dr english lecture

7/30/2019 Dr English Lecture

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Dr. Bill English

Baylor Briefs Debate Lectureship 2012-2013

Topic Brief

T will be a sig issue25-30 different Aff cases; will be categorized by BE

Neg arguments

Things to know:

1. He really does have evidence.2. While hes normally allowing of questions, hes going to suspend it. Ask during

break or after the lectureship

3. This is probably the biggest topic EVERNatl HS Debate topic

Transportation Infrastructure is important to us, our employment, our health, our

safety, national security, our recreation, national competitiveness, world economy,

environment, so nearly every time you turn around, there will be something that relates

in a sig way to trans infrastructure that will be in the realm of the Aff. But, Trans

Infrastructure is the equivalent of 5 trillion dollars of economic activity in the US, giving

us reasons to pause. Were not an old country, but there have been two major

revolutions in transportation infrastructure in this country since our incession. Both are

very important, and both will be subject to concern on this topic:

1800s- US opens up with a coast-to-coast railroad service. We expanded the countryand opened up all of the resources that were in the western part of the country. This

was incredible and, oddly, the expansion came about as a result of the free enterprise

system. The PRIVATE SECTOR developed the trans-continental railroad system, not the

USFG.

Mid-to-late 1900s- Interstate Hwy System. Comprised of 47,000 miles; 55,000 bridges.

Was built for national security purposes. In 1919, a lieutenant in the US army was

involved in a military convoy from Washington, D.C. to San Francisco, California. Took 62

days to move cross-country. In WWII, that lieutenant was a general (Dwight D.

Eisenhower), whose mission was to win the war, particularly in Europe. When heobserved the Autobahn system in Germany, he had to destroy it but following WWII he

tried to recreate it in America when he achieved the Presidency. He established the

Natl Hwy Trust Fund in 1956 (HTF) was funded by a gasoline tax: 4c/gallon. Was to pay

90% of the construction costs of the Interstate Hwy System. State governments were

tagged with a 10% cost for this system.


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So one was done by private sector and the other was done by the USFG and state

governments, paid by a gas tax.

How do we fund trans infrastructure?

Federal Hwy Act of 1956 (still in effect)- funds major hwys and roads across the country.The current gas tax is 18.4c/gallon of gas, 24.4c/diesel. Not only has it grown since mid-

20th

century, but has been unchanged since 1993. *research+ We havent had an update

on the gas tax in almost 20 years. Pays for 3 different accounts:

1. Mass transit Account (MTA)- gets 2.86c/gallon of the tax, which is 15% of HTF.Doesnt go to hwys.

2. Leaking Underground Storage Tank Fund- gets 1c/gallon of the tax.3. Roads, Bridges, over/underpasses, etc.- Within this category (84-85% of federal

gas tax) is another subcategory: Transportation Enhancements, which gets 10%

of the allotment for this section. Examples are bikes and public transportation

facilities, visitor centers, transportation museums, scenic beautification,

conversion of abandoned railways to trails for recreational use, wildlife

connectivity (allows wildlife to move from one area of habitat to another area of

habitat divided by a road without becoming roadkill), removing outdoor ad signs.

In 2008, for the first time, we had shortfalls in the HTF. In other words, it required

money to come from general federal revenues because the gas and diesel t ax didnt

raise enough money to pay for things. In 2009, we spent 56.3 billion dollars, but we only

took in 49.6 billion in the gas tax. The rest came from the general federal revenues. This

is a sig concern. The main issue with this years election is deficits from general federal

revenues. We added over a trillion dollars in just one year. Were spending more

money than we have. Its easier to want something than it is to pay for something. Thegovt has never had a dollar that it doesnt want to spend. So $ comes out of the general

revenues, called deficit financing. The wants far surpass the ability to pay for this.

In addition to the USFG taxing the gas, so do the states and even the localities. Every

state has its own gas tax (i.e., Alaska with 8c/gallon is cheapest. New York has

49c/gallon and is most expensive).

Inland Waterways Trust fund (1978)- designed to provide for 50% of upkeep on

lochs and dams on the Interstate System. Is a 20c/gallon diesel tax on tugs and barge

operators. US Core of Engineers does maintenance of 25,000 miles of inland waterways.

8,500 miles of levees and seawalls, about 200 locks, and more than 600 dams. Other50% comes from GENERAL FEDERAL REVENUES. This fund was created with the

expectation of not having any charge taken from users of the system.

Highway maintenance trustfund (1986) (HMTF)- to fund operations on federal ports

and harbors. Funded by a tax on imports (0.125% of value of goods). Currently carries a

surplus of $6 billion.


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Airport and Airway Trust Fund (1970)- to fund airport infrastructure improvements

in the US. Is paid by excised taxes on passenger tickets, aviation fuel, and cargo. Theres

a 7.5% tax. Funds air traffic control and other functions of the Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA). Funds Transportation Security Agency (TSA). TSA gets 80% of

funding from AATF. The other 20% comes from GENERAL FEDERAL REVENUES.

Transportation Legislature

1.DONTtry to read the bill. Theyre humongous.

2. Just because something is in a piece of legislation doesnt mean that Congress will

also provide funding for that. Sometimes Congress will say this the law and we must do

this and push it on to the State for funding and put no federal funding (i.e., education

reform).

Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA)(1992-1998)- Passed under

Bush administration. It gave more flexibility to the states to allow the states to charge

user fees on roads that had been constructed with federal funding, meaning the states

could have user fees for roads (TOLL ROADS). Federal government never pays 100% of

anything. The states, sometimes localities, sometimes the lions share, but the USFG is

always taxing and sometimes charging user fees, but basically said states, if you want

to charge tolls, you can. Gives the states some authority.

Natl Highway System Designation Act (NHSDA) (1995)- allowed 10 states to set up,

on an experimental basis, state transportation infrastructure banks using federal funds.

Infrastructure Banks will be important this year. Theyre designed to give people loans

for the purpose of building infrastructure. Could be a local govt that has it or state

govt. They finance the projects over a long period of time.

Transportation Equity Act for the 21st

Century (TEA-21) (1998-2003)- Federal

Government guaranteed that each state would receive 90% of $ that the residents from

taxes charged in-state from HTF. Expanded Transportation Enhancements to include

wildlife crossings over new and existing roads.

Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act (SAFETEA-TLU)(2003-

2009)- wasnt approved from 2005 (ha!). It established loan programs for railroad

owners to repair tracks and build new ones. Was little change from the previous

legislation.

Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st

Century Act (MAP-21) (June 29,2012)- is a 2-

year expansion of SAFETEA-TLU. Has very few revisions, but something interesting

happened in this act: 1) put screeching halt on federal funding for California Hi-Speed

Rail project (was a compromise; Democrats didnt want to put it in the legislature but

Republicans did. Republicans gave up the Keystone Pipeline project [private enterprise

project that involves a pipeline running all the way from the shale sand areas of Canada


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to Texas oil refineries to turn it into gasoline. Obama said NO to this project until we

allow for adequate study by the EPA to determine whether or not we are in violation of

EPA standards with this project.] in order to get Democrats to get rid of California HSR

project. Gives us a tiny, tiny glimmer of hope that Congress can agree on SOMETHNG

before January 2013, when we hit the fiscal cliff, where we either have to cut funding or

raise taxes.

TERMS OF RESOLUTION

USFG- easy to define. Is Agent of Action in this resolution. It has to do the plan.

Central govt of the US (unanimous). But in so agreeing with that, its theprevue of the Aff. The USFG is NOT(for Neg args):

o State infrastructure funding.o Private Infrastructure Investment

Substantially- adverb modifying the word increase. Increase must be in TransInfrastructure investment and must be substantial. Is used in a variety of contextual

phrases. WORDS AND PHRASES Dictionary gives us 500 definitions of substantial, and

they all involve a courts decision on what substantial is in context of a case. When one

side defines this with a legal dictionary, it is in the context of the court case (so wed

have to be sure the context of the court case is similar to the resolution). In essence, it

means less than the totality of something, but more than the imaginary. If they use

WORDS AND PHRASES, ask what the context of the case that the definition was used in.

You can substantially increase qualitatively or quantitatively. Qualitative: an important

amount (important to whom? The eye of the beholder) Qualititative: gives a specific

percentage (WORDS AND PHRASES- courts do this at different levels, from 18%, to 20%,

to 25% in the context of different court cases) Even one percent of 1.7 Trillion dollars is$17,000,000 (Aff). Most of the funding that is spent on Trans Infrastructure is not paid

by the Federal Government, who in some cases only pays for 10% of the project. Is 25%

of 10% a lot of money? No. (Neg Argument).

Increase- to make greater in some respect. When we increase something, does that

something have to pre-exist, or can it be an entirely different program? Corpus Juris

Secundum- pre-existence required. (look up) but CJS also says its derived from cresco

(to grow), and implies that it can be something that pre-exists or is planned to be

made. Example is timeframe increase. USFG is very slow to act and complete things.

(June 2012 Act was just an extenstion and gridlock always slows things down). Look forthis to come into play in that sort of case. Another way it comes into play is if the Aff

increases one area by decreasing in another claiming a Net Increase.

Its- of or belonging to it or itself as possessor. Is possessor pronoun, referring back to

subject of sentence, USFG. But its also tied to investments, indicating that the

investments must belong to the USFG. Not that the infrastructure should belong to the

USFG (it really doesnt; most of it is states/localities property) (i.e., most airports and


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mass transportation systems are owned by the cities. Most hwys are owned by the

state. Most railroads are owned by private investors) Instead, Its means the USFG has to

make investments regardless of who owns the road. The Aff team has fiat power, so it

can fiat that the USFG will offer investment anywhere and to anyone they so choose,

but they cannot fiat the acceptance of the investment that is offered if it belongs to

someone else. You can lead a state to water, but you cant make them accept themoney. The Aff will be burdened to prove that the State will accept the investments or

there is no Solvency. (i.e., Obamacare was rejected avidly by certain state governments).

In 2009, federal government passed the American Recovery and Re-investment Act that

said were going to fund various things to get jobs (the jobs report came out and we

didnt create ANY jobs). Part of the re-investment act included High-Speed Rail Acts in

Ohio, between Columbus and Cincinatti and Cleveland. The govt gave them $400

million to build it, but the governors of Ohio and also Wisconsin, offered $810 million to

build a HSR, said stick it in your ass. So we need to know who owns what.

Transportation Infrastructure Investment- Transportation- flow of people and goods

between geographically separated locations. Infrastructure- that which lies below to

build (contrasted to superstructure, that which rises above the ground). Sewage lines,

and pipelines will be run into this year. Investment- To put money or effort into

something to make a profit or achieve a result. Embraces the concept of support and

approval of something; doesnt necessarily mean the investment has to be money.

Examples: Keystone Pipeline Project (if Obama/Romney could embrace it, since the

President is the only one stopping it from happening), Transportation Enhancements

[Irene Gallion, Transportation Improvement Project manager says yes, but others say

no.], oil and hazardous materials, space (launchpads are, but rockets are

superstructure), military bases.

In the United States- projects must be done in the US.

AFF CASES

5 potential problem (advantage) areas:

1. Hegemony2. Economy of United States3. Deaths4. Environmental Concerns (Peak Oil)5.

Global Warming

Affs will do a lot of dumping this resolution.

1. Economy:A. International Competitiveness- transportation Infrastructure is critically

important to US competitiveness. We must move people and goods quickly

and efficiently at low cost. Cheaper energy is, the more competitive we are.


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Energy is key to transportation. People pick the cheapest but most effective

policies. 23 other nations on the globe are investing billions more than the

US to create state-of-the-art transportation infrastructure. Were lagging

behind China, Russia, and many other European nations who are taking

aspects of transportation infrastructure and spending boatloads of money in

order to be faster and cheaper and take our business away. Anytime we losebusiness because we cant keep up with our infrastructure, then we erode

away our heg.

2. Economy- were $17 trillion in debt. Our economy is in the toilet. We have theworst economic depression since the Great Depression. Unemployment is still

very high (8.1%) and that has never happened to us before for this long of a

period of time since the Great Depression. The economy is barely creeping along

and job creation is at an all-time low. People just stop looking for jobs. We have

the lowest number EVER of people in the global market. The stock market is

super slow and crashed AGAIN. Home values are plummeting. People have to

declare bankruptcy. All economists agree that the key to the economy is JOBS.

This is the main issue of the Presidential election.

3. Deaths- road conditions are a major cause of traffic accidents and deaths. Thecost to the US for cleaning up accidents goes into the economy negatively as lost

productivity, medical care, etc. The costs are high in lives lost but also in

hundreds of billions of dollars financially. These will play a major role in many

Aff cases

4. Peak Oil- the economy is addicted to oil, particularly in the transportation sector.Oil is not an infinite source, so well run out sometime. New supplies of oil are

discovered less than we are taking oil out of the ground. This concept was

developed years ago by a Shell economist named M. King Hubert, saying that as

long as youre dealing with something thats unlimited, the more you use of itwithout discovering more thats available, ultimately you hit the peak, and

everything after the peak is BAD, BAD, BAD. Weve found new oil, but its deeper

or in hostile environments. Theory says weve reached the peak and are on the

downhill decline. And that will cost us more in heg and economy. And is an issue

of international security, because others may have a supply of oil (Saudi Arabia,

Iraq, Iran). Oil is a driving force in our presence in the Middle East.

5. Global Warming- We burn fossil fuels in our energy sector and transportationsector. Creates CO2 that is pushed into the atmosphere, creating a greenhouse

effect. 700ppm (parts per million) of CO2is in the atmosphere. Weve increased

the temperature of the globe since the Industrial Revolution by 9 degreesFahrenheit. As Earth becomes higher, we have an increase in life-threatening

natural events (tornadoes, hurricanes, etc.). Eventually we melt the polar ice

caps, leading to sea level rising. By the end of the century, the Intergovernmental

Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Boston, New York, Houston, Los Angeles, and

every other big sea port globally will be underwater. Food supplies will drastly

decrease because breadbaskets of the world (the Midwest) will suffer famines,

there will be wars between the haves and the have-nots because people will


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starve. Ultimately, we have Runaway Global Warming. The warmer it gets, the

more warming occurs because of a compound effect, and eventually the

biosphere becomes destroyed.

Category One: Funding/Financing Transportation Infrastructure Investments

In overview of cases, we need to ask: how bad is transportation infrasatructure? US

Transportation Infrastructure is crumbling (ASCS, who evalutated aspects of

infrastructure in 2009, who graded us as a D, D- on waterways, railroads C- , hwys D-,

rail systems D). the Aff doesnt have to defend any specific area, not just specific areas.

1.) National Infrastructure Bank- we should raise gas taxes because gas prices

increased in order to keep the same percentage. We went from a 17% tax in 1993 to a

5% tax in 2012. Theres a cumulative inflation thats occurred since 1990. The cost of

doing something has risen 81% since 1990. What once cost $100 in 1990 now costs

$181. Weve increased gas prices but not the gas tax. Plus, fuel efficiency of vehicles

cuts down on gallons of gas purchased. We have to pull from GENERAL REVENUES to

pay for part of our roadways. Theres high demand for road travel, and that increases

need for maintenance on the road. By 2020, all vehicles must have 35mpg. We need

more funding. 1982 was the first year Congress earmarked infrastructure funding with

10 earmarks. Now in 2005, we had 7,000 infrastructure earmarks, though some didnt

deal with infrastructure. Earmarks by definition ARENT efficient. Bridge to Nowhere

(between Ketchikan, Alaska and Grapevine Island) is an example of inefficient earmarks.

We built that bridge to the middle of nowhere (Grapevine Island) and proved that the

earmarks are awful. Congress also has all kinds of ways of being completely under the

table about things. Natl Infrastructure Banks are run by USFG but not owned by it. S oyoure not getting politicized funding. Initial costs differ, but the basis of the case is that

its need-based, not politicized.

a. Harms Economic Stagnation, Infrastructure Decay

b. Inherency Congressional Refusal

c. Solvency Obamas Bank: Financing a Durable New Deal by Michael Likosky,

Senior Fellow, Institute for Public Knowledge, New York University 2010

Spending $60B ($9B/year) can operate the bank. This is used to multiply investment.

Banks make loans. With that amount of federal capitalization it facilitates public/private

relationships. This is something Obama really wants to do, but Congress isnt as

enthused. Enables up to Trillion $$$ in infrastructure investments (other advocatessay more). 2 Million Jobs created. Making loans that attracts private investment.

- Avoids the federalism and states CP as well as the privatization CP. Beats the

most common negative strategies.

- Affirmative doesnt have to commit to exactly what type of infrastructure will be

invested in.

- Quasi-independent transportation board not based on politics. Made up of civil

engineers.


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- Job Market growth

- Heg

- Gas Tax will be the most effective method. Increase it by 10c/gallon and then

index to inflation, and we could raise $20 billion/year. Is unpopular, but represents

$9/month

2. VMT Tax

- hybrid cars dont need gas tax, so the gas tax isnt very effective. Research

Category Two: Highway Infrastructure Investment

- got lowest score (D-) of Transportation infrastructure areas.- More than 1/3 of Americas roadways is in need of repairs. We have $70billion

but need $180 million.

Fix-It First- there are two. 1 from Brookings Institution (Take $ from HTF for

rehabilitation and Repair of infrastructure).

- 1 from Sierra Club concerns about the environment. New roads hurt wildlife and

promote more driving (creating a car culture).

- Lets make existing roads better.

- Dont scrap it and start over but fix what were doing.

- Not spending new money, but re-spending the money we currently have.

- Is that an increase? It is if you defend it as qualitative. HUGE DEBATE!

- The vast majority of monies are spent on new roads.

- States had 23,000 new miles of hwys between 2005 and 2008, but makes up for

only 1.3% of all hwy miles, but accounted for 57% of all road expenditures for the

period. The Federal Govt grants money to the states and dictates how its to be used,

and the USFG wants more new hwys, focusing on peak traffic and travel. Increases needfor maintenance. Most roads in America are local and they dont get any maintenance

dollars AT ALL.

Bridge Repair

- of bridges need repair. Most of our bridges are approaching 50 years inservice. In 08, 12% of national bridges were seriously deficient. 13% didnt meet

current standards for excellence. 5 years ago we had a famous bridge in

Minneapolis on 1-35 W that collapsed. In the past 20 years, almost 600 US

bridges have failed.

-

Inherency: Politicalization of decisions

Alternative Fuels:

1. Hydrogen- more efficient system (50-70% efficiency to energy conversionwhile gas has 15-17%.) HEG ADV. The ultimate clean-burning fuel when we

use electrolysis to make it. The only byproduct for H2 is water vapor. We

could ELIMINATE all greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector. Is

it commercially viable? We already have prototypes of those so its not high -


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in-the-sky. Every big company has a prototype H2 that can go 300 miles

before needing a fill-up. Its great, but we dont have a H2 refueling structure.

Obama and the DOE dont support H2, but they support Solar Power, Battery

technologies, wind energy, but they cut funding for H2 by $70 million. Cost of

the refueling structure is feasible. Wed need 12,000 fill-up stations and

would put 70% of US within 2 miles of a station. Costs $2 billion/station.Wed cut Pentagon budget.

2. Electric Car- Produce clean energy with no greenhouse emissions. We havetechnology for this (Nissan Leaf, etc.) Range is between 20 and 140 miles on

a single charge. Over 75% of our nation commutes just 40 miles a day or less.

Wed need federally funded recharging stations in order to encourage

everyone to buy electric vehicles. A 20 kW fast charger station costs $45,000

each and can recharge you to 80% in less than 30 minutes.

For these cases, wed need to prove that these fuel types are best. Were also

likely to see other alternative fuel vehicles (E-85, compressed natural gas,

propane, methanol M-85, natural gas, etc.). theyre dealing with greenhouse and

peak oil.

Walking and Biking Cases

In many places in the US, theres a complete lack of sidewalks and bicycle lanes.

One problem is deaths on the parts of pedestrians and bike riders. In the past decade,

47,000 pedestrians were killed by just walking. This is the equivalent of a jumbo jet

crashing every single month. We have over 688 pedestrians hit every 7 minutes.

Another problem is obesity; if theres no room for people to walk or bike, they will have

to be in a car. 40 to 50 years ago, 50% of people walked to school, compared to 13%

today. Because of obesity, asthma rates went up 70% in the past 5 years. How do we get

kids to school if they cant walk or bike? We DRIVE THEM. 6.5 billion trips, or 30 billionmiles are done around the nation daily to get kids to school. We need to create SRTS

(Safe Routes to School) and was in the Safe Streets Act of 2011, House Bill #1780. Senate

Version is expected very soon. Requires all federally funded road projects to take into

the account the needs of ALL users of the road, including pedestrians as well as bikers.

Inherency- never funded by Congress.

Indian Country

Reservations for Native Americans. Note that the USFG has numerous treaty

obligations to provide for Native Americans. Indians agreed to cede millions of acres of

their land in exchange for guarantees by the USFG that theyd be taken care of by USFG.These treaties are the supreme law of the land and ARE BEING IGNORED. Whats wrong

with reservation roads? 1) Debt. Indian Country has the highest fatality rates in the

country. Motor injury death rates are the biggest cause of death (twice as large as of

other nations) for ages 1-34. 2) Funding- Indians get 3% of money used for hwys and less

than 0.1% of total hwy funding. They get $8,800/ tribe. This could be a Critical Aff. Call a

moral obligation.


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Wildlife Crossings

Harm: Species Extinction. Is a legal and moral imperative. US Law requires

(Endangered Species Act, ESA, has been ruled by Supreme Court, that we reverse the

trend of species extinction regardless of cost) that we preserve species. International

Biodiversity Convention (that weve signed) says the same thing. We should also do it

for our own good. For every species that dies, another one will die also because itaffects the food chain or the habitat. The effect compounds. The biological literature

says we never know when one species is going to trigger the compound effect of one

species going extinct ruining the biosphere. USFG study identifies 21 threatened or

endangered species at risk due to motor vehicles. This plan is underfunding. Republicans

want to eliminate it totally. Look to Canada for examples of Wildlife Crossings. They

have Canada 1 (east west highway) bridges over roads for animals to cross. Also they

have fences to prevent animals from walking over to the walks in the Rockies. Warning

Signs or horns flash to warn drivers of approaching animals.

Smart Roads

10% of all delays are caused by roads. We lose 4.8 billion dollars sitting in traffic.

We spend $115 annually on roads. There is no timing device on red lights in many

places. We just sit at red lights churning fuel. Smart roads says we have the technology

to do this and its proven. It works at a cost-benefit ratio of 9:1. We get 9 times the

benefits out of it, as opposed to building a new regular road ratio of 2:1.

Military Bases

US military bases are undergoing dramatic changes due to Base Realignment and

Closure Commission (BRACC or BRAC). Base personnel increases rapidly. 18 MBs were

increased by almost 200,000 military personnel in recent years. Only one federal

program works in this area: The Defense Access Roads policy (DAR). Theyre severelyunderfunded ($22 million/year as opposed to the DOTs $30 billion/year). Harm: Traffic

congestion around military bases is bad for economy, if they cant get out its a security

liability. They cant get the personnel out of the bases when theres an emergency.

Rural Transportation

We have 1.1 million miles or 80% of our roads, or 40% of vehicle miles traveled,

are rural. 90% of rural roads are 2 lanes or less. Rural roads account for 57% of deaths

due to a failure to invest in rural roads.

Aviation Infrastructure Investment1. Airport Traffic Control- FAA has responsibility for air traffic control system.Costs us $8.3 billion/year. Threatens passenger safety with planes colliding

on ground, on tarmac, in air, on runway, etc. Wastes fuel due to congestion.

Its not uncommon for a plane to load and sit there running while air traffic

control is backed up because of the system. Planes run out of fuel before

they even take off. The FAA system hasnt been updated since the 1930s. It

uses radar. We should replace it with a system called Next Gen, using


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satellites to track. We have the tech NOW but theres no funding. Next Gen is

15 years behind schedule with no plans or guaranteed funds to speed up

system. This aff gives Next Gen Priority

2. Airport Screening- TSA is now using full body scanners that cause mutationsthat cause cancer. EU bans these because of this. The US should do the same.

Aff says that we should be using wand scanners, which are the exact samebut not dangerous

3. Airport infrastructure- airports are a joke and need upgrades. Theres an AIF(Airport Infrastructure Fund) raises money by fees at ticket purchase. They

give grants to airports, which are terrible. US doesnt use a cost-benefit

guideline. Largest airports in America handle 84% of ALL passengers. Thats

only 100 airports. They only get 37% of federal funding. 28% of federal grants

go to small airports because someones trying to get re-elected. Waco

Regional Airport got bookoos of money to get 2 actual gates for one carrier

thats used 5 times a day. Why did we need 2 gates? We only have 1 carrier.

Category Four: Rail Infrastructure

HiSpeed Rail

Once the US was the top infrastructure. We are no longer. Infrastructure is very

slow and is not getting better. Now the fastest trains move at 150mph as a world

standard. The train from Boston to New York moves at 67mph. trains have declined 80%

since 1980. Less than 1% of travel is by trains. We invest $53 billion for passenger rails.

China has six times this amount in the budget. We should put 60% for this case. We can

claim increased job creation, less death, less greenhouse gas (trains are 60% less CO2

emitting than cars)

Urban Transit

The right to travel is guaranteed by the 14th amendment and the Supreme Court.If you cant travel, you cant get food, healthcare, education, etc. Poor Inner city areas

dont have access for these things. Massive discrimination for the urban poor and racial

minorities, who tend to live in inner city areas. The feds pick up 80% of funding for new

roads and 50% for urban transit. 1/3 of the 7 largest rail transit operations are marginal

or in poor condition. They need another $5.9 billion/year just to repair them. They only

get .18c/gallon gass sold.

Freight Rail

More fuel efficient and is better for environment and trucks. More infrastructure

funding needs to be done to handle freight rail. DOT study says to expect these railroadsby 88% by 2035. We need $88 billion over the next 20 years to just meet demand. 30%

of all rail miles will be over-capacity, resulting in a necessity to transport by truck. When

we shift to trucks, we tear up highways, start increasing greenhouse gas emissions, drive

up costs of transportation and become less competitive.

Category 5: Port and Waterway Infrastructure Investment

Port Security


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Negative

Please dont forget your strongest position in the debate: They have the burden of

proof. They must prove every element in the case.

Think in terms of re-occuring themes on the Negative scope: 1) The States can do it

better than the federal government. No justification for federal action. When federalgovernment does things better than states, we fall into federalism. 2) Private is better

than public- this country was built on capitalism and free enterprise, not the USFG

providing anything (that they pay for by taxing us). The very first revolution of

infrastructure came from the PRIVATE SECTOR. 3) Increased federal spending is stupid

when were on the edge of a financial cliff and are about to fall off. Run a Deficits DA, if

this doesnt come into play, then theyre not Topical.

Listen for the denial that theres no problem at all with status quo infrastructure.

Five Big Areas:

1) International Competitiveness- were the 1,000 pound gorilla on the porch. Wehave the best military ever. Were #1 on such a big margin its not funny. Our

economy dwarfs all other economies. The doomsayers have been saying that

forever (Japan, Red Scare, China, etc.). The Aff has the burden of proof. They

have to say that they really will, and on a timeline. We are, undoubtedly, the

biggest country. Some countries may spend more on areas than do we, but we

are the leaders in the WORLD; and who gives a rats ass? Oooooh, Chinas built

the biggest dam of the world? Well, damn. Am I worried? No. Its all useless

because in reality we know were the best and dont have to keep up with the

Joneses and dont have to spend more than any country in the world on our

infrastructure. And no one will overtake us.2) Economy- its hard times. It fluctuates. Right now, were going up; not as fast as

we want, but were doing nicely. The stock market is back, weve got higher

figures today than we have in 2008 (before recession really started). Job

numbers are increasing, albeit slowly. There are no job shortages. We never

promised that every corner would have a job waiting. If you want a job bad

enough, youll get one (look at literature). The reason we dont have more jobs,

its Congress that cant agree on ANYTHING. Business and industry in American is

sitting on loads of cash. Theyre doing that because they dont know what the

government is going to do. Maybe after the election Congress can agree. But

business says, dont keep trying to surprise us. Productivity is up, and profitsare up. Education is key to employment opportunities. Infrastructure spending

does NOT create jobs. USFG cant create jobs. But Private industry can. The

economy is fine and the USFG cant do anything to fix it save to give businesses

some direction about the future. Then theyll churn at a bigger rate.

3) Deaths- this is the safest time in American history for travel. 1950- we had33,186 who died on US roads and they were only driving 50 million vehicles with

62 million drivers, compared to today: 250 million vehicles and 210 million


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drivers, and we have the lowest fatality and injury rate on Americas highways

than has ever been recorded. Does that sound like a problem? 113 deaths per

100,000,000 miles traveled. In recent years weve had a 25% of injury and

death. We have the lowest death rate EVER. The Aff is trying to say its all

crumbling, but how is it possible that we dont have all of these deaths? You

never told us the whole story.4) Peak Oil- it is finite. It will eventually run out. Its nothing but a fibbie. We

havent reached the peak. What Hubert didnt realize was that we are going to

continue to find more oil than we can shake a stick at and will make technologies

to let us go deeper into the earth and in unusual places. So far, the world has

used 1 trillion barrels of oil. Conservative estimates say we have 4 trillion barrels

remaining, so were not at the peak. We have oil reserves of 11 trillion barrels.

Huberts peak is bogus. Its another example of the doomsday scenarios. Bring

up Burden of Proof. Right now, Canadas oil reserves are 4 times that of Saudi

Arabia. Why do you think we want the Keystone Pipeline? US oil reserves are

increasing dramatically, not decreasing. Look at the shale in the NW states and

the Eagle Forge land oil reserve in South Texas (largest reserve discovered in the

world in the last 50 years). North Dakota is the 2nd

most oil-producing state

behind Texas. Texas is completely self-sufficient. Were a oil exporter. We only

buy oil from other people because its cheaper. But if we wanted to never buy

ANY oil in the US, we easily could. All oil experts agree upon this. We have more

natural gas than we have anything to do with.

5) Global warming- you can argue that its not happening, that peak oil doesntcontribute, and that its good. Theres always fluctuations in Earths temperature

and it takes a lot of time, and there hasnt been any significant global warming

since the 1930s. Were entering a cooling trend that we should be worrying

more about than warming. Again, doomsday scenarios. The ice is not melting.Every time doomsayers make a claim, they eat their words. If the ice caps are

melting, the oceans would already be rising a bit. Run BURDEN OF PROOF.

Hockey stick curve inAn Inconvenient Truth is a blatant lie (they got a Nobel Prize

but admitted lying). The Himalayas never melted and flooded India. Experts on

Global Warming have sent emails wondering why the opposite of what they

expected is happening. Theres 1 small peninsula off of Antarctica is losing ice

due to an underwater volcano, but the rest of Antarctica is GAINING ice. If we

are warming, its not due to CO2 emissions. Historically, the CO2 levels were so

high during the Ice Age as opposed to warming issues. Scientists blame sunspots

for warming, some blame ocean currents, and theres a lot more theories. IPCC,however, is trying to hide the truth by keeping people off the reports. BURDEN

OF PROOF. Lets burn more CO2 argument: Warming is good. In all the fossil

history, the most prosperous times happen when earth is warmer, producing

more plant growth, leading to lower CO2 levels. Thats more food levels,

habitats, etc., as well.

Cases:


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Overview:

US Trans Network unmatched by any in the world (US House Committee on Trans and

Infra). ASCE is highly biased (civil engineers are biased because thats how they make

their living). Trans spending in all levels of govt has increased at least 70% (Statement

from only unpolitical entity, Government Accounting Office says that the physicalcondition of road hasnt depreciated in the past 2 decades). When ASCE says we have

crumbling infrastructure. But does deficient mean that its an immediate hazard? It

means that it may not be able to carry the original established load. All we have to do is

change load restrictions.

US Spending on trans infra is higher than any other competitor by two ways: 1) we may

spend less on some parts, but we may not want those trans infra. The US spends higher

GDP than any other country in the world and our GDP is bigger than any country in the

world.

Natl Infra Bank:

Why USFG? States are better. USFG fucks everything up. Trans infra is not a top-down

area; should be a bottom-up area. Areas within states (even same-states) are similar.

Should be left to states first, then USFG last. Things that are endemic in one state is not

necessary in another. Nebraska doesnt need a Seawall. States know their problems

better than the USFG. When the USFG makes a decision for one-size-fits-all, its like a

meat axe to the states. The states become the labs for experimentation. When they

screw up one state, they screw it up across the board. Whenever the USFG has a grant

to be given, whenever they have any kind of involvement (even just 1% of the cost), you

have to report to the USFG, which requires 24 alternative ways of conducting a projectwhich must be researched by the state or private business. Its time that is sucked out of

the lifeblood of the entity thats trying to get something done. These USFG

requirements apply even when the state govt requirements even when states

requirements are higher. California environmental standards are more strict than the

USFGs. California approved a request for a loan, and the USFG required 24 NEW studies

for their studies. Federal requirements delay by 50 years from the time that the

application starts until it can be completed. Increases cost by 20-40%. We dont want a

USFG infra bank, we want a state one if its even needed at all. Timeframe of Aff harm

area doesnt solve for harms. USFG infra bank doesnt create jobs. American Recovery

Act, designed to create jobs, spent billions for trans infra. The GAO said this: jobs wereshort-term in duration. The job had only moved from one place to another. Each job

cost $1 million in federal spending to get just ONE job. If they would have given $1

million to a business, they can make much more jobs. The ARA will push us over the cliff.

Theyre spending more out of deficits and general revenue.

Increase Gas Tax- VMT more effective. BUT: why dont states do it? Theyre better than

USFG at taking care of infrastructure.


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VMT- use neg on gas tax and states arg

Fix-It-First- theres no federal resonsiblity for maintenance. 98% bridges are state local

govt. 77% of hwys are owned by locals. Its a bottom-up strategy. Right now, states

provide 90% of public funding for service transportation. Right now, states provide 90%

of maintenance funds. That means the federal government is only spending 10%. If Affwants to sig increase this, and they give you a percentage of 10%, its not a qualitative

or quantitative impact on anything. If theyre topical, they get the Deficits DA or no

impact.

Bridge Repair- 1-35 Bridge fell. 13 people were killed. But why did it fall? Did it fall

because of lack of maintenance? No. It fell because of faulty construction materials that

were originally used to build the bridge. It had nothing to do with maintenance or

repair, so if we had the Affs system then, it would have done nothing to solve. Make

fun of it! 1) no bridge collapses in last 20 years due to lack of maintenance. Only 20

bridges collapsed in the last 50 years, and over half were because of collisions with

vehicles or car fires. They assume that the only reason a bridge collapses is because of

lack of bridge maintenance. Narrow lanes make you slow down, but they dont make

the bridge fall. 80% of structurally deficient bridges are rural and rarely used. A total of

no bridges in the last 50 years have collapsed due to lack of maintenance.

Alt Fuels:

1) Hydrogen- Weve heard about it for a long time. Its ALWAYS 10 or 15 years awayand will be in 10 or 15 years. If its made from natural gas, it does nothing but

fuel global warming problem. If made from electrolysis, it uses electricity

(produced by burning fossil fuels). You still link in to Global Warming. Net energy

is LOST because we have to make Hydrogen. One of the least efficient things inthe world. Refuel costs are astronomical and many cant afford to put them

there. When hydrogen gets hot, it explodes. Its unsafe.

2) Electric Cars- Have you seen an electric car? Theyre tiny and made of plastic andunable to see or feel you on interstates. Theyre unsafe. And morning commutes

will cause some delays. And you have to sit and wait as electricity goes down.

And then road rage will increase.

Walking and Biking: Its already in legislature. State issue (studies show that BMI in

people who walked to school were higher. And fewer accidents and deaths were

recorded in the test study than in actual real world application). Its a State Issue.

Indian country: Having the USFG take care of Indians destroys all incentive for them to

take initiative. Reservations are their own soverign nations. They can tax.

Habitats: #1 killer of species is disease. These wont work anyway. Why are you

spending money to not solve the problem. You could just have the STATES lower the

speed limit. Its a States Issue, not USFG issue.


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Smart Roads: We dont need smart roads. We need Smart CARS like the Google Car

which drives itself. Theyre proven to be safer than regular cars. Theyre running them in

Vegas with no accidents. And theyre much cheaper.

Air Traffic Control:

1) Next Gen- the worst thing to do is to push technology but it has to be installedEVERYWHERE IN THE WORLD. As we install them, we find out kinks and can work

them out. When you push tech, it always fails. Refer to oil strike in the 70s with

OPEC. Carter picked a form of tech to push that wasnt ready. Its still not ready

and cant compete. It will fall apart. In 3 out of the past 4 years, no airplane

deaths were EVER recorded. Mile per mile, its the safest way to travel EVER. The

economy, not the FAA, is the reason for congestion.

2) X RAY-Johns Hopkins University has studied that you get about the sameradiation from flying in an airplane or talking on your cell phone.

Private enterprise: When private enterprise is given an opportunity, theyll take care of

their business. Let PS charge user fees for railroads and freight rails and everything else.

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