On October 13, Republican Party Chair Lang Wiseman will be representing our views in opposition to socialized medicine and ObamaCare in a Debate with Democrat Party Chair Van Turner.  The Party Chairs will each be joined by a local high school student who is participating in the Memphis Urban Debate League.

• Tuesday, October 13
• 7:00pm
• East High School Auditorium
  3206 Poplar Ave. (Map)
• Tickets: $10 donation to Memphis Urban Debate League
  http://www.shelbygop.org/events/healthcaredebate/

This Debate promises to be an exciting evening of rhetorical punches and substantiative debate on this important issue. We got a bit of a preview of the Democrat’s argument a couple of weeks ago at a forum where the local Democratic Chair stated that Democrats and healthcare “reformers” care about people, an obvious suggestion that Republican opposition to Obamacare stems from the misguided notion that conservatives, at least in his view, apparently do not.

Why you should be there:

Media outlets have been invited to this event and it is vitally important that those of us who are strongly opposed to ObamaCare are represented in the audience.

It is also an opportunity to support a worthy cause — The Memphis Urban Debate League helps to present BOTH SIDES of the issues to students who often only hear the left-wing world-view from teachers and the media. The Debate League also encourages much-needed critical thinking skills that our youth need now more than ever.

Get a ticket to the debate:

We want to make sure we have a lot of conservatives there so we’ve set up a page to go to first to let us know you are coming.

http://www.shelbygop.org/events/healthcaredebate/

Then click “Proceed to ticket purchase” and you will be taken to the Memphis Urban Debate League web site to make a donation for ticket(s).
They are asking a donation of $10 per ticket, which is tax deductible.

There is little to no government-based funding for their program so they depend on donations and sponsorships to operate.

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MUDL Press Release from 9/8/09

Democratic and Republican Party leaders of Shelby County will debate Healthcare Reform on October 13, 2009 at the East High School Auditorium. Each political party leader will pair with a varsity debater from the Memphis City Schools Urban Debate League program. The debate’s purpose is to share information and perspectives on both sides of this important issue in the structured argument format followed by high school debaters nationwide. Debate organizers are encouraging members of the public to attend.

East High School will host the program in recognition of its central location and East High’s exceptionally active debate team. Said principal Fred Curry: “We’re proud of East High’s debaters, and of our participation in the Memphis Urban Debate League. Memphians should be excited that, in a time when we hear so much negative about schools and young people, schools, the school system and these students have such a powerful opportunity to learn and grow in a decidedly positive direction.”

The resolution for debate is…“Resolved: The United States federal government should provide universal healthcare to persons living in the United States.”

Van Turner, chair of the Shelby County Democratic Party and his teammate Ashton Alexander from Memphis Health Careers Academy will argue for the resolution. “I think the Memphis Urban Debate League is doing great work here in our city and county.  We are thrilled to be participating in such a great event which will not only assist the League but also address a major issue in our country.  When it’s all said and done, I am confident that the facts will overshadow everything else and demonstrate why we must have universal healthcare in this country.”

Arguing against the resolution will be Shelby County Republican Party chair Lang Wiseman and teammate Shapria Williams from East High School. “I am excited to participate in this event to benefit the Memphis Urban Debate League and its efforts to encourage students to embrace academic excellence while at the same time engaging in civil discourse.  With all of the myths and misinformation swirling around the topic of government-provided healthcare, I look forward to presenting actual facts and economic realities as we debate the prospect of unraveling perhaps the greatest healthcare system the world has ever known and ultimately doing much greater harm than good,” said Wiseman.

“We would like to thank the leaders of both political parties for their willingness to engage in this intellectual exercise and to commit their support to the Memphis Urban Debate League program,” said Jim Sdoia, president of the Memphis Urban Debate League Advisory Board (MUDLAB).

Both political parties have tickets available for this event for a modest $10 donation. Each party has committed to distributing 200 tickets, with all proceeds supporting the Memphis Urban Debate League. Tickets are also available from MUDLAB board members and on the organization’s website: www.memphisdebate.org

About the Memphis Urban Debate League. The Memphis Urban Debate League is administered by a public-private partnership between the Memphis City Schools and an outside group of civic leaders comprising the Memphis Urban Debate League Advisory Board. Memphis City Schools houses the League and pays for many core costs. The Advisory Board (a 501(c)(3) public charity) holds responsibility for strategic planning, volunteer and paid staff coordination, advocacy, supplemental fundraising, and deployment of university technical expertise. For more information visit www.memphisdebate.org or contact James Sdoia, president of the Memphis Urban Debate League Advisory Board at (901) 604-5644 or via e-mail: jim.sdoia@memphisdebate.org. Or contact League Director Sarah Wandrey at (901) 277-5627 or via e-mail: sarahmeltzer@urbandebate.org.

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