mmm that new season smell

I'm all excited about my entrance into novice coaching (and re-entrance into minnesota debate) so I figure I'll maek post.

Quick little observance carried over from Tuesday. I like the novice case limits a lot this year which are:

-Renewable Portfolio Standards
-Domestic Biofuel
-Integral Fast Reactors
-Cap and Trade

I think that these do a good job of introducing novices to the various important debates on this topic as well as preserving some good ground for both sides. But having actually paid a little bit of attention to the topic itself over the past week or so, I'm left with an unease in my stomach. Let's say we'll take what I'll argue is the strictest definition of this year's resolution: (a) that incentives must be positive incentives - "carrots" as opposed to "sticks" and (b) that alternative energy does not include nuclear.

Three of the four cases aren't topical

Now I haven't dived into the debate well enough to know how these debates will shake out, especially among novices, and this definitely wouldn't be the first time that I've claimed "OMG T will be huge on this resolution" and been proven wrong, so grain of salt. But this would definitely be the least topical set of case limits that I've ever seen.