February 08 Extemp Topics

Domestic

1.                  Can President Bush's proposed economic stimulus package revive the sagging U.S. economy?

2.                  Can an independent Michael Bloomberg candidacy for president succeed?

3.                  Is Congress wasting valuable time investigating steroid use in baseball?

4.                  Will the rising price of oil spur companies to develop improved green technologies?

5.                  What can the United States do to better dispose of nuclear waste?

6.                  What can be done to bring an end to the television writers' strike?

7.                  Which presidential candidates best reflect the spirit of bipartisanship?

8.                  What will be President Bush's most important initiative in his final year in the White House?

9.                  Will the Republican presidential race remain undecided until the national convention?

10.              How important are labor unions in deciding the outcome of the presidential nomination process?

11.              Have business leaders lost confidence in Ben Bernanke?

12.              Is youth voter turnout becoming more important in today's elections?

13.              Should Jose Padilla be sentenced to life in prison?

More Difficult

1.                  Will a state plan in Hawaii to return land previously ceded by native Hawaiians bring an end to the controversial land disputes there?

2.                  What steps can be taken to stem the activity of gangs trafficking illegal immigrants from Cuba into the United States?

3.                  Should the United States place the polar bear on the endangered species list?

4.                  Will recent claims that scientists have succeeded in cloning a human embryo reignite the controversy over harvesting stem cells?

5.                  Does the fact that abortion rates are at a 34-year low suggest that the practice will be a less important issue in the coming elections?

6.                  Will fierce primary battles weaken presidential candidates as they head into the general presidential election?

7.                  What is behind the decline in population in America's interior?

8.                  40 years after his death, how close has America come to achieving Martin Luther King's dream?

9.                  Should the federal government take stronger steps to ensure airline pilots are getting sufficient sleep?

10.              Should voters be able to vote without a photo ID?

11.              Should state education funds be used to support "virtual schools?"

12.              Has racial harassment in the workplace declined?

International

Less Difficult

1.                  Can the United States finalize a nuclear energy deal with India before the conclusion of the Bush administration?

2.                  Can Israel succeed in reducing rocket attacks on its territory from the Gaza Strip?

3.                  In the wake of Prime Minister Singh's visit to Beijing, are relations between India and China improving?

4.                  Can Benazir Bhutto's son, Bilawal, succeed as leader of the Pakistan People's Party?

5.                  Are US-Turkish relations on the mend?

6.                  Is North Korea failing to comply with the terms of its nuclear weapons agreement with the United States?

7.                  Is there ample evidence to convict al-Qaeda for the assassination of Benazir Bhutto?

8.                  Should Turkey lift its ban on the Islamic head scarf in public buildings?

9.                  Is Hugo Chavez's socialist revolution weakening?

10.              Does the KMT's victory in Taiwanese parliamentary elections bode well for their victory in the upcoming presidential race?

11.              Is China softening its stance on the death penalty?

12.              Can America be a successful peace broker between Israel and the Palestinians?

13.              Is Israeli support for Ehud Olmert declining?

More Difficult

1.                  Can rival Kenyan factions negotiate a power-sharing agreement that brings peace back to the country?

2.                  Is Afghanistan doing enough to provide for the education of women?

3.                  Will India's introduction of the inexpensive Nano car help or hurt the people of developing nations?

4.                  Has the Bush administration prioritized oil access over democracy in the Arabian Peninsula?

5.                  Can the United States succeed in turning Iraqi Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr from an enemy into and ally?

6.                  Does Benazir Bhutto's assassination help or hurt President Musharraf's position as leader of Pakistan?

7.                  With Lee Myung-bak's victory in South Korean presidential elections, can the world expect South Korea to take a harder line toward North Korea?

8.                  Is Cuba moving toward liberalizing its economy?

9.                  Will the tentative abolition of Nepal's monarchy hasten the establishment of a permanent peace in that country?

10.              Can Simba Makoni push Robert Mugabe from power in Zimbabwe?

11.              Would Tony Blair make a good President of the European Union?

12.              How will the outcome of Serbia's Presidential election impact the prospects for the independence of Kosovo?