"I Believe That Children Are Our Future" - Whitney Houston

As great of a state that Texas is, we are SO behind in providing services for those who can’t afford it. As I was reading Ms. Batt’s blog, Can’t Beat Texas from Tex Report, I was bewildered to find that 1.5 million children in Texas don’t have health insurance. That is a lot of kids and a great risk to take if any of those children become seriously ill. Ms. Batt’s hit a very good point. The Swine flu has become a concern for many Texans. Being close to the Mexico border, many of us are at risk in catching the flu. Our Texas children need to be able to be treated and taken care of if they are to get sick. 

Our priorities as a state are definitely off balance and in need of reexamination. I am a firm believer in able adults to work and be provided benefits through their employer, but when it comes to children, I think the state needs to have a much better program that would allow all children to be covered. The state spends countless of tax payer’s dollars on prisons and taking care of those who have disrupted society or taken lives. Why don’t we focus more attention on those things that are more important to people and something we will see a greater return in the long run.  The children of Texas are our future and we need to protect them and invest in them in every way. 

Texas Laws and Teens

The Texas legislature is currently trying to pass laws that would keep teens from driving after 10 p.m., buying cigarettes, texting while driving, and jumping into tanning beds. The legislature argues that these laws target young people because they are still developing judgements and are prone to danger. 

I understand the concern of the legislature to protect our young people. To just turn 16 and get your license is a huge expression of freedom. But it is also such a huge responsibility as well. These laws that are targeting Texas’ teens should also be applied to Adults. HB662 is pending in the House right now and is hoping to prohibit drivers under 18 from using a cellphone while driving. I see no difference from a 17 year old texting while driving and a 25 or 40 year old doing the exact same thing. It is very dangerous none the less to do anything while driving.If this bill does pass it needs to apply to every Texan. 

I laugh at the idea that there is a bill that has passed the House, HB1310, that would prohibit anyone younger than 16 1/2 from using a tanning bed in a salon. First of all, teens are allowed to operate a motor vehicle at the age of 16. I think that they should be able to choose whether to tan or not in a salon. This is outrageous and such an infringement on parents ability to parent their child. If a parent doesn’t want their child to tan, then they won’t. But if the parent is all for the child tanning, then let them tan! This is a ridiculous bill and I really hope that our legislature would focus on much more important issues and leave these sort of things to the parents. 

I think that anyone using a cellphone while driving should have their license suspended just because of the danger is poses, no matter the age. But, when it comes to teens tanning... come on! State laws need to focus on the things that matter the most. Some of these issues need to be left to the parents to decide. 

Give the students a break!!!

With college tuition rising every year, the possibility of attending college becomes very slim for many Americans. It is very vital that the state step in and create legislation that will help out college students obtain the degree they desire. 

I found a very interesting article in the blog H-Kan K’s Political View, entitiled College Textbook Tax Exemption. The author writes in regards to a bill that the Texas legislature is looking at that would allow for textbooks to be tax exempt for full-time and part-time students. The views of the author are very clear and I completely agree with their argument that textbooks should be taxed exempt. 

For textbooks to be tax exempt will allow for students to use the money for other necessities. I understand where the author is coming from when they discussed the prices you paid for your textbooks. This semester I paid over $400 for all my textbooks. 

Yes, the savings of 8.25% per semester is very little, but it is very important money that can help students towards other expenses. The money that the students save will be returned back into the economy once the student uses it to purchase something else. 

The state of Texas needs to pass this bill to allow students to save some money while attending college. The money will eventually get cycled back into the local economy and will benefit both the student and the government. The author really encouraged the readers to realize the benefits of what this tax exemption will do for the economy. I highly agree with the author and do hope that this bill passes, because I have a couple more semesters of college ahead of me.

Drive a state-owned vehicle, for free!!! How do I apply?

Wouldn’t it be very nice if I could have a car that was meant for work related purposes, but “occasionally” used it for personal purposes and not pay for the car note or gas each month. That would be amazing and that is what is actually happening by many state employees. In the Dallas Morning News, an article entitled Texas House bill would make workers pay for personal use of state cars, reports that there are roughly 1,300 state employees at 95 state agencies that commute to work in state-owned cars, and NEVER use them for any other work related purposes. 

State Representative Terri Hodge, D-Dallas, has filed a bill that would require all state employees to pay for their personal trips and errands. Hodge doesn’t believe that taxpayers should have to flip the bill for state employee’s to use state-owned vehicles for personal use. Hodge found in a study that most of the state employees are driving their vehicles to and from work and are never called out for an emergency. TxDOT says that many state employees are given cars to provide a minimum response time in emergency situations. 

Terri Hodge, I am very pleased to hear that you are backing a bill that will stop state employees from taking advantage of a privilege. The tax payers should not be paying for someone to pick up their dry cleaning and then picking up their child from soccer practice. If you are an state employee that must respond to emergencies 24 hours a day, which the bill does exclude, I perfectly understand. But, if you are working 8-5, monday through friday, and you have a state-owned car, GIVE IT UP! 

Who is actually monitoring the allocation of these vehicles? Who is determining who is eligible for a state-owned vehicle? With Texas having a poorly funded education system, shouldn’t the state end all unnecessary distribution of state-owned vehicles to employees who don’t need them? There many other important issues that our tax dollars could support. Healthcare, education, transportation, and our economy seem to high on the totem poll, but we rather give our cars for people to run around in and not really use them for work. So, to our great elected officials, I do hope that you all pass this bill and end this nonsense.

What Big Ass Mistake?

When are the conservative, right-wing nut jobs going to stop the b.s., and realize that our President is moving our country towards a better direction. It has only been two months and President Obama is being declared, by the conservatives, to be the “worst President that America has every had.” Shawn M. Griffiths, I think your post, One Big Ass Mistake America, is just another failed attempt to discourage all those, even your conservative friends, who voted for Obama. 

Mr. Shawn M. Griffiths, is the blogger for The North Texas Conservative, a right-wing blog. He begins to illustrate that America was drunk on election night and voted for President Obama without any reason or logic, waking up to realize that we made a bad mistake. Well, it seems to me that these past eight years have seem to be the biggest mistake. Griffiths begins to argue that President Obama has approved more spending in two months than the total cost of the war in six years. He also argues that Obama’s economic policies are making the economy worse by adding to the national deficit. And I can’t forget Obama’s “socialist” economic policy which includes capping CEO’s salaries, more oversight and restrictions on industry, and the nationalization of banks.

Our country is in this situation because of the industries that had no accountability  and thought they had the right to screw over hard working Americans. President Obama has seen that the conservatives have allowed for Big Business to run around and do whatever they please. This needs to be stopped and I believe the policies that President Obama wants to put in place are vital so that we don’t see this happen again in fifty years. Government oversight needs to be in place so that money hungry corporations will not need to be asking for a bailout because things were right, the first time. Obama is not encouraging “socialist” economic policies, but rather, doing what ever American wants, for these d-bags to be watched over because they can’t things can’t be done right. 

Mr. Griffiths, your ideas and views are definitely allowed, but it has only been two months. The effects of the past administration for the past eight years definitely leave a nice welcome mate for President Obama. But, his new policies are definitely a step forward in getting America to where it was and to also be accountable for the business we conduct. I would give this new administration a little more time before you begin to criticize their efforts. We did give Bush’s administration eight years, and look where we are at. 

Is Texas Legislature Going to Cross the Line Again?

We as Americans are very fortunate to live in a country where we are able to live under our own convictions on how we conduct our lives. Though we do live under the law of our constitution, where does the line get drawn and when has government stepped over its boundary. In the Austin American-Statesman, there is an editorial, Ultrasound Bill is an Outrageous Intrusion by the Texas Legislature, that discusses a very controversial bill that many conservatives are pushing for, it is named the Ultrasound Bill. State Senator Dan Patrick, the Houston Republican, is the one behind this bill. As of now, when a women is wanting an abortion she must have an ultrasound done for medical reasons. If passed, this bill will require the ultrasound to be described what is being shown and with the heartbeat audible. As well, the women would be presented with printed material about abortion and what other options are available. The bill does not require the women to look at any the images or printed material. 

The author of this editorial is very against the idea that the state would pass “an outrageous intrusion.” They discuss that the state of Texas has made claims that there is a link between breast cancer and having an abortion. The National Cancer Institute as concluded that that statement is not true. At the of the editorial, the author does agree that education to teens will help, and possibly reduce the birth. 

Although I am totally against abortion, I do not think that this bill will really effect anyone on their decision to have an abortion. Once a women steps into that abortion clinic, they have made up their mind. Everyone has the right to decide how they conduct their own lives and our state government should not interfere with their decision. If this bill does pass, it might allow for some babies to live and live a wonderful life. But we must reform the foster care system in this state, because it is at an all time high. We also must look at education for teens to teach them the risk, and how to avoid being in this situation where they might have to choose life or death for a fetus. 

Take a look at this editorial and decide for yourself if our state government should interfere any further on the decisions of women in regards to abortion. 

A New Speaker Will Bring Change

In the Austin American Statesman, there is an editorial that discusses the changes that are happening in the Texas House of Representatives. The author sees these changes as a “breath of fresh air to the Capitol.” The new Speaker of the House, Joe Straus, a Republican from San Antonio, will bring an younger, more bipartisan attitude to the House. The former Speaker, Tom Craddick, a Republican from Midland, has served as Speaker of the House for three terms. The author is really excited that these changes are happening. With this new Speaker, and an almost split evenly House, we will have a much better representation and hopefully the work that is produced in the House will be improved. With the recent realignment in Washington, we see our own state government move towards being bipartisan. Check our this editorial and see if these changes will be good for our state.