Goodreads Debate Guild discussion

debate⠀/dɪˈbeɪt/
noun
1.⠀⠀formal discussion on a particular matter in a public meeting or legislative assembly,
⠀⠀⠀ in which opposing arguments are put forward and which usually ends with a vote.
2.⠀⠀an argument about a particular subject, especially one in which many people are
⠀⠀⠀ involved.

verb
1.⠀⠀argue about (a subject), especially in a formal manner.
2.⠀⠀consider a possible course of action in one’s mind before reaching a decision.

SOURCE, OXFORD LEARNER’S DICTIONARY
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionarie...


This is the Political Leanings topic. Below are a few direct links to different
websites which are the sources we have found for this topic and the points
we have made.

[⠀⠀https://www.diffen.com/difference/Lef...⠀⠀]
[⠀⠀https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/...⠀⠀]

We want to preface that this topic is discussing political ideologies within the United States and we can’t speak on political leanings outside of our system. Anyone is welcome to expand on the parties and ideologies within their own countries if they wish.

In the US, you can generally think of political leanings as a sliding bar from left to right. On the left, you have liberals, who are most often associated with the Democratic party and the color blue. On the right are conservatives, associated more with the Republican party and the color red. People can be closer to the center of this sliding bar, holding more moderate values or opinions that align with both sides of the spectrum, while others are on the far ends of their respective leanings, with the most extreme views.

There are many social issues that divide the left and the right, some being gun control, gay rights, abortion, the death penalty, and healthcare. To put it as simply as possible, the left believes that the government should take care of those that cannot support themselves, while the right believes that individuals should support themselves and turn to their families before the government.

Below, we will go into the general ideologies behind the left and right sides of the aisle. If you have any further questions about anything mentioned here, feel free to ask. Additionally, there may already be topics covering some of the heavy hitters.

The Left
The Left Wing follows a liberal political philosophy. They tend to want more regulations and services offered by the federal government, like free universal healthcare and food programs, even if that comes at the cost of higher taxes.

They believe in income equality and more taxation on the wealthiest population. They want more government spending on social programs and infrastructure, and stronger regulations for major corporations.

They want pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, and fewer deportations and prosecutions for undocumented immigrants as a whole, but specifically those who are young or have no criminal record.

They want free, expanded public education, full access to abortion services, and full freedom for the LGBTQ+ population. They are in favor of harsher gun control regulations and the banning of automatic weapons, and they would prefer to ban economic activity that could harm the environment.

The Right
The Right Wing follows a conservative political philosophy. They tend to want lower taxes and fewer regulations for businesses, with an overall reduction to government spending.

They oppose government-provided universal healthcare and favor competition to Medicare from private insurance companies. They do not believe in amnesty for undocumented immigrants and are in support of stronger border patrol to stop illegal immigration.

They have a strong stance against illegal immigration, seeing it as they are lowering wages for citizens and documented immigrants. They believe in private and charter schools, as well as home-schooling, but are not specifically opposed to public schools.

They generally oppose gay marriage and some anti-discrimination laws on the basis of religion. They are very strongly opposed to gun control laws and are strong proponents for the Second Amendment, as they see it as a deterrent against authoritarian control.

They generally consider economics before environmental regulation, trusting in the free market to find solutions to environmental problems.