Centered

This week, we discuss the Supreme Court Case Mahanoy Area School District versus B.L, which focused on the issue of student's freedom of speech, or lack thereof outside of campus. While many argue that students should have more freedom of speech outside of school, particularly online, others argue that this new freedom could have major consequences on campus, and schools should have the power to prevent that. The moderator for this debate is Issac Y. and the hosts are Justin X. and Savanna C. Sources

In this debate, we debate the United States' military presence in Afghanistan, which began nearly two decades ago​. President Biden recently announced that the U.S would be withdrawing its forces from the region by Sep. 11 2021, but some argue against his decision, citing possible future conflicts. While others say that it's best to leave now, before more American lives are put at risk. The moderator fro this debate is Delaney O. and the hosts are Alex C. and Issac Y.  Sources

In this episode, we talk about the different pros and cons of President Biden's new 2.2 trillion dollar infrastructure proposal, which would expand funding for physical infrastructure, as well as education and internet access, among other things. The moderator for this debate is Alex C. and the hosts are Kate W. and Benjamin S. Sources

This week, we discuss the various complexities that come with distributing COVID vaccines, and whether or not wealthy nations should aide poorer ones with their vaccination efforts. Many argue that it is more important for rich countries to inoculate their entire populations before sending aide abroad, while others say that wealthy nations should use their good fortune to speed up the worldwide vaccination effort. The moderator for this debate is Ben S. and the hosts are Justin X. and Delaney O.  Sources

In this debate, we discuss the pros and cons of legalizing marijuana for recreational and medical purposes. With the laws in many states changing so rapidly, a lot of concern over the drug has arisen. The moderator for this debate is Kate W. and the hosts are Ben S. and Savanna C. Sources

In this episode, we talk about the pros and cons of capitalism for society as an economic system. The problems with which have become increasingly obvious as economic inequality in the western world continues to get worse. Proponents of the system argue that there is no better alternative, and that the issues we have can be solved. The moderator for this debate is Kelsey R. and the hosts are Mattan B. and Benjamin S. Sources

This week, we debated the two proposed Coronavirus stimulus packages, the differences between them, and the possible repercussions that it may have. President Biden has made the stimulus bill his top priority for his first few weeks in office, and the debate around it has been heated. The moderator of this debate is Justin X. and the hosts are Alex C. and Kate W. Link

In this debate, we discuss the possible statehood of Washington D.C and Puerto Rico, which would (if admitted) become the 51st and 52nd states. Proponents of the idea say that the residents of these territories are not getting the rights that they should be entitled to, while others argue that it would just expand democratic control of congress and cause further division. The moderator for this debate is Alex C. and the hosts are Ben S. and Justin X. Sources Link

In this episode, we discuss the democrat's control of the senate, which will allow them to pursue more progressive legislation. However, many argue that this will alienate voters who don't support the progressive ideas. Others say that because democrats won control of the congress and white house, they should be allowed to do the things that they've been promising for so long. The moderator for this debate is Benjamin S. and the hosts are Kate W. and Kelsey R. Sources Link

In this episode, we debate the issue of social media censorship, or the practice of a social media site flagging, blocking or deleting content it deems to be misinformation or harmful to it's users. This has sparked a lot of controversy in recent years. Ben S. is the moderator for this episode, and the hosts for this week are Alex C. and Justin X. Centered is taking a holiday break! Regular episode schedule will resume in January 2021 Sources Link

In this episode, we discuss the electoral college, which is the system America uses to pick its presidents. We go over how this unique system works, why it was put in place, and whether or not we should continue to use it today. The moderator for this episode is Alex C, and the hosts for this week are Kelsey R. and Benjamin S. ​As always, all the sources we used when researching this episode are posted on our website: Link

This week, we debate the pros and cons of universal basic income, or UBI, which has been proposed in many countries, and tested around the world. Proponents argue that it could boost the economy and lower poverty, while opponents say that it is unrealistic and far too costly. The moderator for this weeks episode is Justin X. and the hosts for this week are Kate W. and Ben S. As usual all the sources we used while researching this episode are posted on our website: Link  

The original idea for this episode was to compare more liberal climate response plans with more conservative ones. But, as we researched the topic of climate change, we came to the realization that there aren't necessarily just two sides. There are dozens of complicated variables. So this debate ended up covering much more than we originally planned.  Just like before, all the sources we used while researching this episode are available here, on our website: Link

In the first episode of Centered, we discuss the political controversy around the replacement of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  For further reading, check out all the sources we used when researching this topic, which are posted here, on our website: Link