Arguments: 1. It is almost certainly the case that the compulsory study of certain works would change that figure .
2. This issue is also not limited to the UK , as an article in the Boston Globe suggests that more than half of Americans aged 18 to 24 never read books for pleasure .
3. To not study the his writing , along with that of the other great innovators - Chaucer , Milton and Dickens to name but a few , would deprive people of an understanding and awareness of their own culture , and also inhibit the integration of others into the English language and way of life .
4. It is often overstated how much of our current vocabulary we owe to Shakespeare , however the point remains valid that he forms much of the basis for the language we speak and write today .
5. He is one of , if not the greatest writer in the English language , so the study of his works is surely essential to anyone learning English for themselves .
6. They are chosen because of their individual merits and influences on culture - the most commonly cited single writer being William Shakespeare .
7. This is a process which takes time , but more than ever before there is a widespread awareness and general consensus on what is meant by the term ` classic ' in this context .
8. We refer to certain works as ` literary classics ' because of the recognition they have received from the academic world .
9. : :

Debate: This House believes the teaching of literary classics should be compulsory


Arguments: 1. The priority in such cases is and should be with those who have made a conscious decision to develop an unhealthy habit .
2. This includes smokers who have contracted diseases as a result of their habit .
3. There is a vast array of information , easily available to smokers , on the dangers of cigarettes .
4. Many people have to wait for surgery when they have fallen ill or gotten injured through no fault of their own .
5. Many of the people they are waiting behind have fallen ill out of choice .
6. In Britain for example , they have attempted to avoid this by establishing standards under which surgery is denied to obese patients .
7. Thomas Condliff , the patient , was denied gastric band surgery due to having a body mass index lower than the threshold under which they believed the surgery would be effective .
8. If despite this , a person chooses to smoke anyway then it is unfair that others who have fallen ill out of genuine misfortune should have to wait in line behind them for healthcare .
9. This problem is particularly in acute in states that have universal healthcare , where non-smokers are forced to wait in a queue for treatment behind those who have negligently made themselves ill smoking .

Debate: This house would deny smokers access to state healthcare.


Arguments: 1. In 2001 , 301 decedents with gross estates in excess of $ 20 million gave $ 6.8 million to charity , accounting for 42 % of all charitable bequests .
2. The estate tax creates an incentive to leave money to charitable causes , as any sum left to a charity is exempt from the tax calculations .
3. This allows rich individuals to exercise choices as to where their fortune goes after their death , rather than leaving it to the federal government to decide , but the whole of society still benefits .
4. In this way the estate tax underpins the whole tradition of American philanthropy which does so much to enrich social , educational , cultural and environmental areas of national life .
5. A study on the effect of the estate tax on charitable giving found that ` estate tax repeal would have significant deleterious effects on charitable bequests and giving during life ' .

Debate:
This house would impose an estate tax