Hi, folks, and welcome back. Our topic this week is, "Should the United States Senate seat Roland Burris?" Based on the flip of the coin, I will argue that Burris should be denied entry into this august law-making body. It's important to note that, even as we argue the point, the wheels are turning and a decision may be finalized as the debate gets posted. This should not affect our arguments or your comments. In fact, any decision on Burris' fate may indeed make the debate more lively. Reme... Read Full Story

Welcome back, folks. This week, Reed and I are revisiting political matters, mostly because there's a lot to discuss, but also because we sense our readers prefer political topics to non-political ones. Feel free to correct our assumption if it's wrong. The coin flip has me arguing this week that the United States Senate should not block the seating of former Illinois Attorney General, Roland Burris, as Barack Obama's replacement. My arguing this position requires that indicted Governor, Ro... Read Full Story

Welcome back, folks. Although our last topic was deemed "boring" by our first poster, it has generated more feedback and more new posters than anything we have debated so far on Butt and ReButt. Thanks to all who have participated, and please spread the word. This week, we are discussing whether or not media access to celebrities and public figures should be regulated by the government. Based on the flip of the coin, I will argue that those well-entrenched in the public eye do not warrant sp... Read Full Story

Back again, everyone...and, for a change, we're not doing a political subject this week (okay, maybe that's debatable). We all have strong opinions about paparazzi after being privy to their work with Princess Diana, Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, and even families of crime victims or accused perpetrators. It's an interesting subject, for sure. The coin toss this week has me arguing in favor of regulating the media's rights when covering celebrities and public figures. Because this subject re... Read Full Story

(Note: Reed's post gives a succinct history of campaign finance in the U.S., so I'll not repeat it. I will also avoid repeating his citations for brevity, though I relied on some of them also.)  Well, for a change, I got a coin-flip this week that threw me for a loop. I am supposed to argue that we should maintain the public campaign finance system for federal elections (and, perhaps, mandate its use). But, by golly, after my research, I decided that it doesn't make a lick of differenc... Read Full Story

Commenters to this site must adhere to the following rules:All comments must be relevant to the post to which they are directed. No comments unrelated to the post will be permitted.In no case can commenters use vulgar words, cursing, or name-calling in a comment (for instance, Barack "Osama" Obama is not permitted, nor John "McBush" McCain). These are disrespectful monikers that we will not permit on this blog. Effective arguments don't rely on emotional outbursts. Likewise, curse words, eve... Read Full Story

We're sorry. We know we have been a tad lax lately at blogging. The truth is that our readership appeared to drop off pretty drastically after Dano's injury and the subsequent posting hiatus; maybe it was just a drop in participation. We are trying to get back into a regular schedule, now. On that note, however, there is something we want to address: For this blog to be successful, we need for visitors to actually comment on our posts, not just read them. Why, you ask?  Because blog tr... Read Full Story

In my many ill-advised political conversations with people sitting around while sharing beers and such, it occurs to me that most Americans don't really understand how our highest leaders are actually elected. While most recognize the term, "Electoral College," perhaps only a small percentage know what it is or how it works (and even fewer know why the system was created). If you have a good understanding of the electoral system, feel free to skip this post; this post is designed to help fol... Read Full Story

Hi, folks, and welcome back. Let me begin by asking you to please spread the word that Butt and ReButt is back, and we want to be a strong force for reasonable, intelligent discussion and debate. So if your friends are not reasonable and intelligent, well......At any rate, our topic this week regards the Electoral College. I won't do a John McCain here and say, "I bet you've never heard of that" because I know you have. And Dano has given us a very good primer on the history of the college, ... Read Full Story

Okay, folks. Following a lengthy time during which I didn't feel I could do justice to the debates because of my head injuries, I'm getting back into it. While things are still difficult, I think I can function well enough, now, to give this a shot. This week, the coin-flip says I argue for maintaining the Electoral College system for presidential and vice-presidential elections. The "Problem" with the Electoral College So, what is the big stink? Why are we asking this week's question? ... Read Full Story