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'''H1. Do you agree with how the United States finally ended the fighting in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War?''' Considering how much trouble the Filipino insurgents were giving us, I don’t really think killing them was overly harsh. However, what were we doing there in the first place? The post-Spanish battles in the Philippines seem to be an unfortunate precedent that would later get us stuck in wars like Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Perhaps the only “justification” for fighting was that we could gain by imperializing the islands. But if that was our goal all along, why did it take three years of guerilla warfare to finally kill the insurgents? Overall, I don’t blame us for killing them but I don’t agree with it.
'''H2. Debate: do you support "caveat emptor," or do you prefer government regulation of monopolies and robber barons?''' I don’t think you can support either “caveat emptor” or “regulation of monopolies and robber barons.” Caveat emptor means “buyer beware,” that only makes sense within a free market, where the consumer has many choices and must be able to wisely choose the right product (and avoid bad ones). Under the monopolies and robber barons, there was no free market to navigate, and “buyer beware” becomes meaningless. If it applies to the monopolies, where else does the consumer bewarego? You are telling him to beware of the only choice on the market! Of course, educated consumers could perhaps prevent a monopoly from forming in the first place, but once it has formed, how is “buyer beware” going to help? So, I support both ‘caveat emptor” and regulation of monopolies and robber barons.
'''H5. What is your view of John D. Rockefeller?''' John D. Rockefeller, first of all, was not the worst of the robber barons. Unlike Carnegie, who specifically disavowed Christianity in favor of Social Darwinism, Rockefeller thanked God for his success and made his motto “Gain all you can, save all you can, and give all you can.,” a phrase from the Methodist Wesley. Rockefeller thus viewed his enterprise through a Christian lens, reminiscent of the parable of the talents. However, Rockefeller’s business practices had an unmistakable influence of “survival of the fittest,” or Social Darwinism. He also supported eugenics and population control, which are, from a Christian perspective, dubious at best. Overall, however, Rockefeller seems to have been a sincere and good man, and, for what it’s worth, an excellent monopolist!
