This weekend extempers will converge on Omaha, Nebraska for the 2010 Catholic Forensic League Grand National tournament. Each year, Extemp Central provides an analysis of the topic areas that will be used at Catholic Forensic League and National Forensic League Nationals. These analyses are meant to help extempers identify issues that could arise during a round and offer a few tips on dealing with each topic area. Also, the analyses provide practice questions so that extempers can do practice outlines or speeches for each topic area before the tournament.
Topics Areas addressed in this post:
Topic Area #4: The State Department
Topic Area #5: Agriculture, Interior, Energy and Transportation
Topic Area #6: Education, Health & Human Services and Housing & Urban Development
Topic Area #4: The State Department
From here on out the topic areas become worded like cabinet departments. Since the function of the State Department is diplomacy extempers can anticipate that this will be a United States foreign policy round. However, since “the State Department” is listed as the topic area you may also get questions about the operations of the State Department and the effectiveness of its actions. As I recommended last year, extempers would be wise to visit each of the cabinet departments in the topic areas and clip briefings from them. Not only will these sound authoritative in rounds, but it will give you more insight into the operations of each of these cabinet departments. I would also suggest printing off biographies of each of the cabinet officials in charge of each department, some of which you can find on the department’s respective websites, in case you are given personality questions in these rounds. For example, in this particular topic area you could be given a question about how effective Hillary Clinton has been as our Secretary of State or if someone else could do a better job.
It is very likely that you could give the same speech at CFL Nationals about the same topic but address it from a different direction. For example, in the Americas topic area you might draw a question asking if Venezuela has effectively replaced U.S. influence in Latin America and in this round you could draw a question that asks you how America should deal with Venezuela’s influence in Latin America. Since the tournament is “mixed” extemp you should have domestic and international files at your disposal to answer these types of questions.
As a judge, I love to hear history in foreign policy speeches. Different presidents have taken U.S. foreign policy in different directions. For example President Jimmy Carter placed human rights at the center of his foreign policy and was less willing to back dictatorships that were American allies during the Cold while President Ronald Reagan had a more realist and confrontational approach to the Soviet Union. Since there is not a topic area about President Obama in this tournament, you could get a question asking you to compare Obama’s handling of international problems with George W. Bush. If you lack a historical understanding of shifts in American foreign policy, answering such a question will be difficult.
Just as this round can overlap with the international topic areas in the field, there will also be some overlap with the Homeland Security topic. America’s foreign relations with Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Somalia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, etc. are predicated on halting the spread of Islamic fundamentalism. Extempers can also expect to tackle questions about America utilizing international institutions like the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to confront global challenges in terms of human rights and nuclear proliferation.
President Obama has been criticized for not pushing nations hard enough on democratic reforms like the Bush administration. His response to the Iran protests last year was arguably lackluster and some have called for a more forceful U.S. approach. Also, Obama’s ties with Mexico over drug violence and comprehensive immigration reform could come up in this round.
For pariah states, like North Korea, Myanmar, Cuba, Iran, etc. extempers will be asked how the United States could improve its relations with these nations. When addressing these questions, make sure you give ONE clear answer. Judges won’t be very receptive to speeches were you argue that we can improve relations by “taking three steps.” Have ONE step and communicate to the audience why that one step will work.
Practice Questions
1. How will the Gulf oil spill impact U.S. relations with Latin America?
2. Why have Obama’s efforts at better relations with Cuba run into a brick wall?
3. Should the U.S. take a tougher stance against North Korea following the sinking of the Cheonan?
Topic Area #5: Agriculture, Interior, Energy, Transportation
Of all of the topic areas in the tournament, this is arguably the most difficult because extempers don’t usually give speeches on agriculture or transportation issues. The “interior” and “energy” part of the topic make it tolerable, though, if you get a good question draw. As I recommended for the State Department topic brief, extempers would be wise to go to each of these departments websites, print of their mission statements, any recent briefings about them, and biographies of their current departments head (Tom Vilsack-Agriculture, Ken Salazar-Interior, Steven Chu-Energy, and Ray LaHood-Transportation). Since “interior” in this question will refer to environmental affairs I don’t think it’s a stretch to argue that you should go to the Environmental Protection Agency’s website and print off similar information (its head is Lisa Jackson).
For agriculture, America’s food supply is secure, but farmers have questioned practices in the beef and poultry industries. The United States has banned Japanese beef imports after a recent foot and mouth scare over there so that could likely be a question. Also, any questions pertaining to the levels of food aid the United States gives to the international community will come up in this round. America’s farm subsidies are a controversial topic in the international community and since this is an election year the issue is being revisited in some senate races in Kentucky and Washington. Therefore, extempers need to understand the subsidy issue and devise some solutions for making American subsidies more equitable and fair.
The Department of Interior has arguably the widest range of responsibilities of any other department in the U.S. government. It handles issues pertaining to Native Americans and to federal lands and administers conservation efforts. Any questions about endangered species and the economic development of federal lands will pop up here. Without an environmental topic, extempers should expect to see tons of questions about the Gulf oil spill here (and if it doesn’t pop up here expect it to pop up in the Department of Homeland Security). Also, any questions pertaining to cap and trade legislation are likely to go here as well.
For energy, generic questions about alternative energy sources can be expected. Wind, solar, and nuclear power all have benefits for the United States, but there are valid criticisms against using each one. Any questions about America’s continued oil dependence, which always work their way into CFL Nationals and are always talked about, will come up in this round. Extempers would be wise to research how much oil the United States gets from other nations and any up to date research on new energy technologies because judges will have heard all the generic “The U.S. is dependent on Middle Eastern oil!” analysis from the mainstream media. If you’re interesting and present a new viewpoint your audience will be more receptive to you. Also, if you get any comparison questions about what form of alternative energy is best make sure that you address why the other energy sources are not as good. If you give a speech about why nuclear power is best but offer no comparisons with other energy sources then it is very difficult to see WHY it is better than other energy sources and you have merely changed your question into “Why is _____ form of energy good?”
On the transportation issue, one thing stands out: TOYOTA. In a year where the American car industry began to recover some of its footing, Toyota’s acceleration problems could not have come up at a worse time. Congressman are accusing the company of dragging its feet on investigating the causes of the acceleration and more Congressional inquiries are expected. A likely question here is going to ask you to assess the damage the acceleration problems have had on Toyota or what new regulations need to be imposed to prevent future automobile disasters like from happening again. The transportation topic area could also ask you how the United States could fix its crumbling infrastructure network and how more public transportation could be created within the country. Don’t forget about the airline industry either.
Practice Questions
1. Which is the better alternative energy source for America: wind, solar, or nuclear?
2. Does America really need to reform its agricultural subsidies system?
3. How can the federal government get more money for national infrastructure projects?
Topic Area #6: Education, Health & Human Services, Housing & Urban Development
I feel like I am looking at an old enemy with this topic area. In last year’s CFL topic area analysis I said that this was the worst topic area in the tournament and that it would likely be in semi-finals and finals. I wasn’t disappointed as this ended up as the final round topic area. This year I think there is more material available which doesn’t make this as difficult a round as it could be. I view this as a “what’s wrong with America” round because our education system is lagging behind other countries, our healthcare system needs reform (although people disagree over what types of reform are appropriate), and the housing crash has devastated that ability of first time home buyers to get mortgages and led to foreclosures all over the country.
On education, extempers can expect questions about President Obama’s “Race to the Top” funding, which is an attempt to encourage states to adjust their standards and make reforms. “Race to the Top” funding has caused some states’ rights advocates to argue that the rights of the states are being usurped and that the federal government has no business in education. Out of this criticism could come questions about if the “Race to the Top” funds are working, if national standards should replace state standards for education, and what control the federal government should exercise over the education system. Arizona’s ban on ethnic studies and Texas’ move towards a more conservative school curriculum can be questioned in this round as well. Furthermore, the debates on teacher pay and if it should be based on merit can arise as well as if the nation needs more charter schools. Finally, a few questions on New Child Left Behind are bound to come up in this round. Don’t forget about college as well where rising tuition costs are causing pundits to question if upward mobility is being stifled. My typical advice for education questions is to tread carefully. Your judges will be parents of students in the education system or teachers and you can’t merely bash the system unless you have solutions and information to back you up. I might avoid questions about teachers unions because those are powder kegs when speaking before a national audience.
The healthcare reform bill will occupy much of the “Health and Human Services” aspect of this question. Questions about how much the healthcare reform bill will work, how much it will cost (and if that cost is sustainable), and what future reforms need to be made to the system will come up in this round. Also, questions about the rate of obesity in America, regulations on tobacco, and steps that the federal government has taken to prevent a wider outbreak of swine flu will be in this round. A question about prescription drug prices and if America should import drugs from other nations (and how it handles generic drugs) will matter. Finally, since Medicaid and Medicare are healthcare programs for the poor and elderly, expect to get questions about the sustainability of those programs and what reforms might have to be implemented in order to keep them alive.
For the housing and urban development aspect of the question you could get questions about improving inner city communities. However, most of your questions will concern the mortgage market and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The impact that potential financial reform could have on the mortgage industry will come into play and extempers should read up on the way the mortgage industry operates. Any questions about urban sprawl, which the department has said it wants to stop, will occur in this round.
If you get a question in this round that asks you to devise a plan of action (ex. your “how” questions), make sure that you take into consideration the political dynamics that would be necessary to pass it, especially if your questions asks how Obama can get “x” policy passed. I’ve seen speeches were extempers totally ignore the political shifts and dynamics in Congress and it makes their solutions unbelievable and unrealistic. As I mentioned last year, it is possible you could get questions on stem cell research, abortion, and cloning in this round and if you do, tread carefully because you never know the political affiliations of your judges.
Practice Questions
1. Can the re-direction of funds through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program effectively help communities who have been devastated by the foreclosure crisis?
2. Will Obama’s healthcare overhaul lead to lower insurance premiums?
3. Should merit pay become a national norm?