Extemp Topics September 2011 DOMESTIC TOPICS 1. Evaluate the amount of regulation of American businesses. 2. What actions should the U.S. be taking in the Arctic? 3. Is sonogram law in Texas unconstitutional? 4. Will the deficit reduction supercommittee become deadlocked? 5. In what condition is America s military? 6. Has the Federal Reserve run out of prescriptions for the economy? 7. Has FEMA done an effective job of handling the aftermath of Hurricane Irene? 8. Should the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms be disbanded? 9. Should Michelle Bachmann drop out of the Republican presidential primary? 10. Would organized labor be best served to move to the political center? 11. Should the U.S. Postal Service be saved? If so, how? 12. Which teams will be in this year s Super Bowl? 13. Should the federal government prosecute the directors of major banks for causing the 2008 financial meltdown? 14. Would it still be possible for Sarah Palin to launch a 2012 Presidential? 15. Would Obama s new jobs stimulus package increase employment? 16. How will the GOP fare in the 2011 gubernatorial elections? 17. Does Mitt Romney reflect the establishment too well to win the GOP primary? 18. What should President Obama say in his upcoming address on the economy? 19. Should President Obama reevaluate his policies on Israel because of the loss of Anthony Weiner s congressional seat? 20. Will President Obama s jobs bill be passed by Congress? 21. How can African-American unemployment be decreased? 22. What are the economic implications of President Obama s decision to kill toughened 1 of 6
ozone standards? 23. Are America s public schools leaving gifted students behind? 24. Of California and Arizona, which has the better policy toward illegal immigration? 25. How important are the 2011 gubernatorial elections? 26. How can Mitt Romney best counter Rick Perry s momentum? 27. Can President Obama s tax proposal garner the full support of Democrats? 28. Is Netflix making the wisest move by splitting itself into two entities? 29. Should the U.S. Postal Service be closed? 30. Is the economic gold bubble bursting? 31. How will Ron Paul fare in this year s GOP primary compared to how he did in 2008? 32. Has Rick Perry s presidential candidacy peaked too early? 33. What is causing violent crime to fall in the United States? 34. Is the NCAA headed towards creating four massive superconferences? 35. Is Obama s campaign benefitted by him moving farther left? 36. Should Congress pass a tax bracket for millionaires? 37. Can the Super-Committee succeed in reducing the deficit? 38. Is it possible for Herbert Cain to win the Republican nomination? 39. Is it possible for Rick Perry to win the presidency? 40. Does the Tea Party movement do more to help or hurt GOP chances to win the presidency? 41. How can the federal government deal with high unemployment rates? 42. Which should be a higher immediate priority for Congress: deficit reduction or economic stimulus? 43. Does the S&P credit downgrading serve as a fiscal wakeup call for Congress? 44. Is the U.S. locked in a double-dip recession? 45. Has the US significantly reduced the threat of terrorism against US citizens in the decade since September 11, 2001? 46. Will Apple be able to continue to innovate without Steve Jobs? 47. Evaluate the balance between security and privacy in the last decade. 2 of 6
48. How correct is Rick Perry in saying that Social Security has become a Ponzi scheme? 49. How would lengthened terms for the Representatives affect the House? 50. Is it time to get rid of No Child Left Behind? 51. Are consistent spending crises in Congress giving the Republican Party a bad name? 52. Is Rick Perry s presidential campaign flailing? 53. Should the U.S. government release more photos of the assassination of Osama bin Laden? 54. What is causing the sharp increases in health insurance premiums? 55. Is President Obama s jobs bill properly named a jobs bill? 56. Will Chris Christie join the 2012 Republican presidential primary? 57. Has President Obama s trouble with African-American been voters overblown? 3 of 6
FOREIGN TOPICS 1. How should the international community respond to Russia claiming hundreds of thousands of square miles in the Arctic? 2. What should the rebel forces in Libya make the top priority? 3. Should Somalia receive more food aid from African nations? 4. Does the IMF have solution for Europe s debt crisis? 5. Can Nepal succeed in drafting a new constitution within three months? 6. Is the International Space Station unwelcome under Russian leadership? 7. Why do Palestinians refuse to recognize Israel as a Jewish state? 8. What would impact of Iranian isolation of Syria have on the Assad regimes look like? 9. Does Yoshihiko Noda have staying power beyond a year? 10. Where is Gaddafi hiding? 11. Is China merely posturing with its recent announcement that it will tighten arms sales? 12. Does the euro debt crisis give Russia a new opportunity at foreign policy? 13. How could Afghanistan benefit from a return of the country s monarchy? 14. In what ways would an increased Turkish naval presence in the Mediterranean impact Israeli security policy? 15. Should African nations be watching out for China? 16. As Robert Mugabe is alive, is political unity possible in Zimbabwe as long? 17. Would the euro fall if the Merkel government falls? 18. Is the trial of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt purely political theatre? 19. What should the international community do to secure the weapons stockpiles in Libya? 20. Is it in the best interest of Pakistan to distance itself from the United States? 21. Will convicting Julius Malema for hate speech only increase his political standing? 22. Would Egypt s military be well served to revive Hosni Mubarak s emergency law? 23. With calls for the U.S. to leave, from where should the Afghan government turn for aid? 4 of 6
24. How serious are Pakistan s promises to crack down on the Taliban? 25. Is Sudan becoming Africa s equivalent to Yugoslavia? 26. Should Kenya stop the flood of Somali refugees into its territory? 27. Is Victor Yanukovich using Vladimir Putin for a role model? 28. Has Spain implemented austerity measures too quickly? 29. Is Juan Manuel Santos forging better ties with his neighbors than his predecessor did? 30. Are Latin American economies continuing to be too dependent on mineral wealth? 31. What steps can Russia take to bring more prosperity to its eastern cities? 32. Does the world need more female leaders? 33. What impact will S&P s credit downgrade have on the Italian economy? 34. How can fraud be stopped in Africa s elections? 35. How much of the global economy relies on money from China? 36. Can the euro be saved? 37. What are the chances that Gaddafi will ever be brought to justice? 38. How will the killing of Burhanuddin Rabbani impact the chance of peace being negotiated in Afghanistan? 39. Will the Palestinian Authority s request for membership at the UN reach the General Assembly? 40. How would a close alliance between Turkey and Egypt impact Israel s Middle East foreign policy strategy? 41. Is NATO s handling of the rebellion in Libya praiseworthy? 42. What challenges face the Libyan government post-qaddafi? 43. Will Bashar Assad be able to withstand the protests in Syria? 44. Can it be said that the United States has defeated al Qaeda? 45. How well is Turkey handling the Kurddish separatist movement? 46. Does the recent suicide bombing in Nigeria lead to the conclusion that jihadism has expanded? 47. How can Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda be considered a success? 5 of 6
48. Is the European Union successfully dealing with the fiscal problems of member nations? 49. Has the debt crisis revealed the fundamental flaws of the European Union? 50. What are the significant factors of Russia s 2012 presidential election? 51. What steps do developing countries need to take to prepare to defend against natural disasters? 52. Is democracy sneaking into Myammar? 53. Why are the recent protests in Tibet garnered such little international attention? 54. Could other countries be pulled into Libya s civil war? 55. Would Turkey be better served to create a Middle Eastern free trade zone than to join the EU? 56. What will end turmoil in Yemen? 57. What reasons does Pakistan have for refusing to crack down on the Haqqani network? 58. Should the left retaking the French Senate alarm Sarkozy? 59. Will Vladimir Putin be able to coast easily back into the Kremlin next year? 60. In what way will giving women the right to vote impact Saudi politics? 58. How should the U.S. handle the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi? 59. Will Libya turn into a U.S. foreign policy disaster? 60. How should the U.S. approach the debt crisis in Europe? 61. Is it time for the U.S. to leave Afghanistan, now that we are ten years from September 11? 62. How can the U.S. avoid an embarrassing incident over the Palestinians bid for statehood at the United Nations? 6 of 6