Persuasive Topics
Business and Marketing Issues
  • Should we increase minimum wage?
  • Should we ban telemarketing?
  • Should credit card promotions be limited/banned? 
  • Should companies be allowed to send commercials through our cell phones?
  • Should there be restrictions on advertising that targets children?
  • Should there be restrictions on advertising that promotes alcohol/tobacco use?
  • Should there be restrictions on advertising in public schools?
  • Should Teens be encourgaged to work during high school years?
  • Should sports arenas be "branded" by companies?
  • Should local shoppers patronize superstores like Wal-Mart?

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Community Issues
  • Should teens be required to participate in community service activities?  
  • Should every citizen be required to perform voluntary national service?
  • Should our public library include a young adult section/programming?

Consider other questions related to the topics of: Super Stores, School Referendum

Environmental Issues
  • Are electric cars a good strategy for reducing air pollution? 
  • What penalties should apply to littering?
  • Should recycling be mandatory?
  • Should weekly restrictions be placed on household trash production?
  • Is animal experimentation morally acceptable to develop products/medicines that benefit humans?
  • Do zoos preserve endangered species or harm animals?

Consider other questions related to the topics of: Energy Consumption, Hunting, Trash

Family Issues
  • Should the orphanage system be reestablished? 
  • Should foreign adoptions be encouraged?
  • Should transracial adoption be encouraged? 
  • Is an open adoption policy preferable to a closed adoption?
  • Do fathers have legitimate reasons for refusing to pay child support?
  • Can shelters help the homeless?
  • Should society sanction gay partnerships?
  • Does day care harm children?
  • Should men and women share domestic responsibilities?
  • Is the foster care system effective? 
  • Should welfare be limited by time?
  • Should parents of students who are excessively absent from school be prosecuted under the law?

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Gender Issues
  • Are women victims of discrimination in the workplace?
  • Is sexual harassment in the workplace exaggerated?
  • Should women serve in military combat? 

Consider other questions related to the topics of:

Global Issues
  • Should Americans be required to learn a second language?

Consider other questions related to the topics of Amnesty, Fair Trade, Genocide, Global Warming

Health, Beauty, Sexuality Issues
  • Do DNA databases jeopardize our privacy?
  • Do needle exchange programs help to prevent disease?
  • Are beauty contests harmful?
  • Should doctors be allowed to prescribe contraception for girls under the age of 16?
  • Should HIV positive workers have to tell their employers of their status?
  • Should sex offenders be named and shamed?
  • Should assisted suicide be legalized?
  • Should we legalize the sale of human organs?
  • Should mothers stay at home to raise their children?
  • Should the morning-after pill be banned?
  • Should the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport be legalized?
  • Is sport really good for us?
  • Should humans be allowed to receive animal organ transplants?
  • Could genetic screening of embryos harm society?
  • Should pregnant addicts be prosecuted?
  • Is the tobacco industry to blame for leading people to smoke? 
  • Can curbs on cigarette smoking advertising help prevent teenage smoking?
  • Will genetically altered animals benefit humankind?
  • Is alternative medicine safe and effective?
  • Can mental attitude affect biological disease?
  • Is milk consumption harmful?
  • Are vitamin supplements beneficial?
  • Are weight-loss treatments harmful?
  • Are homeopathic remedies beneficial?
  • Is compulsive gambling an uncontrollable disease?
  • Can sexual orientation be changed?
  • Should people be required to wear seatbelts?
  • Should people be subjected to s econdhand smoke?
  • What are the dangers of plastic in storing foods (especially in water bottles)?
  • What dangers do energy drinks (ex. Monster) pose to teens?
  • What are the risks of abusing prescription drugs (ex. Adderol, Oxycotin, Coricidin)?
  • Why is eating convenience foods (junk food, fast food, trans fats, etc.) bad idea?
  • Why should teens eat a good breakfast?
  • Why should riders wear a helmet (while on a motorcycle, dirtbike, four-wheeler, snowmobile, etc.)?

Consider other questions related to the topics of: Birth Control, Body Piercing, Breakfast, Cosmetic Surgery, Chastity, Childhood Obesity, Date Rape, Dieting, Fast Food, Genetically Enhanced Foods, Junk Food, Online Dating, Teen Pregnancy, Vaccinations, Vitamin Supplements

Legal Issues
  • Should parents be held morally and legally responsible for the actions/needs of their children?
  • Should acts of hate be criminalized?
  • Government Fraud and Waste
  • Should people pulled over fur DUI have their license suspended for life?
  • Should families of victims be allowed to decide the punishment of those who commit crimes?
  • Should convicted sex offenders' names be made public?
  • Should females in the military be excluded from combat and other "hazardous" duties?
  • Does the Patriot Act violates civil liberties?
  • Should the driving age be raised to 18?
  • Should semi-automatic weapons be banned?
  • Should teens who murder be executed?
  • Should hunting be outlawed?
  • Does the "three strikes" law deter crime? 
  • Should violent juvenile criminals be tried as adults?
  • Can prison boot camps reform young defenders?
  • Do victim's rights threaten defendants' rights? 
  • Should tough laws target gangs? 
  • Is juvenile crime a serious problem in the schools? 
  • Does television violence contribute to juvenile crime? 
  • Are curfews effective and constitutional?
  • Is DNA fingerprinting reliable?
  • Should the jury system be reformed?
  • Are courts overburdened with frivolous lawsuits?
  • Should teens use cell phone use while driving (soon to be illegal for teens in Wisconsin)?

Consider other questions related to the topics of: Immigration, Gun Control, Curfews, Hate Speech, Racial Profiling, ID Theft

Media Issues
  • Should all MP3 music belong in the free public domain?
  • Should spam e-mails be outlawed?
  • Should governments censor material on the world wide web?
  • Does television have a negative influence on society?
  • Is it correct for university authorities to ban hate speech?
  • Should cell phone use in cars be banned?
  • Is reality television a positive or negative cultural phenomenon?
  • Does the media portray women/minories/homosexuals negatively?
  • Should there be stricter/less strict television/movie/music/video game ratings?
  • Requirements for children's educational programming
  • Do television liquor ads promote underage drinking?
  • Do talk shows exploit society's victims?
  • Should government funding of the arts be restricted? 
  • Are movie ratings effective in curbing violence? 
  • Should video games be censored? 
  • Do social networking sites (MySpace, Facebook, etc.) threaten Internet safety?
  • Why is it a bad idea to download illegal music or movies?
  • Should MP3 players be permitted in school?

Consider other questions related to the topics of: Celebrity Gossip, Cell Phone Use, Censorship, Chatrooms, Cyberstalkers, Hip-Hop Music Lyrics, Internet Filters, Internet Pornography, Internet Privacy, MySpace/FaceBook, Public Radio/Television, Violent Video Games

School Issues
  • Mandatory language classes in elementary schools
  • Should students be required to pass proficiency tests in order to graduate from high school?
  • Should pagers and cell phones be allowed in school?
  • Should smoking be allowed in school?
  • Academic dishonesty should always be santioned by termination of student status for a specified term.
  • Should schools require student uniforms?
  • Should condoms be available in high school?
  • Should high schools be segregated by the sex of the student?
  • Should "home schooling" be permitted?
  • Should students failing their classes in high school have their driver's license revoked?
  • Do schools have the right to search students’ lockers?
  • Should children be given sex education in schools, or should this be the responsibility of the parents?
  • Should the state fund schools run by particular faiths?
  • Should schools require their students to wear a school uniform?
  • Should Physical Education in schools be compulsory?
  • Should schools be allowed to teach creationism alongside evolution as part of their science curriculum?
  • Should examinations be replaced with other forms of assessment?
  • Should school students face mandatory drug-tests?
  • Should the government offer school vouchers? 
  • Does multiculturalism benefit students?
  • Can sex education programs prevent teenage pregnancy?
  • Should tracking and ability grouping be eliminated? 
  • Should schools distribute condoms?
  • Is home schooling an effective method of education? 
  • Will stricter dress codes improve the educational environment? 
  • Should disabled children be mainstreamed?
  • Should school programs stress the acceptance of homosexuality?
  • Why should students take a foreign language while in high school?

Consider other questions related to the topics of: Academic Dishonesty, Academic Freedom, Bilingual Education, Grading, Reading, School Uniforms, Semester Exams, Sex Education, National Testing, Year Round Schooling

Sports Issues
  • Should s alary caps be placed on professional athletics?
  • Should steroids be banned from sports?
  • Should professional athletes be permitted to strike?
  • Should professional sports be allowed to draft athletes out of high school?
  • Should pros be allowed to draft college athletes before they graduate?
  • Should professional stadiums be publically funded?
  • Should community sports programs be publically funded?
  • Should alcohol sales be banned at sporting events?
  • Can competitive sports be unhealthy?
  • Should college athletic programs be reformed?
  • Has athletes' greed marred professional sports?
  • Should women's sports be gauranteed e qual money?
  • Should college athletes be paid?

Consider other questions related to the topics of:

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