(Counter) Plans Because they didn’t limit the topic.

What is a cp? A counter plan is an action, or plan, alternative to the affirmative. Should I go to Alabama or Auburn? Should I come to lecture or sleep in?

Limits to CPs? Are there limits to a counter plan? – Should I go go to lab or sleep in? – Should I buy a car or a boat? We establish certain rules to create useful conclusions

Why should the negative get a CP? 1. Theoretical – we want to have a high bar for change 2. Fairness – sometimes the status quo is hard to defend (who doesn’t like poor people?) 3. Educational – debaters learn how to deal with competing ideas

How to “run” a counter plan You must have a “text” – like a plan: Example: The fifty states and all relevant territories will fund and implement a housing first policy. You should provide a solvency author The counter plan must Compete

Choice

The Net Benefits Test A counter plan is Net Beneficial compared to the affirmative plan if they SHOULD not be done together. Generally the negative argues a disadvantage that applies to the plan but not the counter plan.

Three tests to be net beneficial, the CP must prove the following: 1. CP > Plan 2. CP > Plan + CP 3. CP > Plan + Part of the CP

Test I – CP> Plan To win a CP, it must be preferable to the plan. Example: The plan helps 10 people The CP helps 9. Plan > CP, therefore the judge votes affirmative.

Test II Question: If the counter plan and the plan are both equally good – who wins? Example: Plan – Movie Counter Plan: Dinner Permutation: Movie + Dinner Rejoinder – key term.

Test III CP > Plan Plus any part of the CP. Example: Plan – Movie Counter Plan: Dinner The Permutation could be : Movie + Dessert

Mutual Exclusivity If the counter plan is Mutually Exclusive then it CANNOT be done at the same time. For example, it is impossible to both do a housing first policy and remove all funding for housing. Usually, is the opposite of the affirmative

Dinner and Movie Plan: Movie Counter Plan: Dinner How would we make these competitive? Net Benefits? Mutual Exclusivity?

Permutations What about... CP > Plan + Other issues? (Dessert, Movie, Popcorn) CP > Less than the plan? (severance – Just go to dinner)

States Thesis: test why the federal government is necessary. Example: The fifty states and all relevant territories will provide housing assistance to people living in poverty. The counter plan is uniform and will not be rolled back (state level) Counter plan

States, II Advantages of this CP: Lots of evidence Probably can “fiat” out of most of deficits Good net benefits (politics, federalism, Biz Con?) Local Solvency

Vouchers CP Thesis: test if FEDERAL social services are necessary. Example: USFG provides mental health vouchers for people living in poverty.

Vouchers, II Advantages: – Captures the federal justification – Strong Net Benefits – Politics, Federal SS bad, state innovation, Paternalism (Federal Control) – Competition  Better solvency

Vouchers, III What affs to run this against: Soft Power Affirmatives “Signal” affirmatives (Katrina, Natives) Where the states (or other actors) currently have social services

Condition – (People) Thesis: Puts a condition on the PEOPLE who receive social services – Example: build public housing on the condition that the inhabitants have some form of employment.

Benefits to Condition (People) CPs Benefits: – Solves almost the entire aff – Avoids dependency DA – Can read links that unconditional aid is unpopular – Creates a NEW MECHANISM to remedy poverty

Other conditions signing up for the military taking education classes Doing community service Is this fair??

Exclude People/Places Thesis: There is a benefit to excluding some places or people from receiving social services. Example: exclude California from the plan

Exclude People/Places, II Benefits: 1. Solves most of the affirmative (what ev should you have?) 2. SMALLER than the plan (probably). 3. ALL of your net benefits must come from the EXCLUDED part

Everyone CP Thesis: Not only poor people need social services sometimes a kritik can be your net benefit (not only DAs) Which test might this fail? Benefit: “oversolves” the case

Poverty rhetoric PIC Thesis: identifying people as “living in poverty” is bad Example: rewrite the plan to remove the word “poverty” Another example of a Kritik net benefit Benefits: Can take away the permutation

Advantage CPs There are lots of ways to solve poverty, soft power, etc. For examples: Soft power. – 1. Ban the death penalty – 2. Ratify the Law of the Sea Treaty – 3. Withdraw from Iraq – 4. Give billion of poverty assistance to Africa. – 5. Charge George W Bush with war crimes

Advantage CPs How do these compete? Must have a disadvantage to social services Useful against new advantages Be careful – often can change your uniqueness

Courts CP Thesis: the courts can mandate a constitutional remedy for poverty Example: The United States Supreme Court will rule that there is a fundamental right to education.

Courts, II Benefits: Can beat some “K affs” Avoids politics (probably) Remedies “signal” type arguments

NGO Counter plan Thesis – Non-government actors can provide social services Example: The national low income housing coalition will provide more housing for people living in poverty Fiat? No different than a K alternative Have to beat all “government justifications”

Status of the CP Limit on the CP – when it can exit the debate If the Negative claims the counter plan is their only option in the debate– it is an UNCONDITIONAL counter plan.

Status, II If the negative claims they can run as many counter plans as they want, and abandon them whenever they want, it is called: Conditionality

Better way? Well...Why don’t we say the negative should get one counter plan and the Status quo? This is called: DISPOSITIONALITY

Dispositionality (Negative) Plan Permutation (both) Status quo (Neither) Counter Plan

Affirmative Dispositionality The AFFIRMATIVE chooses when the counter plan can leave the debate Treats a counter plan like a disadvantage Two kinds of arguments: Theory and policy