Commentary on "Proud of Education?"

AGeorge published “Proud of Education?” on November 23, 2011, as an original editorial about Texas state and local government. AGeorge questions the priorities of those “in charge” of administering funds to the public education system in Texas. The author expresses frustration caused by the $7 billion drop in public education spending, that ultimately leads to “reducing the pay for teachers, laying off teachers and increasing class sizes” throughout the state of Texas.

The article appeals to a vast majority of Texans, whose children, siblings, nieces, and ect… attend the Texas public school system. AGeorge wonders, “what kind of contribution can [the current youth] make without a sturdy platform of education.”  The author informs the reader that the Austin Board of Education is planning on cutting “1,153 positions district wide which [includes] 650 teachers.” Through this information AGeorge establishes the articles argument, by leading the reader to understand the impact of budget cuts in education. 

The author begins the article by metioning that in 2010 Texas produced “more jobs than any other state in the country.” The article then goes on to quote the opening statement on “The Office of the Governor Rick Perry” website. AGeorge finds the following quote ironic: “the Lone Star State is the best place in the nation to live, work and raise a family.” A connection I believe the author of this article failed to address is the correlation between the growing number of jobs and the diminished funds for education crisis. School districts are experiencing an increase in students, due to the appeal of a large workforce, which is attracting individuals to Texas. An increase of enrollment to public schools, and a decrease of funs for public education is a disastrous combination.

I completely agree with the author of this article. Education is extremely important, and government officials need to find an appropriate solution to ensure that every child in the sate of Texas is receiving the best quality of education possible. As a product of the public school system, I have to mention the lack of devotion on behalf of some teachers. It is my belief that lowering the current pay of educators in this state will only increase this problem.

Reasons the Constitution of Texas Should be Rewritten

The 1876 constitution does not provide an adequate foundation for governing a growing urban state in the twenty-first century. Provisions established in the Texas Constitution are outdated, and in constant need of amending. “Since its adaptation, as of November, 2011 a total of 653 amendments have been proposed, of which 474 were approved by voters and 179 were rejected.”

The Constitution of Texas should be rewritten for these reasons:

It is too long and disorganized, making it difficult to read and adequately understand. Due to the addition of so many amendments, Texas has earned the characteristic of having one of the longest and confusing constitutions in the United States.

The current constitution limits the governor’s executive power. The power of the chief executive is divided among other statewide elected officials. Which leads the executive branch members to jealously guard their jurisdiction, power, and their prerogatives. This makes the group effort to govern Texas a difficult task.

The Part-Time Legislature is allowed 140-day biennial sessions. This provision limits the Legislature to meet only every two years for a short time which makes governing a large, urban state difficult. The need to prepare a budget for a two-year period is particularly burdensome; it leaves room for error in calculations and ultimately, a deficit.

The underpaid legislature is also an issue, which leads officials to be easily influenced by special interest groups. The low pay helps explain the high percentage of lawyers and businessmen in the Texas Legislature, as well as the influence of lobbyists.

These are only some of the burdens caused by the outdated Constitution of Texas. Texans need motions to fix these problems, however, major constitutional revision won’t happen without the demand from the general public. It is doubtful that any state leader will take on this difficult task without the incentive of voter support.

Blog 6

Megan Fisher, the writer of “Everything’s Bigger… and Better in Texas???,” posted a blog on October 28, 2011, titled “Funding the Enemy.” This article criticizes the University of Texas for signing a contract with VF Corporation. The University receives a substantial amount of money for “royalties” from VF in exchange for “exclusive rights for selling adult t-shirts” with the school’s logo. The author also criticizes the Texas Government for not regulating business arrangements that cause local companies to go out of business.

As an individual that “worked for a local Austin screen printing company that has specialized in University of Texas licensed apparel,” it is easy to understand the strong opinion of the author. Fisher argues that the contract between the university and VF created a “monopoly” that essentially “put many local citizens out of work.” The author of the blog makes a good point; the government should support local businesses to maintain local employment. 

Personal Income Tax In Texas

Texas should adopt a personal income tax. Politicians in Texas have throughout history enforced the “low taxes, low services” credo. It is believed that mentioning “rising taxes” is political suicide for a politician in Texas.  However, in my opinion the majority of the states’ population could benefit greatly form a state government that is willing to provide more services. 

Currently, for an individual, Texas is a low tax state. Ranking 48^th in terms of taxes paid by an individual according to income. Texas relies heavily on sales and property tax to make up for their lack of personal income tax.

The tax system in Texas is considered “regressive”, meaning that the tax system takes a larger percentage from low-income people than from high-income people. Thus affecting low-income families harder.

In the next two years, the deficit in Texas is estimated to run as high as 25 billion dollars. This has caused major cuts in public education and Medicare funds. Texas already has some of the lowest SAT scores and some of the highest number of uninsured residents in the nation.

I believe that our state should provide better education and health benefits for its citizens. An individual’s income tax could be used to gather the necessary funds to provide these services. I am not ignorant to the fact that people do not like the idea of raising taxes. Realistically, people want to take home the money they work hard for. Yet an individual’s income tax should be higher for higher-income individuals; therefore benefiting the rest of the population that does not enjoy the privilege of wealth.  

What a Rick Perry Presidency Would Look Like for Women

Mean Rachel posted a blog titled “What a Rick Perry Presidency Would Look Like for Women” on August 17, 2011. As implied by the title the blog post describes, in a sarcastic manner, what it would mean for women across America to have Rick Perry as President. The Writer, Mean Rachel, emphasizes her contempt for the current Governor of Texas by describing him as “something that has seemingly always been around, but has long since lost its purpose.”

Mean Rachel’s blog attempts to appeal to women voters in America. She states current laws and mandates the Governor has enforced in Texas to make her point. The writer mentions a study done in 2005 stating  “teens in Texas were actually having more sex after undergoing an abstinence only program”. Thus bashing Rick Perry’s “tired and true abstinence methods”.

The writer also makes several assumptions of what Rick Perry’s course of actions, will be as President. According to her, Perry’s “first order of business… would be the creation of the Department of Interior Contraception, or DIC.” This department will, with no doubt, enforce abstinence as the widely accepted, reliable form of contraception.  The writer also claims that “Perry plans to punish” the sinners that do not follow the abstinence method. By imposing “mandatory transvaginal sonograms for women who are 8 to 10 weeks pregnant and seeking and abortion.” A pilot program Perry has already started in Texas.

Mean Rachel points out the irony in Rick Perry’s “policies to protect unborn children whenever possible” by mentioning that Texas has the highest number of adults without high school diplomas, and “first in the nation in the percentage of children without health insurance.” The writer expresses her concern for the future of these children “because – President Perry, just like Governor Perry, certainly doesn’t plan to care for them.”

Personally I am not thrilled at the thought of possibly having Rick Perry as my president. I do agree with Mean Rachel’s point of view, but would not recommend this blog to an individual researching Rick Perry’s political beliefs. I do not believe the assumptions in this blog are incorrect, however, it is heavily opinionated, in thus making room for biased information. 

Let’s reconsider abstinence-only sex ed.

The Houston Chronicle published, “Let’s reconsider abstinence-only sex ed” on September 22, 2011, as an opinion piece in the editorial section. This article questions the current sex education curriculum being offered in our schools. It states that 94 percent of Texas school districts choose to teach abstinence only in the classroom. The author of this article believes “the abstinence-only policies in the vast majority of Texas are proving ineffective, and curriculum changes must be made.”

The article appeals to parents of teenagers in Texas.  The author mentions shocking statistics, which informed inform the reader that Texas has the “third-highest teen birth rate in the country, and the highest rate of repeated births to teens”. He refers to teen pregnancy rates as a “crisis” that is in need of attention.

This article strives to persuade parents who believe that education of contraception may increase sexual activity among the state’s teen population. The author’s argument is that many teens are not practicing abstinence, and due to the lack of “medically accurate information, they are faced with dire consequences”.

The author makes his argument by stating facts and the opinion of experts. According to the UT Prevention Research Center, “birth control education actually delays sexual activity”. Through the text the author correlates the current pregnancy rate in Texas with the sex ed curriculum offered in most school districts.

I do agree with the author’s argument. Teenagers should not be denied education on contraception and other sex related subjects. At the same time, I do not consider the current school curriculums to be as black and white as this article portrays. I believe schools mention contraception options to its students. However, teen pregnancy rate in Texas is very high. Drastic change is obviously needed. 

Mike Toomey served in the Texas House of Representatives with Rick Perry back in the 1980’s and later served in Perry’s campaign, as chief of staff. The two men have maintained a close relationship throughout their careers. At Monday’s (9/11/11) Republican presidential debate, Michele Bachmann Congresswoman questioned Toomey and Perry’s relationship

Toomey currently serves as a lobbyist for corporations that are known for making generous contributions to both Perry and the RGA (Republican Governor’s Association). Merk Pharmaceutical, one of Toomey’s clients, has contributed over $29,500 to Governor Perry’s campaign.

In February 2007, Rick Perry issued an executive order, requiring that all girls entering sixth grade receive Merk’s Gardasil injection (used to prevent certain types HPV).  In May of that same year, the Texas Legislature was forced to block Perry’s executive order, due to public protest.

The article “Austin Lobbyist has Played a Key Role in Perry’s Career” shines a light into Rick Perry’s corrupted actions as the Governor of Texas. It leads the public to question his motives as a presidential candidate.