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Debating Reform
Conflicting Perspectives on How to Fix the American Political System
Fourth Edition
Edited by:
- Richard J. Ellis - Willamette University, USA
- Michael Nelson - Rhodes College, USA
December 2019 | 400 pages | CQ Press
Getting students away from spouting opinions about highly-charged partisan issues, Debating Reform, Fourth Edition looks at key questions about reforming political institutions, with contributed pieces written by top scholars specifically for the volume. Each pro or con essay considers a concrete proposal for reforming the political system. By focusing on institutions, rather than liberal or conservative public policies, students tend to leave behind ideology and grapple with claims and evidence to draw their own conclusions and build their own arguments. Students will explore how institutions work in their American government text, but this reader helps them to understand how they can be made to work better.
Preface
1. Resolved, Article V should be revised to make it easier to amend the Constitution and to call a constitutional convention
Sanford Levinson
David E. Kyvig
2. Resolved, Impeachment Should Be Normalized
Gene Healy
Keith E. Whittington
3. Resolved, Marijuana Policy Should Be Set by the States, not the Federal Government
Sam Kamin
Robert A. Mikos
4. Resolved, States Should Enact Voter ID Laws and Reduce Early Voting
Michael Nelson
Keith Gunnar Bentele and Erin O’Brien
5. Resolved, Congress Should Bring Back the Fairness Doctrine
Marjorie Randon Hershey
James Gattuso
6. Resolved, The United States Should Adopt a National Initiative and Referendum
Todd Donovan
Richard J. Ellis
7. Resolved, the United States should adopt compulsory voting
Martin P. Wattenberg
Jason Brennan
8. Resolved, Congress should remove the caps on the amount that individuals can contribute to candidates for federal office
John Samples
Richard Briffault
9. Resolved, States Should Require Open Primaries
Jason Altmire
Nicholas R. Seabrook
10. Resolved, Congress Should Bring Back Earmarks
Scott A. Frisch and Sean Q. Kelly
Jeffrey Lazarus
11. Resolved, proportional representation should be adopted for U.S. House Elections
Douglas J. Amy
Brendan J. Doherty
12. Resolved, the redistricting process should be nonpartisan
Ruth Greenwood
Justin Buchler
13. Resolved, The Senate Should Represent People, Not States
Bruce I. Oppenheimer
John J. Pitney Jr.
14. Resolved, Senate Rule XXII Should Be Amended so That Legislative Filibusters Can Be Ended by a Majority Vote
Steven S. Smith
Wendy J. Schiller
15. Resolved, The Electoral College Should Be Abolished
George C. Edwards III
Gary L. Gregg II
16. Resolved, The Twenty-Second Amendment Should Be Repealed
David A. Crockett
Michael J. Korzi
17. Resolved, The President Should Be Able to Fire Anyone in the Executive Branch
Philip K. Howard
Marissa Martino Golden
18. Resolved, The Terms of Supreme Court Justices Should Be Limited to Eighteen Years
David Karol
Ward Farnsworth
19. Resolved, Americans Should Receive Four More Years of Free Public Education
Robert Samuels
Neal McCluskey
20. Resolved, National Security Would Be Strengthened by Requiring the Government to Keep Fewer Secrets and Become More Transparent
Michael Colaresi
Stephen F. Knott
Contributors
Sanford Levinson
Chapter 1: Pro: Resolved, Article V should be revised to make it easier to amend the Constitution and to call a constitutional convention
David Kyvig
Chapter 1: Con: Resolved, Article V should be revised to make it easier to amend the Constitution and to call a constitutional convention
Gene Healy
Chapter 2: Pro: Resolved, impeachment should be normalized
Keith Whittington
Chapter 2: Con: Resolved, impeachment should be normalized
Sam Kamin
Chpater 3: Pro: Resolved, marijuana policy should be set by the states, not the federal government
Robert Mikos
Chapter 3: Con: Resolved, marijuana policy should be set by the states, not the federal government
Michael Nelson
Chapter 4: Pro: Resolved, states should enact voter id laws and reduce early voting
Keith Bentele, Erin O'Brien
Chapter 4: Con: Resolved, states should enact voter id laws and reduce early voting
Marjorie Hershey
Chapter 5: Pro: Resolved, Congress should enact a new fairness doctrine for the 21st century
James Gattuso
Chapter 5: Con Resolved, Congress should enact a new fairness doctrine for the 21st century
Todd Donovan
Chapter 6: Pro: Resolved, the United States should adopt a national initiative and referendum
Richard Ellis
Chapter 6: Con: Resolved, the United States should adopt a national initiative and referendum
Martin Wattenberg
Chapter 7: Pro: Resolved, the United States should adopt compulsory voting
Jason Brennan
Chapter 7: Con: Resolved, the United States should adopt compulsory voting
John Samples
Chapter 8: Pro: Resolved, Congress should remove the caps on the amount that individuals can contribute to candidates for federal office
Richard Briffault
Chpater 8: Con: Resolved, Congress should remove the caps on the amount that individuals can contribute to candidates for federal office
Jason Altmire
Chapter 9: Pro: Resolved, states should require open primaries
Nicholas Seabrook
Chapter 9: Con: Resolved, states should require open primaries
Scott Frisch, Sean Kelly
Chapter 10: Pro: Resolved,Congress should bring back earmarks
Jeffrey Lazarus
Chapter 10: Con: Resolved,Congress should bring back earmarks
Douglas Amy
Chapter 11: Pro: Resolved, proportional representation should be adopted for U.S. House elections
Brendan Doherty
Chapter 11: Con: Resolved, proportional representation should be adopted for U.S. House elections
Ruth Greenwood
Chapter 12: Pro: Resolved, the redistricting process should be nonpartisan
Bruce Oppenheimer
Chapter 13: Pro: Resolved, the Senate should represent people not states
John Pitney
Chapter 13: Con: Resolved, the Senate should represent people not states
Steven Smith
Chapter 14: Pro: Resolved, Senate Rule XXII should be amended so that filibusters can be ended by a majority vote
Wendy Schiller
Chapter 14: Con: Resolved, Senate Rule XXII should be amended so that filibusters can be ended by a majority vote
George Edwards
Chapter 15: Pro: Resolved, the electoral college should be abolished
Gary Gregg
Chapter 15: Con: Resolved, the electoral college should be abolished
David Crockett
Chapter 16: Pro: Resolved, the 22nd Amendment should be repealed
Mike Korzi
Chpater 16: Con: Resolved, the 22nd Amendment should be repealed
Marissa Golden
Chapter 17: Con: Resolved, the president should be able to fire anyone in the executive branch.
David Karol
Chapter 18: Pro: Resolved, the terms of Supreme Court justices should be limited to 18 years
Ward Farnsworth
Chapter 18: Con: Resolved, the terms of Supreme Court justices should be limited to 18 years
Robert Samuels
Chapter 19: Pro: Resolved, Americans should receive four more years of free public education
Neal McCluskey
Chapter 19: Con: Resolved, Americans should receive four more years of free public education
Michael Colaresi
Chapter 20: Pro: Resolved, national security would be strengthened by requiring the government to keep fewer secrets and to become more transparent
Stephen Knott
Chapter 20: Con: Resolved, national security would be strengthened by requiring the government to keep fewer secrets and to become more transparent
Justin Buchler
Chapter 12: Con: Resolved, the redistricting process should be nonpartisan
Philip Howard
Chapter 17: Pro: Resolved, the president should be able to fire anyone in the executive branch.
Sanford Levinson, David Kyvig
Chapter 1: Resolved, Article V should be revised to make it easier to amend the Constitution and to call a constitutional convention
Gene Healy, Keith Whittington
Chapter 2: Resolved, impeachment should be normalized
Sam Kamin, Robert Mikos
Chapter 3: Resolved, marijuana policy should be set by the states, not the federal government
Michael Nelson, Keith Bentele, Erin O'Brien
Chapter 4: Resolved, states should enact voter id laws and reduce early voting
Marjorie Hershey
Chapter 5: Resolved, Congress should enact a new fairness doctrine for the 21st century
Todd Donovan, Richard Ellis
Chapter 6: Resolved, the United States should adopt a national initiative and referendum
Martin Wattenberg, Jason Brennan
Chapter 7: Resolved, the United States should adopt compulsory voting
John Samples, Richard Briffault
Chapter 8: Resolved, Congress should remove the caps on the amount that individuals can contribute to candidates for federal office
Jason Altmire, Nicholas Seabrook
Chapter 9: Resolved, states should require open primaries
Scott Frisch, Sean Kelly, Jeffrey Lazarus
Chapter 10: Resolved,Congress should bring back earmarks
Douglas Amy, Brendan Doherty
Chapter 11: Resolved, proportional representation should be adopted for U.S. House elections
Ruth Greenwood, Justin Buchler
Chapter 12: Resolved, the redistricting process should be nonpartisan
Bruce Oppenheimer, John Pitney
Chapter 13: Resolved, the Senate should represent people not states
Steven Smith, Wendy Schiller
Chapter 14: Resolved, Senate Rule XXII should be amended so that filibusters can be ended by a majority vote
George Edwards, Gary Gregg
Chapter 15: Resolved, the electoral college should be abolished
David Crockett, Mike Korzi
Chapter 16: Resolved, the 22nd Amendment should be repealed
Philip Howard, Marissa Golden
Chapter 17: Resolved, the president should be able to fire anyone in the executive branch.
David Karol, Ward Farnsworth
Chapter 18: Resolved, the terms of Supreme Court justices should be limited to 18 years
Robert Samuels, Neal McCluskey
Chapter 19: Resolved, Americans should receive four more years of free public education
Michael Colaresi, Stephen Knott
Chapter 20: Resolved, national security would be strengthened by requiring the government to keep fewer secrets and to become more transparent
Sage College Publishing
