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15 Oct 2015, 04:24
Kudos
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The following paragraph recently appeared in an editorial printed in the opinion section of a local newspaper:
The recent surge in violence in the southern part of the city is a result of a shortage of police officers and an absence of leadership on the part of the city council. In order to rectify the burgeoning growth of crime that threatens the community, the city council must address this issue seriously. Instead of spending time on peripheral issues such as education quality, community vitality, and job opportunity, the city council must realize that the crime issue is serious and double the police force, even if this action requires budget cuts from other city programs.
Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and use the evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refuse the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.
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Editorial states that the absence of good leadership and shortage of police force is the sole reason for increasing crime and a part of city. It also states that police force should be increased in order to curb the crime rate, even at the cost of other city programs such as education quality and job opportunity. The writer does not take into consideration important factors which can be used to judge the situation of crime in the city. Writer’s opinion is one sided and contains a lot of flaws and lacks logical reasoning.
First of all, the editorial states that recent surge in crime in southern part of the city is because of a shortage of police officers and absence of leadership. This is a direct accusation as it does not specify the efforts of the current leader and the police force to keep the crime under control. The problem is only in the southern part of the city, which means that other parts of the city are clearly under control of the current number of police personnel. Editorial also specifies that the rise in crime is a recent phenomenon, which means that till now the situation was kept well under control. The writer of the editorial also does not specify the reason for the increase in crime. The situation would be easy to judge if we know the reason for the increase in crime.
Second, editorial states that other programs such as education quality, job opportunity and community vitality should be cut in order to provide more funding to the police force. The reason for crime can be unemployment, communal violence, and illiteracy. Cutting these programs can aggravate the current situation. In fact, increasing funding to these city programs can decrease the crime rate. So, to know the exact reason for crime rate increase is a must.
Third, the editorial does not specify the budget capacity of the city to increase the personnel in the police force. The city may not afford to spend on salaries of personnel and the equipment required for the newly joined personnel.
In conclusion, all the above stated factors should be taken into consideration and then the situation must be evaluated. Current argument is flawed and lacks proper analysis. If all the above factors are considered, the argument would be easier to evaluate.
The recent surge in violence in the southern part of the city is a result of a shortage of police officers and an absence of leadership on the part of the city council. In order to rectify the burgeoning growth of crime that threatens the community, the city council must address this issue seriously. Instead of spending time on peripheral issues such as education quality, community vitality, and job opportunity, the city council must realize that the crime issue is serious and double the police force, even if this action requires budget cuts from other city programs.
Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and use the evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refuse the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.
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Editorial states that the absence of good leadership and shortage of police force is the sole reason for increasing crime and a part of city. It also states that police force should be increased in order to curb the crime rate, even at the cost of other city programs such as education quality and job opportunity. The writer does not take into consideration important factors which can be used to judge the situation of crime in the city. Writer’s opinion is one sided and contains a lot of flaws and lacks logical reasoning.
First of all, the editorial states that recent surge in crime in southern part of the city is because of a shortage of police officers and absence of leadership. This is a direct accusation as it does not specify the efforts of the current leader and the police force to keep the crime under control. The problem is only in the southern part of the city, which means that other parts of the city are clearly under control of the current number of police personnel. Editorial also specifies that the rise in crime is a recent phenomenon, which means that till now the situation was kept well under control. The writer of the editorial also does not specify the reason for the increase in crime. The situation would be easy to judge if we know the reason for the increase in crime.
Second, editorial states that other programs such as education quality, job opportunity and community vitality should be cut in order to provide more funding to the police force. The reason for crime can be unemployment, communal violence, and illiteracy. Cutting these programs can aggravate the current situation. In fact, increasing funding to these city programs can decrease the crime rate. So, to know the exact reason for crime rate increase is a must.
Third, the editorial does not specify the budget capacity of the city to increase the personnel in the police force. The city may not afford to spend on salaries of personnel and the equipment required for the newly joined personnel.
In conclusion, all the above stated factors should be taken into consideration and then the situation must be evaluated. Current argument is flawed and lacks proper analysis. If all the above factors are considered, the argument would be easier to evaluate.
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