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 #7: Labor, Treasury and Commerce
Topic Area #8: Justice and The Supreme Court
Topic Area #9: Homeland Security, Defense and Veterans Affairs
Topic Area #7: Labor, Treasury, and Commerce
This is the economics round of the tournament and in light of the economic recession this topic area will have tons of questions. If your file boxes just have a general “economy” folder and no subdivisions for the Federal Reserve, auto industry, financial reform ideas, unemployment, taxes, trade etc. then I would suggest subdividing that file before you get on the plane to go to Omaha. Extempers will also want to know some crucial economic statistics before they go to Omaha: the growth rate in the U.S. economy in the last quarter, the unemployment rate, the underemployment rate, and trends on the American stock market.
Under the Obama administration, organized labor has had more input on public policy and the United Auto Workers (UAW) were able to gain more control over General Motors. With America’s budget deficit rising (which is a place for another question in this round), the size of the public sector has come under fire from conservative commentators and the tea party movement. Since many public sector workers are unionized and have pensions that might be unsustainable decades from now, extempers should expect questions about whether the size of the federal government needs to be cut. Similarly, since the rate of private sector unionization remains low, extempers might be asked to explain this phenomenon or even provide a way for organized labor to gain new members. Craig Becker’s recess appointment to the National Labor Relations Board received criticism from Republicans, who had refused to confirm him to the post, and reawakened a national debate on whether workers can unionize via “card check” instead of voting by secret ballot. Finally, the “labor” element of the question will focus on unemployment and ask you what the federal government should do to lower it, if 10% unemployment will become a new norm for the United States, and if the federal government should continue extending unemployment benefits.
Extempers will also be asked about America’s trade relationships in this round. The U.S. still has pending free trade agreements with Panama and Colombia, which have languished because of Democrats unwillingness to ratify them due to labor and environmental concerns. Unlike President George W. Bush, Barack Obama does not enjoy fast track trade authority, meaning that he cannot conclude free trade agreements with other nations and submit them to Congress for an up or down vote. In the 2008 campaign, Obama said that he would re-evaluate NAFTA and although he has not done so, extempers might get a question about whether it’s time to do so. The two biggest trade questions on the U.S. plate right now concern the Cuban embargo (which, if you don’t get a question about it in the Americas round it will be here) and trade with the Chinese. Economic experts have argued that China is undervaluing its currency, the yuan, in order to boost exports. America has not called China a currency manipulator yet and extempers might be asked whether the time has come for America to do so.
Questions about financial regulation will come up in this round and what role the U.S. government should exercise in corporate governance. Issues dealing with executive pay, limitations on stock trading, etc. will come up in this round and extempers will have to be careful here. Keep in mind that economic speeches are not about how many statistics and numbers you can rattle off. While impressive, these numbers mean nothing unless they are put into a coherent narrative. Make sure that if you have to talk about hedge funds, derivatives, and any other financial instruments that you clearly explain what they do and how they impact the marketplace. Never assume that your audience knows this information because they likely do not.
In my opinion, illegal immigration will either be a topic area here or in the Homeland Security topic area. It might appear in both, with illegal immigration questions in this topic area having a more economic focus (i.e. “What impact has illegal immigration had on the American worker?” or “Are illegal immigrants a help or hindrance for the American economy) whereas Homeland Security questions might ask about what should be done to enhance American control along the US-Mexican border and whether Arizona’s recent illegal immigration law is justified.
While most questions will center on national issues, extempers should not ignore the problems in state economies. Most of the states in the country are running deficits and are being forced to plug them with painful cuts. These cuts have caused a host of political problems in states like California and New York where cuts have impacted education and public sector employees. A generic “what is the state of the state economies” question and more detailed questions about specific state economies, notably California, can emerge in this round.
Finally, a question about the economic stimulus package, the likelihood of President Obama being able to keep his pledge to not raise taxes on those making less than $250,000 a year, and the possibility of the federal government implementing a VAT tax will work its way into this round.
Practice Questions
1. Would the U.S. economy benefit from a smaller public sector?
2. Is the Federal Reserve waiting too long to raise interest rates?
3. Would the imposition of a VAT tax hinder America’s economic recovery?
Topic Area #8: Justice & the Supreme Court
Can anyone say Elena Kagan? There will be several questions about Ms. Kagan in this round as it pertains to her upcoming confirmation hearings for the Supreme Court seat vacated by John Paul Stevens. Extempers need to have several things in their arsenal when addressing questions of this nature. First, extempers need to be aware of Ms. Kagan’s legal credentials (or lack thereof if you anticipate taking a negative stance when questions about her arise). Second, extempers need to have a knowledge of the history of Supreme Court confirmation hearings and understand the ideology of all of the justices on the Court. Finally, extempers need to have several other candidates in mind that President Obama could have named to the Court if he had not chosen Kagan. Since there is not a domestic politics round, extempers might run into questions about whether Obama’s pick of Kagan was politically wise and if the pick will help him or hurt him in the midterm elections in 2012.
Recent Supreme Court rulings in the Mojave cross case, its decision that giving juveniles life sentences without the possibility of parole is unconstitutional, and ruling the inmates who are ruled “sexually dangerous” can be detained past their prison terms could emerge in this round with extempers being asked whether the Supreme Court made the right ruling in those cases. Extempers might be asked about the detainment of terror suspects in this round as well, with the D.C. Court of Appeals recently deciding that enemy combatants at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan cannot challenge their detention. For any of these rounds, having a good background in constitutional law is very important. This doesn’t mean that you have to be a legal scholar but if you understand critical Supreme Court cases that are always looked to by the Court and your Bill of Rights you should be in good shape.
Some generic Supreme Court questions can also pop up in this round. The typical “Should Roe v. Wade be overturned?” or “Is lethal injection unconstitutional? (or the entire death penalty for that matter)” questions come to mind. Also, you might be asked about the Court’s future and if President Obama might get a third pick, which some have said could happen if Ruth Bader Ginsburg steps down next year. You might also see a question about the impact that Sonia Sotomayor has had thus far on the Court. Extempers might also be asked to identify the ideological bent of the Roberts Court on states’ rights, social issues, and the power of the federal government in national security matters. Extempers should keep future Supreme Court cases in mind in regards to constitutional challenges to Obama’s healthcare legislation and the constitutionality of Chicago’s handgun ban (which the Court will issue a decision on later this year) in mind because these could be turned into questions.
Also, the “justice” part of the topic can address criminal issues. President Obama has signaled a willingness to look into the expansion of the federal government’s DNA database, which has worried privacy advocates. Also, any issues pertaining to police brutality (i.e. the controversial Detroit police shooting) and the treatment of prisoners will be in this round.
Practice Questions
1. Will the Supreme Court find Chicago’s handgun ban unconstitutional?
2. Are police departments dealing with incidents of police brutality better than they did a decade ago?
3. Will Elena Kagan be a boon for the Supreme Court’s liberal wing?
Topic Area #9: Homeland Security, Defense, Veterans Affairs
In last year’s CFL topic area analysis I said that homeland security was becoming an archaic topic. The 2009-2010 season rejuvenated the homeland security topic thanks to the underwear bomber in December and the attempted car bombing in New York City earlier this month. Of all of the topic areas, this is one where extempers will most likely get a question about the competency of the officials in charge of various departments. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has come under fire for her responses to these incidents as well as her inaction on the Gulf oil spill and conservative pundits question whether Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who is one of two Republicans in Obama’s cabinet, has gone soft on defense.
Extempers can still expect to get generic national security questions that have been around for years in regards to the Patriot Act, national ID cards, and the rights of terror suspects (if it doesn’t pop up in the justice topic area). Since the underwear bomber incident there has been a renewed focus on airline security and the introduction of full body scanners into airports has been a major privacy issue for the last six months. Furthermore, illegal immigration could come up in this topic area as it relates to border security and even comprehensive immigration reform. A question about what the proper role of the states in regulating immigration is plausible in this round.
The resignation of Dennis Blair as the National Intelligence Director is an issue that extempers should keep an eye on. Reports have said that Blair’s resignation was because of frustration with some of the political battles within the Obama administration and how Attorney General Eric Holder has exercised more control over intelligence issues. Questions can arise about the current state of America’s intelligence apparatus, what Blair’s resignation signals about the state of U.S. intelligence, and who should replace him.
On the defense side of this topic area, America’s wars in Afghanistan and Iraq will likely be topics. America is continuing its troop withdrawals from Iraq despite an uptick in violence and despite no Iraqi government being formed after March elections. Obama’s recent suggestion that foreign policy needs to be built more on diplomacy than the use of force is something to keep in mind when addressing these questions. The shift of missile defense bases out of Eastern Europe earlier in the year is something to consider for a question in this round as well (as well as the reliability or usefulness of such a system in the first place). Secretary Gates has also placed an emphasis on smarter spending within the Defense Department and some projects like the F-35 combat aircraft and new ballistic missile submarines are said to be on the chopping block.
For veterans affairs, extempers should be prepared for questions about how well America is caring for veterans of the war on terrorism. Media reports show that veterans care about their healthcare and education benefits and want the government to do more to protect those benefits. Also, the Department of Veterans Affairs has voiced concern that its computer networks are vulnerable to cyber attacks (which independently is an issue for the defense part of this topic as well).
Practice Questions
1. Does Dennis Blair’s resignation signal that the position of National Intelligence Director needs to be overhauled?
2. Should Janet Napolitano resign?
3. After over a year in office, what grade do Barack Obama’s national security policies