Would the country would be better off with a national sales tax rather than the current income tax?

This issue will be debated at a public forum at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Owens Auditorium at Sandhills Community College as part of the Ruth Pauley Lecture Series. Students from the national champion Pinecrest High School Speech and Debate Team will debate national taxes.

English teacher Libby Carter organized the team in 2002. In the past seven years, the students have had major successes throughout the country, receiving national and state recognition as an outstanding team, and earning a classroom full of trophies.

Carter has also won national and state awards for her coaching skills, and is currently chairman of the Tarheel East District of the National Forensics League.

Because of the efforts and skills of Carter and Assistant Coach Robert Sheard, and the hard work and talent of the students, the Pinecrest debate team is ranked in the top 200 schools in the nation.

Pinecrest was named as a School of Distinction in Debate in 2008, one of only 11 schools in the United States to achieve this.

Unprecedented success came in 2008 when the public forum debate team of Meredith Potter and Caleb Frye claimed the NFL National Championship in Las Vegas, Nev., the first time students from North Carolina had ever won such a national championship.

Debating on Tuesday will be University of North Carolina students Hanna Bustillo and Ben Berk; Gilford College student David Pferdekamper; and Frye, a prospective student at St. John's College. All were members of the Pinecrest debate team for several years under Carter and Sheard, and all have won national, state, regional and/or district tournaments in various debate forums.

The students will be judged on public forum debate skills, and the audience will have an opportunity to learn firsthand how a debate tournament works, and to ask questions about the issues debated. A reception will be held at Kennedy Hall following the program.

The Ruth Pauley Lecture Series is sponsored by Sandhills Community College, the Moore County school system, the Moore County League of Women Voters, and the American Association of University Women.

Previous speakers have included Frank Deford, Sandra Day O'Connor, Stephen Ambrose, George McGovern, Osssie Davis and Newt Gingrich.

Additional information can be obtained by calling (910) 245-3131.