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We're holding a healthcare debate and need your help!

With all the buzz around healthcare this week, and since the politicians don't have time to hold a town hall meeting, we decided to hold our own event, a citizens debate on Healthcare:

Healthcare - A Right or a Privilege?

This debate will be semi-formal in structure. That is, we're going to try to follow formal procedure, but I'm guessing it will have a big of a "grass roots" vibe to it. The debate will pit two opposing teams who will debate each other in a civilized (and likely emotional) manner.

We need a volunteer to Captain the "Right" side. Captain's job is to recruit and prepare the team. Captain can of course be one of the debaters, but does not have to be. Each team can also use as many researchers as they want.

Ron Brumbarger will be recruiting a team to argue the "Privilege" side of the debate

The debate will take place next Friday at 7:30pm at Indy Fringe building. This is last minute, I realize, but we feel it needs to happen now while this issue is till in play at the Federal level.

If you are interested in being the captain of the "Right" team, please contact me directly ASAP (pat@smallerindiana.com).

If you want to be considered for either team, please add a comment to this forum thread.

If you want to be in the audience, please purchase your ticket right away. The room holds only 80 people, so please don't delay!

Here's a link for ticket reservations: http://hcdebate.eventbrite.com/

Here's the press release we're planning to send out:

Citizen Debate: Healthcare, presented by Smaller Indiana

Smaller Indiana, www.SmallerIndiana.com, a statewide online community, announces its first in a series of upcoming public debates. The debate will be held on the evening of Friday, August 14th at the IndyFringe Building, at 719 East St. Clair Street in Indianapolis.

The topic for this first debate is: Healthcare - A Right or a Privilege? It will be discussed by eight individuals divided into two groups endorsing one of the two sides of the argument.

“Lively discussions are an integral part of our online community,” said Smaller Indiana founder, Pat Coyle. Taking the discussions to a live venue is a natural extension of what we already do on line. We are excited to be hosting what we hope will be the first in a series of discussions this fall.

Seating for the event is limited, so reservations are requested. Tickets are $10 each. All proceeds will to support IndyFringe. Each ticket buyer will receive a backer button for the upcoming IndyFringe festival.

Here's a glimpse at the format we'll be following:

Smaller Indiana Debate Guidelines
Objective: Offer a forum for citizens to engage in open debate around issue important to society at large in hope that both sides of each argument might learn about opposing views, and the two sides can make connections that lead to breakthroughs in co-operative activism.

Engaging in this structured event requires each participant to critically evaluate current evidence, examine personal convictions based on values and beliefs, and synthesize relevant information to provide detailed information so that others may make an informed decision.

Format:
1. Two teams will be created. One team will create an affirmative presentation while the other team will be responsible for creating a negative or opposing presentation.
2. Debate guidelines:
1. Affirmative Plan: 4 minutes. This is your introduction. What will you be discussing and why? Use this speech to get your audience’s attention.
2. Negative Rebuttal: 2 minutes. This is a direct rebuttal to the Affirmative Plan. This team addresses only those issues identified in the Affirmative Team’s introduction.
3. Negative Plan: 4 minutes. This is your introduction. You need to get everyone’s attention. What will you be discussing and why?
4. Affirmative Rebuttal: 2 minutes. Direct rebuttal to the negative plan. This team addresses only those issues identified in the Negative Team’s introduction.
5. 10-minute break for preparation/adjustment to argument.
6. Negative Argument: 10 minutes. This is the body of the speech. This is where you present all the evidence you have gathered. You should use facts, stats, and sources to argue your side. The Affirmative Team cannot interrupt during this argument.
7. Affirmative Cross Examination: 8 minutes. Affirmative team asks the tough questions, demands answers, and does anything and everything it can to counter the argument of the negative. The Negative Team does not ask questions. Their role is to provide answers only.
8. Affirmative Arguments: 10 minutes. This is the body of the speech. Again, speaker lays it all out—facts, stats, sources. You argue your side. The Negative Team cannot interrupt during this argument.
9. Negative Cross Examination: 8 minutes. Negative team asks the tough questions, demands answers, and does anything and everything they can to counter the argument of the negative. The Affirmative Team does not ask questions. Their role is to provide answers only.
10. 10-minute break to prepare for closing.
11. Affirmative Closing: 5 minutes. Speakers use emotion for a big ending just like the “TV lawyers” present their closings…do it here!
12. Negative Closing: 5 minutes…same thing…here’s your chance!

This is last minute, I realize, but we feel it needs to happen now while this issue is till in play at the Federal level.
Please send questions or suggestions as you have them. THANK YOU!!

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Mike Seidle on August 8, 2009 at 12:03pm: Let me submit, in advance, for your rhetorical pleasure, the argument to be advanced by each respective faction in this rational, logical debate:; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Adam Cmejla on August 8, 2009 at 12:08pm: I love it!!!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Pat Coyle on August 8, 2009 at 12:10pm: Funny. Logic may or may note enter into the debate, but I hope you'll be there, Mike.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Ben McCann on August 8, 2009 at 12:20pm: I would love to be on the side of the PRIVELEGE... although I could do well to argue both sides, I would like to argue the side which I actually agree with more... the one that doesn't seek to elminiate our LIBERTIES and enslave us to a SOCIALIST / COMMUNIST Society and remove us from being relevant in the world.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Ben McCann on August 8, 2009 at 12:20pm: I can be contacted at 317.441.4321 and via email at ben@catalistfinancial.com; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Sam Cordes on August 8, 2009 at 12:38pm: I would be willing to consider participating on the "right" side of this equation.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by John R.(Dick) Troll on August 8, 2009 at 12:45pm: Pat; i have posted before on SI about Matt Miller's book The Tyranny of Dead Ideas. By dead ideas he means outdated ideas about the nature of economic progress, the role of the corporation and the best way to balance the risks that capitalism brings with the security people desire. Our outdated notions make us ill prepared to face the very real global challenges of the21st century.
One of Miller's dead ideas is the idea that business( not government) must fund healtcare or we run the risk of becoming socialist.
Our healthcare is a privilege pespecive places us in 37th place on the World Health Organization list. And we spend a higher percentage of our GDP on healtcare than any of the top 10 countries. Our life expectancy is lower. And our international competitiveness is diminished. Even the Lumen Founation- funded by the health insurance industry- concluded that single payer government sponsorsed healtcare was the most cost effective of all the options available.
The fact that the single payer option cannot even get considered renders us victims of what the marketing genius Seth Godin calls the "give the bear a haircut" solution to a problem. Godin was referrring to a famous satirical Japanese film about a proposed solution to global warming- give all bears a haircut. Instead of making fundamental choices to really solve the problem we wrestle with convoluted solutions in order to preserve our old notions of how the world works.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Michael Reynolds on August 8, 2009 at 2:07pm: I just registered and I look forward to attending!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Dan Moore on August 8, 2009 at 2:16pm: Healthcare as a right vs privilege has very little to do with the legislation currently being considered.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Linda S Fitzgerald on August 8, 2009 at 3:27pm: What is "Indy Fringe"? I really think this event should be a "no cost" one. I'm struggling to understand why you would charge for something as important as this!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Pat Coyle on August 9, 2009 at 9:13am: Indy Fringe is a local, non profit theater fest...one of only a handful of such festivals in the world. Fringe is loaning us its building....thought we'd try to help them raise a little money in return...also, space is very limited, and we need a reservation system...I was concerned that some folks might reserve seats and not attend if their schedules changed...leaving seats unused. I'm open to better ideas...; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Mike Seidle on August 9, 2009 at 12:18am: I am willing to debate, but I am not willing to do so in a paid forum. This is not time to make a buck.; ▶ Reply to This

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