College politicos debate

By Jonathan McFadden
mcfaddenj@mytjnow.com

Four student political groups went toe to toe in Owens Hall Tuesday night as they debated foreign policy, government spending, free trade, economic competition and the exodus of U.S. soldiers from Iraq.

Representatives from the College Libertarians, College Republicans, College Democrats and Socialist Student Union sat behind tables in front of an audience of more than a dozen students as they answered questions ranging from the solution to the nation’s tremendous $1.2 trillion debt to U.S. involvement in the burgeoning revolts in Syria during an educational debate.

Debaters were given one minute to make their initial response after the question was posed and then all debaters were able to argue a 30 second rebuttal.

After listening to several debaters argue on the merit of U.S. soldiers being deployed to Iraq following 9/11, one student asked the collegiate politicos how they thought the U.S. should have responded after the initial 9/11 attacks.

Answers included talks of conspiracy to criticism of the government’s method of dealing with Iraq.

For a more detailed account of the debate, including participants’ answers to 9/11, relations with China and the U.S. national debt, see the Dec. 1 issue of The Johnsonian.