Wow, they just won the seat again by 20 votes and already they feel entitled and inclined to propose their conservative views on the rest of Texas! The one that shocked me the most was the one about the abortion laws, requiring that candidates listen to the heartbeat and see the ultrasound, before they be allowed to get the abortion.This is just cruel, the definition of when life begins should be made evident before this should be done.Pro-choice activists will be fighting this measure.Well, I'm glad to know that the Democrats have increased their number in the state House and Senate.A positive piece of proposed legislation by the GOP is the 2 year moratorium on state college increases.Something that is worth mentioning for entertainment purposes is the proposed constitutional amendment that would make it a right for Texas "to hunt and fish in this state." Does this really need to be a constitutional amendment.Why not, there are plenty others, what's one more?
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Friday, October 31, 2008
The Freedom of Speech Threatened
This article was a well written informative article I thorougly enjoyed reading. It was written by Molly Ivins and Louis Dubose.This is about a couple who in July of 2004 attend a suppossed campaign event at the West Virginia capital grounds.In his speech the president starts by thanking everyone from The Girl Scouts to the West Virginia Coal Association.It is an all too familiar speech about keeping the fear of terroists alive and how the war is a good idea so that we can keep our land at home safe. The authors go on to elaborate on how the president mentions all the freedoms he is so thankful for like the freedom for people to speak their minds, the freedom for people to worship as they choose, and Bush even stating that freedom is a gift from God to every man and woman.All the people applauded, except for maybe one couple, Nicole and Jeff Rank.Nicole was a FEMA employee who was offered tickets to attend the event and she accepted and gave the secret service information about her and her husband, the questionairre didn't ask if they were Bush supporters and she didn't offer.They attended the event and unveiled a homemade T-shirt with the no symbol crossed out over Bush. What occured after this was shocking. They were noticed, threated to be arrested if they didn't remove their T-shirts, and when protested arrested.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Critique of Commentary on Texas Education
The intended audiences for this commentary are the public and the taxpayers. The authors who wrote this commentary are state representatives. Rob Eissler is the Chairman of the Texas House Education Committee and as an elected member he is very creditable and knowledgeable about education. Lois Kolkhorst is the Chair of The Texas House Appropriations subcommittee and is also an elected representative very creditable credentials and experience to comment of this topic.
Their argument is against the attacks from State Representative Eddie Rodriguez that was made against his partisan counterparts and Speaker Tom Craddick. Their claim is a counterattack with evidence to support their views. Rodriguez mentioned the current legislation “shirking their duty” on public education. They claim the truth is that Texas has always made public education its top priority. They give evidence to that claim, saying that education receives the largest portion of the state budget, nearly 59 cents to every dollar. They claim that Texas teachers aren’t among the lowest paid in the nation, as Rodriguez alleges, but they do admit that teachers’ salaries in Texas are only slightly below the national average. They say that misleading information is comparing Texas’ teachers’ salaries to higher cost of living states like New York. They make the assumption that Rodriguez is saying that appropriating more money is all we need to do. They disagree and think other issues should be addressed as well. The representatatives say that we must be loyal to the mission of educating students and doing this involves good teachers not just a blank check. The noted that Texas has established one of the most ambitious pay-for –performance pilot programs, rewarding excellence among teachers. It was also stated, last session lawmakers provided 300 million dollars to retain teachers in math and science areas and mentioned 145.5 million dollars in financial aid to low income student. A final counterattack was made against Rodriguez’s claim that the former Texas Tomorrow Fund is closed and evidence was given that an innovation fund like The Texas Promise Fund has taken its place. The members close their arguments by giving their opinions about the fact twisting assaults on the issue, stating it will not solve the problem. They admit the balance of they taxpayer wallet and education costs will always be volatile and as two leaders involved in these issues they promise to make the public education system the best it can be.
I would not agree with this commentary. I feel that they made a good argument for their part in Texas education but I don’t feel their argument was valid enough to support their claim. I wouldn’t necessarily say that Texas has made education it’s top priority without facts to support this claim. I would like to have seen more examples of how Texas has made education its top priority currently and in the past. I will agree that 59 cents to every dollar seems very good but compared to what? I would question why Texas’s teachers get paid below the national average if education was truly our top priority. I would also like the representatives to elaborate more on the subject of good teachers and how this has to do with being loyal to the mission. How does money and good teachers correlate? Appropriating more money, as Rodriguez claims, could be an asset to our education system after ensuring our teachers are being reimbursed for all their hard work. I would agree that this is a fluctuating debate and I value their commitment to being the best leaders they can.
The link to the article: http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/stories/10/1015eissler_edit.html
Their argument is against the attacks from State Representative Eddie Rodriguez that was made against his partisan counterparts and Speaker Tom Craddick. Their claim is a counterattack with evidence to support their views. Rodriguez mentioned the current legislation “shirking their duty” on public education. They claim the truth is that Texas has always made public education its top priority. They give evidence to that claim, saying that education receives the largest portion of the state budget, nearly 59 cents to every dollar. They claim that Texas teachers aren’t among the lowest paid in the nation, as Rodriguez alleges, but they do admit that teachers’ salaries in Texas are only slightly below the national average. They say that misleading information is comparing Texas’ teachers’ salaries to higher cost of living states like New York. They make the assumption that Rodriguez is saying that appropriating more money is all we need to do. They disagree and think other issues should be addressed as well. The representatatives say that we must be loyal to the mission of educating students and doing this involves good teachers not just a blank check. The noted that Texas has established one of the most ambitious pay-for –performance pilot programs, rewarding excellence among teachers. It was also stated, last session lawmakers provided 300 million dollars to retain teachers in math and science areas and mentioned 145.5 million dollars in financial aid to low income student. A final counterattack was made against Rodriguez’s claim that the former Texas Tomorrow Fund is closed and evidence was given that an innovation fund like The Texas Promise Fund has taken its place. The members close their arguments by giving their opinions about the fact twisting assaults on the issue, stating it will not solve the problem. They admit the balance of they taxpayer wallet and education costs will always be volatile and as two leaders involved in these issues they promise to make the public education system the best it can be.
I would not agree with this commentary. I feel that they made a good argument for their part in Texas education but I don’t feel their argument was valid enough to support their claim. I wouldn’t necessarily say that Texas has made education it’s top priority without facts to support this claim. I would like to have seen more examples of how Texas has made education its top priority currently and in the past. I will agree that 59 cents to every dollar seems very good but compared to what? I would question why Texas’s teachers get paid below the national average if education was truly our top priority. I would also like the representatives to elaborate more on the subject of good teachers and how this has to do with being loyal to the mission. How does money and good teachers correlate? Appropriating more money, as Rodriguez claims, could be an asset to our education system after ensuring our teachers are being reimbursed for all their hard work. I would agree that this is a fluctuating debate and I value their commitment to being the best leaders they can.
The link to the article: http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/stories/10/1015eissler_edit.html
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