Monday, May 12, 2008

Extemp Questions 12 May 2008

• Should America adopt a system of proportional representation for congressional elections?
• Should the US adopt instant run-off voting for federal level elections?
• Are effective election reforms possible in the US?
• Should the US get rid of the electoral college for Presidential elections?
• Should national level elections be standardized and regulated by the federal government?
• How can the US overcome the different conflicts of interest in the process of running elections?
• Should the same sex marriage debate be left to the individual states to decide?
• How can the US become the global leader in environmental protection?
• Can a single-payer system work for the health care system in the US?
• Is enough being done to combat homelessness in the US?
• What reforms to mental health care would most benefit the US?
• What more should be done to combat global hunger?
• Can the development help eradicate Malaria across the globe?
• What metrics should be used to determine a timeline for US troop withdrawals from Iraq?
• Is the federal government doing enough to ensure America’s cyber-security?
• Will Russian President Dmitri Medvedev continue the path laid by Vladimir Putin?
• Can President Medvedev end the rampant corruption in the Russian government?
• Has life for Israeli Arabs improved over the past few years?
• Should the US be willing to accept a long-term troop presence in Iraq?
• Is the primary campaign season in the US too long?
• Have attack ads in the Democratic primaries helped John McCain in the general election?
• Is America ready for an African American President?
• What steps are necessary for the US to return to a balanced budget?
• Can Israel survive as a Jewish democracy?
• Is an independent Palestine in the best interest of Israel?
• When will the US housing market rebound?
• Can Congress pass effective campaign finance reform?
• How significant of a problem are performance enhancing drugs in professional sports?
• Should Intelligent Design be taught in America’s public schools?
• How can the US most effectively wage the War on Terror?
• Should education be a more prominent issue in the Democratic primaries?
• How well has General Patraeus been doing in Iraq?
• How should the role of the US in the Middle East change?
• Why have the Kyoto protocols been so ineffective at promoting environmental controls?
• Will the rest of the global economy fall under the US recession?
• Should federal government contributions to school funding be raised?
• Is online file sharing bad for musicians?
• Should the federal ban on stem cell research be lifted?
• What dos the future hold for Cuba?
• Is the black market trade of nuclear materials being combated effectively?
• Can Afghanistan effectively police the narcotics trade within its borders?
• Would Obama be a stronger candidate than Clinton in the fall elections?
• Can the stranglehold of special interests in Washington be broken?
• Does Hillary Clinton still have a viable path to the Democratic nomination?
• Is universal health care a viable solution to the problems in the American Health Care System?
• Will values voters be a necessary block of voters for the Presidential nominees to court?
• Can the US afford to enforce its immigration policies?
• Is youth violence on the rise in the US?
• Does US foreign policy do enough to address international human rights issues?
• How large of a part should energy efficiency play in resolving America’s energy independence?
• Is America’s high education staying competitive with the rest of the world?
• Will America’s economy right itself in the second half of 2008?
• Is the development of corn based ethanol hurting the US economy?
• Is Colin Powell a viable running mate for John McCain?
• Are free trade agreements good for the US economy?
• Will Kosovo’s declaration of independence recreate the regional instabilities of the 1990’s?
• Should the US increase the number of H1-B visas?
• Is state sponsored terrorism on the rise?
• What has been the impact of the Brown v. Board decision on American society?
• Is Barak Obama capable of running an effective national campaign against John McCain?
• How can the US become more energy efficient?

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Policy Debate ('07-'08) - Paul Ewald on TED

One of those things that would have been interesting to have much earlier in the debate season, Paul Ewald talks about the domestication of germs. How it's possible in a relatively short time frame to manipulate the virulence of some diseases by manipulating the means in which it can be transmitted. For example, making Malaria less virulent and less resistant to anti-malarial drugs by mosquito proofing homes.

http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/259

Further information on evolutionary domestication of diseases (Malaria specifically):
http://memorias.ioc.fiocruz.br/935/24mvt.html - About the Tennessee Valley Authority mosquito-proofing houses around the 1930's and 40's when it build dams to provide hydroelectric power which caused Malaria outbreaks.