Month: May 2020

This week’s questions come from my former coach Steve Meadows, who is now the executive director of the Kentucky High School Speech League (KHSSL).

1. How has New Zealand changed a year after the Christchurch attacks?
2. Hong Kong’s protests seem forgotten by the world. Problem solved?
3. Australian bushfires: the exception or the rule for a world undergoing climate change?
4. What’s the solution to prevent violence in Mexican cities?
5. How should Lebanon handle its financial woes?
6. Will the Saudi royal family retain power or fall to its own corruption?
7. Should Scottish independence seekers try again or will their dreams be kilt?
8. Will Germany thrive or dive post-Merkel?
9. Is Hungary hungry for a real democracy?
10. Irish reunification – a dream, a nightmare, or a woke response to 21st century realities?

Some of this week’s questions come from former old coach Steve Meadows, who is now the executive director of the Kentucky High School Speech League (KHSSL).

1. Are social distancing policies no longer politically feasible?
2. Is Amy Klobuchar a good vice-presidential pick?
3. It’s Report Card Day: Grade the Fed for its handling of the coronavirus impact to the U.S. economy.
4. It’s Report Card Day: Grade the current U.S. Supreme Court.
5. It’s Report Card Day: Grade Representative Tulsi Gabbard.
6. French immigration policies – should American say oui to their approaches?
7. Problem: American elections seem no safer from foreign interference. Solution?
8. Problem: Despite promises made, tax cuts have not trickled down past the wealthy. Solution?
9. Problem: America’s infrastructure is aging. Solution?
10. Problem: Republicans want to win where President Trump is unpopular. Solution?

1. Has the President’s embrace of Twitter over press conferences hurt U.S. democracy?
2. How should Americans manage their money as the coronavirus attacks the stock market?
3. Are biorefineries growing as a solution to American energy needs?
4. Is it time for William Barr to step down?
5. Months later, did the impeachment of President Trump matter?
6. Why are socialists seen as unelectable by much of the American population?
7. Did Elizabeth Warren have an electability problem?
8. Why do evangelicals stand with President Trump?
9. Are recent interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve a good idea?
10. Is the Space Force a waste of money?

1. Will India’s treatment of its Muslim population leave the nation stranded in the second world?
2. Why has South Korea been praised for its coronavirus response when other nations have not?
3. Are African countries embracing China at their own peril?
4. How can the Ivory Coast ensure a peaceful transition of power in October?
5. Is the peace agreement in Afghanitan good for the people of Afghanistan?
6. In hindsight, did Australia manage its fires well?
7. How can North Korea realistically enter the world around it?
8. Is Pakistan next in line for an “Arab Spring”-type of social protest?
9. Will the coronavirus kill Thailand’s struggling economy?
10. Are Japanese gender norms holding back its economic growth?

1. Will a recent failed invasion against Nicolas Maduro further strengthen his hold over Venezuela?
2. Is Argentina headed for another debt default?
3. Will border disputes between India and China grow in the near future?
4. Can Benjamin Netanyahu form a unity government?
5. Is the sharp decline in global oil prices doing major damage to Nigeria’s economy?
6. Should Taiwan be able to attend the recent WHO summit on the coronavirus?
7. Is China waiting too long to create an economic stimulus?
8. How can the European Central Bank keep credit flowing within the common market?
9. Should Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro be given control of the Rio police?
10. Is ISIS once again becoming a threat to Iraq?

1. How should Joe Biden use former President Obama as part of his election campaign?
2. If a coronavirus vaccine is developed, should all students attending public schools be required to get it in order to attend?
3. How should the Supreme Court rule in Trump v. Vance?
4. Should the Biden campaign try to win over moderate Republicans or should it prioritize courting African-American and younger voters?
5. Will the next U.S. president have to raise taxes?
6. Is justice moving too slowly in the Ahmaud Arbery case?
7. If colleges are still teaching online in 2020-2021, should they reduce tuition costs?
8. Should states make moves to outlaw the “gig economy”?
9. How can the U.S. increase is ability to test for the coronavirus?
10. Should cities establish rent freezes until the coronavirus passes?

1. Should the U.S. economy move away from a service-oriented model?
2. Could sexual harrassment allegations cost Joe Biden the presidency?
3. Will taxes rise after the coronavirus passes?
4. Could school reformers benefit from a federal aid package to the states?
5. Is “telemedicine” the future of American healthcare?
6. Does the federal government need to pass another stimulus to help working Americans?
7. Is federalism hurting America’s response to the coronavirus pandemic?
8. How can state authorities enforce social distancing measures in light to growing protests?
9. What will college education look like for the 2020-2021 academic year?
10. Is it constitutional to require citizens to wear masks in public?

1. Will protectionism rise as the coronavirus subsides?
2. Is the risk of an escalation of the war in Afghanistan growing?
3. Are Europe’s short-work programs keeping unemployment down during the coronavirus pandemic?
4. Is it in Russia’s best interest to extend the START treaty?
5. What is wrong with Zambia’s economy?
6. Are Khalifa Haftar’s fortunes on the decline in Libya?
7. Is Saudi Arabia’s human rights record improving?
8. How generous should EU aid packages be to fight the coronavirus pandemic?
9. Should Colombia repatriate Venezuelan refugees?
10. Will the coronavirus pandemic help governments fight terrorism?