DEBATErecap2006
Review the
issues
A recap of the past
year’s issues and our
readers’ responses
OVER THE YEARS many readers have asked
why The Costco Connection runs a Debate section. The answer is simple. Through the
Debate section, we hope to encourage readers
to think about and discuss matters that
deeply affect their lives.
In 2006, as the list below shows, readers
considered a lot of probing questions. In
January, four months after the devastation of
Hurricane Katrina, we asked if the federal government should support communities built in
areas susceptible to natural disaster. Congress
has approved billions of tax dollars to rebuild
the devastated Gulf Coast region, including
some flood-prone areas.
July’s question, “Should illegal immigrants be granted amnesty?” hit a nerve with
readers, generating far and away the most letters and e-mail of any question we asked last
GETTY IMAGES
year. An amnesty bill was referred to the
Senate Judiciary Committee, making its outcome uncertain.
In November, we asked if airport security
procedures should include ethnic and religious
profiling. While there are no U.S. plans to
adopt such a security policy, which Britain is
considering, this question elicited a flood of
emotionally charged responses. Respondents
who favor the idea generally feel that it makes
sense to focus all security efforts on the groups
most likely to offend, while those against the
policy recall the Oklahoma City bombing, saying that terrorists come from every background imaginable.
Readers can now respond to our Debate
questions online by going to costco.com and
clicking on “Costco Magazine.” Archives of
past Debates are also available in The Connection’s Online Edition. Stay tuned to our
Debates this coming year.—Will Fifield
DEBATE RESPONSES 2006
JANUARY
Should the federal government
support communities built in areas
susceptible to natural disaster?
YES Dr. Bruce Weinstein, columnist, author
NO Adrian Moore, economist
Member response YES 12% NO 88%
Here are the issues we looked at last year
SEPTEMBER
Should girls and boys be taught
in separate classrooms?
YES Leonard Sax, author
NO 77% NO David Sadker, professor
Member response YES 64%
MAY
Should NASCAR be restricted?
YES Paul Weber, professor
NO Lucas Mast, PR professional
Member response YES 23%
NO 36%
FEBRUARY
Should oil companies pay a windfall
profits tax?
YES David Sirota, author
NO Scott A. Hodge and Jonathan Williams,
tax policy awareness advocates
Member response YES 37% NO 63%
JUNE
Should cell-phone use be allowed
in airplanes?
YES Jim Harper, director, Cato Institute
NO Chuck Underwood, consultant
Member response YES 9% NO 91%
OCTOBER
Should voting be encouraged
through lotteries?
YES Dr. Mark Osterloh, author
NO Gabriel “Jack” Chin, professor
Member response YES 25% NO 75%
MARCH
Should the government help people
upgrade their TVs to receive digital
signals?
YES Fritz Messere, professor
NO Peter Koeppel, TV-industry worker
Member response YES 22% NO 78%
JULY
Should illegal immigrants be
granted amnesty?
YES Benjamin Powell, director of
Independent Institute
NO Dan Stein, president of Federation for
American Immigration Reform
Member response YES 22% NO 78%
NOVEMBER
Should airport security procedures
include ethnic and religious profiling?
YES Daniel Pipes, journalist and author
NO Rebecca Clayborne Hershey,
Amnesty International adviser
Member response YES 60% NO 40%
APRIL
Is the United States ready for
a woman president?
YES Marie Wilson, women’s issues advocate
NO Taegan D. Goddard, author
Member response YES 70% NO 30%
AUGUST
Should people be allowed to bring
their own snacks to venues?
YES Cynthia Sass, American Dietetic
Association spokesperson
NO Kendrick Macdowell, National
Association of Theater Owners director
Member response YES 63% NO 37%
DECEMBER
Should we eliminate the penny?
YES Robert M. Whaples, professor
NO Mark W. Weller, business advocate
Member response YES 43% NO 57%
You can reach us with your Debate comments and suggested questions at P.O. Box 34088, Seattle, WA 98124-1088; by fax at (425) 313-6718;
or by e-mail at
debate@costco.com.
