Con+Team



= Thesis The United States is better prepared to meet the human rights, social, and political challenges of the 21st century.=

Opening Statement

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 The United States has been and will continue to dominate above China in all aspects of life, specifically with a concentration on politics, human rights and social policy. In terms of political culture, the United States government is a free, very open and transparent governing body unlike China’s whose government is an authoritarian regime which is a very closed and untouchable system to the people. In the United States, the government is held responsible by the people through an institutionalized ‘checks and balances’ system. Although decisions are made more slowly, the majority of the peoples’ voices are heard and this lends to the fact that the government is legitimate as opposed to China who has one political party: the Communist party and very little voting at all. Unlike China, the decisions of the people in charge are based off of rational legal legitimacy. Politics is able to function so well in the United States due to the fact that the legitimacy of the entire government is based off of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, both of which are written documents that specifically state the boundaries to which government can operate in between. Within these boundaries is room for debate amongst the people and government. This is not the same in China where peoples’ voices are suppressed and ignored. The president, who is set apart in the executive branch, away from the legislative branch still has the power to veto the legislature, Congress. Due to the fact that China’s people cannot speak to their government nor do they feel heard, the people resort to violence and rallies to be heard. The government’s response to these types of demonstrations of the people has always been violent. One example is Tiananmen Square where the people protested peacefully for 7 weeks and the government responded by sending in tanks and military personnel and killing hundreds, injuring thousands and therefore sent a message that dissent in China is punishable by death. This message is heard by all of the people of China because power is very centered at the top and cannot be touched by the people unless there is such type rally. Just as the government of China is very restricted and closed, so are their human rights and social policies. The people have very little choice in how they run their lives due to the fact that everything is censored and the Chinese people only see or hear what the government chooses. The internet is censored and social networking sites are blocked and banned. Instead of letting creative ideas flow freely throughout the pubic, the government steps in and shuts down most forms of communication and heavily monitors the few free pathways that are open. Activists speaking out about their loss of rights are sentenced to jail or worse. Individuals in the United States have unlimited access to any internet site and can say whatever they want as long as it doesn’t intrude on another person’s rights. Although China is larger than the United States and has more people, the people of the United States are satisfied and happy with their government. Their voices are heard and their wishes are carried out, for the most part. The United States is smaller physically, but greater in the eyes of the people. The government is stable and for the majority, is supported. The people have rights and a voice unlike the people of China who are unheard, ignored and killed by the government. ======

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Human rights in China are severely suppressed, leaving the people with few choices in their everyday lives. The government censors all they say and do, not allowing the Chinese to have minds of their own. Now with the internet connecting all parts of the world through social networking, China may be left out. The Chinese government has blocked their people from using Facebook and Twitter, which allows the government to stay in complete control of the people. These social networking websites would allow the Chinese people to share common ideas and interests, but the government has disabled this. Along with this, the government has censored images on the internet as well. When a Chinese person looks up Tiananmen Square, not one image of the Tank Man appears on the screen. The government has basically erased this incident from history. This is completely violating the Chinese peoples’ rights to know their own countries history. The Chinese Government is very brutal towards its people, especially those who act out against the government. A man of the name He Depu is an activist and was imprisoned for eight years. Upon his release, he was beaten several times in front of his wife. The police threatened He Depu and his wife several times as well, and didn’t get home till many hours later. Once they returned home, their neighbors were being beaten as well because of He Depu’s release from prison. =====

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In America our people have freedom of speech, the right to due process, the right to bear arms, the right to have as many children as a family wants, equality, protection of minorities, and many more human rights. The list of human rights in the U.S. goes on and on, and individuals are protected by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. In America we believe that all should be given the same opportunities, and there are different paths that one can take to achieve their goals. In China the people are restricted to an opportunity of choices, and the government doesn’t do much to help those in need. =====

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Extra info: -citizens were forced out of their homes to make room to build for the Olympics in Beijing -torture is still used in China = electric shocks and beatings ===== Main Point #2 I. Ultimately the US’s use of democracy makes us better equipped for the future *everyone’s voice is heard, debate and open discussion gives way to new ideas *people trust in government, corruption is difficult to get away with (checks and balances, rational legal legitimacy) *yes, change is evolutionary, but at least it’s not revolutionary (no reason to revolt) II. China is going to face problems by constantly suppressing its people *power is concentrated at the top, no room for the common citizen to have a say *ideas are only generated from a small group of people in power ~these people are powerful because of corrupt elections *eventually citizens will tire of this and social unrest will become a major issue <span style="color: #d16510; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 29px; line-height: 42px;">Main Point #3  <span style="color: #b70b0b; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 29px; line-height: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;"> <span style="color: #b70b0b; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;">﻿ <span style="color: #b70b0b; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14px; line-height: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;">UNITED STATES - Under the Social Security Act, the elderly, disabled, and unemployed receive government pensions - Government programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Children's Health Insurance Program provide health insurance to the elderly, families with low incomes or children, and the unemployed - 98 million Americans depend on Medicare, Medicaid, or Children's Health Insurance Program - The recent Healthcare Reform Bill is expected to open coverage to 30 million people - Little to no censorship in the United States - Freedom of speech, freedom of the press

CHINA - In urban cities, the median income in China is $10,220, compared to $84,300 in the United States - About 200 million Chinese are homeless, compared to 744,000 American - People living in urban China make more than three times the amount that rural Chinese make - Radio, television, and internet are censored by the government (the government owns a majority of media companies) - The Chinese population is an aging society - China does not have a universal pension fund or retirement benefits - Just one third of China's retired population is receiving benefits - Elderly Chinese depend on their children for financial support - Because of the aging society, there are not enough people under the age of 20 to work in factories - China is extremely overpopulated - Citizens are only allowed to have one child under the One Child Policy - If your first child is a girl, then you are allowed to have a second child - However, in some cities, couples are only allowed to have one children regardless of the sex - Chinese are forced to have abortions or be sterilized if pregnant or have more than one child - People who oppose the One Child Policy have started riots in many cities in hopes of overturning it - The One Child Policy has increased sex discrimination because boys are viewed more highly than girls