Tournament: Longhorn Classic | Round: 2 | Opponent: Spencer Swickle | Judge: Nevin Gera
1AC
1AC – Policy
1AC - FWK
The standard is maximizing expected well-being.
Prefer:
1 - Pleasure and pain are intrinsic value and disvalue.
Blum et al. 18 Kenneth Blum, 1Department of Psychiatry, Boonshoft School of Medicine, Dayton VA Medical Center, Wright State University, Dayton, OH, USA 2Department of Psychiatry, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA 3Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Keck Medicine University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA 4Division of Applied Clinical Research and Education, Dominion Diagnostics, LLC, North Kingstown, RI, USA 5Department of Precision Medicine, Geneus Health LLC, San Antonio, TX, USA 6Department of Addiction Research and Therapy, Nupathways Inc., Innsbrook, MO, USA 7Department of Clinical Neurology, Path Foundation, New York, NY, USA 8Division of Neuroscience-Based Addiction Therapy, The Shores Treatment and Recovery Center, Port Saint Lucie, FL, USA 9Institute of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary 10Division of Addiction Research, Dominion Diagnostics, LLC. North Kingston, RI, USA 11Victory Nutrition International, Lederach, PA., USA 12National Human Genome Center at Howard University, Washington, DC., USA, Marjorie Gondré-Lewis, 12National Human Genome Center at Howard University, Washington, DC., USA 13Departments of Anatomy and Psychiatry, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC US, Bruce Steinberg, 4Division of Applied Clinical Research and Education, Dominion Diagnostics, LLC, North Kingstown, RI, USA, Igor Elman, 15Department Psychiatry, Cooper University School of Medicine, Camden, NJ, USA, David Baron, 3Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Keck Medicine University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA, Edward J Modestino, 14Department of Psychology, Curry College, Milton, MA, USA, Rajendra D Badgaiyan, 15Department Psychiatry, Cooper University School of Medicine, Camden, NJ, USA, Mark S Gold 16Department of Psychiatry, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA, “Our evolved unique pleasure circuit makes humans different from apes: Reconsideration of data derived from animal studies”, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 28 February 2018, accessed: 19 August 2020, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6446569/, R.S.
Pleasure defines reward. reason why particular stimuli are rewarding due to pleasure. Pleasure provides the basis for hedonic theories We are attracted by rewards because they are enjoyable organisms are result of evolutionary competition. rewards increase evolutionary fitness That is why foods, drinks, mates, and offspring are rewarding. brain regions modulate pleasure or produce the opposite liking represented by limbic system differentially expressed genes associate with pleasure researchers examined neural tissue there was contrast in neocortices area of the brain more developed in humans dopamine plays role in ability to pursue rewards
Prefer for bindingness – if I put my hand on a hot stove I have a biological imperative to pull it back – that happens before a signal is sent to my brain which outweighs because if an ethical theory isn’t binding people could say why not which makes it incoherent.
2 - Extinction comes first under any framework.
Pummer 15 Theron, Junior Research Fellow in Philosophy at St. Anne's College, University of Oxford. “Moral Agreement on Saving the World” Practical Ethics, University of Oxford. May 18, 2015 AT
reducing existential risk is the most important thing so many people could exist reducing existential risk is the most important even if the well-being of these possible people were given only 0.001 as much weight Non-consequentialism is the view that there’s more that determines rightness than consequences not that the latter don’t matter All ethical doctrines worth our attention take consequences into account in judging rightness. versions of deontology must be concerned with promoting the good They’d imply very strong reasons to reduce existential risk We should also take into account moral uncertainty. even if we are only 1 sure that well-being matter from moral uncertainty, reducing existential risk is the most important thing in the worl all minimally plausible moral views would converge that we should try to save the world.
a. Gateway issue - we need to be alive to assign value and debate competing moral theories.
b. no moral theory can allow for extinction because it means the end of value.
1AC - Advantage
Status quo illegality decreases strike activity.
Pope 10, James. (Professor Pope received an A.B. and J.D. from Harvard, and a Ph.D. in politics from Princeton. From 1974 to 1980, he worked in the metal trades and was an active member of the International Association of Machinists and the Industrial Union of Marine and Shipbuilding Workers. After law school, he clerked for Chief Justice Rose Elizabeth Bird of the California Supreme Court. Prior to joining the Rutgers faculty in 1986, he was associated with the Boston law firm of Segal, Roitman and Coleman, where he represented labor unions and workers. Professor Pope is a member of the National Lawyers Guild and serves on the Executive Council of the Rutgers AAUP/AFT (AFL-CIO). His articles about workers’ rights, constitutional law, and labor history have appeared in a wide variety of publications including the Columbia Law Review, Law and History Review, the Michigan Law Review, the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, the Texas Law Review, the Yale Law Journal, Labor History, New Labor Forum (with Peter Kellman and Ed Bruno), and Working USA (also with Kellman and Bruno).) "The Right to Strike under the United States Constitution: Theory, Practice, and Possible Implications for Canada." Rutgers University Libraries, 2010, scholarship.libraries.rutgers.edu/discovery/fulldisplay/alma991031549922004646/01RUT_INST:ResearchRepository.
the Supreme Court upheld restrictions on the right to strike U.S. law is extraordinarily unprotective Court approved permanently replace strikers violates international standards permanent replacement rule contributed to a drastic decline in strike activity
Scenario 1 – Soft Power
US soft power is wavering - there’s still hope for recovery but it requires consistency
Brand 21 Brand finance reports on a wide array of domestic and global news stories; news topics include politics/government, business, technology, religion, sports/entertainment, science/nature, and health/lifestyle. “The decline of US soft power? Last year's ranking leader, America plummets down the Global Soft Power Index.” May 2, 2021. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-decline-of-us-soft-power-last-years-ranking-leader-america-plummets-down-the-global-soft-power-index-301238970.html
America's drop in Soft Power lost its position as the superpower significant decline began 2017 there is hope for recovery increased competition means reproducing past results is tougher US is going to have to work a lot harder greatest threat to soft power is dissonance between what it says it stands for and what its actions reveal it to stand for."
US disregard of ILO wrecks soft power.
Rosenberg 20 Eli Rosenberg covers work and labor for The Washington Post.. “U.S. accused of violating international labor laws, forced-labor protections in new complaint.” October 7, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/10/08/international-complaint-worker-protections/
U.S. is well behind the curve not typical of democratic countries serious ramifications for the country’s reputation bring political pressure the eyes of the world .S. is found to be failing to ensure basic human rights U.S. in violation of international standards make it difficult for the U.S. to hold other countries accountable difficult for the U.S. to hold China Russia India, or Brazil
Soft power fosters multilateralism - solves extinction but also renews the institutional foundation of the global order.
John G. Ikenberry 11, Albert G. Milbank Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton, Spring, “A World of Our Making”, http://www.democracyjournal.org/20/a-world-of-our-making.php?page=all
unipolar moment will pass What order would we like to see when America is less powerful the United States should renew institutional foundations of the liberal international order and re-establish its authority as a global leader warming, nuclear proliferation terrorism, energy security pandemics endanger lives threats materialize the global order itself be put at risk To build international order is to increase resources and capacities within a the United States will find itself needing to share power and rely on security It will need respect as a global leader
Institutional legitimacy checks conflict escalation even after hegemony erodes - key to prevent global transition wars and power vacuums.
Kromah 09 (Lamii Moivi Kromah, Department of International Relations University of the Witwatersrand, February 2009, “The Institutional Nature of U.S. Hegemony: Post 9/11”, http://wiredspace.wits.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10539/7301/MARR2009.pdf)
U.S. benevolent hegemony has kept the peace democratic states resolve conflicts, the system will perpetuate peacefully It is not power or interventions that facilitate action, but rules as institutions provide channels to reach agreements A world without U.S. primacy more violence and disorder and less democracy and growth power serves to foster agreement and consensus alternative is a global vacuum of power institutions permit cooperation after influence has eroded Declining hegemony consistent with ability to promote cooperation to deal with problems validating norms of international behaviour the U.S. has given incentives for actors to behave peacefully
Scenario 2 - Union Strength
Strikes are necessary to sustain union strength.
Reich, Adam, et al 20. (Adam Reich received his PhD in sociology from UC Berkeley in 2012, and was a Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Scholar at Columbia from 2012 to 2014. He focuses on economic and cultural sociology. Much of his research concerns how people make sense of their economic activities and economic positions within organizations. Reich is the author of three books, the most recent of which is Selling Our Souls: The Commodification of Hospital Care in the United States (Princeton, 2014). He is also the author of several peer-reviewed articles, which have appeared in journals such as the American Journal of Sociology and Social Science and Medicine. Education Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley, 2012.) "Schooled by Strikes? The Effects of Large-Scale Labor Unrest on Mass Attitudes Toward the Labor Movement." Cambridge Core, 2 June 2020, www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-politics/article/abs/schooled-by-strikes-the-effects-of-largescale-labor-unrest-on-mass-attitudes-toward-the-labor-movement/0B7101A887DCE4134E26B758D082C8DB.
increased exposure to strikes led to greater support for unions mobilizations teaching noninvolved members about the movement and tactics increases in aggregate public support for unions in the strike states after the strikes strikes foster further strikes If unions are to regain clout strike must be a central strategy
Innovation
We’re on the brink - decline in RandD cedes dominance to China - labor market investment is the strongest internal link to tech development and jobs.
Augustine and Baker 21 Norman R. Augustine is the retired chair and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corp. and former under secretary of the US Army. Neal Lane is a senior fellow in science and technology policy at the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University. He is a former presidential science adviser and director of the National Science Foundation. “America on Edge: Settling for Second Place?” October 22, 2021. https://issues.org/america-on-edge-settling-second-place-augustine-lane/
U S is on edge leadership is challenged weakened institutions and placed in danger leadership in science and technology America is at a tipping point solutions require advances in RandD), China employing science, technology, and innovation making investments in artificial intelligence United States maintain a lead in key areas, but margins are closing China has been increasing RandD and can overtake the United States
Unions are critical to RandD and innovation.
Shin et al. 19, Illhang, et al. (Affiliation: Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Accounting, College of Business, Gachon University, Seongnam-si, Gyunggi-do) "The effect of labor unions on innovation and market valuation in business group affiliations: new evidence from South Korea." Springer Link, 26 Oct. 2019, link.springer.com/article/10.1057/s41291-019-00089-9.
unions facilitate innovation by reducing grievances and turnover improving moral and training increase in union power increase RandD unions allow firms to increase speed of diffusion and implementation of technology hence increase incentive to invest labor unions act as a governance mechanism that monitors agency problems encourage innovative behaviors
China uses biotech gains for massive bio-military advantages over the US – spurs bio-attacks.
Kuo 17, Mercy. “The Great US-China Biotechnology and Artificial Intelligence Race.” The Diplomat, 23 Aug. 2017, thediplomat.com/2017/08/the-great-us-china-biotechnology-and-artificial-intelligence-race/.
China plans to become the next AI-Genomics powerhouse necessitates acquiring strategic tech significant economic incentives behind China’s investment Genomics is dual-use, AI systems to understand genomes is of strategic importance for biodefense knowledge lead to developments including vaccines with applications in military enhancement Gaining access to U.S. genomic data-sets gives China a knowledge advantage into leading bio-military research personalized bio-attacks are increasingly possible malicious actors could engineer pathogens that are tailored
Bio-attacks cause extinction – overcomes any conventional defense.
Walsh 19, Bryan. End Times: A Brief Guide to the End of the World. Hachette Books, 2019. (Future Correspondent for Axios, Editor of the Science and Technology Publication OneZero, Former Senior and International Editor at Time Magazine, BA from Princeton University)Elmer
deliberate outbreak engineered pathogen spread chaos fast and kill quicker evade countermeasures reintroduced again and again right genetic traits wipe us off the planet existential threat attack not difficult advances reduced skill and funding needed to gene editi and engineer threat most available a bioweapon
Plan: The United States federal government ought to recognize the unconditional right of workers to strike.
1 - Solves ILO.
Brudney 21 James; Joseph Crowley Chair in Labor and Employment Law, Fordham Law School; “The Right to Strike as Customary International Law,” THE YALE JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL LAW; January 2021; https://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1710andcontext=yjil *CIL = customary international law
Supreme Court decision involved violation of CIL right to strike as CIL would be asserted as a federal common law standard directly applied in court contexts universality of the right to strike as part of FOA can qualify ht is recognized under multiple international agreements including ILO this CIL norm includes specificity regarding analysis right to engage in strike activities and right to be protected against replacement changes in law would be needed to comply the right to strike as CIL can be asserted in U.S. courts as CIL
2 - The plan restores electoral legitimacy and ensures democracy in the workplace.
Luce 20, Stephanie. (Stephanie Luce is a professor at the School of Labor and Urban Studies/CUNY. She is the author of 'Labor Movements: Global Perspectives and Fighting for a Living Wage' and is an Editor of Organizing Upgrade. Her writing can be found at stephanieluce.net.) "Strike for Democracy! » Organizing Upgrade." Organizing Upgrade, 26 Oct. 2020, www.organizingupgrade.com/strike-for-democracy/.
assault on the electoral process, from voter suppression to misleading ballot boxes create fear and chaos Unions connect activists with protect the vote” groupings turning attention to election scenarios unions guarantors of democracy in the workplace, to ensure democracy survives labor organizations prepare for general strike to ensure peaceful transition of power labor bodies followed ready to mobilize in a series of strikes
3 - The right to strike is key to preserve democracy – flips concentration of power.
IER 17. (The IER exists to inform the debate around trade union rights and labour law by providing information, critical analysis, and policy ideas through our network of academics, researchers and lawyers. We were established in February 1989 as an independent organisation to act as a focal point for the spread of new ideas in the field of labour law. In 1994 the Institute became a registered charity.) "UN Rights Expert: Right to Strike is Essential to Democracy." IER, 10 Mar. 2017, www.ier.org.uk/news/un-rights-expert-right-strike-essential-democracy/.
right to strike is fundamental to the preservation of democracy concentration of power in one sector leads to the erosion of democracy increase in inequalities and marginalization right to strike is a check on concentration of power established in international law as a corollary to freedom Protest against negative corporate practices, forms civil liberties right enables them to engage with companies on a more equal footing States have a positive obligation to protect this right