Blog 8 Commentary

I agree with Mr. Garcia  I feel that Texas’ government officials have good intentions in how to run it, but some of the officials try to get their way in a bad way.  They do this by gerrymandering, and spending large amounts of money for campaigns with no follow through. We also give some amnesty to our lawmakers while the legislative is in session.  Even though we do give them a break, some take advantage of this and it does seem that we just don’t hold them to the same standards that we have to follow. Where does it say that our government officials can make up lines that give them the upper-hand in keeping opinions of certain people from being heard?  Well, during this class I never heard that this should be allowed.  I think that there is a way that districts can be divided up into a fair, and in an evenly distributed way. 

Texas is a great state and I couldn’t ever see myself living in another state here in America.  As the population increases from birthrates and out of state people moving here I think we will see a change in how candidates campaign.  We are currently a Republican state, but the Democrats are starting to be seen in the bigger cities and sooner than later the voices of the Democrats will spread and the younger people will begin to vote too.  Also, when we continue to have candidates not doing what they say they will do during their campaigns when they win, then this too will encourage a change in how we look at candidates.  I also agree that most people just look for familiar names and listen to commentaries of people and make their judgments on only those opinions.  Texas though does have a strong ambition to thrive and we will continue to do so and with the new session coming up I hope to see some new changes that are good.

  

Needed Changes For the New Budget

With the new session starting in January the Legislative Budget Board is meeting to figure out just how much Texas will grow over the next two years.  The estimated growth is between 11.68 percent and 15.71 percent which will then determine the spending cap. 

A spending cap is necessary because it helps keep lawmakers from spending more than is needed and prevents a deficit in the budget.  All though there is a budget, this cap doesn’t apply to all of the issues that occur during the legislative session.  Some items don’t fall under this cap and lawmakers use these loopholes to exceed the spending cap.   I agree with the conservative groups that want to put an end to these loopholes.  What is the point of putting a budget in place if it will be ignored? 

It looks like the one subject that has been repeatedly ignored and swept under the rug is the public schools.  I highly think that our public schools need some much needed attention, in the past few years Texas schools have shown a decline in academics.  Texas has one of the lowest SAT scores and if there is spending room it needs to be in the schools.  It seems that our lawmakers don’t think that the children in Texas need an education.  The schools have been ignored and suffered from budget cuts where teachers have lost jobs; it is time for a change and more money to go to them.  Our children are the future and I personally want them to grow to be competent and highly functional adults that can make a difference in our society.

So as Texas continues to grow the budget will too increase and with an economy that is booming that too will help give a surplus to budget.  Our lawmakers that we elected need to stay focused and keep to the budget that has been set, and stop looking for escape routes for exceeding the set budget.  They also need to prioritize to the needs of our state and get it back on track to being competitive in school rankings.   

Commentary of The Rail

I agree with the article written by Texas bureaucracy, Austin does need to expand the rail system as the population continues to increase and as our roads become more congested.  The main problem that made the proposition 1 not pass is that we have seen how the rail that has been established by capital metro has not meet the expectations promised and the cost was over the proposed amount. 

In the current proposal that we saw on the ballet the section would basically connect ACC’s Highland and Riverside campuses and this would only help a limited amount of commuters, whom already have access to the current rail and bussing system.  The rail system should be expanded to accommodate those who are more in the suburbs to the east and north of Austin.  Cedar Park and Leander have the Metrorail currently in place so adding more trains will help with the wait times at the stops and with overcrowding when special events occur downtown.   

The cost of the rail is also an issue and making it cost efficient would get more people to ride.   What is the sense in spending Billions of dollars if a few thousands are proposed to ride it?  That is not logical or practical to do this.  The more people that are proposed to ride then the less it would be per person. 

So yes I do think that Austin needs a rail system to help with the congestion and over use of our roads, but spending money frivolously is not what we need.  We need something that will connect the suburbs with the city, since most live in the outlying areas of Austin. 

Dukes for district 46

On November 4, 2014 those who didn’t vote in the early election will be casting their ballots.  In District 46 Dawnna Dukes a democrat in the Texas House of Representatives, she won her first election in 1996 and since has won each election.    

Dukes is a strong believer in expanding Medicaid, because Texas is the most uninsured state in America.  With more people being covered by Medicaid it will help improve our economy because more will be going to the doctor for illnesses.  Expanding Medicaid for the uninsured will help enormously, many of the people that live under the poverty wage guidelines are denied Medicaid and can’t afford healthcare even through the healthcare act.  Even in the higher education programs for those going into the healthcare field you are now required to have health insurance before you can do clinicals.  This is a problem for many because they are full time students, have families, and only work part-time; so expanding Medicaid would help individuals in these circumstances too.

Dukes also disagrees with the Texas voters ID law saying it is the strictest in the nation and that early voting should be longer, along with registration. If the voter ID law was not in affect more people would be able to vote, so the voices of the minority and under privileged could have their voices heard.  Also, if early voting was extended then more would be able to cast their votes, because not everyone can take time off from work to vote on Election Day. 

When it comes to redistricting Dukes thinks that the responsibility should be given to an independent citizens redistricting commission as long as it fair.  With the districts maps be drawn the way they have been gerrymandering has taken place.  Dukes believes that it would need a certain criteria when drawing these maps. 

                                                  

Houston's New City Ordinance

Katherine Driessen wrote a commentary article in the blog off the kuff about the equal rights ordinance case in Houston, TX on October 14, 2014.  This is a touchy subject for many people from all walks of life, no matter what religion you are, who or what you worship.  In this article Driessen discusses how the attorneys of Houston have subpoenaed several pastors and other religious leaders who oppose this law.  These pastors and religious leaders must turn in documents where they have spoken about this subject to their congregation.  The pastors and other religious leaders are in the process of suing the city and are hoping to repeal it in January 2015.

I think Driessen could have explained in more detail what this ordinance covers, it covers many things.  She instead has focused on what the controversy is about, but should have put how the homosexual and transgender had no protection before this ordinance.  I had to take it upon myself to read more into this matter to see why the city ordinance is causing such a disturbance, it’s because it includes the protection of sexual orientation and gender identity.  So this explains why these religious leaders are against this, it is because as Christians we are taught that homosexuality is an abomination and a sin. That is to be unaccepted by all; well this it is our constitutional right as Americans to have freedom of religion, and speech.   

As a Christian I believe that the Houston churches, preachers, and whoever have a right to preach whatever they want to.  They are protected by the First Amendment.  So I don’t feel that the subpoena of sermons, speeches will hold up in court.  I think the attorney’s that are representing the city of Houston will not be able to use the documentation in court, and that they have taken this overboard.  I will say that I do believe that all humans have the right to protected against discrimination, in Mark 12:31 Jesus states “And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.”  Maybe the pastors and religious leaders need to refresh their memories about what being a Christian is about.

The LT. Governor Debate

The Texas Tribune on September, 29, 2014 posted an opinion piece written by Alexa Ura titled “In Debate, Patrick and Van de Putte Spar Over Texas.”  This was definitely written for voters and potential voters who are well informed and already following the candidates and the election. 

The scope and breathe of the piece was clearly meant to be viewed through the lens of having watched debate, and not informative enough for those who had not to gain a true understanding of what all it entailed. There seems to have been a large amount of back and forth and outright squabbling between the two candidates, and while the tone is relayed in the piece, details are not forthcoming. It does seem however as though both candidates used their campaign slogans to attack each other, which I feel all politicians do during debates. 

Ura included some of the main focal points that will be the determining factors in this election which is funding public education, health care, taxes, and immigration. 

She seems to have done a decent job explaining what happened during the only debate for the position of Texas Lt. Governor and showed a favoring to Van de Putte, because she noted how Van de Putte wanted more debates and that Patrick thought one was efficient enough to show voters the differences between the two.  We get to see how Texas is pro-business with the quote from Van de Putte in her response to Patrick’s sale tax raise which would be “only a penny or two” and how it would be a burden to families and businesses.  While funding education is a hot topic, we need a solution that will solve the problem that we are having and Van de Putte threw Patrick under the bus by saying he was responsible for the school cuts in 2011 when many teachers lost their jobs.  There are many places in this article where Ura points out each candidate’s political stance, but each time Van de Putte is put in the spotlight as being the right candidate for the job by having a more sophisticated response to Patrick’s attacks.

In conclusion, I would have liked to have seen a more balanced piece with each candidate explaining how and where cuts will be made and to ensure that public schools funding will not be cut anymore. There was not much mentioned about immigration except that Patrick thinks that the Texas Dream Act makes Texas encourage illegal immigration and Van de Putte says it’s for the state’s workforce. Other than the preference for Van de Putte, this piece will give a voter at least some insight into where these candidate’s stand with the popular topics. I did like how Ura addressed the fact that her employer, The Texas Tribune, was the sponsor of this event and that it occurred in Austin. 

 

 

Racing for the Mansion

We all know that Wendy Davis is running for governor along with Greg Abbott.  In the Texas Tribune, Aman Betheja wrote this article Davis Intends to Use Executive Action, Veto Power if Elected on September 20, 2014.  In the article it discloses how Davis plans to use “executive action” to make changes with the Medicaid program.  If Texas would have adopted this in the beginning then the federal government would have paid the bill and many adults would be covered, but it wasn’t voted in.  Davis also speaks of two bills that she plans to veto if they reach her desk.  One is for the repeal of in-state tuition for illegal immigrants and the other is an “Arizona-style” immigration bill banning sanctuary cities.  This article also discloses Davis’ proposal for a statewide pre-K program and the cost would be on a sliding scale.  She says “It matters because if we don’t invest in them, it will hurt our state economy in the future.”

I think that this is an important article for everyone to read, we vote in November for our next governor and Davis could be voted into office. We need to know where she stands in the future of Texas and children are our future and in taking care of them the adults need assistance in making our economy stronger.