Union County Republican Party Sponsoring Future Leaders Scholarship Public Speaking Contest

Attention all Union County high school students – “Future Leaders” — in Union County! Once again, the Union County Republican Party (UCGOP) is sponsoring the Future Leaders Public Speaking Contest for high school students in 9th through 12th grades in Union County. All students who live in or are educated in Union County are invited to participate.

“Our goal is to provide an opportunity for students to develop speaking skills, learn more about our government structure/political process, and encourage the youth of our county to be actively involved in the political affairs of our county/country,” said Dale Allison, UCGOP Chairperson. “Our high school students enjoyed/benefited from the contest so much last year, we decided to sponsor it again!”

Preliminary contest rounds and finals are scheduled for this Spring (dates to be announced) at North Georgia Technical College in Blairsville. Scholarships will be awarded to contest winners in the amounts of: 1^st Place: $1000; 2^nd Place: $600; 3^rd Place: $400. Each student will receive a $25 stipend for participating whether he/she wins or not. Applications are available starting Dec. 14 in the front offices of Union County High School and Woody Gap School. For those students not attending these schools, applications may be picked up at the UCGOP office at 103 Blue Ridge Street in Blairsville.  Deadline for application submission is Jan. 20. Speeches must be five to eight minutes long about one of the topics found below.

This year’s judges are well known in the community, have a passion for the welfare of the county’s youth, and possess experience in the nuances of debating/public speaking.  So far, Patrick Malone, Mitch Griggs, Lee Knight, Larry Culpepper, Jeff Langley have agreed to be judges.

Topics students may select from:

1. Compare the merits of capitalism vs. socialism.
2. Should there be term limits for Senators, Members of Congress and state legislators?
3. Are there any amendments to the Constitution that should be eliminated?
4. Is the United States a Christian nation? Why or why not.
5. Should there be term limits for federal judges rather than lifetime appointments?
6. Do we have an honest free press today?
7. Should Georgia pass the Preservation of Religious Freedom Act?
8. Should Georgia pass legislation that prohibits the use of Sharia law in the state court system?
9. Is there a need for a major third political party?
10. How should the United States handle the immigration problem?
11. What is the greatest threat to the security of America today?
12. Why did the founders choose to make America a republic rather than a democracy?