Control the Tense

This is very good from Thank You for Arguing (see previous post) - - discussions and arguments all have a time element.  The three core issues in many arguments are - - Blame, Values, and Choice.  All three have a temporal pattern, like this:

Blame = Past

Values = Present

Choice = Future

The next time you are in an argument for something like increasing public funding for infrastructure improves, try switching the tense.  If your funding for the new highway is spinning out of control, remember future-tense (deliberative) arguments promise a payoff - - it skips right and wrong, good and bad, in favor of expedience.  Control the issue - - the tense is one element you can control.