In the past I've done mine on homosexual rights, abortion, Myspace, uniforms, breaks from school (when, how long, etc.), pep rallies, animal rights (this was one that I had chosen for me...it was a lot harder cuz I didn't, and still don't, have strong feelings for it), road alterings possibly happening in our area, etc. I have a passion for persuasion papers and speeches. My advice is to definitely go for something that you feel very strongly about and run with it. Few things are more annoying than reading or listening to a "debate" type paper or speech when the writer or speaker doesn't give two hoots over what the topic is.