Meg+&+Isabella

**Plan:**

 * The United States federal government should substantially increase its investment in expedited port deepening projects in the United States.**

1AC-Economy

 * Contention 1 – Economic Leadership**


 * The Panama Canal expansion will fundamentally change seaborne commerce – US ports require __new harbor deepening__ or they won’t be able to compete for post-Panamax ships**
 * Bridges 2011 –** Chairman of the Board of the American Association of Port Authorities and Executive Director of Virginia Port Authority (Jerry A., “Testimony of Jerry A. Bridges Chairman of the Board of the American Association of Port Authorities and Executive Director of Virginia Port Authority before the United States House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Hearing: the Economic importance of Seaports: Is the United States Prepared for 21st Century Trade Realities?”, October 26, 2011, [|http://republicans.transportation.house.gov/Media/file/TestimonyWater/2011-10-26%20Bridges.pdf)//MM]

Since the birth of our nation … to seaports. We cannot wait.


 * We will Isolate Four Internal Links to Competitiveness:**


 * First – Seaport Competitiveness – ports are is the vital internal link to US economic growth – seaports represent a quarter of US GDP and contribute __over 3 trillion__ to the economy in exports and trade**
 * Nagle, 11** --- president and chief executive officer of the American Association of Port Authorities (December 2011, Kurt, Industry Today, “Association: American Association of Port Authorities; Port-Related Infrastructure Investments Can Reap Dividends,” vol. 14, no. 3, [])

It seems the U nited S tates … to maintain federal navigation channels.

) //NK//
 * Increasing exports decrease the trade deficit and makes growth sustainable – prevents investment bubbles and collapses**
 * Istrate et al, 10** -- senior research analyst and associate fellow with the Metropolitan Infrastructure Initiative (Emilia, "Export Nation: How U.S. Metros Lead National Export Growth and Boost Competitiveness", July, Brookings, [|http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/reports/2010/7/26%20mountain%20exports%20muro/0726_exports_istrate_rothwell_katz.pdf]

// Exports Could Contribute to the … solution to many long-standing difficulties. //

//**Expanding port infrastructure is vital to US global economic leadership**//

//**Kiefer et al, 2k** – principal investigator for Planning and Management Consultants– study authorized by Section 401 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1999, report to the US Army Corps of Engineers (Jack, Planning and Management Consultants, “The National Dredging Needs Study of Ports and Harbors Implications to Cost-Sharing of Federal Deep Draft Navigation Projects Due to Changes in the Maritime Industry”, May 2000, []) // CB

2.2.2 Other Tangible Benefits Indirect benefits … a handful of coastal states.


 * Second - Certainty** **- the federal government’s __uncertain commitment__ prevents new projects - Federal port infrastructure funding is increasing but not substantially for __new__ harbor deepening**

Szakonyi 12 — associate editor of the Journal of Commerce (Mark, “The Hill Ramping Up Dredging Efforts”, Journal of Commerce, 5/7, ProQuest) EL

__The push by U.S. ports__ … harder, more meaningful long-term decisions.


 * Federal regulations __prevent__ other actors from solving – only federal action to streamline the process and increase funding solves**
 * Anderson, 11** –Chief Executive Officer of the Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) (A. Paul, “testimony of A. Paul Anderson Chief Executive Officer of the Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) for the Record of the united States House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Subcommittee on Water Resources and the Environment Hearing: “The Economic Importance of Seaports: Is the United States Prepared for 21st Century Trade Realities?””, October 26, 2011, [|http://republicans.transportation.house.gov/Media/file/TestimonyWater/2011-10-26%20Anderson.pdf][|)//MM]

With increasingly larger ships calling … infrastructure projects is //fundamentally broken//.


 * Third - Perception - The federal commitment to port infrastructure is vital to __retain foreign customers__ – this will collapse the recovery**


 * Calhoun 11** -- President of Cargo Carriers (Cargill) and Chairman of Waterways Council, Inc (Rick, “DREDGING FOR PROSPERITY”, Marine Log, August, ProQuest, []”) EL

Just like the nation itself, … our inland waterways transportation system.


 * Fourth - Shipbuilding Industry - Lack of port deepening forces __light loading__ – this will __break__ the US shipping industry**
 * Weakley 8** – Realize America’s Maritime promise, Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund Fairness Coalition, testimony of James Weakley the president of the Lake Carriers’ Association (James, “Realize America’s Maritime Promise”, Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund Fairness Coalition, 4/30/08, [])//MM//

Port-related jobs are critical to// … not merely for deficit reduction.


 * Independently – the ship building industry is key to solving international conflicts through naval power projection**

Navy League of the United States, 12 – a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating our citizens about the importance of sea power to U.S. national security and supporting the men and women of the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and U.S.-flag Merchant Marine and their families (Navy League of the United States, “Maritime Primacy & Economic Prosperity: Maritime Policy 2012-13”, Navy League of the United States, 1/21/12, [] | AK)

Global engagement is critical to … our wounded warriors is fundamental.


 * Our Impacts - Boosting economic Leadership is vital to preventing military retrenchment – loss of leadership risks great power wars**


 * Khalilzad, ’11** – Bush’s ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq, and the UN and former director policy planning at the DOD (Zalmay, “The Economy and National Security”, National Review, 2-8-11, [])

Today, economic and fiscal trends … new, dangerous era of multi-polarity.


 * Strong US growth is key to promoting an American economic model – the alternative is mercantilism, which destroys economic cooperation and risks protectionism**
 * Posen 9** – Deputy director and senior fellow of the Peterson Institute for International Economics (Adam, “Economic leadership beyond the crisis,” http://clients.squareeye.com/uploads/foresight/documents/PN%20USA_FINAL_LR_1.pdf)

In the postwar period, US … on the following priority measures.


 * Protectionism will cause terrorism and global wars – risks extinction**
 * Panzner 8** – faculty at the New York Institute of Finance, 25-year veteran of the global stock, bond, and currency markets who has worked in New York and London for HSBC, Soros Funds, ABN Amro, Dresdner Bank, and JPMorgan Chase (Michael, “Financial Armageddon: Protect Your Future from Economic Collapse,” p. 136-138)

Continuing calls for curbs on … of a new world war.

[Michael, The Case for Goliath: How America Acts As the World’s Government in the Twenty-First Century, p. 192-195]
 * Economic leadership prevents economic collapse—leadership key to resilience**
 * Mandelbaum**, **5** – Professor and Director of the American Foreign Policy Program at Johns Hopkins – 2005

Although the spread of nuclear … __fleet of cars without gasoline.__

[Michael, The Case for Goliath: How America Acts As the World’s Government in the Twenty-First Century, p. 224]
 * That goes nuclear without leadership**
 * Mandelbaum, 5** – Professor and Director of the American Foreign Policy Program at Johns Hopkins – 2005

At best, an American withdrawal … __large numbers, of nuclear weapons__.

1AC-Cotton

 * Contention <2> is __cotton__ —**


 * Ports are key to cotton export competitiveness**
 * Harris, 7** — associate editor at Cotton Grower magazine (Drew, “Paradigm Shift Changes Market For The US Cotton Grower”, May, ProQuest, EL)

Farm Bill legislation is not … need to force the issue."

// Because __the U.S. cotton industry__ … __strain the U.S. port system__. //
 * Specifically, __port efficiency__ is key — only the plan solves**
 * Rossen et al 11** – A report prepared under cooperative agreements between the Agricultural Marketing Service and Texas AgriLife Research (Parr, “Impacts of Transportation Infrastructure on the U.S. Cotton Industry”, CNAS, 5/11, http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5092073)//MM//

//**The cotton trade is __zero-sum__ — the plan __secures US market share__ at the expense of competitors**// //**Lyford and Welch, 4** — assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at Texas Tech University, AND, assistant professor and Texas AgriLife Extension Economist in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Texas A&M University (Conrad P. and J. Mark, “Measuring Competition for Textiles: Does the U.S. Make the Grade?”, Texas Tech University, The International Cotton Research Center at Texas Tech University, presented at the Southern Agricultural Economics Association, 2/18/2004, 3http: //ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/34616/1/sp04ly01.pdf, Deech) This study evaluates the competitiveness … 1989 to 2001, increasing 55%.

//__Textile firms__, once an export … agency, without giving his name. //
 * Our impact is the __Chinese textile industry__ — it’s on the brink now**
 * PRC Ministry of Commerce 2008** (4/25, "Chinese textile firms struggle to survive in 2008", China Textile Network Company, http://textination.de/en/tiw/2008/TIW04252008.pdf ) //EL//

//**Only strong U.S. cotton export competitiveness __jumpstarts__ the industry**// //**Kantz 10**— agricultural trade magazine reporter (Brian, “U.S. Cotton Gearing Up”, International Cotton Magazine, May, ProQuest, EL) // //__The world's top cotton exporter__ … __That's good news for merchants."__//

//**That solves CCP instability**// //**Stratfor 08**** - ** subscription-based provider of geopolitical analysis 6/12 [China: Rescuing the Textile Industry, http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/china_rescuing_textile_industry ] //EL Sample Article: China: Rescuing the … irrelevant, to the regime at least.

Since the Party’s life is … __and gamble with their lives__.
 * Nuclear war**
 * Renxing, 5** (San, The Epoch Times “The CCP's Last-ditch Gamble: Biological and Nuclear War. Hundreds of millions of deaths proposed”, 8/5/2005, http://en.epochtimes.com/news/5-8-5/30931.html)

1AC-Solvency

 * Contention 4 – solvency**


 * The federal government is key – port infrastructure is under __federal jurisdiction__ and federal action is vital to __leadership__ **
 * AAPA, 11** - AAPA represents 160 of the leading seaport authorities in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean and more than 300 sustaining and associate members, firms and individuals with an interest in seaports (American Association of Port Authorities, “The U.S. Government’s Historic Role in Developing and Maintaining Landside and Waterside Connections to Seaports”, March 2011, [|http://aapa.files.cms-plus.com/PDFs/Transportation%20and%20the%20Constitution1.pdf)//GP]

Over time these constitutional responsibilities … competitiveness, be recognized and prioritized.

**The plan will allow the US to double exports in the next 5 years**
It's just before noon on … __This will keep us very competitive."__
 * USA Today 11** – news agency (Larry Copeland, “A goal to be port of call for all; U.S. sites digging in to accommodate big ships,” USA Today, October 3, 2011, lexis)//CB


 * Previous 2NRs **
 * 1. Capitalism K against Port Security**
 * 2. States CP and Elections and Framing against New Orleans**
 * 3. Capitalism K against Port Security**
 * 4. Consumption K against CCS**