Some Stuff I Kinda Wonder About--And What Of It Will Start Me Toward A Paper?

SO......in preparation for the Research Paper (insert dramatic chord here), I'm thinking and thinking of how to get an idea that is both something I can really be interested in, and something that is do-able--like, information really exists out there, and  can access it.
Some issues that rile up the folks at home:
-Same-sex marriage (my family is personally very pro on this issue)
-The benefits and disadvantages of only eating organic food, and general diet restriction by choice (vegetarianism, veganism, gluten-free, blah blah blah)
-How much the rich really SHOULD get taxed
-Why Mitt Romney is electable, and scares my family
-What to do with a world full of trash and without a clear plan on what to do with it (the trash or the world--take your pick)
-Why Garrison Keillor should continue doing Prairie Home Companion for the rest of forever
-How to effectively conduct road construction in Minnesota
-The problem of underemployment of college graduates (like me)

Stuff that riles up the Normandale kids:
-Tuition hikes
-The increasing cost of books and materials for classes
-The NLN exam to apply for nursing school at Normandale
-Parking
-Scheduling classes differently
-MNSCU schools getting a set amount of funding from the taxpayers

Stuff that makes Columbia Heights foam at the mouth
-I.....just don't know....

National News:
-What to do with the number of students who are failing reading and math assessment exams
-Public programs: necessary or disposable?
-Who does this economy really benefit, and is that fair?
-"Occupy _____": will it work?  Or does it just make the demonstrators look like crazies, and get them permanent criminal records in the deal?
-Do teachers really get paid enough for what they do?  Do they get credit for their hard work?  And do laws preventing teachers from disciplining students go so far as to impede the teacher's ability to maintain an orderly classroom?
-What will my degree in Microbiology ultimately net me?
-When will the economy begin to surface again?

My Class Schedule:
-Eng 1101:
a.) Why MLA?  Why not Chicago or APA?
b.) What purpose does writing really serve in the greater academic community, and why should science majors have to take it? (and vice versa)
-Comm 1111
a.) Will this class actually help me to be a better communicator?
b.) Is this a real class?  Why do people not learn these skills as they grow up?  Is this a real discipline that can be matched up to the likes of particle physics and biochemistry?
-Chem 1050
a.) Why are the fees for these classes so steep?  Is it fair that students who choose to be science majors should pay more than their humanities-major counterparts?
b.) What threshold of risk for personal injury is acceptable for students in a 100, 200, 300, or 400 level class?  What can be reasonably expected from students, pursuant to their presumed accumulated knowledge, and where does the legal liability for any injury of a student, while in the lab, performing the set experiments, lie