Stock Issues of Proposition of Policy

• Stock issues: are hunting grounds for arguments. They provide the general phrasing of potential issues that correspond to the inherent obligations of the advocate of change.

• Categories

– Jurisdiction: derives from the obligation of the advocates of change to provide proposals consistent with the scope of the proposition.

– Ill: the obligation of advocates to show a significant past, present, or future problem or harm.

– Blame: the obligation of advocates to relate a particular ill causally to the basic structure or philosophy of present policy.

– Cure: the obligation of advocates to outline a specific plan of action and demonstrate how it will solve the problem of ill.

– Cost: the obligation of the advocate to respond to disadvantages in terms of material cost or social burden.

Building Government Cases

Basic Stock Issues in a Government Case

• Is there a need for a change in the status quo?

– Does a significant problem exist sufficient to warrant a change?– Does the problem exist as an inherent part of the status quo?

• Does the affirmative proposition offer a solution to the problem presented? Does the plan meet the need?

• Is the proposition practical and workable?

• Is the proposition the best available solution to the problem?

• What are the implications of adopting the proposition?

– Does the proposition itself have inherent faults which would create greater problems (disadvantages) than the proposal seeks to alleviate?

– Does the proposition have any benefits (advantages)?

Identifying the Stock Issue• Each of the following statements emphasizes a particular stock issue. For

each statement, identify whether the issue involves jurisdiction, ill, blame, cure, or cost.

• Federal funding and management of nursing homes would improve the quality of life for institutionalized elderly citizens.

• Private nursing homes are profit motivated. The profit motivation leads them to cut corners and to get by with minimum care, supplies, and personnel.

• The care the elderly receive in nursing homes is substandard. Many elderly people suffer and die because of the horrible conditions found in many privately owned nursing homes.

• If the federal government were to take over nursing homes, there would need to be cuts in other federal programs. The federal government just doesn’t have the money to run nursing homes in addition to maintaining a strong national defense.

• Nursing homes are defined as “institutions that provide, on a long-term basis, specialized medical and custodial care to individuals unable to provide for their own needs.”