CHS: Rs vs. Ds

I had the pleasure of attending a debate today. The two sides were the young Dems and young Republicans of CHS. I understand it was their first debate.

I had assumed that everyone participating was a senior, but that wasn't the case. And that made it all the more impressive as I saw freshmen/sophomores directly challenging the assertions of juniors/seniors in such a public setting. All the students had a lot of impressive facts at their fingertips.

But I voted for Ron Paul in the GOP primary. And anyone who knows me, knows that I strongly prefer the The Great Philosophical Debate over the fact-based approach to winning an argument... at least when it comes to the US Constitution. (I'm still wishing I could've seen Ron Paul vs. HRC in a debate over the meaning of the Constitution. I really think it would've been fantastic to see.)

Anyway, I did get a taste of that debate when two family names I know well (Esty for the Dems and Tomlinson for the GOP) offered Constitutional arguments for their respective sides. I think it came up on the issue of universal healthcare. And it was a classic debating point from the left arguing that the "life" clause (as in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness clause) is of paramount concern. While the Republican side offered the classic argument... if it's not in Article I, Section 8... Congress has no business being involved.

I loved it! And I really was impressed by all the students. I couldn't imagine myself in high school and having been able to do half as well as any of these debaters did.

Thanks to the young Republicans advisor, Bill Eaton, for inviting me. I had a great time. And btw, I think it's going to be televised. So you may catch it on the school channel.

Tim White