Intro: "Protecting the health and safety of all Americans doesn't have to come at the expense of our economy's bottom line. And creating thriving companies and new jobs doesn't have to come at the expense of the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, or the natural landscape in which we live. We can, and indeed must, have both." It is because I agree with former President Bill Clinton that I must affirm the resolution, which states, Resolved: "A government's obligation to protect the environment ought to take precedence over its obligation to promote economic development." .
Observation 1: Definitions: I will now clarify the terms of the debate by offering up the following definitions found in Blacks Law Dictionary, Fifth Edition. .
a) Environment: the condition of the air, water, soil, plants, animals, and natural surroundings. .
b) Economic Development/Growth The process by which a country increases its ability to produce goods and services. .
c) Governmental obligation: A governing body or organization that is bound by a social, legal or moral tie. .
d) Precedence: the fact or state of priority. Meaning that one must come before the other. .
Observation 2: Value and Criterion. .
Value: The supreme value in which to weigh the round is that of Social Welfare. By providing the best possible outcome for a society, a government is fulfilling its duty to its citizens to provide the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. .
Criterion: The only way to uphold the value of Social Welfare is the standard of Governmental Legitimacy. This can be defined as a government conforming to all moral codes and providing the best moral outcome for a society. Only through a government using its own hegemony can a people be protected to the fullest moral extent. .
Contention 1: Damages to the environment are permanent, the economy can be fixed. .
a) Former President Theodore Roosevelt once stated, "I do not intend that our natural resources shall be exploited by the few against the interests of the many.
