Category: U.S. Extemp Page 54 of 55

Extemp Questions for the Week of May 7th-13th, 2008

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On May 7, 2008

In International Extemp, U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

1. Is a new new-facist movement being built in Europe?

2. Have the worst parts of the credit crisis passed by?

3. Should Brazil be given a permanent seat on the UN Security Council?

4. Is the peace accord between northern and southern Sudan unraveling?

5. If you were John McCain’s campaign manager, what would be your election strategy while the Democrats are still engaging in their nomination battle?

6. Will Santa Cruz’s vote for more autonomy weaken Morales?

7. Should Tsvangirai agree to a run off?

8. Will the Supreme Court’s upholding of Indiana’s voter ID law hurt the Democratic Party in November?

9. What can be done to help Indian Ocean countries deal with natural disasters?

10. Has America won the “war on meth”?

Extemp Questions for the Week of April 30th-May 6th, 2008

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On April 30, 2008

In International Extemp, U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

1. Is Felipe Calderon doing too little to resolve the illegal immigration issue with the U.S.?

2. Should the U.S. government suspend gas taxes?

3. Has Indiana become the tiebreaker state in the Democratic primary?

4. Is it time for John Edwards to make an endorsement in the Democratic primary?

5. Should Israel accept Hamas’s offer of a ten year truce?

6. Is the EU being too lax in its membership requirements?

7. Should Yudhoyono be doing more to decrease religious tensions in Indonesia?

8. Why is Chicago experiencing a massive crime wave?

9. Is Afghanistan becoming more like Iraq?

10. Was the acquittal of the police officers involved in the Sean Bell shooting justified?

Extemp Questions for the Week of April 23rd-29th, 2008

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On April 23, 2008

In International Extemp, U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

1. What was the impact of the Pennsylvania primary on the Democratic presidential race?

2. Who should be the first permanent European Council president?

3. What should be the future of Kirkuk?

4. Why is the U.S. budget deficit at a record high?

5. Should DNA evidence be required for a death sentence?

6. How can the U.S. improve its nation building operations?

7. Should one year of college education be mandated for all U.S. students?

8. Are we on the brink of a worldwide famine?

9. Why is Spain’s economy slumping?

10. Was John McCain’s appeal to black voters in Selma successful?

Extemp Questions for the Week of April 16th-22nd, 2008

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On April 16, 2008

In International Extemp, U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

1. Can the Libertarian Party get five percent of the vote in the presidential election this November

2. Is Jimmy Carter’s planned meeting with Kaled Meshaal appropriate?

3. Why are food costs rising?

4. Should the U.S. sign a free trade deal with Colombia?

5. Can Silvio Berlusconi now reform Italy after a decisive election win?

6. Should India cut off foreign aid to Nepal if Maoists win control of its parliament?

7. Is the world being too silent about the loss of democracy in Africa?

8. What can be done to stop the brain drain of medical professionals from developing countries

9. Should judges be elected

10. Will the Democrats establish a veto proof majority in Congress after the 2008 elections?

Topic Brief: Columbian Free Trade Agreement

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On April 15, 2008

In International Extemp, Topic Brief, U.S. Extemp

Overview

This week President Bush tried to fast track a free trade agreement (FTA) with Columbia through Congress.  However, the House has already undone the mechanism that would have forced them to vote on it today and has promised to stop the agreement from passing.  What is peculiar about this move is that the same Congress approved a nearly identical FTA with Peru last year.  Many analysts believe that the rejection of this current bill, as well as the promise to interfere with a similar South Korean FTA, has more to do with election season posturing then it does with genuine policy concerns.  Therefore, this brief will outline some of the details of the FTA and what the different sides are saying before assessing the political and economic ramifications of the little FTA that is causing a whole lot of ruckus.

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Extemp Questions for the Week of April 9th-15th, 2008

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On April 9, 2008

In International Extemp, U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

1. Should the Federal Reserve be given more power over the U.S. economy?

2. Is Israel’s political system dysfunctional?

3. Why are John McCain’s poll numbers rising?

4. Why are North Korea-South Korea relations worsening?

5. Should the DNC force Hillary to drop out?

6. Would another Berlusconi government be bad for Italy?

7. Is legalized gambling the answer for state budget woes?

8. Would Condoleeza Rice be a good vice-presidential candidate?

9. Should the Olympic torch relay be cancelled?

10. Would a EU military be a benefit or a death blow to NATO?

Extemp Questions for the Week of April 2nd-8th, 2008

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On April 2, 2008

In International Extemp, U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

1. What does the rising number of Americans on food stamps signal about the state of the U.S. economy?

2. How can Australia resolve its water problem?

3. Will its refusal to accept an independent Kosovo doom Serbia’s chances at becoming an EU member?

4. What is the state of e-commerce?

5. Is Argentina being careless with its economy?

6. How will the political changes in Pakistan affect US-Pakistani relations?

7. Is Hezbollah still a threat to Israel?

8. Would a Olympic boycott produce change in Chinese policy making?

9. Is our military getting the support it deserves?

10. Should Hillary drop out?

Extemp Questions for the Week of March 26th-April 1st, 2008

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On March 26, 2008

In International Extemp, U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

1. Has the Jeremiah Wright controversy doomed Barack Obama’s campaign?

2. Why have Islamic parties lost ground in Pakistan?

3. Is Mugabe losing his grip on power?

4. Should the U.S. government put a cap on gasoline prices?

5. Why is there a growing rift between the U.S. and Belarus?

6. How can John McCain seize control of the economic agenda?

7. Is Washington D.C.’s handgun ban unconstitutional?

8. Are riots in Tibet only a glimpse at what is to come?

9. Would a Democratic ticket led by Al Gore diffuse the divisions in the Democratic Party?

10. Should the NCAA men’s basketball tournament be expanded?

Topic Brief: Bear Stearns

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On March 25, 2008

In Topic Brief, U.S. Extemp

Overview  

So, Bear Stearns… There’s a lot of messy economics surrounding this one, but it’s all over the news.  This brief is going to break it down into what you need to know and how to explain it without a lot of economic jargon. Here is the back story:  Bear Stearns is one of the world’s largest securities and brokerage firms.  In June of 2007, the firm found itself in financial trouble when the hedge funds and securities it held in the subprime mortgage market had lost nearly all of their value.  Over the coming months the firm posted a 61% net loss and severely damaged its credit.  In March of this year, the bank was on the verge of being insolvent.  On March 14, 2008, JP Morgan Chase and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York provided a loan to prevent Bear Stearns from insolvency, fearing the impact such an announcement would have on broader markets.  Two days later, the Fed helped subsidize a JP Morgan merger with Bear Sterns, allowing the stock to be traded at two dollars a share.  In a bid to boost investor and market confidence and gain support for their acquisition of the company, JP upped the share price to ten dollars on March 25.  This rise, combined with Morgan’s assertion that they will buy newly released Stearns stock, means the company will end up purchasing 39.5% of the company at an average of $65 a share.  This percentage, plus the influence of the current board, should give JP Morgan the influence it needs to gain control of the failed firm.

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Extemp Questions for the Week of March 19th-March 25th, 2008

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On March 19, 2008

In International Extemp, U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

1. Will Spitzer’s resignation reflect poorly on Democratic candidates in November?

2. Is China’s growing power threatening international stability?

3. Should the U.S. be concerned about recent job loss numbers?

4. Has Sarkozy’s opportunity to reform France passed by?

5. Should the world be more vocal about China’s response to recent protests in Tibet?

6. Is the UMNO’s setback in recent Malaysian elections good for the country?

7. Should the Georgia-Tennessee border be redawn?

8. How effective has Brazil’s AIDS program been?

9. Is Keny’a political peace afford falling apart?

10. Should the GOP be concerned about Dennis Hastert’s congressional district’s recent change to blue?

Extemp Questions for the Week of March 12th-March 18th, 2008

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On March 12, 2008

In International Extemp, U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

1. Who should John McCain choose as his running mate?

2. Was Russia’s presidential election fair?

3. Why did the socialists prevail in recent Spanish parliamentary elections?

4. How should the DNC handle Florida and Michigan’s delegates?

5. Is the construction of a US-Mexican border fence a violation of international law?

6. Have poverty prevention programs in the U.S. been a failure?

7. Should the Pakistan People’s Party impeach Musharraf?

8. Are we on the eve of a new intifada?

9. Would an ANC split be good for South African politics?

10. Should Spitzer resign?

Extemp Questions for the Week of March 5th-March 11th, 2008

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On March 5, 2008

In International Extemp, U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

1. Is a long Democratic primary race already reaping benefits for John McCain?

2. Why is Thailand’s Muslim insurgency worsening??

3. How should the U.S. respond if Venezuela invades Colombia?

4. Can Simba Makani defeat Robert Mugabe in this month’s Zimbabwe presidential election?

5. What is the next boom sector of the global economy?

6. Can mandating the purchase of health insurance create a successful universal health care system?

7. What would be an ideal plan that would lead to the unification of Cyprus?

8. Has education fallen off the political radar?

9. Why is South Korea’s newly elected president Lee Myung-bak off to such a poor start?

10. What is the legacy of President Putin?

Extemp Questions for the Week of February 27th-March 4th, 2008

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On February 27, 2008

In International Extemp, U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

1. Is Nader a spoiler?

2. How should the upcoming Iranian parliamentary elections be viewed?

3. Is the idea of a North American Union realistic?

4. What is the legacy of Fidel Castro?

5. How should Medicaid be reformed?

6. Is the WTO finally getting tough on China?

7. Can Al Gore unify a fractured Democratic party?

8. Is the world ignoring drug resistant TB at its peril?

9. How should the U.S. war on drugs be changed?

10. Should there be public financing of all U.S. election campaigns?

Extemp Questions for the Week of February 20th-26th, 2008

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On February 20, 2008

In International Extemp, U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

1. Should the U.S. have recognized Kosovo’s independence?

2. Is Myanmar’s plan for constitutional reform a farce?

3. If you were Obama’s campaign manager, how do you deliver a knockout blow to the Clinton campaign?

4. Has Ukraine become the battleground of a new Cold War?

5. Who won the Hollywood writers strike?

6. What does Fidel Castro’s resignation mean for Cuba’s immediate future?

7. After losing $722 million in the fourth quarter of 2007, what’s next for GM?

8. What has President Bush’s Africa trip accomplished?

9. Should the Church of England be disestablished?

10. How can John McCain endear himself to conservative voters?

Extemp Questions for the Week of February 13th-19th, 2008

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On February 13, 2008

In International Extemp, U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

1. Should Mike Huckabee withdraw from the GOP race?

2. Would it be wise for Hugo Chavez to cut off oil exports to the U.S.?

3. Who is winning the culture wars?

4. How can the Netherlands better integrate its Muslim population?

5. What do Latino voters not like about Barack Obama?

6. Would a stronger African Union create a more stable Africa?

7. Is America doing enough to bridge the literacy gap?

8. Who should John McCain choose as his vice-presidential candidate?

9. Is the press reading too much into the Russian-U.S. military scuffle in the Pacific?

10. Can the federal budget be balanced within the next five years?

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