Persuasive Speech of Value Speech
Channel: Austin Pierce
Date: 2019-10-25

Title: A Big Bump in the Road
Topic: Potholes in Nebraska
Specific Purpose: To tell everyone why these problems with the roads need to be fixed.
Thesis: Potholes in the roads have never been a bigger problem. And I’m not just talking about paved roads, but gravel roads too. 
Introduction: When you hear someone talking about potholes, you think of those rough bumps on the roads you drive everyday. Potholes in the roads have never been a bigger problem. And I’m not just talking about paved roads, but gravel roads too. Weathering and the use of the road causes them to deteriorate over time. With all of the potholes popping up, it not only poses a threat to the vehicle, but to the driver as well. 
Body:
Potholes
What is a Pothole? (Staff, 2019)
How They Form
Paved Roads
Cold Weather 
Vehicle Damage (Schammert, 2019)
Gravel Roads
Flooding (Associated Press, 2019)
Kids Driving
Fixing Them
Cost (Konz, 2019)
Labor 
Conclusion: A quick funny story to end us off. One Omaha man was being taken to the hospital because he was having a heart problem. As the ambulance sped down the road, they hit a pothole. This bump caused the man’s heart to return back to its normal pace, perhaps saving the man. So maybe potholes aren’t the absolute worst thing to happen to mankind. However, potholes in the roads have never been a bigger problem. And I’m not just talking about paved roads, but gravel roads too. Today we discussed the problems of theses roads, as well as how they form, and how we could fix them. Never will there be a day when there’s no potholes, but there’s no doubt it could be better than what it is now. 










Sources
Associated Press. (2019, April 13). Long, Wet Winter Leaves Behind Frost Boils on Gravel Roads. Retrieved from https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/nebraska/articles/ 2019-04-13/long-wet-winter-leaves-behind-frost-boils-on-gravel-roads.

Associated Press. (2019, July 5). Nebraska county roads still struggling months after floods. Retrieved from https://www.3newsnow.com/news/2019-flood/nebraska-county-roads- still-struggling-months-after-floods. 

Beck, M. A. (2016, August 16). Omaha's answer to pothole complaints: a new dirt road. Retrieved from https://journalstar.com/news/state-and-regional/nebraska/omaha-s-answer-t o-pothole-complaints-a-new-dirt-road/article_1f40204c-ea08-57ae-a2bf-66c894a9f981.html. 

Ducey, M. (2019, July 5). Months after floods, traveling Nebraska's county roads is still not easy. Retrieved from https://www.omaha.com/news/local/months-after-floods-traveling-nebraska-s- county-roads-is-still/article_822e747f-a2ac-5509-a68c-c843ab5723ba.html.

Konz, M. (2019, August 28). 2019 floods leave Buffalo County roads with almost $1 million in damage; gravel shortage adds to woes. Retrieved from https://www.omaha.com/news/state_and_ regional/floods-leave-buffalo-county-roads-with-almost-million-in-damage/article_d5fe23b6-fe8a-57e5-bd81-c9f4a81a5682.html. 

Pluchel, K. (2019, February 6). Weather or Not: How the weather causes potholes. Retrieved from https://www.ksla.com/2019/02/06/weather-or-not-how-weather-causes-potholes/.

Schammert, B. (2019, April 17). POTHOLES: City of Lincoln hasn't paid a claim in nearly six years. Retrieved from https://www.1011now.com/content/news/Pothole-Payments-City-of- Lincoln-hasnt-paid-claim-in-nearly-six-years-508674801.html. 

Staff, S. F. (2019, October 1). Stuck in the Flood. Retrieved from https://www.agriculture.com/news/business/stuck-in-the-flood.