Marijuana is an illegal drug in the U.S. that many people have debated on whether or not it should be legalized. Marijuana should be legalized in this country. The legalization of marijuana would greatly reduce crime rates. Weed (a slang term for marijuana)  is less harmful than tobacco products and alcohol and they are both legalized. Law enforcement would be much more efficient without laws restricting marijuana use. The largest cash crop in the U.S. is marijuana and the country can not benefit from it without it being legal. Marijuana provides many beneficial medical uses.

If marijuana was legalized, it would help reduce crime rates. Marijuana is one of the most sold illegal drugs. This is because it is easy to get and is easy to sell. Because of this, many criminals sell it. They use the money they earn from this to provide them with weapons and other things that promote criminal activity.

Marijuana is much less harmful to one’s body compared to tobacco products and alcohol yet they are not illegal. Tobacco and alcohol cause much more harm to an individual than weed. Both can result in a physical addiction that is very hard to break. Marijuana does not cause any type of physical addiction and a person can stop using it anytime they want. Although marijuana has been proven to potentially cause harm to those that smoke it, he/she can easily stop before any actual harm is caused.

If marijuana was legalized, law enforcement would become much more efficient. Marijuana related charges are very common which forces police to focus more of the their attention and resources on cracking down on weed. Police should be more worried about more important crimes than catching some kid for smoking weed. If it were legalized, police would be able to focus their time and resources on preventing other crimes that could potentially cause harm to people’s lives.

Marijuana is the largest cash crop in this country but the government will not get anything from it as long as it’s illegal. Billions of dollars are spent on the production and sale of marijuana every year. Unfortunately, the government is not able to benefit from it. If it were legalized, the government could put a tax on it and could get a large portion of this billion dollar industry. Also, it is actually costing money to try and keep illegal marijuana use under control which is very similar to the prohibition era. The government should learn from its own history and legalize it.

The opposition states that smoking marijuana can be very harmful. However, marijuana has been prescribed to many people for multiple different illnesses. Many states have already legalized medical marijuana. Weed has been proven to help people with certain illnesses. Marijuana has not only been used for medical reasons recently but has been used throughout history. Since marijuana is a plant, people such as the Native Americans used it for many years. The fact that it is a plant also means that there are not any adverse side effects, unlike most legal drugs.

In conclusion, marijuana is a very beneficial drug which is not being utilized in this country. Marijuana needs to be legalized for this country and its people to benefit from it. Legalizing weed would help reduce crime rates. Tobacco and alcohol are much more harmful than marijuana. Legalization would make law enforcement much more efficient. Marijuana is the largest cash crop in the U.S. and if it were legalized, America would get billions of dollars from it. Marijuana provides many safe and beneficial uses.

Whether or not people should be hunting animals has always been a big debate. Regulated hunting is a good thing that affects everyone in a positive way. Hunting is actually the most humane way of killing animals. The amount of money that hunters pay for equipment and gear greatly benefits the economy. Without hunting many forest’s would be destroyed. Predator hunting helps the lives of farmers. Deer hunting can save many lives.

Hunting is the most humane way to kill an animal. In nature, prey have many natural predators that keep their population in check. In a lot of areas, prey do not always have a natural predator that can keep their population in check. Without them, they would be greatly over populated and the particular food source for that animal would diminish within a short period of time. Many of the animals would become extremely weak and many would eventually die of hunger. Starvation is a long and painful process in which a deer should not have to endure. Hunting will give the animal a natural predator to prevent it from becoming overpopulated and prevent it from possibly suffering from starvation.

Hunters pay a lot of money every year which helps the economy and the environment. Hunters require many things before they are even able to start a hunt. They need a weapon, some type of camouflage clothing, a hunting license, and sometimes even more depending on what he/she is hunting. The expenses will greatly benefit the economy. Also, the taxes on these things will help the country and even will go toward wild life conservation sites. If hunting were taken away then thousands of businesses would go under leaving even more people unemployed. The unemployment rate would increase even more, leaving many people without jobs. The money made from hunting is necessary for the economic growth of the country.

Deer hunting prevents the destruction and aids in the repair of forests. Hunting deer is one of the most popular types of animals to hunt. A reason for this is simply based on the sheer amount of deer out there. Many people complain about deer destroying their garden or landscaping but, in some areas, there are so many deer that they actually end up destroying the environment around them. They will eat so much vegetation off the forest floor that other animals will have nothing else to eat.  Many animals would become very weak and hungry and could create a domino effect on everything in that ecosystem. Often times the deer leave it almost impossible for the forest to repair itself. As deer continue to overpopulate, more and more forests will be destroyed. The forests are very important and should be protected against this type of destruction.

Predator hunting prevents the destruction of a farmer’s livestock. Predator hunting is very important for farmers. Farmers’ already have to worry about their livestock being attacked even in places where there are less hunting restrictions, which can seriously affect the amount of income that a farmer makes. Without predator hunting, packs of coyotes, wolves, and other animals would attack farmer’s livestock even more and could greatly affect their income.  Predator hunting keeps these attacks down and protects the farmer’s way of living.

The opposition states that hunting is unnecessary and unethical. However, hunting is the exact opposite because it controls the population and can even prevent many deaths and accidents. Most people who drive have either hit a deer or have known someone who has. In most cases, the damage is not severe and the passengers are not injured. Unfortunately, this is not always true. Deer have been known to crash through the windshield and seriously injure or kill the driver and/or passenger inside. Accidents like these happen every year especially in rural areas where the deer have become extremely overpopulated. The only effective way to keep the population of deer down and to prevent accidents like these from happening is by hunting.

In conclusion, hunting is a necessary thing for humans. Hunting is legal, and will always be legal. Hunting prevents animals from starving and kills them in a humane way. Hunters spend a lot of money every year which is very beneficial for the economy. Hunting protects the forests from being destroyed. Predator hunting protects farmers’ livestock. Hunting prevents car accidents and saves lives.

paying college athletes

People have debated on whether or not to pay college athletes for years. College athletes should not get paid. Paying college athletes would take away any chance a small school would ever have of going to a BCS bowl game, players already get paid through their scholarships, and it simply would ruin the innocence of the college game.

Small schools like TCU and Boise State will never have a chance at getting to a BCS bowl game again if college players received paychecks. Bigger schools have a lot more money than smaller ones and would be able to spend more on better players.

Athletes are already paid hundreds of thousands through their scholarship money. Not only do these scholarships cover tuition, but they cover room and board, food, books, etc.

The opposition states that college athletes bring in millions of dollars to their universities and don’t receive any of that money that they deserve. However, a major reason people love college sports is because of the fact that most of those kids out on the court/field are playing it simply because they love the game. By paying college athletes money, it would ruin everything that makes college sports great.

In conclusion, colleges should not have to pay their athletes because it would ruin the “little guys’” chance at getting to BCS bowls, they already pay them by giving them scholarships, and it would ruin the innocence of college sports

The NFL has become America’s most popular sport in the past 20 years. The popularity of the NFL will soon decline and will no longer be the most popular sport in the U.S. A possible lockout, the new hit policy, and the long term effects of concussions will lead to the NFL’s downfall.

It is highly likely that the players union and the owners will not be able to come to an agreement which would lead to a lockout next year. In recent history, hockey and baseball have both had strikes and both sports are still hurting from it today.

The NFL has begun fining players for helmet to helmet hits. The new policy will have a great effect on the league because it will prevent big hits and will also set a precedent for more rules to be created to protect the players.

The opposition states that football is America’s sport and that it couldn’t lose its popularity. However, every year there is new research on the long term effects of concussions which will lead to even more rules that will hurt the popularity of the league. Concussions have become the new big topic of the NFL and there have already been many new rules that have angered players and fans.

In conclusion, the NFL will no longer be the most popular sport in the near future because of a possible lockout, the new hit policy, and the concussion research

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/19/AR2010101904741.html

aluminum bats in college

In College baseball, aluminum bats are still being used. Aluminum bats should be made illegal in college, and wood bats should be used instead. These bats should not be used because they are already illegal for high school in some states and all over Canada, they do not help prepare the athlete for the next level, and it increases the risk of injury.

In many states in the U.S., metal bats are already illegal in high school. If there are already thousands of high school athletes being forced to use wood bats, then so should college athletes who are much bigger and stronger. It doesn’t make any sense that there are college athletes who could be going pro in a year and are allowed to use metal bats when there are high school students who can’t.

By using metal bats in college, it will not help prepare those who plan and dream about moving on to professional baseball. Hitting a baseball with a wood bat is very different compared to hitting it with a metal bat. Since wood bats are used in all levels of pro baseball, players need to be prepared for this.

The opposition states that there are very few injuries that are caused by the bat hitting the ball and wood bats would not reduce this. However, wood bats would not only lower the risk of injury, but will greatly reduce the risk of serious and fatal injury. Since metal bats are much lighter and have a greater sweet spot, the ball will come off the bat much harder and faster compared to wood bats.

In conclusion, metal bats should no longer be used in college because they are already illegal in high school in many states and all over Canada, they do not help prepare athletes for the next level, and it increases the risk of injury.

http://ponyball.net/aluminum-bat-dangerous.html

Abortion

There have been many protests and movements to try and get abortion illegalized. Abortion should stay legal. Getting pregnant can be a mistake and people deserve a second chance. If abortion was illegal, women would try and abort the baby themselves. Rape victims should not have to carry a baby around in their bodies for nine months

People who have unexpected pregnancies should have a second chance. Children can be a blessing and a burden. Babies require a lot of money and time to take care of. People who are considering abortion, especially teenagers, do not have the time or money for them. Unexpected pregnancies have kept many men and women form accomplishing their dreams. Getting an abortion can offer them a second chance.

Making abortion illegal would only put women at risk of injuring themselves. Abortion has been illegal in this country before. One reason that this was changed was due to the amount of illegal abortions that were performed. An illegal abortion does not involve a skilled surgeon removing a baby. Instead, the pregnant woman does it herself. This either resulted in death or serious injury.

The opposition states that a parent should adopt their baby if they do not want it. However, a rape victim should not have to carry around a reminder of the most traumatizing event in their life. Being raped is a moment one will never forget. Many women struggle with it the rest of their lives. Forcing them to go through a pregnancy would be torture. It would greatly add to their emotional stress.

In conclusion, legalized abortion does more good than bad. Abortion will always be legal. People make mistakes and should have another chance to fix what they did. Illegal abortions lead to the deaths of many women and rape victims should not have to go through a pregnancy.

http://web.mit.edu/pro-choice/www/facts.html
http://www.amberdragonflypress.com/march/abortion_stories.htm

The NFL has a rule, called the Rooney rule, which states that a team must interview a minority when a head coaching spot becomes available. the NFL should have this rule removed. The rule should be removed because it is unfair, it could grow, and it is racist.
The rule is unfair to football teams and other coaches. when a coach is fired, most teams already have candidates in mind, and sometimes, already know exactly who they want. This forces teams to blindly interview minority coaches for a spot that is most likely already filled.
If this rule is not removed, it could grow and force teams to consider whit players when a spot on the field becomes available. a majority of the NFL is made up of minorities and if this rule was made to put more minorities in coaching positions then why would it not apply to putting more whites on the field? If this happened, it would hurt the NFL because fans want it to be the best football league in the world, not the most diverse.
Lastly, the Rooney rule itself is racist. by enforcing this rule, it is saying that minorities are not good enough to get the job on their own and need a rule to get them the interview.
In conclusion, the Rooney rule needs to be abolished from the league due to its unfairness, its possibility of growth, and its racism.