Background Information on the Transportation Infrastructure Topic
The transportation infrastructure topic paper, presented to the topic committee of the National Federation of State High School Associations, is the starting point for our learning and research about the traffic infrastructure topic this year.
The American Road & Transportation Builders Association has built an Urban Debate League topic website with a rather large array of resources — all research-ready and with potentially usable evidence on a wide variety of transportation infrastructure related issues.
Research Articles in Focus
These are articles that go beyond or are more recent than can be found in the CDL Core Files. They are ones that the CDL recommends you take a close look at, either for their evidentiary value or their value in providing substantive background knowledge on an important debate issue.
New York Times article from late 2012 arguing that Obama’s approval rating and political capital will be key to getting his agenda through Congress. It includes these possible cards:
Mr. Obama, of course, has no more elections to worry about. But a president’s approval rating is one indication of his political clout and can affect his ability to dictate the agenda in Washington.
Mr. Obama has more political capital having won re-election, rather than negotiating a fiscal cliff resolution as a lame duck president. But his hand might have been even stronger had he received a more average post-election approval bounce.
Research Links
Additional links to a variety of sources of information about the traffic infrastructure topic, and sites that will aid broader learning about the topic and provide research advice.
2012 University of Texas National Institute in Forensics blog post on getting the most out of Google in your research.
CDL Research Links Twitter Feed
Check out the CDL’s Research Links Twitter page, updated regularly with the latest news stories related to the 2012/13 traffic infrastructure topic.
Sites with Debate Evidence, Argument Summaries or Citations
The National Association for Urban Debate Leagues publishes its own Core Files, with cases, case attacks, disadvantages, topicality violations, kritiks, and a counterplan. These files include a January 2013 update, as well.
The National Debate Coaches Association Open Evidence Project, with thousands of pages of debate briefs from 16 of the top university summer debate institutes from around the country.
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