Tag: extemp Page 53 of 77

On October 14, 2013

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1. Should Kathleen Sebelius resign?
2. Is America’s nuclear arsenal secure?
3. Will Janet Yellen be too “doveish” on monetary policy?
4. Would a narrow victory in the upcoming New Jersey Senate special election harm Cory Booker’s long-term political prospects?
5. Has the Tea Party done permanent damage to the Republican brand?
6. Does America have a debt crisis?
7. What steps should states take to crack down on prescription drug abuse?
8. American education: too much bureaucracy or too little accountability?
9. Will unemployment fall below 6% before the end of the year?
10. Should the stimulus-era increase in food stamp payments become permanent?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of October 7th-13th, 2013

On October 7, 2013

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1. When will the government shutdown end?
2. What will be the impact of President Obama’s decision to scrap his upcoming Asia trip?
3. Is the Affordable Care Act affordable for younger Americans?
4. Should there be more government regulations of e-commerce?
5. What type of victory does Chris Christie need in the New Jersey governor’s race to make himself the frontrunner for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination?
6. Is North Carolina’s voter ID law unconstitutional?
7. If the debt ceiling is not raised, what happens to the U.S. economy?
8. Will the most recent IPCC report doom the future prospects of climate change legislation on Capitol Hill?
9. Was force justified in the Miriam Carey car chase?
10. Are new Pentagon regulations against tattoos an infringement of First Amendment rights?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of October 7th-13th, 2013

On October 7, 2013

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1. Will “Abenomics” work?
2. Are hard-line revolutionaries losing influence in Iran?
3. Will George Osborne’s proposed reforms to Great Britain’s welfare system reduce the country’s long-term unemployment rate?
4. Should Germany lower the threshold parties must reach to be part of the Bundestag?
5. Is Dilma Rousseff a shoo-in for re-election next year?
6. Should Omar al-Bashir fear recent riots against his government’s decision to eliminate fuel subsidies?
7. Would the creation of an independent Kurdistan provide more stability to the Middle East?
8. Has Silvio Berlusconi’s political career come to an end?
9. Is the European Union doing enough to deal with African asylum seekers?
10. Should Israel sign the NPT?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of September 30th-October 6th, 2013

On September 30, 2013

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1. Should the Indian government invest in ethanol?
2. How can the British Labour Party ensure that it wins the 2015 British parliamentary elections?
3. What steps do African states need to take to reduce poaching?
4. Will the shift of several Syrian rebel factions towards favoring an Islamic state hurt their ability to secure Western aid?
5. Is al-Qaeda making a comeback?
6. What will be the composition of the next German government?
7. Why are Sino-Taiwanese relations thawing?
8. What must Pakistan do to revive its stalled peace process with India?
9. Is Italy headed for a new round of parliamentary elections?
10. Should Greece ban Golden Dawn?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of September 30th-October 6th, 2013

On September 30, 2013

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1. Will Congress raise the debt ceiling before October 17th?
2. Obama’s recent Iranian nuclear diplomacy: will it produce a Libya-style victory or a North Korean-style failure?
3. Will the All Players United movement succeed?
4. Is the U.S. leaving Afghanistan too soon?
5. Are Maryland’s recent gun restrictions unconstitutional?
6. Will the infusion of $100 million by the federal government put Detroit on the path to recovery?
7. Does President Obama have enough political capital to successfully push for immigration reform this fall?
8. Should there be more regulation of violent video games?
9. Can Wendy Davis become Texas’s next governor?
10. What reforms should be made to Medicare?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of September 23rd-29th, 2013

On September 23, 2013

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1. How can John Boehner gain more control over the Tea Party caucus?
2. Will Starbucks decision to discourage guns in its stores lead to similar efforts by other chains?
3. Should schools have access to students’ social media accounts?
4. Will Scott Walker’s collective bargaining law survive judicial muster in Wisconsin?
5. Obamacare: repeal, restart, or remain?
6. Will the EPA’s new rules on future power plants doom Democratic Senate candidates in 2014?
7. Do First Amendment rights to exercise of religion apply to corporations?
8. Should Common Core standards be eliminated?
9. Obama vs. House Republicans: Who wins if there is a government shutdown?
10. What steps does Chicago need to take to lower its crime rate?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of September 23rd-29th, 2013

On September 23, 2013

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1. Was it in Brazil’s best interest to have Dilma Rousseff cancel her state visit to the United States?
2. Is the ICC biased against African states?
3. Has France vanquished jihadists in Mali?
4. Is Great Britain’s “special relationship” with the United States slipping?
5. Was Mexico ill-prepared for hurricanes Ingrid and Manuel?
6. Will Pope Francis’s liberal views on homosexuality create a schism in the Catholic Church?
7. Has the world resigned itself to a nuclear Iran?
8. Would devolution ease ethnic tensions in Sri Lanka?
9. Is Jamaica winning its battle against drugs and organized crime?
10. How should the Kenyan government respond to the recent Nairobi shopping mall shooting?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of September 16th-22nd, 2013

On September 16, 2013

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1. Will Syria live up to the terms of the U.S.-Russian agreement concerning its chemical weapons?
2. What should the new Australian government do to reduce its record number of asylum seekers?
3. How can the Chinese-Japanese dispute over Senkaku be settled in a peaceful manner?
4. Should India impose mandatory death sentences on those convicted of rape?
5. Africa’s baby boom: a humanitarian disaster in the making or the source of future economic growth?
6. How can the Filipino government destroy the Moro National Liberation Front?
7. Should China be alarmed at the election of right-wing governments in East and Southeas Asia over the last year?
8. Will the newly elected Norwegian government make significant changes to the country’s welfare state?
9. Who stands to lose the most in Syria?
10. How can Mexico tame its high obesity rate?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of September 16th-22nd, 2013

On September 16, 2013

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1. Will healthcare spats between labor unions and the Obama administration weaken organized labor’s support for the Democratic Party?
2. What impact will Jeffrey Zients have on President Obama’s economic policy?
3. Will Congress approve an immigration reform bill by the end of the year?
4. Was Christine Quinn’s defeat in the New York City Democratic primary due to her close ties with Michael Bloomberg?
5. Should the Washington Redskins change their name?
6. Will President Obama’s embrace of Vladimir Putin’s suggestion for Syria’s chemical weapons result in less long-term influence for the U.S. in the Middle East?
7. Does the GOP need a strong dose of libertarianism?
8. Is Larry Summers withdrawal from consideration as Federal Reserve chair a loss for President Obama?
9. Do the results of the Colorado recall elections demonstrate that gun control is a becoming the new third rail of American politics?
10. Would the imposition of carbon limits on new power plants lead to a sizeable increase in energy bills?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of September 9th-15th, 2013

On September 9, 2013

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1. Will President Obama attack Syria if Congress votes down his proposal to do so?
2. Is Bill de Blasio too liberal to win the New York City mayoral election?
3. In the long run, will leaks about NSA surveillance significantly damage American foreign policy?
4. How will Chicago’s decision to halt the privatization of Midway Airport impact the city’s fiscal future?
5. If the GOP retains the House after the 2014 midterms, will John Boehner be re-elected as Speaker?
6. Is a recent FHA rule change to reduce the time a foreclosed homeowner can obtain a new FHA mortgage misguided?
7. Should the Internet Tax Freedom Act of 1998 become permanent?
8. Five years after the 2008 financial crisis, has the U.S. economy recovered?
9. Should the United States do more to protect Christian minorities in the Middle East?
10. How can the U.S. steer more people from welfare to the job market?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of September 9th-15th, 2013

On September 9, 2013

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1. Will Kenya’s decision to leave the ICC cause other African nations to follow suit?
2. How can the Iraqi government reduce growing levels of sectarian violence?
3. Who is to blame for the Labor Party’s defeat in the recent Australian parliamentary elections?
4. Should the UN eliminate Security Council veto powers?
5. How would a U.S.-led strike on Syria affect Israeli security?
6. Is Great Britain still a world power?
7. What steps does the Spanish government need to take to bolster its economy?
8. Are Iranian threats to the United States over Syria counterproductive?
9. Was the recent G20 summit a failure?
10. Can India afford to make food a legal right?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of September 2nd-8th, 2013

On September 2, 2013

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1. Has China’s government investment-heavy growth model run its course?
2. What steps should Nouri al-Maliki take to quell rising sectarian violence in Iraq?
3. Has the Syrian crisis allowed the UN to improve its international credibility?
4. Will recent teacher protests force President Nieto to curtail some of his proposals for domestic reform?
5. After losing a parliamentary debate on Syria, should David Cameron resign?
6. Will a new round of Colombina-FARC negotiations bear fruit?
7. Has the human rights situation in Sri Lanka deteriorated since the end of the country’s civil war in 2009?
8. If Japan’s economy gets back on track, how will that change the geopolitical situation in East Asia?
9. Should “Third World” countries have a stronger voice in international financial institutions like the IMF and the World Bank?
10. Would closer cooperation between the Pakistani and Afghan governments create a peaceful environment in Afghanistan?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of September 2nd-8th, 2013

On September 2, 2013

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1. Rick Perry: old news or the future leader of the Republican Party?
2. Fifty years after the March on Washington have race relations significantly improved in America?
3. What revisions should be made to the National School Lunch program?
4. Should the Obamacare individual mandate be delayed for another year?
5. Are American policymakers ignoring Iraq at their peril?
6. Will the U.S. Congress reach a debt limit deal by October?
7. Is the Justice Department’s recent lawsuit against Louisiana over its school voucher program misguided?
8. Will Congress approve military strikes on Syria?
9. If China goes to the moon by the end of the year, how will that affect America’s space program?
10. How could Vice-President Joe Biden capture the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of August 26th-September 1st, 2013

On August 26, 2013