.S. Economy _____________________________________________________ 11
AT: Trades off Instead _____________________________________________________________ 12
2NC Block _______________________________________________________________________ 13
DA Solves DA (If reading health care good) ___________________________________________ 14
*** Louisiana Budget Trade-Off DA *** ______________________________________________ 15
Friendly Elephants Making Applesauce 1/2 ____________________________________________ 16
Friendly Elephants Making Applesauce 2/2 ____________________________________________ 17
Uniqueness Extensions _____________________________________________________________ 18
Link Extensions ___________________________________________________________________ 19
Hurricanes Probable _______________________________________________________________ 20
Economy Impact __________________________________________________________________ 21
2NC Block 1/2 ____________________________________________________________________ 22
*** Pennsylvania Budget Trade-Off DA *** ___________________________________________ 23
Deer Don’t Park Here 1/2___________________________________________________________ 24
Deer Don’t Park Here 2/2___________________________________________________________ 25
Uniqueness Extensions _____________________________________________________________ 26
Link Extension ___________________________________________________________________ 27
Link Extensions ___________________________________________________________________ 28
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
1
State Disads
DDW 2009
Gonzo and Chaitali
State Parks Key 2 Economy _________________________________________________________ 29
Tourism Key 2 Economy ___________________________________________________________ 30
Deer Overpopulation Module 1/2 ____________________________________________________ 31
Deer Overpopulation Module 2/2 ____________________________________________________ 32
2NC Block _______________________________________________________________________ 33
*** New York Politics DA *** _______________________________________________________ 34
Mob Politics 1/3 ___________________________________________________________________ 35
Mob Politics 2/3 ___________________________________________________________________ 36
Mob Politics 3/3 ___________________________________________________________________ 37
Uniqueness Extensions (31-31)_______________________________________________________ 38
Uniqueness Extensions – (31-31) _____________________________________________________ 40
Internal Link Extension – Monserrate ________________________________________________ 41
AT: Monserrate Will Stay Blue ______________________________________________________ 42
AT: 31-31 Means No Vote __________________________________________________________ 43
Internal Link Extension – Spillover/New York Key _____________________________________ 44
Economy Module with Perm ________________________________________________________ 45
AT: Courts Say No ________________________________________________________________ 46
New York 2NC Block ______________________________________________________________ 47
*** Internet Sales Tax DA *** ______________________________________________________ 48
Raleigh Behind Me 1/2 _____________________________________________________________ 49
Raleigh Behind Me 2/2 _____________________________________________________________ 50
Uniqueness Extensions _____________________________________________________________ 51
Link Extensions ___________________________________________________________________ 52
Small Businesses Key 2 Economy ____________________________________________________ 53
2NC Block _______________________________________________________________________ 54
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
2
State Disads
DDW 2009
Gonzo and Chaitali
Notes on the Disads
So these state disads are disads that you will read on the aff when then negative reads the states
counterplan. You should probably not need to read more than one, and don’t be afraid to
underhighlight to make sure that it doesn’t take too much of your speech time to read. The thesis
of these disads is to attack a specific state in the states counterplan, proving the states counterplan
is a bad idea. Keep in mind that these disads are all net beneficial with the permutation as long as
you word it correctly.
Wording the perm: Say for instance that you are reading the California disad. Your permutation
should be worded: Perm: Do the plan and the counterplan without California (or some variation of
this). This strategically allows you as the aff to weigh both the benefit of double solvency and the
state disad against the net benefit to the States Counterplan giving you more offense in going for
the permutation than you would have had otherwise.
Choosing a disad: it doesn’t matter which one you choose. Some are better than others, but all are
usable (defined loosely). You should also prepare more than one of these disads just in case you
make it into the finals of the camp tournament and your opponent has heard that you like reading a
particular disad; that way you can be tricky and read another disad they won’t have prepared for
because they had been preparing the other disad that you were running during the tournament.
Answering these disads: there are basic 2NC blocks provided for all of the disads, but you should
actually be prepared to debate the issue and not expect the aff just to drop the DA in the 1AR just
because you answered it. Something to consider is how you write your counterplan text. If you
want, you can write your counterplan text to avoid the worst disads (see the footer) but keep in
mind that if you pre-empt too many disads in your counterplan text, you risk a severe solvency
deficit (again see the footer).
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
3
State Disads
DDW 2009
Gonzo and Chaitali
*** California Fiscal Discipline DA ***
Thesis: California’s economy is blown to pieces and needs to not spend any more money in order to recover. Counterplan
spends more money which kills California’s fiscal discipline and its economy. Nuclear war
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
4
State Disads
DDW 2009
Gonzo and Chaitali
Cali Girl 1/2
A. Unique Link – Schwarzenegger making budget cuts now on social services – counterplan tanks
his attempt at fiscal discipline
Joe Kishore 3 July 2009: US states’ budget crises threaten social disaster.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/jul2009/pers-j03.shtml
Tuesday was the end of the fiscal year for most states, almost all of which are required to balance their budgets. With
the economic crisis leading to reduced tax receipts and increased demands on social programs, many states are
responding by sharply cutting spending on education, health care and other social services. Because of the particular
character of the political system in the United States, resources for these programs are provided by the states or jointly
by the states and the federal government. The crisis extends across the country. Seven states still have not passed
budgets: California (budget deficit—$24 billion), Illinois ($9.2 billion), Pennsylvania ($4.8 billion), North Carolina
($4.6 billion), Connecticut ($4.1 billion), Ohio ($3.3 billion) and Mississippi ($480 million). The budget crisis is most
severe on the West Coast, East Coast (North and South), and in the Midwest—where unemployment and home
foreclosures are highest. However, almost every state is affected. Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky and
Tennessee all face budget deficits of close to or more than $1 billion. The collective budget deficits of all the states
total about $121 billion. Of the states that still remain without a budget, several have threatened to shut down
government services altogether if agreements are not reached soon. Illinois Governor Pat Quinn (a Democrat) vetoed a
budget passed by the Democratic-controlled legislature that includes major attacks on social programs. Quinn favors
somewhat fewer cuts, combined with an increase in the state’s regressive flat income tax. Providers of services for the
mentally ill and disabled have already laid off staff in response to the budget crisis.
California has the largest economy in the US. If California were an independent country, its economy would rank as
the eighth largest in the world. This week, the state government will start issuing “IOUs” instead of cash to pay
contractors, vendors, residents receiving tax rebates, and recipients of state aid such as the elderly, disabled and
college students.
Faced with a $24 billion deficit, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is demanding the virtual destruction of the social
safety net in the state. The Democrats, who control the state legislature, are proposing fewer cuts combined with
regressive tax increases. On Wednesday, the governor ordered all state workers to take a third unpaid day off every
month—an effective pay cut of about 5 percent.
The crisis in the states is having a particularly dramatic impact on education, as the vast bulk of funding for public
education comes from the states and from local property taxes. States across the country are already cutting or
eliminating summer school programs. These programs are critical for students and for parents who have nowhere else
to send their children during work hours. Summer school programs in Florida and California, among other states, have
been virtually wiped out.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
5
State Disads
DDW 2009
Gonzo and Chaitali
Cali Girl 2/2
B. Control over spending is key to managing California’s economy
The Wall Street Journal January 10, 2009: Californaia’s Glod Rush Has Benn Reversed.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123154816733469917.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
While it has the sixth highest tax burden in the nation, according to the nonpartisan Tax Foundation, California is facing a
breathtaking $40 billion budget deficit this year. This comes on the heels of a decade-long spending spree. Last year the state budget was $131
billion, up from $56 billion in 1998. Citizens are burdened by all manner of state regulations. To mention just one example, this year a new law enacted by ballot
initiative bans cages chicken farmers use on the grounds that it is inhuman to put birds in cages that prevent them from spreading their wings. Complying with the new
law will cost farmers hundreds of millions of dollars, which will force many to leave the state. And that will force us to buy our eggs from other states and, possibly,
bad economic policies divert the flow of
investment. Entrepreneurs and investors, seeking the path of least resistance, leave when it becomes easier to make a
living in more business-friendly states. In 2000, according to the state's Department of Finance, about 150,000 people moved into California. But in the
others nations, such as Mexico. And just as a fallen tree can divert the flow of water in a creek ,
years that followed the in-migration slowed, and in 2005 it reversed, when a net 52,000 people moved out. In 2008, the outflow topped 135,000 people. Consequently,
Idaho, Utah and Wyoming all have unemployment rates around 5% at a time when California is suffering an unemployment rate of 9%. Californians are moving east and
creating jobs in their new home states. Over the past few years, we've witnessed the state government's response to the capital and entrepreneur flight out of our state:
Taxes remain high, and lawmakers employ all the tricks in the book to produce "balanced" budgets from shifting expenses around to borrowing ever larger sums of
money. It's now time to turn to the ballot initiative and enact needed reforms that elected representatives in Sacramento have been unwilling to tackle on their own. We're
on a dangerous fiscal course, and the people themselves will have to fundamentally change state government to correct it. Two broad reforms are needed.
The first is that we must create a part-time, nonpartisan citizen legislature -- a model that has proven effective in states like Texas (part-time) and Nebraska (part-time
and nonpartisan). Californians need to be able to elect leaders whose primary interest is public service, not furthering political careers. The second fundamental reform is
on taxes and spending. Other states have passed a Taxpayers' Bill of Rights. We need to do the same, so I and others will soon be launching a campaign to enact the
following: - Two-year budgeting. This would allow a part-time legislature the time it needs to hold hearings, conduct negotiations, and provide oversight to determine
the state's spending priorities in the first year, while in the second, write and pass the budget. - End budget stalemates. This is easier than it sounds if we enact this
reform: Automatically adopt the governor's proposed budget, provided it is free of tax hikes, if the legislature fails to pass a budget by its constitutional deadline. This
reform would give the legislature a compelling reason to move the budget along briskly, and it would end the continual government shutdowns resulting from partisan
bickering and gridlock. - New spending controls. To
prevent overspending, we need mandatory limits on the growth of government.
State spending should not grow faster than inflation, and a 3% budget reserve must be established to prevent
unanticipated expenditures, such as natural disasters, from creating a deficit.
C. Unless California can balance its budget it will drag the rest of the country down with it
Christian Science Monitor 7/1/2009: California Crisis a Threat to U.S. Economic Recovery.
http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/07/01/california-crisis-a-threat-to-us-economicrecovery/
After lawmakers in Sacramento failed to meet a midnight deadline Tuesday to close the state’s $24 billion budget gap,
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state fiscal emergency Wednesday. He hoped to prod politicians into coming
to an agreement over spending cuts and keep the state’s financial crisis from deepening. Politicians continued to
wrangle over cuts Wednesday that would meet the approval of Governor Schwarzenegger, who has demanded a plan
that balances the budget. Meanwhile, the state’s controller prepared to issue IOUs to creditors if the state can’t agree
on a spending plan by Thursday. California is not the only state struggling to pass a budget, but the depth of its crisis
and the size of its economy raises the financial problem to a level of national concern. “It’s easy to make fun of all
those greedy, flaky Californians, but the national economy can’t recover with an anchor the size of California holding
it back,” says Dan Schnur, political scientist at the University of California in Berkeley and a former Republican
strategist. Home to more than one-tenth of all Americans and an annual economy of $1.7 trillion, California is a
national retail behemoth and engine for the overall economy – in real estate, auto sales, technology, construction, and
agriculture. Economists worry that the budget crisis could harm the state just when it is starting to show signs of
improvement. The trouble in California “makes everything worse” nationwide, says James Galbraith, a political
scientist at the University of Texas in Austin.
D. Global nuclear war.
Mead, 2009 (Walter Russell, the Henry A. Kissinger Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy at the
Council on Foreign Relations, “Only Makes You Stronger”, The New Republic, February 4, 2009)
Bad economic times can breed wars. Europe was a pretty peaceful place in 1928, but the Depression poisoned German
public opinion and helped bring Adolf Hitler to power. If the current crisis turns into a depression, what rough beasts
might start slouching toward Moscow, Karachi, Beijing, or New Delhi to be born? The United States may not, yet,
decline, but, if we can't get the world economy back on track, we may still have to fight.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
6
State Disads
DDW 2009
Gonzo and Chaitali
Uniqueness Extensions
California’s economy tanked – its sending out IOUs now to control its budget – fiscal discipline
needed NOW
Bloomberg 7/6/2009: California Credit Rating Cut Close to Junk After IOUs.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=acm0ciQMV.WY
California’s credit rating was cut for the second time in as many weeks by Fitch Ratings after a stalemate over how to
close a $26 billion budget deficit forced the most-populous U.S. state to pay some bills with IOUs.
Fitch lowered its rating of California’s general obligation bonds by two steps to BBB from A-, placing the debt two
ranks above so-called high-yield, high-risk junk ratings, and said the state may be cut further. The credit-rating
company last lowered its assessment of California on June 25.
California, the largest issuer of municipal bonds, last week began issuing IOUs for the second time since the Great
Depression as Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and lawmakers remained deadlocked over the budget cuts needed to
make up for revenue lost because of the recession. California Controller John Chiang said the step was needed to
conserve cash.
“The downgrade to ‘BBB’ is based on the state’s continued inability to achieve timely agreement on budgetary and
cash flow solutions to its severe fiscal crisis,” Fitch said in a statement.
California, with the world’s eighth-largest economy, was already the lowest-rated U.S. state. Standard & Poor’s gives
the state it’s A grade, the sixth-highest of 10 investment levels. The firm reaffirmed that assessment on July 1.
Moody’s Investors Service rates the debt A2 and placed it on watch on June 19.
The Fitch action affects $79 billion of debt -- $69.3 billion of general obligation bonds, rated BBB, and $9.7 billion of
appropriations credits, rated BBB-. Budget ‘Urgency’
“This underscores the urgency to solve our entire deficit with the necessary cuts instead of kicking the can down the
alley,” Schwarzenegger said of the Fitch decision. “This is not the time for boycotting budget meetings -- all sides
must come to the table and balance the budget immediately.”
The latest impasse comes less than five months after California’s politicians enacted tax increases and spending cuts,
only to see deficits re-emerge as the economy shed more jobs and voters in May rejected a package of measures that
would have narrowed the gap.
Schwarzenegger, a Republican, and Democratic leaders of the Legislature remained divided over how to fix the
budget after a meeting in the governor’s office late yesterday. Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, a Los Angeles
Democrat, said she was “discouraged” and criticized Schwarzenegger for seeking to link government reforms to a
budget deal.
“I don’t think the governor wants to close,” Bass told reporters after leaving Schwarzenegger’s office. “What we need
to do now is deal with the deficit.”
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
7
State Disads
DDW 2009
Gonzo and Chaitali
Uniqueness Extensions
Uniqueness- California’s economy is on the brink
Lili Ladaga, Editor, Wed Jul 1, 2009, 10:28 am
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_ts418
Armageddon. Apocalypse. Disaster: These are the words being used to describe California's staggering $24 billion
budget deficit. Last night, lawmakers failed to pass a budget by the midnight deadline and the state may now have to issue
billions in IOUs to cover the bills.
Almost every state is suffering from the effects of the recession, but not every state accounts for 12 percent of the national
gross domestic product. According to AP, if California goes down, so goes the nation: California's annual $1.7 trillion
economy is the world's eighth-largest economy and provides a significant chunk of tax revenue for the government;
California alone funds many social programs for the entire nation.
Like the Big Three automakers, California may be "too big to fail." If the state implodes, the ripple effect could slow the
entire nation's recovery from the recession. Burt P. Flickinger, a retail consultant, tells AP:
"California is the key catalyst for U.S. retail sales, and if California falls further you will see the U.S. economy suffer
significantly."
How did California dig itself such a huge hole? The recession certainly didn't help, but Time's Kevin O'Leary writes that
California's financial troubles can be traced back to the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978. An antitax measure, Prop 13
makes it extremely difficult to raise taxes or pass a budget unless a 2/3 majority in both state houses agree — a virtually
impossible task. California Rep. Zoe Lofgren tells Politico:
"If we [in Congress] had to do what the California legislature does, we would never send a bill to the president of the United
States,” she said.
If the political wrangling over the budget isn't resolved soon, Californians will be feeling the pain on every level, big
and small. Just a few of the proposed spending cuts:
— State employees will be forced to take another day of unpaid leave a month, in addition to the two days leave they were
forced to take starting in December. (NYT)
— Funding for the Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement will be slashed by $20 million. The "little-known unit" has played a key
role in several of the state's high-profile cases: The bureau's agents helped arrest Scott Petersen for the murder of his wife and
unborn child, and their investigation led to charges in Anna Nicole Smith's overdose death. (AP)
— 80 percent of state parks would be closed, 25 in the Bay Area alone, including several beaches along the peninsula. Park
visitors spend an estimated $2.6 billion a year in and near state parks, but closing the parks would save only .26 percent of the
$24 billion deficit. (SF Chronicle)
— Education funding would be reduced by $5.3 billion. School districts have already laid off 30,000 employees. Class
sizes are expected to surge from 20 to 30 students and many after school programs, arts and music classes will be cut. A
national education survey conducted this year ranked California 47th in per-student spending. (AP)
— Gov. Schwarzenegger is proposing to eliminate the state's $1.3 billion welfare program. Frank Mecca, the head of the
County Welfare Directors Association of California, tells Time, "California could become the only state in the First World
without subsistence benefits for poor children."
So far, the government is using a "wait and see" approach to California, or as a recent Politico headline stated more bluntly
— "Washington to California: Drop dead." Earlier this month, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said that the
administration would "monitor" the situation, but that California's "budgetary problem unfortunately is one that they're going
to have to solve."
(Think you can do a better job at balancing the state budget than the governor or state lawmakers? The Los Angeles Times is
letting the common folk try their hand with a "You balance the budget" interactive.)
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
8
State Disads
DDW 2009
Gonzo and Chaitali
Link Extension
Fiscal discipline and budget cuts for services to balance California’s budget – fiat means the
counterplan can’t be cut – tanks fiscal discipline
San Francisco Chronicle 7/3/2009: Governor Says He’s Seeking Budget Compromises.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2009/07/03/MN1C18IAM2.DTL
As California's fiscal crisis careened out of control with Thursday's issuance of IOUs, Democrats and Republicans
remained deadlocked, largely over one of the state's biggest responsibilities: providing a safety net for poor and sick
residents. At the center of the dispute is a question over how deeply the state should cut spending on health care for
poor children, welfare payments to single mothers and in-home services for the elderly and the disabled.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger initially wanted to eliminate such programs. But in the past week, the governor softened
his stand, instead demanding deep cuts, the rooting out of fraud in the system and changes to some welfare programs
to save money, such as requiring recipients to sign up online instead at a government office.
"We are all committed to getting this done," Schwarzenegger said Thursday at a news conference in Los Angeles. "I'm
more than (willing) to compromise."
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
9
State Disads
DDW 2009
Gonzo and Chaitali
Fiscal Discipline Key
Fiscal discipline key to California’s economy
Daniel Weintraub (staff writer), Feb 22, 2009: Daniel Weintraub: Two nuggets from state's
budgeting muck. http://www.sacbee.com/budget/story/1641423.html
There has been and will be much commentary on the tax increases and budget cuts adopted last week. The borrowing that
was included in the package also means that the persistent gap between the state's revenues and its expenses has not been closed. More remains to
the Legislature gave Californians a
chance to straighten out their dysfunctional government. The Capitol has been plagued for a generation by the
interaction of two basic problems. One is the state's volatile economy and tax structure, which produces big spikes in revenue
be done. But long after these details are forgotten, February 2009 might be remembered as the time
followed by lulls when tax receipts level off or even decline. The other is a deeply polarized Legislature where Democrats and Republicans barely
speak the same language, let alone share a common vision for where the state is and where it should be headed. These two fiscal and political
realities have meant that lawmakers have spent big in boom years, riding the economic roller coaster up to its peak with new spending and tax cuts.
But in bad years, when the revenues come up short, those boom-year commitments remain, and the wide partisan divide has prevented legislators
from finding common ground on how to unwind them. The result: deficits and discord. Two reforms included in the budget package
passed last week could go a long way toward solving both these problems. The first is a new spending limit. While modest by fiscal-
conservative standards, this measure is designed to smooth out the state's volatile revenue flows. It would shave off
the top of the spikes in good years, set the money aside, and use that cash to fill in the troughs in bad years. It would
not prevent all future deficits. But it would impose needed discipline on lawmakers who cannot resist spending every
penny that comes in when the economy expands without regard to the long-term consequences.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
10
State Disads
DDW 2009
Gonzo and Chaitali
California Key to U.S. Economy
If California’s economy collapses then the United State’s Economy will collapse
Lili Ladaga, Editor, Wed Jul 1, 2009, 10:28 am
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_ts418
Armageddon. Apocalypse. Disaster: These are the words being used to describe California's staggering $24 billion budget
deficit. Last night, lawmakers failed to pass a budget by the midnight deadline and the state may now have to issue billions in
IOUs to cover the bills.
Almost every state is suffering from the effects of the recession, but not every state accounts for 12 percent of the national
gross domestic product. According to AP, if California goes down, so goes the nation: California's annual $1.7 trillion
economy is the world's eighth-largest economy and provides a significant chunk of tax revenue for the government;
California alone funds many social programs for the entire nation.
Like the Big Three automakers, California may be "too big to fail." If the state implodes, the ripple effect could slow the
entire nation's recovery from the recession. Burt P. Flickinger, a retail consultant, tells AP:
"California is the key catalyst for U.S. retail sales, and if California falls further you will see the U.S. economy suffer
significantly."
California key to the U.S. economy
Ian Mathias, Jun 23rd, 2009 , Category: Financial News
http://www.contrarianprofits.com/articles/coming-states-crisis-a-mega-trend-the-financial%E2%80%9Cfree%E2%80%9D-market-insiders-are-selling-and-more/18220
California, the state in the most fiscal hot water, is in danger of a “multinotch” credit downgrade, Moody’s warned late
Friday. The ratings agency, oddly still relevant, says that “if the [California] legislature does not take action quickly, the
state’s cash situation will deteriorate to the point where the controller will have to delay most nonpriority payments in
July.” If the Golden State can’t mend its budget woes, Moody’s is threatening a credit downgrade of at least two
notches. California is already rated A2, Moody’s sixth highest grade and the worst of any U.S. state. A2 is also just five
notches from “junk” status. If California were a country, it would be the 10th largest economy in the world… and almost a
junk bond? Scary.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
11
State Disads
DDW 2009
Gonzo and Chaitali
AT: Trades off Instead
1. That’s false – even if a tradeoff will be made somewhere passing the counterplan still increases
the overall deficit
2. State parks will trade off – which are also key to the economy
New America Media June 30, 2009: Closing State Parks Could Have Domino Effect On
Economy.
http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=7e6d785cfde2de8d19f464
975b44ce2e
California’s budget crisis is putting state parks at risk just as summer and park season kicks off. Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger has proposed closing 80 percent of the state’s parks. But a proposal to increase vehicle license fees
could generate revenue to keep them open and provide free day use for Californians. Nina Roberts, an associate
professor in the Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism at San Francisco State University, talked to NAM
writer Vivian Po about the importance of parks especially in an economic downturn and the need to attract a wider
and diverse population of park-goers.
In May, Gov. Schwarzenegger suggested eliminating the General Fund support for the state park system, which could
mean closing 220 of the 279 state parks. What are some of the impacts of this?
It can be pretty extraordinary. First of all, park employees will be laid off and there will be cuts to parks’ law
enforcement, maintenance and education services. Moreover, there will be domino effects on the local economy.
When people visit the parks, not only will they pay the park fee, which generates revenue, they will also spend money
on local businesses, such as restaurants and sportswear stores for food and equipment. In terms of transportation, some
parks are quite remote, so local gas stations rely on the business from park visitors. Imagine if 80 percent of the parks
are closed. No one will come and businesses will suffer.
Second, parks are important in maintaining people’s mental and physical health. Studies showed that after Sept. 11,
there was an increase in the number of people visiting the parks. Connecting to the natural world will actually reduce
the stress people have during the economic recession. For many, parks provide a sense of place where people can
become mentally sharp to make decisions. Of course, on the physical side, people can walk and exercise in the park.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
12
State Disads
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Gonzo and Chaitali
2NC Block
1. Their uniqueness evidence indicates that California is already tanked and nowhere in their shell
do the words “fiscal discipline” appear anywhere but the tags – their impacts should have
happened.
2. This proves California economy resilient – empirically proven
Joel Kotkin (presidential fellow in urban futures at Chapman University) 5/26/2009: Can
California Make A Comeback? http://www.forbes.com/2009/05/25/golden-state-deficitschwarzanegger-opinions-columnists-california.html?partner=relatedstoriesbox
These are times that thrill some easterners' souls. However bad things might be on Wall Street or Beacon Hill, there's
nothing more pleasing to Atlantic America than the whiff of devastation on the other coast.
And to be sure, you can make a strong case that the California dream is all but dead. The state is effectively bankrupt,
its political leadership discredited and the economy, with some exceptions, doing considerably worse than most
anyplace outside Michigan. By next year, suggests forecaster Bill Watkins, unemployment could nudge up towards an
almost Depression-like 15%.
Despite all this, I am not ready to write off the Golden State. For one thing, I've seen this movie before. The first time
was in the mid 1970s. The end of the Vietnam War devastated the state's then powerful defense industry, leaving large
swaths of unemployment and generating the first talk about the state's long-term decline.
An even scarier remake came out in the 1990s. Everything from was going wrong, from the collapse of the Soviet
Union and the unexpected deflating of Japan to a nearly Pharaonic set of plagues, ranging from earthquakes and fires
to the awful Los Angeles riots of 1992.
Yet each time California came roaring back, having reformed itself and discovered new ways to create wealth. In the
wake of the early '70s decline came the first full flowering of Silicon Valley as well as other tech regions, from the
west San Fernando Valley to Orange and San Diego counties. Much of the spark for this explosion of growth came
from those formerly employed in the defense and space sectors.
The '90s recovery was even more remarkable. Amazingly, the politicians actually were part of the solution. Aware the
state's economy was crashing, the state's top pols--Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, Sen. John Vasconcellos, Gov.
Pete Wilson--made a concerted effort to reform the state's regulatory regime and otherwise welcomed businesses.
The private sector responded. High-tech, Hollywood, international trade, fashion, agriculture and a growing
immigrant entrepreneurial culture all generated jobs and restored the state's faded luster.
3. Their link evidence is horrible – it talks about how there are cuts now but it is in no way
predictive of the counterplan
4. They can’t prove a link to fiscal discipline – the counterplan will trade off with other budget
items – that’s how state economies work – at worst it will only trade off with itself avoiding the
impact to the DA and cause a small solvency deficit which the net benefit outweighs.
5. They give no warrant that the U.S. economy is key to the global economy – don’t evaluate Mead
6. Impact Calc – weigh the net benefit first {insert impact calc}
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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DA Solves DA (If reading health care good)
(__) Obama’s health care plan will save California’s economy
Mercury News 6/13/2009: Editorial: Fix U.S. health care to improve California's financial wellbeing.
http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_12582191
When it comes to health care costs, the United States is far and away No. 1 in the world. Left as it is, our system will
destroy the nation's fiscal as well as physical well-being — and nowhere is that more obvious than in the Golden
State. Skyrocketing health care costs are a major contributor to California's budget disaster. If the governor's proposed
cuts are accepted, 2 million more Californians will join the ranks of the uninsured, bringing the total to about 8.5
million, or more than 20 percent of the population. The damage to the economy will be felt in many ways, not the
least of which is the soaring cost to the public of emergency room visits, the only care left to families who can't
otherwise see a doctor. California cannot afford to have President Barack Obama's comprehensive reform initiative go
down in defeat this year.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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*** Louisiana Budget Trade-Off DA ***
Thesis: Louisiana is funding hurricane protections now (levies and seawalls). Counterplan trades off with that spending and
makes Louisiana vulnerable to a large hurricane. Large hurricanes tank the economy (recovery) resulting in nuclear war
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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Friendly Elephants Making Applesauce 1/2
A. Louisiana funding hurricane protections now after budget battles
Bayou Buzz (Louisiana Daily News), June 29, 2009: Gov. Pleased With $290M For Coast And
Hurricane Protection. http://www.bayoubuzz.com/
With many of the budget battles behind him from the legislative session and with hurricane season now here, today,
Governor Bobby Jindal applauded the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority’s (CPRA) approval of $290 million in
coastal restoration and hurricane protection projects throughout Louisiana using surplus funding dedicated during this
year’s legislative session – in addition to $78 million in federal funds for coastal restoration and hurricane protection projects. Here is the
balance of his office’s news release: Governor Jindal said, “This investment of more than $360 million represents our commitment to restoring
Louisiana’s coasts and making sure we have critical hurricane protection barriers in place for future storms, and allows us to make
tremendous progress in implementing our state’s coastal master plan. With the state surplus funding we committed this session,
we now have more than $1.5 billion in state, federal and local dollars dedicated to protection and restoration projects in the next four years, not
including funds used by the Corps of Engineers on flood protection in the New Orleans area.” The majority of the funds CPRA approved
today from state surplus dollars – a total of $193.3 million – is committed to purchasing property right of ways needed for
the ongoing construction of the hurricane protection system being built in the southeast Louisiana area by the Army Corps of
Engineers. This dedication of funds by the state will leverage more than $15 billion in federal funds committed to the hurricane protection system
project there. CPRA also approved investments today using state surplus dollars for major hurricane protection systems outside the New Orleans
area, including $7.7 million directed to the Morganza to the Gulf levee system being built to protect Terrebonne Parish and parts of Lafourche
Parish. Additionally, CPRA approved another $7.7 million of state surplus funds for building levees to provide better protection to the
town of Lafitte in lower Jefferson Parish. CPRA approved nearly $25 million in state surplus funds that will be invested in coastal
restoration and hurricane protection projects in south central and southwest Louisiana, including nearly $12 million for
improvements to Cameron-Creole levee in Cameron Parish and nearly $4 million for flood protection in the Morgan City area. CPRA also approved
$14.5 million in state surplus dollars to advance nine coastal restoration projects being built with state and federal funds through the Coastal
Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA). Additionally, $3.4 million in state surplus dollars will be directed to the restoration
of barrier islands and $13.5 million in state surplus funds will be used as emergency reserve funds for project adjustments and to acquire emergency
flood fighting equipment. The Louisiana Recovery (LRA) allocated $50 million to the CPRA to improve flood protection in
South Louisiana using funds from FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). The LRA also dedicated $28 million to the CPRA through
the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program for coastal restoration and hurricane protection efforts.
B. State budgets can’t afford social services as it is – either the plan doesn’t solve because the states
rollback spending or money trades off elsewhere
Joe Kishore 3 July 2009: US states’ budget crises threaten social disaster.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/jul2009/pers-j03.shtml
Tuesday was the end of the fiscal year for most states, almost all of which are required to balance their budgets .
With the economic crisis
leading to reduced tax receipts and increased demands on social programs, many states are responding by sharply
cutting spending on education, health care and other social services. Because of the particular character of the political system in
the United States, resources for these programs are provided by the states or jointly by the states and the federal government. The crisis extends
across the country. Seven states still have not passed budgets: California (budget deficit—$24 billion), Illinois ($9.2 billion),
Pennsylvania ($4.8 billion), North Carolina ($4.6 billion), Connecticut ($4.1 billion), Ohio ($3.3 billion) and Mississippi ($480 million). The
budget crisis is most severe on the West Coast, East Coast (North and South), and in the Midwest—where unemployment and
home foreclosures are highest. However, almost every state is affected. Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee all
face budget deficits of close to or more than $1 billion. The collective budget deficits of all the states total about $121 billion. Of the states that
still remain without a budget, several have threatened to shut down government services altogether if agreements are
not reached soon. Illinois Governor Pat Quinn (a Democrat) vetoed a budget passed by the Democratic-controlled legislature that includes
major attacks on social programs. Quinn favors somewhat fewer cuts, combined with an increase in the state’s regressive flat income tax.
Providers of services for the mentally ill and disabled have already laid off staff in response to the budget crisis.
C. Fiscal conservatism is key to hurricane projects
Wall Street Journal August 28, 2008: Fiscal Conservatism Helped Louisiana Beat Katrina. Lexis
Commentary by Louisiana Gov Bobby Jindal contends Hurricanes Katrina and Rita forced Louisiana to rethink its aspirations
as state and to rebuild smarter; contends state has made progress in cutting red tape, rebuilding infrastructure, increasing
competitiveness and becoming hotbed of education innovation while implementing conservative fiscal management practices
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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Friendly Elephants Making Applesauce 2/2
D. Experts claim at least one major hurricane will hit the U.S. this year
Kirk Melhuish (Atlanta Weather Examiner) June 13, 2009: Hurricane Season Forecasts Updated:
Extreme Weather or Not. http://www.examiner.com/x-4648-Atlanta-WeatherExaminer~y2009m6d13-Hurricane-Season-forecasts-updated-extreme-weatherornot
global weather sources that attempt to make long-range predictions of the Atlantic and Caribbean hurricane
season have updated their forecasts, except for the UK Met Office which waits until July to issue a forecast. The season runs June 1st through
November 30th. The average or consensus of those 7 predictions is for a much quieter season than last year’s very active season, and on the low end
of the long-term historical normal or climate average. The mean of those forecasts is for 10 named systems, 5 hurricanes, and 2 major. Those
that attempt to figure out if and where any of those 10 storms will hit SOMEWHERE in the USA, agree that 3 will impact the
United States. I have not found any agreement on what part or parts of our coastline is favored over another, if any. But they feel there will be AT
LEAST 1 major hurricane strike on the U.S. this season, how bad the impact will be on the affected area can’t be predicted this far in advance.
All the various
E. Louisiana property claims overwhelm federal budget – Katrina proves
USA Today, January 7, 2008: Katrina victims swamp corps for trillions in claims; 247 filings each
seek $1B or more. Lexis
WASHINGTON -- Tens of thousands of people whose property was destroyed when Hurricane Katrina overwhelmed
New Orleans' protective levees have filed claims demanding the government pay astronomical sums that would be
enough money to make multimillionaires of everyone in Louisiana. The Army Corps of Engineers received 247
claims from residents, businesses and government agencies seeking $1 billion or more, according to the agency.
That's only scratching the surface: The corps, which designed and built the city's storm protections, faces more than 489,000 claims for the
damage and deaths in the post-Katrina flooding. The claims are so large the government could never hope to pay them. Rather,
they are the hopeful -- and at times inflated -- requests of people reeling from losses. Just the top filings add up to so much money that
the entire annual output of the nation's economy -- $12 trillion -- couldn't pay them off, according to the corps' listing. It is
the first public accounting of the scale of damage demands the corps faces. "That's totally off-the-wall," says Ashton
O'Dwyer, a New Orleans lawyer handling some of the claims. He says everyone making a claim ultimately must provide evidence to back it up,
"and we won't know the real total until that happens." By comparison, the Louisiana Recovery Authority estimates that Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita in 2005 together caused about $100 billion in physical damage statewide. The federal government
already dedicated more than $130 billion on recovery from the hurricanes. Most of the claims allege that the corps is to blame for
the levee failures that inundated huge sections of New Orleans. A claim form is the first step in seeking compensation. One claim alone seeks $3
quadrillion in damages, almost all of it for personal injury. That's a 3 followed by 15 zeros -- about 250 times the nation's gross domestic product. A
resident of a section of New Orleans that includes the hard-hit Lower 9th Ward filed another claim for $6 trillion, double the annual federal budget.
"We sort of take it all in stride," says Angela Drinkwitz, the corps' claims administrator. "We don't say there's no way this could be true."
Most claims should be filed within two years, but Drinkwitz says new claims are still trickling in. Neither the corps nor the Justice
Department would say whether they intend to pay any of the damage claims, how they will be processed or when a decision could be made .
Already, at least 300 people also have sued the government over levee failures, Justice Department spokesman Andrew Ames
says. "If they'd built the levees right, they wouldn't have this problem," says Daniel Becnel, a Reserve, La., lawyer representing
some of those suing the government. The corps would not identify the people filing large claims. Officials still must sift through more than 2 tons of
paperwork to weed out duplicates.
Global nuclear war.
Mead, 2009 (Walter Russell, the Henry A. Kissinger Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy at the
Council on Foreign Relations, “Only Makes You Stronger”, The New Republic, February 4, 2009)
Bad economic times can breed wars. Europe was a pretty peaceful place in 1928, but the Depression poisoned German
public opinion and helped bring Adolf Hitler to power. If the current crisis turns into a depression, what rough beasts
might start slouching toward Moscow, Karachi, Beijing, or New Delhi to be born? The United States may not, yet,
decline, but, if we can't get the world economy back on track, we may still have to fight.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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Uniqueness Extensions
AMY WOLD Jun 30, 2009: State to buy land for restoration.
http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/49472197.html?index=1&c=y
A large portion of a $290 million influx of funding for coastal restoration and protection work will go toward
purchasing rights-of-way and land for hurricane protection work in the New Orleans metro area, state officials said
Monday.
Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority approved a list of projects that will receive a part of the
$290 million from state surplus funds. Of that, $193 million will go toward the New Orleans-area hurricane protection
system to help fulfill the state’s obligation for obtaining the land on which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is
building the protection system.
The list will now need to be approved through the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget before it’s final.
The remaining money will be split among a number of restoration and levee protection projects across the coast, said
Garret Graves, authority chairman.
This money joins $200 million from state surplus funds in 2007 and $300 million in state surplus funds that were
approved last year, bringing the total to $790 million in state surplus funds approved for state hurricane protection and
coastal wetlands restoration work, he said.
Also included in the funding is money to continue work on various flood protection projects, barrier island
maintenance and repair of some state restoration projects.
Louisiana funding hurricane protections now - $290 million although slightly unpopular
Nikki Buskey June 30, 2009: $290 million will build coast, fight flooding.
http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20090630/ARTICLES/906309936/1212?Title=-290-million-willbuild-coast-fight-flooding
HOUMA — State officials have approved $290 million in surplus money for coastal-restoration and hurricaneprotection projects, including several in Terrebonne and Lafourche.
The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority took the action Monday.
Most of the taxpayer money, $193.3 million, will purchase rights of way for construction of the hurricane-protection
system being built in the New Orleans area. The state was required to put up that money if it wanted to secure $15
billion in federal money for the work.
Another $10 million was siphoned off during the close of the legislative session, which ended Thursday, to combat
cuts to Louisiana education and infrastructure, said state Sen. Reggie Dupre, D-Bourg, who resigns today to take over
as Terrebonne levee director.
Late last year, Gov. Bobby Jindal took a strong stance on coastal protection by announcing he planned to dedicate
$300 million in state surplus money to related projects.
As the recession hit and oil prices declined, the state was left with a $1.3 billion budget shortfall that prompted cuts to
higher education, health care and other public services.
Some senators fought to divert much of the coastal money promised by Jindal, but those efforts were thwarted early in
the legislative session.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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Link Extensions
States are broke – can’t afford social services as it is in the status quo
Tami Luhby (CNNMoney.com senior writer) July 1, 2009: Tax hikes and budget woes: States
crunched.
http://money.cnn.com/2009/07/01/news/economy/state_budgets/?postversion=2009070111
It's not a happy new year for the states.
States are carrying their financial woes into the new fiscal year, which for most started on Wednesday. Some had yet
to pass their fiscal 2010 budgets. For others, tax hikes and draconian spending cuts went into effect.
Governors and legislators spent fiscal 2009 wrestling to balance budgets as tax revenues plummeted amid the
weakening economy. Many were forced to slash funding for social services, education and public safety, as well as
raise sales levies, income taxes and other fees.
Fiscal 2010 is not looking much better, experts said. New budget gaps opened up even before the year began.
"The economy is not out of the woods so states are not out of the woods," said Bert Waisanen, fiscal analyst with the
National Conference of State Legislatures.
A half-dozen states entered the new year without budgets in place.
"They are dealing with some very difficult fiscal decisions," Waisanen said.
State budgets tanked – rising costs of social services and lower tax revenues are the cause – plan
makes it worse
Zacks Investment Research June 18, 2009: States of Distress.
http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewarticle/articleid/3274741
Unlike the Federal Government, the 50 states are required by their constitutions to run balanced budgets. This presents
a serious problem when the economy turns south, since spending on things like unemployment insurance and some
social services goes up, and tax revenues go down.
This post is on the latter part of the problem. The Nelson Rockefeller Institute of Government just came out with a
report on just how much state tax collections have fallen in the first four months of the year (including the very
important month of April). The charts below are from that study by way of http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/.
The first one shows that the vast majority of states with personal income taxes have seen sharp declines versus last
year in collections. Only three (small) states have seen an increase in personal tax collections vs. a year ago. There
were no data for four states and 33 states reported falling revenues. Ten states, including Texas and Florida, do not
have state income taxes.
Eight states have seen drops of at least 30%. There is a very high correlation between the states with the biggest fall in
tax revenues and those with the highest unemployment rates.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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Hurricanes Probable
A new type of El Nino makes more hurricanes and makes them more likely to hit land –
climatologists agree
Kirk Melhuish (Atlanta Weather Examiner) July 4, 2009: 2009-10 El Nino near certain: new kind
of El Nino hurricane threat discovered. http://www.examiner.com/x-4648-Atlanta-WeatherExaminer~y2009m7d4-200910-El-Nino-near-certain-new-kind-of-El-Nino-hurricane-threatdiscovered
El Niño years typically result in fewer hurricanes forming in the Atlantic Ocean. But a new study suggests that the
form of El Niño may be changing potentially causing not only a greater number of hurricanes than in average years,
but also a greater chance of hurricanes making landfall, according to climatologists at the Georgia Institute of
Technology. The study appears in the July 3, 2009 edition of the journal Science as reported by the Georgia Tech
News Service and ScienceDaily.
“Normally, El Niño results in diminished hurricanes in the Atlantic, but this new type is resulting in a greater number
of hurricanes with greater frequency and more potential to make landfall,” said Peter Webster, professor at Georgia
Tech’s School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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Economy Impact
Louisiana specifically was a drain on federal spending after Katrina
The Economist July 21. 2007: By Wind or Water: Compensation after Hurricane Katrina. Lexis
THE purpose of the "Road Home" plan was to steer federal aid to Lousiana homeowners whose houses had been
trashed by Hurricane Katrina. "Road to Catastrophe" now seems a better name for it. With the storm's second
anniversary just around the corner, only about 20% of the programme's 155,000 applicants have got their cheques.
And it is now clear that the money will run out long before the last aid-seeker is satisfied, unless there is a huge
infusion of cash.
The latest projections estimate a shortfall of almost $5 billion, which would leave one in three applicants with nothing
at all. Even those lucky Louisianans who have had letters in the past few weeks have spotted a caveat in the small
print: they will get their money only if the programme hasn't run out of cash first.
It is hard to imagine such a capricious outcome in a country as wealthy as America, and Louisiana's governor,
Kathleen Blanco, has been in Washington of late, shaking the cup and delivering that message. Ms Blanco may well
get her way with Congress, but the Bush administration, which has been stingy with aid to Louisiana from the start,
has hinted that a bailout may be vetoed. (The undamaged parts of Louisiana have been stingy, too; the notoriously
parochial state legislature, which is wrapping up its annual session, offered up only a third of its $3 billion budget
surplus to help shore up the Road Home programme.)
The reasons for the huge shortfall are several. One is just bad maths: the architects of the programme underestimated
the number of people who would apply by 30,000. More problematically, they guessed that the average grant would
total $60,000. Instead,the typical cheque has been for $79,000, a miscalculation of about a third.
Federal officials have been quick to blame Louisiana for the cash shortage. But much of the reason for the deficit is
that insurance companies have short-changed thousands of people, expecting that the Road Home would pick up the
slack. A state report estimates that half the shortfall, perhaps $1.5 billion, may be caused by insurance underpayments.
The companies also went further. A typical private home-insurance policy covers wind damage, whereas flood
insurance is provided only by the federal government. The feds, in the name of efficiency, allowed private insurers to
settle both flood and wind claims after Katrina. But if you were an insurance company, and you had the choice of
paying claims out of your own pocket or someone else's, which would you pick?
In a number of instances, insurers seem to have ascribed nearly all damage to flooding rather than wind—even in
some places that never saw any high water. Some adjusters have used two wildly different price lists to settle claims: a
generous one for flood damage and a stingy one for wind. In this way, the industry may have shifted billions in claims
on to the federal government.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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2NC Block 1/2
1. The link story is flawed – their Bayou Buzz evidence indicates hurricane protections are
being funded now but nowhere does it indicate they are low priority – Louisiana is not
stupid, they’ll cut something else.
2. Their internal link evidence acts as an impact takeout – it indicates Louisiana was able to
solve the impact to Katrina by being conservative – no reason they won’t do the same here
even if it means they cut the plan – prefer the impact of the net benefit over the Louisiana
solvency deficit.
3. Their Melhuish claims in the ununderlined part that this hurricane season will be quieter
than normal – weigh the probability of our net benefit over the probability that one major
storm that might not be as big as Katrina just maybe might hit Louisiana.
4.
At best their U.S.A. Today evidence is a hilarious read – the outrageous claims it cites can’t
be substantiated and the government would never consider paying them – in the
ununderlined, it cites a claim from a man who claims $3 quadrillion in personal injuries.
5. Turn: Hurricanes result in budget surpluses through Medicaid – Gustav and Ike prove
Jessica Zigmond, November 10, 2008: Post Storm Surplus in La. Lexis
Despite the damage Hurricanes Gustav and Ike caused two months ago, the storms resulted in an unexpected gain for
Louisiana, as they accounted for nearly half of a current $100 million surplus in the state's Medicaid program.
There are two primary reasons why this year's hurricanes gave Medicaid a ``financial life preserver'' and led to a onetime surplus of $45.6 million, Alan Levine, secretary for Louisiana's Department of Health and Hospitals, said in a
letter to Gov. Bobby Jindal; Joel Chaisson, the president of the Louisiana Senate; and Joel Tucker, speaker of the
Louisiana House of Representatives. First, about 1.2 million people evacuated southern Louisiana for about a week
beginning in late August, which meant there were fewer elective surgeries, doctor's visits, and home-care visits.
Second, the department did not enroll anyone in its New Opportunities Waiver program for the developmentally
disabled from July through September, even though the department had budgeted to fill 2,000 slots. Both factors had a
significant effect on expenditures.
``We've had $1.6 billion in growth in Medicaid in the last two years,'' Levine said in an interview, adding that growth
this year totaled about $600 million. ``During the legislative process, they funded about $550 million of the growth,
which created a potential $50 million shortfall. At the time, they knew they were underfunding, so they put language
in the bill that said if the secretary projects a deficit, the secretary shall notify the Legislature and propose a plan for
reducing expenditures.''
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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*** Pennsylvania Budget Trade-Off DA ***
Thesis: Pennsylvania is trying to budget its budget now and is considering cutting funding for state parks. The plan is new
spending and results in the cutbacks on parks becoming a reality. State parks are key to the state’s small business economy
and tourism, and that loss collapses the global economy. Nuclear war
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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Deer Don’t Park Here 1/2
A. Pennsylvania State Parks are on the brink – the budget has yet to be passed, but parks are
potentially on the chopping block
The Daily Item, July 01, 2009: Despite threats, Priestley, state park still open.
http://www.dailyitem.com/0100_news/local_story_182080221.html
The budget-threatened Joseph Priestley House, in Northumberland, and R.B. Winter State Park, near Mifflinburg, will
be open today, even though Pennsylvania begins its fiscal year without a spending plan.
Both sites have faced the possibility of closure as the state Historical and Museum Commission and the Bureau of
State Parks struggle to make cuts in their budgets.
Pennsylvania lawmakers, weighing program cuts against tax increases, have missed their deadline for passing the state
spending plan for the seventh consecutive year under Gov. Ed Rendell.
But for now, the Priestley House, and R.B. Winter State Park — one of three dozen state parks that the Department of
Conservation and Natural Resources has suggested closing as it faces cutbacks in several 2009-2010 budget proposals
— will remain open.
“Until the budget is passed, things will continue as they have,” said Christina Novak, a spokeswoman for DCNR,
which oversees the Bureau of State Parks.
“Unless things drag on for a long time, we’ll all continue to work. Our parks will be open for the Fourth of July.”
Kirk Wilson, of the Historical and Museum Commission, agreed.
“Nothing will change until there is a budget,” he said.
The Main Street and Elm Street programs, sponsored by the state Department of Community and Economic
Development, will also continue, even though they would be eliminated under Rendell’s proposed budget.
“I’ll be here in the morning,” Season Hain, Elm Street manager for Mifflinburg, said Tuesday.
B. State budgets can’t afford social services as it is – either the plan doesn’t solve because the states
rollback spending or money trades off elsewhere
Joe Kishore 3 July 2009: US states’ budget crises threaten social disaster.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/jul2009/pers-j03.shtml
Tuesday was the end of the fiscal year for most states, almost all of which are required to balance their budgets. With
the economic crisis leading to reduced tax receipts and increased demands on social programs, many states are
responding by sharply cutting spending on education, health care and other social services. Because of the particular
character of the political system in the United States, resources for these programs are provided by the states or jointly
by the states and the federal government.
The crisis extends across the country. Seven states still have not passed budgets: California (budget deficit—$24
billion), Illinois ($9.2 billion), Pennsylvania ($4.8 billion), North Carolina ($4.6 billion), Connecticut ($4.1 billion),
Ohio ($3.3 billion) and Mississippi ($480 million).
The budget crisis is most severe on the West Coast, East Coast (North and South), and in the Midwest—where
unemployment and home foreclosures are highest. However, almost every state is affected. Colorado, Kansas,
Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee all face budget deficits of close to or more than $1 billion. The collective budget
deficits of all the states total about $121 billion.
Of the states that still remain without a budget, several have threatened to shut down government services altogether if
agreements are not reached soon. Illinois Governor Pat Quinn (a Democrat) vetoed a budget passed by the
Democratic-controlled legislature that includes major attacks on social programs. Quinn favors somewhat fewer cuts,
combined with an increase in the state’s regressive flat income tax. Providers of services for the mentally ill and
disabled have already laid off staff in response to the budget crisis.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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C. State Parks key to Pennsylvania’s economy
Christina Novak (DCNR Press Secretary) May 14, 2009 : SENATE’S BUDGET WOULD CLOSE
AT LEAST 35 STATE PARKS, PUT HELP FOR COMMUNITIES, NATURAL RESOURCES
AT RISK. http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/news/newsreleases/2009/0509-budget.htm
The millions of visitors who flock to Pennsylvania’s state parks and forests to relax and experience nature’s beauty
would have fewer opportunities to do so under a budget plan that passed the Senate last week. If enacted, Department of Conservation
and Natural Resources acting Secretary John Quigley said the Senate proposal will force the agency to close at least 35 state parks
and 1,000 miles of state forest roads, which would sharply reduce access for anglers, hunters and hikers. Under Senate
Bill 850, an additional $19 million would be cut from DCNR’s budget beyond the difficult but prudent reductions Governor Edward G. Rendell
proposed in February. “Families that cannot afford to take a vacation because of the tough economic times could always
count on enjoying a little rest and relaxation at a nearby state park or forest,” said Quigley. “However, if the Senate’s
budget proposal is enacted, there would be even fewer of those opportunities as we would have to close a number of
state parks. That means less traffic and fewer dollars being spent in the rural communities with businesses and jobs
that count on these parks and forests. “The Senate’s proposal would be absolutely devastating to these rural areas and
to our efforts to preserve our natural resources for present and future generations. In contrast, the Governor’s budget proposal
reflects the difficult economy we now face and would still allow us to provide a quality outdoor experience for our citizens and visitors,” Quigley
said, also noting that closing 35 state parks would turn away more than 3 million visitors and wipe out at least $57 million
in visitor spending on products and services in nearby communities.
D. Pennsylvania key to the global economy – varied reasons (among which are parks…)
Ted S. Martin (Director, Economic Development Marketing Department of Community &
Economic Development) May 5, 2006: Pennsylvania as the Ideal Business Location.
http://www.gdi-solutions.com/articles/why_invest_in/why_pa.htm
Pennsylvania’s great location—within a 500-mile radius of six of the ten major American market areas—offers access
to vital markets that make for 40 percent of the country’s population and purchasing power; over 60 percent of
Canada’s population; 45 percent of U.S. manufacturers; and 41 percent of the country’s domestic trade and service
industries. Four of the Top 10 Logistics metros in the American northeast are located in Pennsylvania. To assist companies in accessing these markets, Pennsylvania
offers 120,000 miles of highways and invests nearly $3.5 billion annually for road and bridge construction and maintenance. Other modes of transportation include air,
rail and ports. The Commonwealth has 6 international airports; 134 public-use airports and 16 scheduled service airports which serve 24 million passengers annually.
Nearly 800,000 metric tons of air cargo is moved in Pennsylvania each year. The Commonwealth has 69 railroads that include more than 5,100 miles of railways—
ranking it 5th in the country. Additionally, Pennsylvania has access to the Atlantic Ocean via the Port of Philadelphia and access to the Great Lakes via the Port of Erie.
More than six million people comprise Pennsylvania’s workforce. More than 86 percent of Pennsylvania adults have earned at least a high school diploma and more than
24 percent have a Bachelor’s Degree or higher. Pennsylvania is home to four of the nation’s top 50 universities, the nation’s top undergraduate business school and
second ranked graduate school, and one of the country’s top graduate computer engineering schools. And, the world’s best Materials Science Program is located at
The Commonwealth’s $438.4 billion economy ranks 16th largest in the world, making it a
major player in the global economy. Pennsylvania is also a technology leader, with more than a million miles of fiber optic cable crisscrossing its
Pennsylvania State University.
borders. The Commonwealth is home to more than 6,600 high-tech establishments, and has a growing biotech cluster, which has the nation’s largest concentration of
tissue engineering firms. Pennsylvania ranks in the top five nationally for life sciences and medical device firms; 1st for pharmaceutical and medicine production and 1st
for health care industry employment. Pennsylvania is the 6th leading state for new and expanded business plants overall, as well as 4th for new manufacturing plants. It
is a leader in Research and Development and ranks 9th in industry spending, investing $9.8 billion annually for R&D. Pennsylvania’s quality of life is very desirable, as
well, and includes a low crime rate, quality schools and healthcare. There are various cultural attractions that include theater, art, and music and many kinds of festivals.
There is professional baseball, football, basketball and hockey, as well as college sports.
Pennsylvania has many parks and forests in which to
enjoy all kinds of outdoor recreation.
E. Nuclear War
Mead, 2009 (Walter Russell, the Henry A. Kissinger Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy at the
Council on Foreign Relations, “Only Makes You Stronger”, The New Republic, February 4, 2009)
Bad economic times can breed wars. Europe was a pretty peaceful place in 1928, but the Depression poisoned German
public opinion and helped bring Adolf Hitler to power. If the current crisis turns into a depression, what rough beasts
might start slouching toward Moscow, Karachi, Beijing, or New Delhi to be born? The United States may not, yet,
decline, but, if we can't get the world economy back on track, we may still have to fight.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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Uniqueness Extensions
Pennsylvania state parks on the chopping block – budget cuts
Brad Bumsted and Allison M. Heinrichs May 28, 2009: Pennsylvania budget proposal fuels
'political scare tactics'
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_627060.html
The Rendell administration on Wednesday identified nine state parks in Western Pennsylvania that could close if a
state budget approved by Senate Republicans becomes law.
Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, a Jefferson County Republican, accused Gov. Ed Rendell of engaging in
"raw, political scare tactics" and said it's Rendell's strategy to "put the fear of God" in users of state services in order
to build public support for tax increases.
"The only ones scared by our publicizing the specifics of the Senate budget proposal are the senators who voted for
it," Rendell's press secretary Chuck Ardo responded.
Pennsylvania faces a $3.2 billion budget deficit by June 30. Democratic Rep. Dwight Evans' office raised the
possibility of a "slight increase" in the 3.07 percent state income tax, along with spending cuts and using the state's
Rainy Day fund. But Rendell said he would consider raising the income tax only as a last resort.
The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources identified 50 parks statewide that would be candidates for
closure because of a $19 million cut to Rendell's spending proposal for the agency in the Senate GOP budget. The
department released the list in response to inquiries by Sen. Mary Jo White, R-Venango County. The agency warned
about possible closings earlier this month.
Pennsylvania state parks on the chopping block – budget cuts needed
Keith Gushard, June 11, 2009: State parks caught in middle of budget fight.
http://www.meadvilletribune.com/local/local_story_162233439.html
Pennsylvania’s state parks have become a political pawn between Republicans sparring with Democratic Gov. Ed
Rendell over a 2009-10 budget that is due by the end of this month. Both sides say they won’t know what will happen
to the parks until a final budget is approved.
In the latest salvo, the state House Appropriations Committee shot down a state Senate budget proposal from
Republicans that would have been $19 million less for the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
than what the governor proposed.
If put in place, the plan would have meant closure of at least 35 and as many as 50 of the state’s 117 state parks,
according to a news release from DCNR.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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Link Extension
Pennsylvania budget tight – taxes are already being raised because social services massively
expensive
PETER JACKSON June 23, 2009: Pa. budget deadline days away amid impasse.
http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090623/NEWS04/906230302/1/NEWSMAP
Another indication is that discussions among legislative leaders and Rendell on complex budget issues that potentially
affect millions of Pennsylvanians are still in their infancy.
At the same time, some top policymakers are busier than usual making their cases directly to the people on television
and the Internet.
Rendell has posted a nine-minute video defending his budget proposals on the Web sites of YouTube and the state
Democratic Party. Rendell paid for the production with his own money, his spokesman said.
This week, public television stations statewide are expected to air dueling half-hour interviews about the budget
featuring Rendell and Lt. Gov. Joe Scarnati, the GOP Senate president pro tempore who automatically assumed the
state's No. 2 office following the death of his predecessor, Catherine Baker Knoll.
The interviews are scheduled to air Wednesday night, said Scott LaMar, public affairs programming director at WITFTV in Harrisburg, where the interviews are to be done earlier in the day.
In May, voting along party lines, the Republican-controlled Senate approved a $27.3 billion budget that relies on
wide-ranging spending cuts, but contained no tax increases. A month later, in another partisan split, it was rejected by
the House Appropriations Committee.
The governor proposes $29 billion in spending offset by program cuts; new taxes on tobacco, health care premiums
and natural gas extraction; and a large withdrawal from the "rainy day" contingency fund.
Last week, citing plummeting revenue collections and the rising cost of social services, Rendell called for a 16 percent
increase in the state personal income tax. The increase, which would be the biggest boost in the tax rate in 18 years,
would expire after three years.
"I've tried mightily to avoid a broad-based tax increase, by proposing tough cuts and minimal revenue enhancements,
but it's just not enough" to preserve critical programs, Rendell says in his video.
States are broke – can’t afford social services as it is in the status quo
Tami Luhby (CNNMoney.com senior writer) July 1, 2009: Tax hikes and budget woes: States
crunched.
http://money.cnn.com/2009/07/01/news/economy/state_budgets/?postversion=2009070111
It's not a happy new year for the states.
States are carrying their financial woes into the new fiscal year, which for most started on Wednesday. Some had yet
to pass their fiscal 2010 budgets. For others, tax hikes and draconian spending cuts went into effect.
Governors and legislators spent fiscal 2009 wrestling to balance budgets as tax revenues plummeted amid the
weakening economy. Many were forced to slash funding for social services, education and public safety, as well as
raise sales levies, income taxes and other fees.
Fiscal 2010 is not looking much better, experts said. New budget gaps opened up even before the year began.
"The economy is not out of the woods so states are not out of the woods," said Bert Waisanen, fiscal analyst with the
National Conference of State Legislatures.
A half-dozen states entered the new year without budgets in place.
"They are dealing with some very difficult fiscal decisions," Waisanen said.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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Link Extensions
State budgets tanked – rising costs of social services and lower tax revenues are the cause – plan
makes it worse
Zacks Investment Research June 18, 2009: States of Distress.
http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewarticle/articleid/3274741
Unlike the Federal Government, the 50 states are required by their constitutions to run balanced budgets. This presents
a serious problem when the economy turns south, since spending on things like unemployment insurance and some
social services goes up, and tax revenues go down.
This post is on the latter part of the problem. The Nelson Rockefeller Institute of Government just came out with a
report on just how much state tax collections have fallen in the first four months of the year (including the very
important month of April). The charts below are from that study by way of http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/.
The first one shows that the vast majority of states with personal income taxes have seen sharp declines versus last
year in collections. Only three (small) states have seen an increase in personal tax collections vs. a year ago. There
were no data for four states and 33 states reported falling revenues. Ten states, including Texas and Florida, do not
have state income taxes.
Eight states have seen drops of at least 30%. There is a very high correlation between the states with the biggest fall in
tax revenues and those with the highest unemployment rates.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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State Parks Key 2 Economy
Parks key to economy
Albrecht Powell Tuesday June 9, 2009: Pennsylvania State Parks Caught in Political Crosshairs
http://pittsburgh.about.com/b/2009/06/09/pennsylvania-state-parks-caught-in-politicalcrosshairs.htm
As you may have read about last month, Pennsylvania Senate's proposed budget, SB 850, would cut the Department
of Conservation and Natural Resource's budget so much that they might have to close about 35 state parks. With 117
state parks in PA, that's a huge chunk of Penn's Woods. It sounds like state legislators are listening to the public
outcry, as the House Appropriations Committee rejected Senate Bill 850 earlier this week. That doesn't mean that state
parks are "out of the woods" yet, however. Budget negotiations are ongoing, and with a projected 3.2 billion dollar
deficit for 2009-2010, the money is going to have to come from somewhere. How do you close a state park, you might
ask? The short answer is, you can't. State parks are public property and the state will not be hanging out closed signs.
Facilities such as bathrooms, campgrounds and cabins, swimming beaches, and staffed services, would cease
operation, however. Acting DCNR Secretary John Quigley brought up the other side of the economic crisis in a news
release. "Families that cannot afford to take a vacation because of the tough economic times could always count on
enjoying a little rest and relaxation at a nearby state park or forest," Quigley said. "The Senate’s proposal would be
absolutely devastating." Those comments are off the mark, state Sen. Joe Scarnati, Jefferson County, said in his own
news release. "Citizens have, sadly, come to expect some exaggeration from state agencies seeking additional tax
dollars. But the claims made by DCNR are over the line," Scarnati said. "Citizens understand that the struggling
economy and declining revenues mean the state has to spend less or raise taxes. The budget passed by the Senate
chooses to spend less." Luckily, the state park closest to me, Raccoon Creek, is not slated for closure, but that doesn't
mean that Pennsylvania can afford to just shut down 35 state parks. As DCNR says they do not plan to keep up with
maintenance of facilities (built or natural) in the closed parks, facilities, trails, etc. will face serious neglect and will
cost a bundle in order for the parks to reopen in the future. There are also thousands of jobs at stake for employees at
the affected parks. Overall, the department estimates that closing the parks would turn away three million tourists and
eliminate approximately $57 in revenue. "Closing state parks is a no-win situation - both for the Pennsylvania families
and sportsmen and women who would lose recreational opportunities, and for the local businesses around those closed
parks that would lose customers," said Jeff Schmidt, Director of the Sierra Club, Pennsylvania Chapter.
Closing state parks will significantly harm tourism and small businesses
Mark Nale, Jun. 21, 2009: On the block. http://www.centredaily.com/sports/story/1356775.html
Closing state park campgrounds will greatly inconvenience many people who already have reservations for vacation
and weekend stays. Currently DCNR takes in about $18 million a year in camping, pavilion rental and other state park
user fees. Closing parks will further hurt the agency because the amount that they take in will be reduced.
This move will greatly hurt tourism, therefore reducing dollars that would normally be spent in the commonwealth.
Many local grocery stores, boat stores, bait and tackle shops, ice cream parlors, motels and gas stations depend on
state parks as a source of their customers. These businesses will suffer severely from closures and, as a result, mean
lower tax revenues for our state coffers.
State park closings would particularly hurt hiking. Hikers using trails often depend on the state parks for trailhead
access and to provide safe parking, clean drinking water and rest-rooms. For example, most of the nine state parks on
the heavily-used Mid-State Trail are slated for closing.
Pennsylvania Forest Coalition leader Richard Martin is up in arms over the senate budget that cuts 15 percent from
DCNR funding and causes these proposed DCNR budget cuts. He wonders where these state park closures and
Bureau of Forestry cutbacks will leave us. And then he answers his own question — “In our backyards with lawn
chairs around the wading pool.”
One way or another, the state must arrive at a balanced budget and, in these difficult economic times, sacrifices will
have to be made. However, closing 35 to 50 state parks seems to me like a classic “penny-wise and pound-foolish”
mistake. Surely there are better ways to arrive at a balanced budget — ways that make more long-term economic and
environmental sense.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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Tourism Key 2 Economy
Tourism is key to Pennsylvania’s economy and its on the brink – substantial cuts already being
made
Reuters May 26, 2009: Pennsylvania Senate Budget Cuts Would Cripple Tourism Industry &
Eliminate Local.... http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS170387+26-May2009+PRN20090526
As the busy summer travel season begins, Pennsylvania's leading tourism official today said the Senate Republican
budget proposal to cut tourism funding by a staggering 73 percent would cripple one of the state's largest industries
and severely impact Pennsylvania's economy by costing thousands of jobs and closing small businesses. In 2008, the
tourism industry provided $18 billion in wages to more than 600,000 Pennsylvanians. "If enacted, Senate Bill 850
would cut funding for attracting tourists to less than $4.5 million and would handcuff the industry while destroying
Pennsylvania's legacy as one of the nation's leading travel destinations," said Department of Community and
Economic Development Deputy Secretary of Tourism Mickey Rowley. "The bottom line is that states are strongly
competing for travelers whose spending translates into jobs, wages, and billions of dollars in state and local tax
revenues each year. Now is the wrong time to abandon the tourism marketplace." If this budget is enacted as
proposed, the Dutch Country Roads would likely see the following initiatives cut or eliminated altogether: -Marketing support for the recently launched Civil War Trails that
attracts visitors to small businesses in towns
like Chambersburg and
Hanover. -- Public outreach efforts that have resulted in stories about towns like
Gettysburg in Newsday and Lititz in the travel section of The Washington
Post.
-- Regional Marketing
Partnership funding for Dutch Country Roads would
decrease from $400,000 to closer to $200,000. "With a
40- to 50-percent cut we won't be able to continue leading efforts like the Pennsylvania Civil War Trails program for
regional partners like tourism and promotion agencies, county historical societies, Civil War heritage attractions, park
service interpreters and area colleges and universities," continued Rowley. "These cuts will be devastating to the
region, our partners, and to all of the small businesses that benefit from a regional approach to marketing." Rowley
added that competing states, like Ohio, Michigan and California, all of which are also facing serious budget shortfalls,
have increased their budgets for tourism promotion despite the recession and are aggressively advertising in
Pennsylvania and surrounding markets. "We cannot afford to lose visitors to our competitors, particularly at time
when many of our tourism-related businesses are already struggling," Rowley said. "Promoting Pennsylvania means
promoting the thousands of businesses, large and small, across the state. We must have the resources to continue to
inform and inspire visitors to spend money at our bed and breakfasts, restaurants, museums, hotels and attractions. If
we don't capture their attention and inspire them to come, they won't; and Pennsylvanians will suffer. "What's
especially astounding to me is the reckless abandon with which the Senate bill treats Pennsylvania's small business.
Tourism businesses, by their very nature, are small businesses. The tourism office advertising exists entirely to
support these small businesses with advertising and promotions in markets they could never reach on their own."
Rowley also cited the example of Colorado, which eliminated its $12 million state tourism marketing budget in the
1990s and saw a 30 percent decrease in market share in two years. That drop in visitation resulted in more than $2
billion in lost sales as well as hundreds of millions in lost state tax revenue. Funding was eventually restored in
Colorado. Pennsylvania is the nation's fourth most-visited state, hosting nearly 140 million visitors each year,
approximately 110 million of whom are leisure travelers. Those visitors contribute approximately $26 billion to
Pennsylvania's economy, while international visitors contribute an additional $2 billion.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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Deer Overpopulation Module 1/2
A. State parks taking measures to control deer overpopulation now
Pennsylvania.gov August 17, 2007: DCNR ENROLLS 83 STATE FOREST, PARK TRACTS IN
DEER MANAGEMENT PROGRAM.
http://www.state.pa.us/papower/cwp/view.asp?A=11&Q=466567&tx=1
HARRISBURG — To more effectively manage Pennsylvania’s white-tailed deer population and reduce crop and
forestland damage, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has added more than 941,000 acres to
Pennsylvania Game Commission’s deer management assistance program, or DMAP. Eighty-three state forest and park
areas are now a part of the management program, which means managers will now have the chance to request more, or fewer,
antlerless deer permits for hunters. “There are changes in state forest and park participation in our deer management program this year that reflect
the condition of woodland habitat seen by our forest and park managers,” said DCNR Secretary Michael DiBerardinis. The number of
participating state parks will increase from 12 to 16 this year, and 80,312 coupons, or permits, will be sought for
hunters across the state. While more state forest acreage is enrolled in the program, fewer hunters will have the chance to hunt on state forest
land because the department is asking for fewer permits. “Our fine-tuning means hunters will be able to better help Pennsylvania
maintain the deer population and curtail deer browsing and habitat damage,” DiBerardinis said. “In three state forest districts
where foresters noted adequate regeneration, DMAP designations are not being sought for the 2007-08 hunting seasons.”
B. Pennsylvania deer overpopulation kills biodiversity
George E. Beetham 06/15/2005: Deer are eating up their habitat
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1680&dept_id=40301&newsid=14701662&PAG=461&
rfi=9
Pennsylvania's forests are in trouble, and the culprit is a four-legged, hoofed, otherwise lovable creature known as the whitetail deer.
Wildlife biologist Gary Alt, formerly of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, spend years studying deer and the damage they are causing in our
forests. The problem, as Alt sees it, is a policy of allowing deer populations to increase to please hunters. "This is the
greatest mistake in the history of wildlife management," Alt told the Friends of the Wissahickon during their annual membership
meeting at Valley Green Inn on Tuesday night last week. Alt first discussed problems that deer overpopulation has caused. He pointed to health
issues like Lyme disease, damage to forest ecosystems, agricultural impacts, and an estimated 80,000-100,000 vehicle-deer collisions every
year. Pennsylvania is the third highest state in the nation for incidences of Lyme disease, he said. Alt said in pre-colonial times, deer were in
balance with the natural world. Predation by animals and native Americans kept herds within the capacity of the habitat. About the turn of the 19th
Century into the 20th, Alt said deer populations were decimated. This led to what he called the "era of over-protection." He said traditional deer
management followed the agricultural paradigm. Deer were transplanted onto Pennsylvania and began to flourish as wildlife conservation measures
were applied. But unlike colonial times, "we could not get the hunters to balance the deer with the habitat," he said. "Hunters want more deer." In a
recent study, the Game Commission provided GPS units with which it could track hunters in the forest. Nearly all stayed close to roads. Moreover,
the numbers of hunters in Pennsylvania is declining, and at the same time becoming older. But older hunters, Alt said, ventured further into the
forest than their younger counterparts. So hunting will not result in reducing the deer population, Alt said. Thus, the problem is that as deer
populations increase, "they destroy the very resource they need." Over-protection, he suggested, is the problem. "We are destroying our deer by
over-protecting them. You can cheat the system for awhile, but you will pay in the end." The deer population, he said, "has been out of control for
more than 70 years." He said the policy of allowing deer populations to increase "is the greatest mistake in the history of wildlife management." He
showed slides. In one, an oak forest was stripped of forest understory. He said deer eat the acorns. It is the acorns that would help the
oak forest regenerate. "If I were to say something to deer, it would be 'Stop eating the acorns,'"Alt said. Without acorns, the oaks will
eventually die out, to be replaced by maple and birch, which deer do not eat. He said he asked some hunters at what range they shoot
deer. They told him about 150 yards. He said one should not be able to see for 150 yards in a Pennsylvania forest. Another slide showed a deer
exclosure next to a plot where deer had stripped the land of vegetation. Where the deer were excluded, a lush second growth forest
was beginning to grow. The overpopulation problem will ultimately affect deer themselves. Alt noted that when deer do not get enough to eat,
does stop ovulating, which means no fawns will be born. "We have to balance the deer herd with the habitat," he remarked. "It is my
wish to do what it takes to fix these forests." "It goes through the whole chain ... the whole ecosystem is being
disrupted." Because of ecosystem changes, neotropical migratory songbirds are disappearing from our forests, he noted. Other species are also
suffering, losing food resources or natural cover as deer strip the forest understory. "We need to change from
traditional deer management to ecosystem management," he said. He called for research to establish scientific credibility, monitoring
deer impacts rather than numbers. And he said "We must have adequate, sustainable funding for conservation. "The future of our forests is
in question. I feel optimistic. Sooner or later, it's going to get serious enough" for people to act.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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Deer Overpopulation Module 2/2
C. Extinction
Rhett A. Butler, February 6, 2007: Just how bad is the biodiversity extinction crisis?
http://news.mongabay.com/2007/0206-biodiversity.html
In recent years, scientists have warned of a looming biodiversity extinction crisis, one that will rival or exceed the five
historic mass extinctions that occurred millions of years ago. Unlike these past extinctions, which were variously the
result of catastrophic climate change, extraterrestrial collisions, atmospheric poisoning, and hyperactive volcanism,
the current extinction event is one of our own making, fueled mainly by habitat destruction and, to a lesser extent,
over-exploitation of certain species. While few scientists doubt species extinction is occurring, the degree to which it
will occur in the future has long been subject of debate in conservation literature. Looking solely at species loss
resulting from tropical deforestation, some researchers have forecast extinction rates as high as 75 percent.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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2NC Block
1. Pennsylvania budget crisis solved – increasing taxes in the squo
New York Times June 16, 2009: Proposal to Raise Income Tax in Pennsylvania.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/17/us/17penn.html?ref=us
Facing a projected $3.2 billion revenue shortfall this year, Gov. Edward G. Rendell on Tuesday proposed temporarily
raising the personal income tax rate by 16 percent for the next three years.
Mr. Rendell, a Democrat, said in his February budget proposal for the 2010 fiscal year that he would not suggest
raising sales or income taxes. But the worsening economic conditions “blew the wheels off that idea,” he said in a
telephone interview on Tuesday between stops around the state to promote his plan.
The income tax increase would be the second of Mr. Rendell’s administration and would push the tax rate to 3.57
percent from 3.07 percent, raising about $1.5 billion. The last one, a permanent increase, came in 2004.
Pennsylvania currently has the nation’s second-lowest state income tax, and even with the increase would have the
fourth lowest, Mr. Rendell said. He also said the state had a history of temporary income tax increases during
recessions. Similar proposals were approved in 1983 under Gov. Richard L. Thornburgh, a Republican, and in 1991
under Gov. Robert P. Casey Sr., a Democrat.
2. Non-unique: Parks being cut now in the status quo – their Daily Item evidence indicates that
parks might already be cut regardless of the plan
3. Pennsylvania’s economy is not key, and even if it was, coal and steel are key
City-Data.com 2008: Pennsylvania – Economy. http://www.city-data.com/states/PennsylvaniaEconomy.html
Dominated by coal and steel, Pennsylvania is an important contributor to the national economy, but its role diminished
considerably during the 20th century. The state reached the height of its economic development by 1920, when its
western oil wells and coal fields made it the nation's leading energy producer. By that time, however, Pennsylvania's
oil production was already on the decline, and demand for coal had slackened. No longer did the state dominate US
steel production: Pennsylvania produced 60% of the US total in 1900, but only 30% in 1940 and 24% in 1960.
Philadelphia, a diversified manufacturing center, began to lose many of its textile and apparel factories. The
Depression hastened the decline. Industrial production in 1932 was less than half the 1929 level, and mineral
production, already in a slump throughout the 1920, dropped more than 50% in value between 1929 and 1933. By
1933, 37% of the workforce was unemployed.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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*** New York Politics DA ***
Thesis: The New York State Senate is fucked up. About a month ago there was a major coup in the senate that saw two
democrats switch sides and give the Republicans a majority. One of the Senators, Monserrate has since returned to the
Democrats, creating an even 31-31 split in the senate, but the Republicans have given the other (Espada) the position of the
presiding senator. Espada supports the gay marriage bill and when its brought to a vote it will pass despite the 31-31 because
Espada as senate president will get a tie-breaker vote. The plan is new unpopular spending however and causes discord in the
senate, specifically state Senator Monserrate. Monserrate is absolutely crazy and wants to get his urban development plan
passed and he joined Espada in the coup against the Democrats because the majority leader, Smith, put his plan at the bottom
of the docket. The argument is that Monserrate will perceive the counterplan as an attempt to put off his development plan
which results in him switching sides again causing gay marriage to lose.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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Mob Politics 1/3
A. Gay marriage will BARELY pass in New York despite being stalled by a 31-31 deadlock in the
Senate – Espada pushing now
Washington Times 6/17/2009: N.Y. gay marriage bill may get new life.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jun/17/gay-marriage-bill-may-get-new-life/
On Monday, however, the other defector, state Sen. Hiram Monserrate, switched his allegiance back to the Democrats.
That leaves the Senate in a 31-31 deadlock.
Mr. Espada said Tuesday that the judge's order means that the Republican-installed leadership remains in place, and
called on senators to report to work. Democrats, who have refused to recognize the Republican-led coalition's leaders,
are expected to appeal the judge's decision.
Democratic Gov. David A. Paterson said Tuesday he would be willing to step in temporarily and run the session, as he
did when he was lieutenant governor, but Republicans declined his offer. The Legislature is scheduled to adjourn
Monday, although there was speculation that lawmakers would extend the Senate session.
None of this would appear to bode well for the gay marriage bill. The legislation's final hurdle remains the Senate
vote. The bill was approved earlier by the Assembly, and Mr. Paterson, an enthusiastic supporter of same-sex
marriage, has said he will sign it.
But the coup and ensuing turmoil actually could work to the bill's benefit. Mr. Espada has said he backs the gay
marriage bill and would support bringing it to the floor for a vote, unlike Mr. Smith, who had refused to allow the bill
to come before the full Senate unless it had the votes to pass.
The bill's leading opponent, Democratic state Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr., said Tuesday that the current legislative turbulence
has upset the agreement that was keeping the bill from reaching the floor.
"I've been holding that bill from coming to the floor, and now I don't know what's going to happen," Mr. Diaz said.
"And now we have a new Democratic leader. Right now, all bets are off."
B. Spending on social services is unpopular – states cutting it from their budgets – either the
counterplan will be rolled back or DA links
Joe Kishore 7/3/2009: US states’ budget crises threaten social disaster.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/jul2009/pers-j03.shtml
Tuesday was the end of the fiscal year for most states, almost all of which are required to balance their budgets. With
the economic crisis leading to reduced tax receipts and increased demands on social programs, many states are
responding by sharply cutting spending on education, health care and other social services. Because of the particular
character of the political system in the United States, resources for these programs are provided by the states or jointly
by the states and the federal government. The crisis extends across the country. Seven states still have not passed
budgets: California (budget deficit—$24 billion), Illinois ($9.2 billion), Pennsylvania ($4.8 billion), North Carolina
($4.6 billion), Connecticut ($4.1 billion), Ohio ($3.3 billion) and Mississippi ($480 million). The budget crisis is most
severe on the West Coast, East Coast (North and South), and in the Midwest—where unemployment and home
foreclosures are highest. However, almost every state is affected. Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky and
Tennessee all face budget deficits of close to or more than $1 billion. The collective budget deficits of all the states
total about $121 billion. Of the states that still remain without a budget, several have threatened to shut down
government services altogether if agreements are not reached soon. Illinois Governor Pat Quinn (a Democrat) vetoed a
budget passed by the Democratic-controlled legislature that includes major attacks on social programs. Quinn favors
somewhat fewer cuts, combined with an increase in the state’s regressive flat income tax. Providers of services for the
mentally ill and disabled have already laid off staff in response to the budget crisis.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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Mob Politics 2/3
C. Monserrate returned to the Democratic caucus because he was promised his issue would be
given top priority – he will view the plan as a betrayal and switch sides again
Daily News 6/15/2009: Sen. Hiram Monserrate tells News he'll return to Dems - without Sen.
Pedro Espada. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/06/15/2009-0615_hiram_tells_news_hell_return_to_democrats.html
The mercurial Monserrate is set to announce at a morning press conference on Monday that he is returning to the
Democratic caucus - without Espada.
His decision creates an astonishing 31-31 deadlock in the Senate and further muddles the question of which party
controls that body.
"I said I wouldn't return to the caucus without a leadership change among the Democrats, and that has happened,"
Monserrate told The News.
On Friday, Senate Democrats settled on Brooklyn's John Sampson to replace Malcolm Smith as leader of their
conference, but to keep Smith as the majority leader.
The Republicans also are claiming that post after last Monday's vote, and the matter is now in the courts.
Monserrate told me he made the decision to switch back after a string of meetings he held all day Sunday with key
Democrats, including the Rev. Al Sharpton, Gov. Paterson, Sampson and Brooklyn state Sen. Eric Adams.
"I've received assurances from my fellow Democrats that several pieces of progressive legislation I support will be
brought to the floor for a vote," Monserrate said.
The No. 1 issue for him, he said, was a bill to end vacancy decontrol and reestablish rent regulations over thousands of
apartments in the city.
D. Gay marriage passage in New York key to spillover to other liberal states – expansion of gays
and politics
Andrew Gellman (professor of political science and statistics at Columbia University) 6/14, 2009:
GAY MARRIAGE: WHY NOW? http://www.newmajority.com/ShowScroll.aspx?ID=564ebe83916e-4034-9774-2586180a9d67
In 1995, support for gay marriage exceeded 30% in only six states: New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut,
Massachusetts, California, and Vermont. In these states, support for gay marriage has increased by an average of
almost 20 percentage points. In contrast, support has increased by less than 10 percentage points in the six states that
in 1995 were most anti-gay-marriage--Utah, Oklahoma, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Idaho.
I was stunned when I saw this picture. I generally expect to see uniform swing, or maybe even some "regression to
the mean," with the lowest values increasing the most and the highest values declining, relative to the average. But
that's not what's happening at all. What's going on?
Some possible explanations:
1) A "tipping point": As gay rights become more accepted in a state, more gay people come out of the closet. And
once straight people realize how many of their friends and relatives are gay, they're more likely to be supportive of
gay rights. Recall that the average American knows something like 700 people. So if 5% of your friends and
acquaintances are gay, that's 35 people you know--if they come out and let you know they're gay. Even accounting
for variation in social networks--some people know 100 gay people, others may only know 10--there's the real
potential for increased awareness leading to increased acceptance.
Conversely, in states where gay rights are highly unpopular, gay people will be slower to reveal themselves, and thus
the knowing-and-accepting process will go slower.
2) The role of politics: As gay rights become more popular in "blue states" such as New York, Massachusetts,
California, etc., it becomes more in the interest of liberal politicians to push the issue (consider Governor David
Paterson's recent efforts in New York). Conversely, in states where gay marriage is highly unpopular, it's in the
interest of social conservatives to bring the issue to the forefront of public discussion. So the general public is likely
to get the liberal spin on gay rights in liberal states and the conservative spin in conservative states. Perhaps this could
help explain the divergence.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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E. Challenging heteronormative structures is key to solving broader oppression of homosexuals.
Yep, 02 (Gust A., professor of Speech and Communication Studies and Human Sexuality Studies at San Francisco State
University. “From homophobia and heterosexism to Heteronormativity: Toward the development of a model of queer
internvetions in the university classroom.” jounral of lesbian studies. vol. 6. no. ¾. pg. 170-171)
To illustrate my model, I created, designed, and tested a classroom activity called “Beyond the charmed circle.” This exercise is designed to engage
the student affective, cognitive, and behavioral learning. That is, the activity brings up potentially intense emotional responses, sensations, and
thoughts can be used to develop deeper awareness of the daily acts of violence committed against LGBT individuals. Such awareness can be
the foundation for the development of a more critical consciousness regarding heteronormative ideology and potential
ways to engage in acts of resistance. “Beyond the charmed circle” can be used in about any university course where the subject of
(homo/hetero) sexuality is discussed. <<3 pages forward. No text deleted>>
In this essay, I discussed some of the problems associated with an exclusive focus on homophobia and I proposed a model that focuses on
heteronormativity as a site of social, cultural, and interpersonal violence and oppression for LGBT persons. Developing a critical
consciousness about the pervasive and oppressive nature of heteronormativity in all spheres of society necessitates
educators, researchers, policymakers, counselors, and activists to interrogate, highlight, and demystify the often
invisible ways that heterosexuality, as a concept and as an institution, influences and affects the daily lives of
individuals and communities. For LGBT individuals, heteronormativity creates conditions for homophobia, soul murder, psychic terror, and
institutional violence. In addition, such violence is experience and negotiated differently based on the individual race, class, and gender. For
heterosexual individuals, interrogation of heteronormativity means understanding their unearned privileges and
perhaps seeing how sexual hierarchies limit personal freedom, human creativity, and individual expression. With a more
complete understanding of the oppressiveness of our current sexual hierarchy, everyone can celebrate their own form of human sexual expression
rather than having “LGBT Pride Day” once a year against the backdrop of “Everyday is Heterosexual Pride Day.”
Heteronormativity is the root cause of all forms of violence and oppression.
Tatchell, 89 (Peter, Author and Activist, “Gay Liberation is Central to Human Emancipation,”
May/June 1989, http:www.petertatchell.net/masculinity/gay%20liberation.htm)
Lesbian and gay liberation is therefore truly revolutionary because it specifically rejects the male heterosexual cult of
masculine competitiveness, domination and violence. Instead, it affirms the worthwhileness of male sensitivity and affection between
men and, in the case of lesbians, the intrinsic value of an eroticism and love independent of heterosexual men. By challenging heterosexual
masculinity, the politics of lesbian and gay liberation has profound radical implications for oppressed peoples
everywhere: it actively subverts the male heterosexual machismo' values which lie at the heart of all systems of
domination, exploitation and oppression. Lesbian and gay liberation is therefore not an issue which is peripheral. It is, indeed absolutely
central to revolutionary change and human liberation in general. Without the successful construction of a cult of heterosexual
masculinity and a mass of aggressive male egos, neither sexual, class, racial, species, nor imperialist oppression are
possible. All these different forms of oppression depend on two factors for their continued maintenance. First, on specific economic and political
structures. And second, on a significant proportion of the population, mainly heterosexual men, being socialised into the acceptance of harsh
masculine values which involve the legitimisation of aggression and the suppression of gentleness and emotion . The embracing of these
culturally-conditioned macho values, whether consciously or unconsciously, is what makes so many millions of
people able to participate in repressive regimes. (This interaction between social structures, ideology and individual psychology was a
thesis which the communist psychologist, Wilhelm Reich, was attempting to articulate nearly 60 years ago in his book, The Mass Psychology of
Fascism). In the case of German fascism, what Nazism did was merely awake and excite the latent brutality which is
intrinsic to heterosexual masculinity in class societies. It then systematically manipulated and organised this unleashed
masculine violence into a fascist regime of terror and torture which culminated in the holocaust. Since it is the
internalisation of the masculine cult of toughness and domination which makes people psychologically suited and
willing to be part of oppressive relations of exploitation and subjection, repressive states invariably glorify masculine
"warrior" ideals and legally and ideologically suppress those men - mainly homosexuals - who fail to conform to them.
Given that this internalisation of masculine aggression within the male population is a prerequisite for injustice and tyranny, love and tenderness
between men ceases to be a purely private matter or simply a question of personal lifestyle. Instead, it objectively becomes an act of subversion
which undermines the very foundations of oppression. Hence the Nazi’s vilification of gay men as "sexual subversives" and "sexual saboteurs"
who, in the words of Heinrich Himmler, had to be "exterminated- root and branch." In conclusion: the goal of eradicating injustice and exploitation
requires us to change both the social structure and the individual personality to create people who, liberated from masculinity, no longer
psychologically crave the power to dominate and exploit others and who are therefore unwilling to be the agents of oppressive regimes (whether as
soldiers, police, gaolers and censors or as routine civil servants and state administrators who act as the passive agents of repression by keeping the
day-to-day machinery of unjust government ticking over). By challenging the cult of heterosexual masculinity, lesbian and gay
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
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liberation politics is about much more than the limited agenda of human rights. It offers a unique and revolutionary
contribution to the emancipation of the whole of humanity from all forms of oppression and subjugation.
Uniqueness Extensions (31-31)
Democratic coup stalled New York gay marriage vote – 31-31 split now
Reuters June 29, 2009: Power struggle impedes New York gay marriage vote.
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE55S69X20090629
New York's annual Gay Pride parade was a colorful celebration of 40 years of progress toward civil rights for gays,
but once the dust settled, gay couples who wish to marry in New York state remain thwarted.
A bill to legalize gay marriage in the state that saw the dawn of the gay rights movement is mired in political
stalemate in the state capital Albany, where Democrats and Republicans are battling over control of the state Senate.
"I had hoped today's march would have been a bit of a wedding march. It's not," Christine Quinn, the gay speaker of
the New York City Council, said at Sunday's Gay Pride parade. Held annually, this year's event marked the 40th
anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York's Greenwich Village, which triggered the modern U.S. gay rights
movement.
"We are disappointed. ... But I know there have been other times our community has been disappointed and you need
to keep fighting," Quinn said at the start of the parade, which organizers said drew more than a million people.
Gay couples can marry in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Iowa and will be allowed marry in Vermont starting in
September and in New Hampshire from January. Other states offer same-sex unions that grant many of the same
rights as marriage.
Forty-two U.S. states explicitly prohibit gay marriage, including 29 with constitutional amendments, according to
Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights advocacy group.
In May, the New York state Assembly, where Democrats hold a majority, voted by a wide margin to legalize gay
marriage.
On June 8, state Senate Republicans engineered a coup by getting two Democrats to switch allegiance and vote in a
new leadership, effectively erasing the slim 32-30 majority the Democrats won in the November 2008 election.
But Democrats have refused to recognize the leadership vote and one of the senators has since rejoined the Democrats,
creating an even 31-31 split in the chamber.
New York Governor David Paterson has vowed to bring gay marriage to a state Senate vote before the end of the
current legislative session -- which has already been extended due to the deadlock. But Paterson can not force a vote,
and it is not clear if it would pass, or even if such a vote would be legal.
Even the state's main gay rights organization has called on the Senate to resolve the leadership dispute first and not
treat gay marriage as "a political football." With no immediate prospect of a resolution to the crisis, supporters of the
bill are left wondering if it will come to a vote this year.
Paterson committed to a vote on gay marriage but the Senate is split 31-31
New York Times June 21, 2009: Paterson Vows Vote on Gay Marriage Before Break.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/22/nyregion/22albany.html?hp
Gov. David A. Paterson said in an interview Sunday night that he would make sure that the State Senate votes on
same sex-marriage legislation before it breaks for the summer, hours after he and his administration had refused to
commit to forcing a vote on the issue.
The development came as the governor announced plans to call the Senate to a special session on Tuesday, after
trying unsuccessfully for two weeks to broker a compromise in a leadership battle that has deadlocked the chamber.
But Mr. Paterson dismayed gay rights groups in his comments at a news conference early Sunday afternoon, when he
said same-sex marriage would not be on the special session’s agenda.
“It has always been my intention to see same-sex marriage come to the floor,” he said, adding, “I don’t want there to
be any confusion.”
Barring a last-minute settlement between the factions, the governor will convene the special session on Tuesday. The
chamber was left in its first 31-to-31 tie after Pedro Espada Jr., a Democrat from the Bronx, claimed the title of Senate
president when he joined a Republican-led coup earlier this month.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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Uniqueness Extensions – (31-31)
New York Senate holding at a 31-31 margin – defecting Democratic senators
MICHAEL FALCONE July 2, 2009: Capitol Hell: Worst States to Govern.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/24470.html
Sure, New York has a multibillion-dollar budget deficit and growing jobless rolls, just like many other states. But just
when it looked like things couldn’t get any worse for Democratic Gov. David Paterson, that’s exactly what happened.
In recent weeks, the state Senate has been the scene of political mayhem caused by the sudden defection of two
Democratic lawmakers who threw control of the chamber to the GOP. One of the party-switching legislators has since
returned to the Democratic fold, but that has left the Senate evenly divided — a recipe for gridlock. Paterson has been
trying to force both sides into an extraordinary session, even asking the state Supreme Court to intervene. But so far,
the senators have come no closer to settling their differences.
New York State Senate split over gay marriage legislation – the chamber is split down the middle
New York Times, June 28, 2009: Gay Marriage Lost in Shuffle of Divided Senate.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/29/nyregion/29pride.html?em
But the hopes of Mr. Paterson and gay rights advocates who have been pushing for same-sex marriage have collided
with a political maelstrom in Albany. Like every other major public-policy issue before the State Legislature — from
local sales taxes to control of New York City’s school system — same-sex marriage is on hold until Republicans and
Democrats in the State Senate reach a compromise over who will control the chamber.
So on Sunday afternoon, as the governor clutched a rainbow flag in his left hand and waved to the legions of gay men
and lesbians who turned out for the parade, his presence was more of an anticlimax than a climax.
“In my dream, I was grand marshal of a parade where as I’m taking steps down Fifth Avenue, many New Yorkers can
take steps down the aisles to be married, which I think is their right,” Mr. Paterson said as he was beginning the 40plus-block walk from Midtown to Greenwich Village. He noted that he was the first governor to serve as grand
marshal.
Mr. Paterson said on Sunday that while he hoped the Senate would move quickly to pass a same-sex marriage bill, he
remained wary of introducing the issue into such a fractious political environment.
“I think that the bill should be considered,” he said, adding, “I have tried not to insert into an already acrimonious
situation any controversial legislation that might exacerbate the tension and cause the bill to lose.”
It remains unknowable what will become of the bill, which passed the State Assembly in May by a margin of 89 to 52.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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Internal Link Extension – Monserrate
Sen. Monserrate promised legislation he supported – plan causes him to switch sides again killing
gay marriage
Newsday.com June 15, 2009: Senate coup: Confirmation Monserrate is moving back.
http://weblogs.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/politics/blog/2009/06/senate_coup_more_word_
of_monse.html
Sen. Hiram Monserrate, as so many expected, says he's moving back to the Democratic fold, prompting the likelihood
of continued deadlock, but with Monserrate's purportedly desired result of ousting Sen. Malcolm Smith as Democratic
leader. Presumably he's moving back to the camp of those he accused of attempted intimidation only last week? Here
is the column from Juan Gonzalez, to whom Monserrate spoke.
Gonzalez reports:
Monserrate told me he made the decision to switch back after a string of meetings he held all day Sunday with key
Democrats, including the Rev. Al Sharpton, Gov. Paterson, Sampson and Brooklyn state Sen. Eric Adams.
"I've received assurances from my fellow Democrats that several pieces of progressive legislation I support will be
brought to the floor for a vote," Monserrate said.
And yet at the same time, Democrats are arguing in court that Smith has to be the majority leader because he was
voted in and that vote has never been legally reversed.
In practical terms, though, this could all mean a 31-31 split in the Senate for the first time, which gives neither side a
majority. And then what? Stay tuned....
Any new legislation will turn Monserrate – he wants only his issues on the agenda
Daily News June 17th 2009: Hiram Monserrate keeps showing he's unfit to play powerbroker.
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/06/17/2009-0617_hiram_monserrate_keeps_showing_hes_unfit_to_play_powerbroker.html
Sen. Hiram Monserrate gives more evidence of his unfitness to play powerbroker every time he opens his mouth.
To judge by the incoherent explanations he gives for his erratic behavior, the freshman Democrat from Queens lacks
the common sense to choose a decent breakfast cereal, let alone a Senate majority leader.
Consider his latest nutty justification for betraying his party and throwing in with Republicans in last week's coup
d'etat: He wants us to believe he was fighting for stronger rent regulation.
That's right. Monserrate claims he thought the GOP - which has been financed by landlords since time immemorial would be better for tenants than the liberal New York City Democrats he helped throw out.
No matter whose side you're on in the apartment wars, this makes zero sense. But that's Monserrate's story, and he's
sticking to it - for now.
Monserrate said in interviews yesterday that he lost faith in Senate Democratic leader Malcolm Smith over the issue
of "vacancy decontrol," which allows landlords to deregulate certain high-rent apartments when tenants move out.
Monserrate supported rolling back the law, and he blamed Smith for allegedly blocking the bill.
"The legislative process was being bottled up," he said on WNYC radio.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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AT: Monserrate Will Stay Blue
Monserrate could flip-flop again
NBC Jun 15, 2009: Monserrate, Espada Have Made Mockery Out of Senate:
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Monserrate-Espada-Have-Made-Mockery-Out-ofSenate.html
They are indeed traitors, to their party and to the people. It’s no credit to the Democratic Party that this was allowed to
happen. Nor is it a credit to the Republicans that they were ready to accept support from these two traitors to enable
them to take the leadership away from Senator Malcolm Smith.
Today, the craziness continues. With the Senate ready to convene at 3 p.m., Monserrate, who specializes in being a
turncoat, threatens to go back to the Democratic side. That would mean a 31-31 deadlock. Based on his past behavior,
Monserrate could change his party allegiance again and again today. But it appears that there is presently a 31-31
deadlock -- for now.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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AT: 31-31 Means No Vote
Gay marriage will pass now – 31-31 split, but Espada will get 2 votes
Daily News 6/15/2009: The 31-31 question. Lexis
So, Sen. Hiram Monserrate has confirmed speculation that he'll return to the Democratic fold (at least for today),
deadlocking the Senate at 31-31 unless his erstwhile fellow renegade, Sen. Pedro Espada Jr., decides to follow suit.
Now what? If state Supreme Court Justice Thomas McNarama decides this morning to either side with the remnants of the coalition government or
take a pass on deciding whether the coup vote was legal, Sen. Dean Skelos will remain majority leader and Espada, Senate president. In that case,
the GOP argues that it would retain control of the chamber, holding sway over everything from committee chairmanships to member item
allocation. The Democrats disagree.
Some sort of power-sharing agreement would have to be brokered - at least through the end of this legislative session. That's an experiment that has
been undertaken in other states, and even in the US Senate, but never in New York, where the two sides don't have the best record when it comes to
getting along. Then there's the question of what to do in the event of a tie. Under normal circumstances, the lieutenant governor
would normally cast the deciding vote. But, thanks to Eliot Spitzer, New York has no LG. The state Constitution provides no
provision to fill that slot when the No. 2 is bumped up to the No. 1 post. In the absence of an LG, the Republicans insist the Senate
president - in this case, Espada - gets to vote twice: Once in his own stead and again to break the deadlock. The doublevote question could land the two sides right back in the courtroom. It is an issue that debate for well over a year. Last spring, then-Senate Majority
Leader Joe Bruno was making the two-vote case in advance of the 2008 elections that some thought might bring a 31-31 Senate. Some experts
agreed with Bruno, at least when it came to procedural votes (like, for example, the election of a majority leader). Others suggested that if the
chamber's leadership was in question at the time of a tie, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who is next in line on the Capitol's power totem pole,
might be able to cast the deciding vote. I spoke to Bruno yesterday. He called the situation in the Senate "very, very disturbing," but also said that
after seeing the Senate deteriorate (in his opinion) under Democratic control, he believed "it wouldn't have been in anyone's best interest to
continue; I'm surprised it got so dysfunctional so fast." On the two-vote question, Bruno said his recollection is that it applied only to resolutions
(the leadership vote is on a resolution), adding: "That was being reviewed exhaustively." Also being reviewed, as DN Capitol Bureau Chief Ken
Lovett reported over the weekend: The possibility that Gov. David Paterson is still technically the LG, and thus still capable of casting a tiebreaking vote in the Senate. (Sen. Eric Schneiderman, who has been providing legal advice to the Democrats throughout the coup, is investigating
this). Eric Lane, a Hofstra Law School professor and former counsel to the Senate Democrats (1981-86), noted that not every piece of legislation is
going to result in a tie. In fact, other than the leadership question, which is, of course, tantamount to the ability to run the chamber, and things like
budget votes or hostile amendments, it's not all that common for the chamber to break down strictly on party lines. However, there is the
possibility that controversial issues - gay marriage, for example - could deadlock the chamber. If Espada (who is a
"yes" on this issue) casts two votes and the measure gets signed into law by the governor, it would likely wind
up...yes, you guessed it, in court.
Espada will return to the democratic fold soon – wants to hold onto his constituency
New York Times June 25, 2009: Leaders Say Agreement Is Near to Unfreeze New York Senate.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/26/nyregion/26albany.html?ref=nyregion
ALBANY — After more than two weeks of stalemate, Republicans and Democrats in the State Senate appeared close
to a power-sharing deal on Thursday that would let normal legislative business resume.
Details of the evolving agreement were held in close secrecy, with few staff members or rank-and-file lawmakers
privy to even a broad outline. But leaders on both sides said on Thursday that they expected to reach a consensus soon
and perhaps a normal legislative session by Monday.
“We acknowledged that we’ve together, through this process, brought obviously a lot of disrespect to this institution,”
Senator Pedro Espada Jr., the Bronx Democrat whose alliance with the Republicans has left the chamber deadlocked,
said on Thursday morning. “It’s something we don’t want to continue. I think there’s a great spirit of cooperation.”
But with no agreement yet reached, the Senate remained at a virtual standstill throughout the day, and performed no
substantive business at the special session called by Gov. David A. Paterson. The Democrats held a session lasting
less than four minutes before leaving the chamber. Mr. Espada and the Republicans then held a brief session of their
own, departing after less than three minutes.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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Internal Link Extension – Spillover/New York Key
If New York doesn’t pass gay marriage legislation, it will tank the movement
Joseph Spector, Gannett Albany Bureau 5/13/2009: N.Y. Assembly passes same-sex marriage
legislation. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-05-12-ny-gaymarriage_N.htm
Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, D-Queens, reiterated he won't bring the issue to the Senate floor until the 32
votes are secured.
"If we get the 32 I will do it," he said this week.
New York would join five states —Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont and Maine— in issuing marriage
licenses to same-sex couples.
But opponents said they will continue to fight against the bill in the Senate. Sen. Ruben Diaz, D-Bronx, is organizing
a rally of the New York Hispanic Clergy Organization outside Paterson's Manhattan offices on Sunday to oppose
same-sex marriage.
Other opponents said they think the national movement toward same-sex marriage won't last, including in New York.
"I think the tide is about to turn on same-sex marriage across the country," said the Rev. Jason McGuire, legislative
director for New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms. "We are going to see that the redefinition of the family is
stopped in its tracks."
New York left in the dust on gay marriage – 6 other states have legal gay marriage
Miriam Kreinin Souccar, June 8, 2009: Nice day for a gay wedding;
Proponents push for action on marriage bill. Lexis
EVAN WOLFSON, executive director of Freedom to Marry, is engaged to a man from Canada, which legalized gay
marriage in 2003. Despite pressure from Canadian friends to get married there, the couple is committed to marrying in
New York, where they live. In 2000, Mr. Wolfson left his job as a lawyer at Lambda Legal, a gay rights law firm, to
found Freedom to Marry, which helps organize gay rights groups on this issue.
``As important as it is, this is far more than personal,'' Mr. Wolfson says. ``It's about making sure this is the kind of
state and country that treats everyone fairly and equally. I want to see New York back at the forefront.''
In true New York spirit, the local gay and lesbian community finds it unacceptable that other states are leaving New
York in the dust. Interest groups like the Empire State Pride Agenda have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to
lobby lawmakers, plan rallies and run commercials. In the past few weeks, advocate groups have reportedly spent
more than $200,000 on TV ads.
Only recently have anti-gay marriage groups, such as the National Organization for Marriage, turned their focus to
New York. The conservative Christian group, which fought against legalizing same-sex marriage in the Northeast and
California, began running 30-second television and radio spots late last month in New York City and Albany. The
organization is reportedly spending $100,000 on its media campaign.
Yet despite being better organized, gay marriage proponents aren't resting on their laurels. ``Almost every one of the
jurisdictions that touch New York allows gay marriage, and New York doesn't,'' says Ms. Polak, who has been writing
her state senator and funding lobbying efforts. ``It's outrageous that we've got such a strong presence in this state and
[we're not treated equally].''
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
44
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Economy Module with Perm
Perm – Do both the plan and the counterplan with the exception of New York
A. Gay marriage solves New York’s economy – weddings
Philadelphia Metro, July 3, 2009: Gay marriage can fill coffers.
http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/06/15/00/1201-82/index.xml
“It was extremely extravagant,” said Harriet Rose Katz, whose Gourmet Advisory Services catered the recent
wedding between two high-profile New York City men in Massachusetts.
If their home state sanctioned same-sex marriage, she said, “They would do it over again.” And it would not only be a
boon for her business, but for wedding planners, florists, bands and the hotels their guests stay in.
Same-sex marriage has generated roughly $111 million for Massachusetts’ economy since legalization five years ago,
according to the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law. It calculated, conservatively, that a gay or lesbian
couple spent an average of $7,400 on their weddings and averaged 16 out-of-state guests.
Katz already caters commitment ceremonies for same-sex couples in New York City’s top hotels like the Pierre, St.
Regis and Waldorf-Astoria, but she knows couples who are biding their time, hoping New York follows the Bay State,
as well as Maine, Connecticut, Vermont, Iowa and New Hampshire.
New York could reap $210 million over three years following the legalization of same-sex marriage if the destination
wedding market stays strong, according to New York City Comptroller William Thompson.
B. Perm solves social services in the state – our Kishore evidence in the 2AC is predicated off of
budget cuts of unpopular services
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
45
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AT: Courts Say No
1. Read your evidence – in the ununderlined it says that the legislature can amend it
2. NY bar association supports gay marriage
Associated Press - June 20, 2009: NY Bar Association votes to support gay marriage.
http://www.wten.com/Global/story.asp?S=10567195
The New York State Bar Association now backs gay marriage. Delegates for the association adopted a resolution
Saturday asking state legislators to give full marriage rights to same-sex couples. The Association says New York's
Domestic Relations law should also be changed to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. Bar
Association president Michael Getnick says the reform is needed to ensure equal legal rights for gays and lesbians.
The Bar's previous position on gay marriage was that the state could take other actions to guarantee those rights, like
recognizing domestic partnerships or civil unions.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
46
State Disads
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New York 2NC Block
1. Gay marriage is on the bottom of the agenda – economy
Daily News November 6, 2008: DON'T PLAN ON GAY WEDDINGS ANYTIME SOON. DEMS
MAY BE IN CHARGE OF STATE SENATE BUT SAME-SEX MARRIAGE ON BACK
BURNER. Lexis
Democrats captured a majority in the state Senate - but don't expect a vote on gay marriage anytime soon.
A day after gaining two previously Republican seats, Senate Democratic leaders said they are focused on rejuvenating
New York's economy and dealing with the state's massive budget deficit, not legalizing gay marriage.
"We can't do anything until we get the state back on track," Sen. Thomas Duane (D-Manhattan), the chamber's only
openly gay member, told reporters yesterday.
"There are other issues that we all want to work on, but really they all take a backseat to fixing the economy."
Another Senate Democrat, who asked for anonymity, said gay marriage won't move quickly because of some
opposition within the conference.
"If we put the bill out for a vote tomorrow, we don't have enough Democratic votes to pass it," the senator said.
There are at least three members who oppose it, meaning Republican votes would be needed.
Thanks to their Election Day victories, Democrats, at a minimum, will have at least a 32-30 majority when the new
term begins on Jan. 1.
They could add another seat once the race between incumbent Queens Republican Frank Padavan and Councilman
James Gennaro is decided. Padavan leads by less than 1%, pending a count of paper ballots.
Democratic leaders are expected to come under pressure to move forward with issues that have long been part of their
agenda, including gun control, strengthening rent control laws, a repeal of Rockefeller drug laws and gay marriage.
"[Election Night] allows us to have a conversation with the state Senate whose outgoing majority was not receptive to
even discussing the issues facing our community," said Alan Van Capelle, executive director of the Empire State
Pride Agenda, which has pushed for the gay marriage bill.
Democrats insisted their focus was on the economy and the Nov. 18 special legislative session Gov. Paterson has
called to make $2 billion in spending cuts.
When asked whether gay marriage was a priority, Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-Queens), the current Democratic minority
leader and likely majority leader in January, said, "What's a priority for us is building this economy, putting New
York back to work."
2. No internal link – one senator won’t be key, and there’s no guarantee that other democrats won’t
vote against gay marriage – that’s our Daily News evidence above
3. Senate can’t pass gay marriage – courts ruled against it
Fox News July 06, 2006: New York Appeals Court Won't Allow Gay Marriage.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,202339,00.html
The Court of Appeals in a 4-2 decision said New York's marriage law is constitutional and clearly limits marriage to
between a man and a woman. Any change in the law should come from the state Legislature, Judge Robert Smith
wrote.
"We do not predict what people will think generations from now, but we believe the present generation should have a
chance to decide the issue through its elected representatives," Smith wrote.
The New York ruling is part of an evolving mosaic on the volatile issue nationwide.
High courts in Washington state and New Jersey are deliberating cases in which same-sex couples argue they have the
right to marry. A handful of other states have cases moving through lower courts.
But 45 states have specifically barred same-sex marriage through statutes or constitutional amendments.
Massachusetts is the only state that allows gay marriage, although Vermont and Connecticut allow same-sex civil
unions that confer the same legal rights as heterosexual married couples.
4. Impact Calculus – prefer the net benefit to the counterplan {insert calculus}
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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*** Internet Sales Tax DA ***
Thesis: States are having problems balancing their budgets and many are considering internet sales taxes (North Carolina
having already passed one). The plan would cause budget trade-offs across several states and lead to the passage of several of
these sales taxes, which are extremely harmful to small businesses and that destroys the economy. Nuclear war.
States with sales taxes now:
New York, Hawaii, Rhode Island, North Carolina
States considering internet sales taxes:
California, Florida, Connecticut, Washington and 1-3 others
States that have rejected internet sales taxes: Maryland, Tennessee, Minnesota
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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Raleigh Behind Me 1/2
A. Internet sales taxe being considered across the states – North Carolina’s proves that such
measures would hurt small businesses
Bruce Midwurf (Reporter) 7/1/2009: State Sales Tax Debate Goes Online.
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/5485365/
But some of those commission opportunities are disappearing because of a provision in the state budget proposal that clarifies
when out-of-state retailers must collect sales tax on sales made in North Carolina.
Amazon.com is the latest company to bail. Last month, Tutwiler received a notice from the online retail giant informing him
that his associate account was closed as a "direct result of the tax collection scheme expected to be passed any day now by
the North Carolina Legislature." To help fill a projected $4.6 billion budget shortfall, Democratic lawmakers want online
companies, such as Amazon.com, as well as music and video download sites, that have a presence in North Carolina to
collect sales tax. Doing so, they have said, would generate up to an estimated $18 million a year. Amazon.com generally does not
charge sales tax on purchases made through the site – an exception is in New York, where the state won a lawsuit that requires Amazon to collect sales tax.
The company argues that it doesn't have a presence in North Carolina and that its affiliates serve as advertisers. The state, however, claims the affiliates are
representatives doing business on behalf of the company. Seven more states are currently considering similar legislation. Amazon.com has
also dropped affiliates in Hawaii and Rhode Island over similar disputes. Those in support of the budget provision have said it also has to do with fairness. A
local company is at a disadvantage if it collects a sales tax compared with an online retailer that does not, some lawmakers have said. Sen. David Hoyle, cochairman of the Senate Finance Committee, wants the Department of Revenue to go after years of back taxes from Amazon.com "We're trying to correct a
wrong, and I'm sorry some innocent people may be getting hurt in the process, but Amazon owes us," Hoyle, D-Gaston said. "They've got to pay us."
Tutwiler disagrees. "They're not doing it to make it more fair to brick-and-mortar businesses," he said. "They're doing it because there's billions of dollars a
year sold on the Internet, and they want a piece of it." So do some lawmakers. “Seeing how many holes we can shoot in our foot is not an economic strategy
North Carolinians can count on to reduce our record 11.1 percent unemployment rate,” Senate Republican Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, said. Berger
has called the plan "just the beginning of the job and small-business losses for North Carolina’s economy."
B. Many states cutting social services now – either all of them will rollback the counterplan or they
will need to take measures to balance out their budgets
Joe Kishore 3 July 2009: US states’ budget crises threaten social disaster.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/jul2009/pers-j03.shtml
In 1975, as New York City faced a fiscal crisis, then-President Gerald Ford refused an appeal from the city for aid,
prompting the famous New York Daily News headline, “Ford to City: Drop Dead.” The headline captured something
of the anger felt by city residents toward the federal government’s refusal to provide aid, forcing deep spending cuts.
Today, the Obama administration is carrying out a similar policy throughout the United States, standing by as states
respond to budget crises brought on by the recession through massive attacks on critical social programs. A
similar headline would be appropriate today, with the proviso that the various state governments are active
collaborators in an attack on the entire US population. Obama has repeatedly insisted that the states restore their
“credit-worthiness” by reducing spending and resolving “structural problems.” The implications of this policy
are now being felt. Tuesday was the end of the fiscal year for most states, almost all of which are required to balance
their budgets. With the economic crisis leading to reduced tax receipts and increased demands on social
programs, many states are responding by sharply cutting spending on education, health care and other social
services. Because of the particular character of the political system in the United States, resources for these programs
are provided by the states or jointly by the states and the federal government. The crisis extends across the country.
Seven states still have not passed budgets: California (budget deficit—$24 billion), Illinois ($9.2 billion),
Pennsylvania ($4.8 billion), North Carolina ($4.6 billion), Connecticut ($4.1 billion), Ohio ($3.3 billion) and
Mississippi ($480 million). The budget crisis is most severe on the West Coast, East Coast (North and South), and in
the Midwest—where unemployment and home foreclosures are highest. However, almost every state is affected.
Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee all face budget deficits of close to or more than $1 billion. The
collective budget deficits of all the states total about $121 billion. Of the states that still remain without a budget,
several have threatened to shut down government services altogether if agreements are not reached soon.
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn (a Democrat) vetoed a budget passed by the Democratic-controlled legislature that
includes major attacks on social programs. Quinn favors somewhat fewer cuts, combined with an increase in the
state’s regressive flat income tax. Providers of services for the mentally ill and disabled have already laid off staff in
response to the budget crisis.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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Raleigh Behind Me 2/2
C. Small businesses key to economy
Robert Longley (26 years of experience in municipal government in Texas and California cities)
2009: Small business drives U.S. economy.
http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/smallbusiness/a/sbadrives.htm
What really drives the U.S. economy? No, it is not war. Small business -- firms with fewer than 500 employees -drives the U.S. economy by providing jobs for over half of the nation's private workforce. The latest figures from the
SBA show that small businesses with fewer than 20 employees increased employment by 853,074 during 2001-2002.
These and other statistics outlining small business' contribution to the economy are contained in the Small Business
Profiles for the States and Territories, 2005 Edition from the Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business
Administration (SBA).
"Small business drives the American economy," said Dr. Chad Moutray, Chief Economist for the Office of Advocacy
in a press release. "Main Street provides the jobs and spurs our economic growth. American entrepreneurs are creative
and productive, and these numbers prove it."
Small businesses are job creators. Office of Advocacy funded data and research shows that small businesses represent
99.7 percent of all firms, they create more than half of the private non-farm gross domestic product, and they create 60
to 80 percent of the net new jobs.
D. Economic collapse causes global nuclear war.
Mead, 2009 (Walter Russell, the Henry A. Kissinger Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy at the
Council on Foreign Relations, “Only Makes You Stronger”, The New Republic, February 4, 2009)
Bad economic times can breed wars. Europe was a pretty peaceful place in 1928, but the Depression poisoned German
public opinion and helped bring Adolf Hitler to power. If the current crisis turns into a depression, what rough beasts
might start slouching toward Moscow, Karachi, Beijing, or New Delhi to be born? The United States may not, yet,
decline, but, if we can't get the world economy back on track, we may still have to fight.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
50
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Uniqueness Extensions
Internet sales taxes push Amazon out of North Carolina while small businesses take hits
W. David Gardner InformationWeek June 29, 2009 01:45 PM
http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/retail/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=218101852
Faced with the implementation of a new online state sales tax in North Carolina, Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN).com has ended
partnerships with scores of small business entrepreneurs in the state as the North Carolina legislature prepares to enact
new policy on "click-through" transactions. The online retail giant has been battling several states over sales taxes,
generally maintaining they are unconstitutional. Noting that consumers are usually required to pay state taxes on online
purchases, lawmakers in several states have taken action to collect the taxes with varying degrees of success. Some states,
including New York, have been collecting taxes while others like Maryland, Minnesota, and Tennessee have rejected
collecting sales taxes. Some additional states, including New Hampshire, don't collect sales taxes even on bricks-and-mortar
retail store purchases. In criticizing the pending North Carolina online tax, Amazon spokesperson Patty Smith said, "It's not a
decision we take lightly. It's unfortunate that given the way the legislation is drafted, we have no choice." Like most other
states, North Carolina is suffering from a shortfall of tax revenue, as the economic meltdown continues to take its toll.
The Democratic-controlled legislature has argued that in addition to providing new tax revenue, the measure would level the
playing field for all retailers whether they are online entrepreneurs or bricks-and-mortar businesses. "They (Amazon's
associates) need to pay their taxes like everybody else," said Representative Pryor Gibson, a Democrat, according to media
reports. Senate Republican leader Phil Berger responded, "This is just the beginning of the job and small-business losses
for North Carolina's economy. Seeing how many holes we can shoot in our foot is not an economic strategy North
Carolinians can count on to reduce our record 11.1% unemployment rate." Some Amazon affiliates have said they will likely
leave the state if the taxation legislation goes into effect. On the other side of the issue, many North Carolina small store
owners, including many book stores that compete with Amazon, have hailed the pending legislation. Amazon has challenged
a recent New York law that calls for Amazon associates to pay online taxes while it continues to fight proposed legislation in
California, maintaining it will end its relationships with its associates in that state.
Internet sales taxes now – will harm small businesses
Daily Finance 6/30/2009: Tax Happy States Cut Off Business for Amazon Associates.
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/06/30/tax-happy-states-cut-off-business-for-amazonassociates/
As states try to find revenue anywhere they can, Amazon (AMZN) associates may find themselves out of business.
Amazon has already cut off associates in two states -- Rhode Island and North Carolina. Both states wanted the
retailer to collect state's sales taxes generated by Amazon associates located in their state. Amazon doesn't want to do
that and instead sent emails to the associates ending its business relationship.
Now the states won't get the additional revenue and they've cut off income of some of their citizens -- a lose-lose
situation for everyone. States are taking the position that associate websites are among the physical assets of Amazon,
so therefore they can tax revenue generated by those websites. Rhode Island passed the legislation, which still sits on
the governor's desk for signature, but since the bill passed with a veto-proof majority, Amazon assumes it will become
law.
Rebecca Madigan, a founder of the affiliate trade group Performance Marketing Alliance, told The Wall Street
Journal there are about 2,000 online affiliates in Rhode Island, who pay about $3 million in state income tax. "We're
seeing small businesses being hit. They are the collateral damage through all of this legislation, which inaccurately
classifies affiliate marketers as sales agents" rather than advertising channels, Madigan said.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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Link Extensions
States are broke – can’t afford social services as it is in the status quo
Tami Luhby (CNNMoney.com senior writer) July 1, 2009: Tax hikes and budget woes: States
crunched.
http://money.cnn.com/2009/07/01/news/economy/state_budgets/?postversion=2009070111
It's not a happy new year for the states.
States are carrying their financial woes into the new fiscal year, which for most started on Wednesday. Some had yet
to pass their fiscal 2010 budgets. For others, tax hikes and draconian spending cuts went into effect.
Governors and legislators spent fiscal 2009 wrestling to balance budgets as tax revenues plummeted amid the
weakening economy. Many were forced to slash funding for social services, education and public safety, as well as
raise sales levies, income taxes and other fees.
Fiscal 2010 is not looking much better, experts said. New budget gaps opened up even before the year began.
"The economy is not out of the woods so states are not out of the woods," said Bert Waisanen, fiscal analyst with the
National Conference of State Legislatures.
A half-dozen states entered the new year without budgets in place.
"They are dealing with some very difficult fiscal decisions," Waisanen said.
State budgets tanked – rising costs of social services and lower tax revenues are the cause – plan
makes it worse
Zacks Investment Research June 18, 2009: States of Distress.
http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewarticle/articleid/3274741
Unlike the Federal Government, the 50 states are required by their constitutions to run balanced budgets. This presents
a serious problem when the economy turns south, since spending on things like unemployment insurance and some
social services goes up, and tax revenues go down.
This post is on the latter part of the problem. The Nelson Rockefeller Institute of Government just came out with a
report on just how much state tax collections have fallen in the first four months of the year (including the very
important month of April). The charts below are from that study by way of http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/.
The first one shows that the vast majority of states with personal income taxes have seen sharp declines versus last
year in collections. Only three (small) states have seen an increase in personal tax collections vs. a year ago. There
were no data for four states and 33 states reported falling revenues. Ten states, including Texas and Florida, do not
have state income taxes.
Eight states have seen drops of at least 30%. There is a very high correlation between the states with the biggest fall in
tax revenues and those with the highest unemployment rates.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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Small Businesses Key 2 Economy
Small businesses key to the economy
ABC News January 10, 2009: Small business woes have big impact on economy.
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/Economy/wireStory?id=6617811
Times are tough for small business owners, those whom politicians tout as the backbone of America. As the recession
marches on, it's those businesses — which employ about half of the country's private-sector workers — that are
particularly vulnerable to the squeeze. To cope, small business owners — from neighborhood plumbers to graphic
design firms — are paying employee salaries before their own, trying to renegotiate leases and pleading for customers
on neighborhood blogs. But despite their best efforts, the customers aren't there.
"It's all feeding on itself," said Raymond Keating, chief economist at the Small Business Survival Committee, an
advocacy group based in Oakton, Va. "People are scared. They're not quite sure what to do."
Not every small business is facing impending doom. But the economic quicksand brought on by the longest recession
in a quarter century is getting worse as the nation's unemployment rate reaches a 16-year-high and banks become
more careful about lending money. That's consuming even local favorites like Heinemann's restaurant chain in
Milwaukee, Olsson's Books & Records in Washington, D.C., and The Music Mill, a popular performance space in
Indianapolis.
Small businesses — defined by the government as having 500 or fewer workers — are a key portion of the country's
commerce food chain. They account for more than 99 percent of all employer firms, according to federal statistics,
pay nearly 45 percent of the country's private payroll and produce almost a third of the nation's export value.
That means when they hurt, everyone feels the pain. Closures affect communities, where friends are co-workers and
customers, and the cost-cutting creates a hard-to-stop cycle. Charitable donations wilt. Storefronts sit empty. Cities
and towns get less tax revenue, and have to cut their budgets. And people wind up spending even less as those who are
unemployed — or those who worry they will be — trim their own budgets at the expense of other businesses, large
and small.
Small businesses are key to the economy
MSNBC 5/19/2009: Obama calls small businesses key to economy.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30831256/
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama says the nation's small businesses are responsible for half of the nation's
private sector jobs and deserve support from Washington.
Obama on Tuesday welcomed winners of a Small Business Administration award to the White House's East Room.
He said some of the nation's best businesses began as small ventures, such as Google and McDonald's.
Such businesses' impact goes beyond the economy, Obama said, adding that small business owners help strengthen
local neighborhoods. Given everything a small business does for its community, the government should do its part to
help leaders, he said.
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
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2NC Block
1. Their uniqueness evidence indicates that small businesses are hurting now – no brink as to why
the plan would make it worse
2. North Carolina’s economy has already collapsed
Joel Frady June 20, 2009
http://www.mountaintimes.com/mtweekly/2009/0702/goss.php3
With budget negotiations in Raleigh in full-swing, N.C. Sen. Steve Goss (D–45) took some time on the morning of
Saturday, June 20, to talk to constituents about the current crisis that North Carolina is facing and listen to questions
and concerns.
Approximately 20 people attended the meeting at the Wilkes County Office Building in Wilkesboro, voicing concerns
about health care, education and tax collection. Before taking questions, Goss addressed the situation at hand.
“To know that we are not nearly in as bad of shape as many other states is good news, but it’s still a bad situation any
way we look at it,” Goss said, noting that the crisis is “unprecedented.”
“I’m an optimist by nature and sometimes it’s difficult to think about these things,” he said.
He later noted, “This is not a recession of the type we’ve known in our lifetime. It’s the most severe economic
downturn in our lifetime, no holds barred. That said, nothing can protect us from these downturns, but we can be
better insulated if we have the right structure in place.”
3. Their Kishore evidence never indicates that services specifically trade-off with small businesses –
means no link
4. Small businesses have already collapsed
USA Today 6/30/2009: Small businesses vital to economic recovery go bankrupt.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/smallbusiness/2009-06-30-small-businesses-bankruptcy_N.htm
Entrepreneurship and new small businesses are supposed to lead us out of the recession, just as they have in prior
downturns, right?
Sure. Your neighbor's grand idea will persuade a bank to lend her start-up money; she'll open for business in six
weeks; and money will immediately flow from customers to her to her employees. Taxes will be paid, and the national
economic engine will hum effortlessly in no time.
If only.
Today shows a different reality: Commercial bankruptcies are surging. Fewer people are starting small businesses, and
firms already open are struggling under changing consumer habits, a lack of funding options and tougher bankruptcy
laws. If a nationwide trend seen since January holds true, more than 300 businesses will file for bankruptcy — today
alone.
5. Net benefit outweighs – {insert}
Counterplan Text: The 50 United States except California, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Louisiana
should… (solvency deficit much?)
54