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1. Should Congress authorize war on ISIS?
2. Is the decriminalization of marijuana a public health hazard?
3. What is the best way to promote the use of alternative fuel sources in the United States?
4. Should American schools crack down on grade inflation?
5. Is Georgia moving outside of the Republican orbit?
6. Why is the minority unemployment rate so high?
7. How should the NFL address domestic violence incidents?
8. Is Mary Landrieu headed for defeat this fall?
9. Does President Obama have the right policy to defeat ISIS?
10. Can larger natural gas reserves help the United States repair its relationship with Latin American nations?
The fast food chain Burger King made waves in the corporate world two weeks ago when it announced an agreement to merge with Tim Hortons, a Canadian doughnut and coffee chain, and relocate to Toronto. Financial analysts argued that the move – called a tax inversion – may help Burger King reduce its corporate tax burden since Canada has a lower corporate tax rate than the United States. President Obama and Democratic lawmakers criticized Burger King for joining the list of “corporate deserters,” a term applied to companies that have relocated their corporate headquarters outside of America’s borders to reduce their tax burden. Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown and leftist groups have called for a national boycott of Burger King as well. If the merger is approved by American and Canadian regulators, the new company will become the third-largest fast food chain in the world.
Since 2008, Iraq gradually ceased to be a topic in extemporaneous speaking. This accelerated after the U.S. withdrew its remaining forces from the country in 2011. Optimists thought that Iraq questions would fade much like Vietnam questions did in the 1960s and 1970s. However, the rise of the Islamic State (IS) in 2014 will cause extempers to talk a great deal about Iraq policy in 2014-2015. The IS was proclaimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a Sunni militant group, on June 29 and includes territory in Syria and Iraq. This summer, ISIS continued its advances into Iraqi territory, seizing Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, and taking over several Christian towns. The group murdered non-Sunni Muslims, Christians, and those of other religious denominations. These religious minorities sought refuge elsewhere in Iraq, especially Kurdish areas of Northern Iraq. Advances by ISIS into Kurdish territory and their siege of the Yazidis – a Kurdish-speaking Zoroastrian/Sufi religious community – near Mount Sinjar prompted the Obama administration to launch airstrikes to halt the group’s advance. Although President Obama stated that U.S. ground forces will not be returning to Iraq, these airstrikes constitute a return of American military forces to Iraq. The airstrikes have also created a debate over the effectiveness of President Obama’s foreign policy, which his former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, criticized in 
California is currently suffering from a prolonged drought that is damaging the state’s agricultural industry. The drought, which began three years ago, covers the entire state and 60 percent of the state is experiencing an “exceptional drought,” the worst level in its recorded history. Since California is America’s largest state and is the producer of a large percentage of its fruits and vegetables, its drought could have a significant impact beyond its borders. Due to the fact that scientists expect the drought to continue into 2015, extempers should be prepared to analyze California’s drought at tournaments during the 2014-2015 season. The topic is screaming for placement in a “domestic social” or “state and local issues” round.