Practice resolutions

When running a team, you may want to have extemp debates with random resolutions, to help your students learn to quickly form arguments and think on their feet. (With such impromptu debates, I recommend using no evidence and half speech/cross times.) As an individual, you can use these resolutions to practice on-the-fly argument generation, or for the aforementioned impromptu debates. Here's a list of resolutions you can use, sorted by type.

Policy action (US)

• Resolved: The United States federal government should permit the use of financial incentives to encourage organ donation.
• Resolved: By 2040, the United States federal government should mandate that all new passenger vehicles and light trucks sold in the United States be powered by alternative fuels.
• Resolved: The United States should significantly increase its use of nuclear energy.
• Resolved: The private ownership of handguns should be banned in the United States.
• Resolved: The United States government should allow Americans to purchase prescription drugs from other countries.
• Resolved: The United States should use dead bodies for organ transplants.
• Resolved: The United States should suspend environmental protection policies during economic recessions.

Policy action (general/other)

• Resolved: Cyberbullying should be a criminal offense.
• Resolved: Ransom payments should be criminalized.
• Resolved: The UN should give unconditional food aid to North Korea.
• Resolved: Gambling should be banned.
• Resolved: Private healthcare should be banned.
• Resolved: Afghanistan should legalize poppy cultivation.

Value judgement

• Resolved: The benefits of domestic surveillance by the NSA outweigh the harms.
• Resolved: On balance, the rise of China is beneficial to the interests of the United States.
• Resolved: Developed countries have a moral obligation to mitigate the effects of climate change.
• Resolved: The costs of a college education outweigh the benefits.
• Resolved: Unilateral military force by the United States is justified to prevent nuclear proliferation.
• Resolved: Banning extremist political parties is justified.
• Resolved: Violators of human rights should be denied human rights.

Prioritize

• Resolved: The United States should prioritize tax increases over spending cuts.
• Resolved: When in conflict, the United Nations should prioritize global poverty reduction over environmental protection.

Sources for many of the resolutions:

• Past PF topics: https://www.speechanddebate.org/topics/
• List of parli motions (the ones here are usually edited): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qQlqFeJ3iYbzXYrLBMgbmT6LcJLj6JcG3LJyZSbkAJY/edit#gid=2007846678