The following recommendation appeared in a memo from the mayor of the town of Hopewell."Two years ago, the nearby town of Ocean View built a new municipal golf course and resort hotel. During the past two years, tourism in Ocean View has increased, new bu

The argument about Hopewell stating that the town must incorporate a new golf course and resort hotel to improve its economy and generate more tax revenues is not completely cogent from a logical standpoint. There are a few unstated assumptions which must prove true to buttress the conclusion and verify the veracity of the argument.

The first assumption is that there are no other significant factors that affect the growth of Ocean View. In other words, the golf course and resort hotel must be the sole reasons for increased economic success in the town. However, if these assumptions prove unwarranted, the argument suffers. Tourism could have increased if more people became aware of the sights that the town has to offer. There could also have been lower airplane fares that would prompt more tourists to visit the town. The opening of new businesses could have also been due to an increase in imports from other places or even an abundance in the town's own natural resources and produce. The reason for the increase in tax revenues could have also come from simply greater spending rates among the population.

The second assumption implies that the economic situation is exactly the same currently as it was two years ago. For instance, the way the golf course affected tourism two years ago must affect tourism in the same manner today. If the assumption is fallacious, this weakens the argument. It is more likely that the present time has a different Gross Domestic Product value than it did last year. There might also be a change in maintenance of resources around the town, which could affect tourism in a way differently than it did two years ago.

Finally, the argument assumes that Hopewell is similar to Ocean View in all aspects. A few examples would be if Ocean View had the same population as Hopewell or if Ocean View allocated its resources and money to similar areas to which Hopewell distributes its funds. However, there are implications if this proves false. Hopewell most likely has a different demographic, economic, and even political situation than its neighboring town. Therefore, the manner in which the golf course and resort hotel are affecting the tourism and other parts of the economy in Ocean View may not exactly translate similarly in Hopewell.

Without these assumptions proving to be veracious, the speaker presents a weak argument. The argument must verify that there are no other factors affecting the success in the towns, that the economic situation is identical in the present time as it was two years ago, and that Ocean View's situation and methodology can be entirely imitated by the nearby town of Hopewell.