Friday, May 15, 2009

Texas funding college tuition

The interesting article writing by Our Texas Government, talks about how students would appreciate getting more grants from their schools.due to the down turn of our economy many people have lost their jobs. Price on goods and education has been going up. It is to where that many students can not effort to go to college or universities due to the high tuitions. Now days, students have to pay for their own expenses and also school. How can a college students afford to pay for rent, books, tuitions, and other necessities? It is true that schools provide financial aid to students, but what about the ones who do not qualify for the aid? Schools should offer more grants to students and in addition they should reduce the tuition fees.

I have to say that I also agree with this bill awaiting to be passed by Texas government. because it would reduce tress for students who are struggling to pass for college on there own or with the help of there families. Not only would this bill help current students but, encourage more students to go to college and build a stronger and better Texas for the future. We all know that Texas is behind in comparison to other states on education, so why not push for this and make it a reality that we as students can benefit from and most importantly the parents of those students who have to work more then one jobs to support there kids through school.

Monday, May 4, 2009

Senate Embraces "Choose Life" License Plate

Legislation strongly supported by abortion rights opponents - authorizing customized license plates in Texas that feature the phrase "Choose Life" - was tentatively approved by the Senate Thursday. The bill by Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, was advanced on a 22-9 vote, with eight Democrats and one Republican voting no.


Carona said his main objective is to promote adoption in Texas and provide a source of funding for organizations that assist pregnant women who wish to put their babies up for adoption. "Texas has been missing an opportunity to promote awareness of adoption," Carona said, noting that 19 other states have an optional "Choose Life" license plate. Carona and his wife have adopted two children. The Texas Alliance for Life and Texas Catholic Conference are among the groups that back the bill.


In my opinion, no one in the right state of mind should like abortion. What that says, if this was an adoption issue, then the plates should have read "CHOOSE ADOPTION", which I and many other people out there would have been fine with. But if we want to talk about abortion, let's go to the source of the problem of Texas stance on sex education...The fact that Texas has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancies. They need to find a better way to educate people about the issue of abortion, then why not encourage adoption. I mean for gods sake we have plenty of kids in foster care as it is.


What a waste of taxpayers resources with the route that they have chosen. The last time I checked we were a secular nation, so why is the clergy evangelists making our decisions. Since when did we give them enough power to make up our minds?! Because this is a sample of there work or rather graffiti coming out of our government.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Law Makers Speaking on Trans Fat in Restaurants!!

The article by Texas Government politics, talks about "Law makers speaking on trans fats in restaurants". I found this article very informative and interesting. I have to agree with the author's opinion on cutting down trans fat in restaurants because, America has been rated with the highest number of obese people in the world including Texas. By passing this law, restaurants will be able to reduce the amount of trans fat usage. As the author mentions, many of the fifth graders, are suaully about 200 IBS due to the consumption of trans fat at their school cafeterias. Passing this law will help many of men, women and kids to eat healthier foods at their jobs, schools and even restaurants. The health of kids is very important to parents. Therefore, schools should stop providing greasy and unhealthy foods to kids and instead offer fresh and nutritious food.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

College Textbook TaxExemption

As we all know, our economy is in a really bad situation. Many companies are going out of business and as a result many people are getting layed off from their jobs. Students go to school to educate them self so they can have a better Currier in the future. But seems like the cost of education has been raising up to where a lot of college students can not afford to pay for their tuition, textbooks and etc...

An interesting article by Leibowitz in Texas Legislature Online, is talking about how there should be a tax exemption for college textbooks. I personally strongly like this idea. Overall we all know college life is difficult. Every semester I have to spend at least $500 just for 2 college classes and about $300 - $400 for my textbooks. The funny and unfair part is, when we have to buy our textbooks, we have to pay in full. But we want to sell it back to the same company, same store, and sometimes to the same person, they only pay 50% of the money that we originally had paid. Its a burgen. Most of the times, I find buying my textbooks from online website a lot cheaper. It's true that I have to pay for shipping(not always), still spending $30 is a lot better than $100.

Passing this bill will help many students just like me to save at least 8.25% of our money every semester on college textbooks. The percentage sounds really small, but after all adding all these pennies could help a lot. Us students have many other expanses to pay for. Car payments, grocery, GAS to get to school, paying for rent. By passing this bill, students will be encourage to buy textbook, in order to succeed in their class.

Monday, March 30, 2009

Guns on campus

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) By Jim Vertuno-- John Woods, sometimes sits in a classroom at the University of Texas and wonders what would happen if somebody walked in and started shooting.
In April of 2007, he was a student at Virginia Tech when his girlfriend and several other people he knew, were gunned down in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Thirty-two people died, plus the gunman.
There were times when Woods thought that maybe he should get a gun.
"Then I learned pretty fast that wouldn't solve anything," said Woods, who is now a graduate student at UT. "The idea that somebody could stop a school shooting with a gun is impossible. It's reactive, not preventative."
The article talks more for those who want the bill to pass than the ones who are aginst it. I feel the author is leaning more towards the bill in favor of the gun control law of students packing guns on campus, and I am against it. Just like how Woods said "The idea that somebody could stop a school shooting with a gun is impossible. It's reactive, not preventative."
In my opinion, not all students have the knowledge of shooting. It is very dangerous for an unprofassional shooter, who turns out to be a college student, to carry a gun in the classroom, since many students are bussy with thier college life, they do not have the time to take professional shooting classes. Therefore, passing the bill for carrying a gun in college is not a wise idea. Students could misshoot another classmate by not knowing how to use the weapon properly. There should be more and more students like Woods among the leaders to fight against bills in the Texas Legislature that would allow licensed concealed gun carriers to take their weapons to school. After all this isn't the wild wild west anymore.

Monday, March 2, 2009

Forthworth lawyer Tom Schieffer

AUSTIN – Fort Worth lawyer Tom Schieffer, announcing that he's considering a run for governor, said Monday that Democrats can win the office for the first time in two decades if they tap voter discontent with Republican Rick Perry.
"We are experiencing a crisis of leadership," said Schieffer, a former U.S. ambassador under President George W. Bush who plans to run as a Democrat. He dismissed his ties to the former Republican president, saying Texans want leaders who are less partisan and more effective in dealing with issues like education and health care. "Our politics have become less substantive, less thoughtful, less creative and less innovative," said Schieffer, 61. The announcement allows him to begin raising money for the race. He said he intends to travel the state in the months ahead, talking with people and gauging public support for his candidacy.

Perry, the nine-year incumbent, and U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison are competing for the Republican nomination. Schieffer declined to say whom he'd prefer to face. Hutchison, consistently rated the most popular officeholder in Texas, could be the more difficult opponent if she can win the GOP primary. But Schieffer seemed to take his sharpest aim at Perry, saying Texas should expand its health care coverage for children and take federal economic-stimulus money. Perry has criticized both programs.

"It makes no sense to me to have a situation in which children are not getting the health care that is available to them at the federal level," he said. "We're leaving almost a billion dollars on the table because somebody wants to argue they are more conservative than another person in the Republican primary."He said the Perry administration has emphasized a good business climate to the exclusion of dealing effectively with rising tuition, soaring dropout rates and record number of children lacking health care.

Tom Schieffer wants to bring change to Texas just like how Obama is trying to bring change to the nation, so far a large majority of Texas GOP's are objecting his democratic ideology even though some republicans argue that thers no true democrat in Texas rather its just a name they claim. The author in my opinion is in favor of schieffer instead of Perry or even Hutchison. I'm personally in favor of Tom Schieffer my self he seems to value education more unlike governor Perry its this kind of progressive attitude that's gonna raise Texas's declining education up to other state levels.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Retooling Texas' Judiciary!!!

According to Statesman, on Thursday, February 12, chief justice Wallace Jefferson warned the Texas Legislature that it might soon have no choice but to radically alter the state's partisan election system for choosing judges. But once again, it look like its federal court that will force the state to deal with this festering problem.
According to Statesman, there are two problems with the current election system in the state of Texas. First, the judges must raise money to campaign, and most of it comes form lawyers who practice before them and monied interests likely to face lawsuits. Second, too many judges get elected or defeated not because of their qualifications, their records or even their rulings, but simply because of their party affiliation.
I found this article very interesting. Because as a citizen who is living in Texas we are responsible to know whats happening in our legislature. Obviously our Texas judiciary system has not been successful. I think changing judge is a very good start. After all we know even within a given courthouse too often results depend on which judge one gets. It is very important that our judges should be fair when it come to judging. I highly re command this article to my other classmates to read :-)