Response to "Texas Should Do More to Protect Its Borders"

The Post above, Texas Should Do More to Protect Its Borders, brings up a great topic. My classmate explained how the relationship between Texas and Mexico is important and vital to both of us. Texas' main gulf port is the Gulf of Mexico so it is very important that we keep a healthy relationship with them, but the drug cartel and the advances of illegal immigration is putting Texas between a rock and hard place.

As my classmate brought up the facts that we are losing American's due to the lack of successful border patrol. This should be taken very seriously, but what we have tried to do has left us in the same spot that we started. He also suggested that Texas implement stricter punishment for human and drug trafficking. Although I do not think this is a bad idea, I do not think it will solve the border problems that are occurring. A drastic measure is going to have to be taken, to them that is a slap on the wrist to what the drug cartel will do to them and their families for trying to leave. There is just too many people involved with the Mexican drug cartel for the law to scare them away. Their retaliation to our stricter laws is simple, they will continue murdering more Americans, most from the Texas border.

To be quite honest, I do not even know where to start perfecting our border patrol so I did a little research to see what Governor Rick Perry has to say. In the article “PERRY: Texas will fight back We won't stand by while Mexican border violence kills” from the Washington Post, Perry has extended the training of the Border Patrol and has added aviation into this unit. This has been costly advance, but not very he notes that it has not been as effective as he hoped for. Perry addresses the fact that it is time for the Obama administration to focus on the severity of this problem and lend us a helping hand. He wrote Obama last summer with little response to our need. Perry is doing what Texas can afford and is trying combat this “war” to the best of his ability.

Race to the Top Funding

Race to the Top funding is a hot topic in Texas Politics right now. The question asked is should we apply for the national funding or rely on our state funds to pull Texas thru the finical hard time that the education system is having? Rick Perry states that “If Washington were truly concerned about funding education with solutions that match local challenges, they would make the money available to states with no strings attached.” I have to agree with Governor Perry. Although the Race to the Top funding would provide the Texas Education system with up to $750 million in funding, it will cost our taxpayers $3 billion dollars or more to realign our education system to standardized national public education. This $750 million would be a onetime grant and our education system would be torn to pieces. We are doing what works best for Texas students, and I doubt Washington D.C. knows more than people who live here

I am sure we all know that money is needed to make the education system work properly, so it is no surprise that their are people who stand on both sides of the fence when it come to federal funding. Funding provides the schools with technology that allows us to advance our so that they can become more college and career ready starts for young Texans. The Texas State Board of Education adopted one of the nation’s first college and career- ready curriculum standards. Opening option to the career field will ensure that our students are able to be educated and ready for the real world. If we allow the our current education system to be nationally mandated than these programs may not be offered in areas that help Texans. We were recently recognized in the Education Week Magazine for these programs of college and career ready standards. In my opinion Texas is doing just fine without the control of the national government. Our students play an important role in the future of our state and should provided with the best foundation for available to them.

Parent involvement plays a crucial role in the participation and drive of students. If Texas does apply for the Race to the Top funding they will not be looking out for what is best for the children. Rick Perry reported that allowing interest groups and unelected bureaucrats will decline the opportunity for parent involvement. I am in the pursuit of becoming a teacher, and I know that I will want to incorporate as much parent interaction as possible because it is proven to increase the students drive.

There are many reason why Texas should say no the Race to the Top funding. If we think we are in finical trouble and submerged in taxes now, then just imagine what the National Government will impose on us when we have to reform our entire education system.

Comment to Shelby's Post "Some public officials just don't get it, do they?"

Shelby has brought up a great point about the Texas Open Meeting Act being violated by our government officials. This law was formed so that all citizen can be equally and fairly informed of our state and nations actions. "We the people" is the first the line of our Constitution and with Texas being a state of America we must abide by this. If we are uniformed how are we supposed to make the right decisions for the well being of our state?

As Shelby has stated in her above post, there are a times the public is not allowed to hear the discussion which are considered "private matters." These consist of the purchase of property, security measures, economic development, personal matters, and homeland security. Some of the "personal matters" seem to involve the citizen of this state directly. I do not understand why they believe we are interfering with their freedom of speech, quite frankly I see it more as they are interfering with our rights as citizens. This is a wide range of topics that are protected by the law that they can legally discuss without informing us. What else do they “need” to keep so secret?

The freedom of speech is a human right of all Americans, and cannot be taken away. I know that some government officials don't want us to hear what they have to say because they may lose followers or possibly the respect of the state or nation, but they are FREE to say whatever they want. Having to address public issues in the public eye is not a loss of freedom., it is a way to make sure that we are not being left out of the loop on important matters of our state. Officials are trying to get around the Texas Open Meeting Act by manipulating its people into believing that they aren’t discussing anything that is against written lay, but I beg to differ. If it isn’t a big deal than just talk about it in public. Shelby quoted that they all volunteered for this position and that is 100% accurate. Don't sign up for the job if you don't want to follow the rules.

Over all I think Shelby’s post was an eye-opening one. Many people disregard the manipulation of the government and put it off as no big deal, but it is a big deal. Talking behind closed doors is how corruption in formed. Bringing this to everyone’s attention is crucial in protecting OUR RIGHTS as citizens. Don’t let the government put the blindfold on your eyes. We have the right to know what is being discussed.

The Importance Of Voting

Many people wonder, “Why should I vote? I am only one person and my vote isn’t going to make the big difference,” but your vote is what makes the difference. Voting is the very first step in getting involved. It is what makes America a democracy and in turn gives us Texans the right to choose whom we think will carry out our best interest. With Election Day coming near I want to express the need for everyone to vote. If citizens don't vote, we will no longer be able to run our state in a FREE country. I am not one to ask you to vote for who I think deserves the right to be governor, but cast your ballet for who you think will make the best governor of Texas. Our candidates consist of Rick Perry (Republican), Bill White (Democrat), Katherine Glass (Libertarian), and Deb Shafto (Green Party).

Here is what Rick Perry and Bill White have to say about Texas’ low budget and what their priority spending will be and also their views on education.

Rick Perry is running for third term election. Perry states that his main priorities with the budget issues are education, transportation, border control, bankruptcy reform and e-government. E-Government is the use of technology to assist the operation of government. Perry is pro vouchers program for education and wants to start a pilot program, which would allow families to choose the school that their children attend. He also intends to incorporate online classes for students who have fallen behind, giving the opportunity to catch up and graduate.

Bill White wants to focus the low budget of Texas on energy, security, and health benefits. He believes that workforce training is very important and thinks that more vocational school routes should be offered for high school students. He is pro early childhood development programs, which current governor, Rick Perry, has vetoed in the past.

Please keep in mind that these over views are not fully detailed and that there are more topics that are being discussed. Also don’t dismiss the importance of looking in to the Libertarian and Green Party views before you vote. I encourage all of yall to support Texas in YOUR WAY and VOTE!!

Driver's Insurance Check Points

The blog, Grits for Breakfast, posted an article discussing the newly added insurance checkpoint scheme in Corpus Christi. The blog states that the city will soon add multiple stops where police officials will check for driver’s insurance. If the driver unavailable to provide proof of insurance than the car will be towed, and consequently auctioned off if proof of insurance is not presented with-in 30 days.

I believe this blog was targeted to grab the attention from people’s right activists, the young voters, as well as the uninsured. The blogger states that this might be the way that the Corpus Christi Police chief is getting around the ban of DWI check points. This will easily catch the attention of the TAMU at Corpus Christi students.

I have to agree with Grits for Breakfast on this one, and say “This seems like a straight-up revenue generation scheme.” Their city council sources appear to be credible and dead set on going forth with this outlandish pursuit of uninsured motorist. The fees for a first time offender will add up to about $500, and if this cannot be paid, once again the cars will be auctioned off. Police Chief, Troy Riggs, plans to double the auctions held each year to now total 12, which will generate approximately $510,000 for the city of Corpus. This was practiced in Dallas, with less harsh auctioning plans, and did not decrease the amount of uninsured motorist. This makes me believe that the blogger is on to something with the “revenue generation scheme.”

Dumping State Tourism Budget

Gubernatorial candidate Bill White has proposed not just to cut, but to eliminate, the entire Texas tourism budget. In response to this suggestion, I have to agree with columnist Bill Blaziek, that such a cut would have a disastrous affect on the Texas economy. The example provided in the article about the beautiful state of Colorado could not paint a better picture of the possible outcome of eliminating a budget that studies have shown yields a seven to one return on investment. At this point in time, our state cannot afford to lose this income, especially for important areas such as education. Personally, I have a strong conviction about the importance of education, so Bill White’s proposition concerns me more than a little. If we ever want to get out of the economic situation we are currently in, we have to give our future generations the tools with which to make major changes.

Among the many cities that would be affected in the large state of Texas would be El Paso. If a city like El Paso, which isn’t the first city to come to mind as a vacation destination, is estimating huge financial losses, can you imagine what cities like Corpus Christi and San Antonio might face? I am no professional economist, but I think the financial situation would certainly not be one to tip your ten-gallon hat to.

Additionally, considering that over half a million jobs are provided by the tourism industry, our unemployment rate might also see some major declines. Although I believe that Texas is currently one of the stronger states in the United States, I anticipate that such a change would amount to a lot of problems for folks waving the lone star flag.

City Jails Unregulated

The article City Jails Unregulated Despite Deaths, Complaints was an eye- opening. Did you know that although county jails are monitored for safety, nutrition, and care of inmates, city jails have no such standards. Often times complaints are disregarded because there is no higher authority to take the complaint to. Matt Simpson, a policy strategist, states that it is too expensive to hold city jails to the same basic standards as county jails. If city jails can’t afford to be run to standard, I don’t believe it should be running at all. Many people in city jails are locked up for fairly minor violations of the law, but in return aren’t even getting the proper medical care or safety with in the jail, but on the other hand the inmates in the county jail, with much worse infractions, are taken care of on a higher standard. Up to 40% of deaths in city jails are suicides. That leaves me with an uneasy feeling that the inmates are not properly being watched.

Many times lawmaker advocacy groups have tried to bring city jails to standard, but have been denied. Municipal jail officials contest that it is not necessary to hold jails to this standard because of the short time that inmates serve in jail and the cost of hiring the new watch. It is estimated to cost $390,000 to inspect city jails. I understand that that it may be expensive, but I do believe a standard is necessary to make sure that the jail is run in an acceptable manner.