Comments on "What's the Big Deal?"

On November 30, Mr. Alex S. Ortiz wrote a blog regarding the decriminalization of marijuana in the state of Texas. Mr. Ortiz first talks about how people who are caught with less than 2 oz of marijuana can be sent to jail for 180 days and how he and many others among the community in Texas believe that this is a far bigger punishment than one deserves for carrying minimum possessions. Mr. Ortiz then talks about how a significant percentage of people in Texas believe that a ticket or a fine is sufficient enough for charging minimal possession and that it should count as a felony. I agree with Mr. Ortiz's statement regarding decriminalization because as far as I know, marijuana has never hurt anyone. It could simply just be a way of living for stoners, just as some people have a beer or a glass of wine at the end of the day as a release after a hard day of work.

Mr. Ortiz also mentions that alcohol and prescription drugs lead to more deaths than marijuana, which is definitely a fact. There has never been a recorded case of death from marijuana by overdose, but there are other drugs that lead to thousands of deaths annually that are still sold legally. To Mr. Ortiz and for me as well, this doesn't make any sense. In fact, almost half a million die in the United States every year from smoking cigarette, yet we don't ban cigarettes because of smokers claiming that it is a freedom of choice whether or not one fills their lungs with poison. If that is the case for cancer sticks, why can't this principle apply to the seemingly harmless marijuana?

Mr. Ortiz then talks about how much the state is spending money on prosecuting these "criminals" which are paid by the tax payers. This means that decriminalizing marijuana can save everyone's money by decreasing the amount of unnecessary prosecutions that place harmless pot smokers into jail. I agree with Mr. Ortiz regarding this also because many marijuana smokers include younger people who have a whole life ahead of them. If one was to get arrested and prosecuted for a small possession of marijuana, this criminal record will haunt them for life. Of course, you can easily say that it was their responsibility and that it was their own fault for getting caught or whatever, but why make people's life more miserable instead of trying to catch actual criminals that can do real harm to the society and the people around them? Why do cops waste their time on putting people who are simply making their own choices behind bars instead of spending more time catching real criminals like they're supposed to?

Overall, I agree with everything that Mr. Ortiz has mentioned. As Mr. Ortiz mentioned himself, legalizing marijuana might be a completely different story, but decriminalizing marijuana in Texas is something that should be very possible and the justice force should see the drug as it really is.

What is Choice?

Freedom of choice has always been one of the greatest factors that America can provide to the citizens but often, the government must make necessary changes and laws that are limiting for the people who do not against it. The issue of abortion in Texas posed a similar problem for the women in Texas. According to Guttmatcher, about 1 in 3 women in America will have had an abortion by the time they are 45. Over half of them are women in their 20s and most of them are unmarried and economically disadvantaged. These statistics show that women don't have abortions because they want to; they have abortion because they know that they cannot provide a decent lifestyle for their own children. Although this does not mean that they are not responsible for the death of a fetus, having no resources to take care of a child and sending them away to adoption might not be what a woman might want for the child.

The Burnt Orange Report recently posted a blog about self-induced abortion. According to the blog,  many women in Texas are choosing to carry out abortions by themselves in their own homes. According to statistics, as many as 100,000 to 240,000 Texans have self-induced abortion and the number is only rising. Because these women are denied abortion by the state for whatever reason but they cannot take care of a child, they must use desperate measures and force themselves to go through excruciating pain and kill the fetus inside their own body. These self-induced abortions are also very dangerous for the child bearer as well. If a mistake is made during an abortion, the woman could very well die in the process.

Although I personally think that denying a child's life and future simply because you cannot take responsibility for the child is a very selfish reason for killing your own child, but then again desperate times calls for desperate measures for many women especially if they believe that they simply have no choice. Because I will never personally experience something like this in my lifetime, my opinion is not significant enough to say whether or not a person is making the wrong choice when having an abortion. I do, however, think that if a woman wants to remove the fetus inside their body for whatever reason, it is completely their own decision and their own responsibility. I don't think that we should force a person to give birth to an unwanted child that they cannot care for. The fact that women are still doing abortions on their own shows how desperate they are and I believe that we shouldn't judge these people simply because we cannot relate to their problems.

Comments on Expanding Transportation Alternatives

Saul Antonio Arreguin posted an article for his 512 Politics blog entitled "Expanding Transportation Alternatives."

Mr. Arreguin mainly talks about the terrible traffic conditions in Austin due to the rapid growth and increase in population. He mentions that Austin is the fastest growing city in America and that it is the one of the most condensed cities. Mr. Arreguin then talks about how other cities in Texas are facing similar issues but the problems are not as great compared to Austin's problems because the other big cities such as Dallas and Houston have more territory to expand and allow the population to be distributed. On the other hand, Austin's population is mainly concentrated towards the downtown area, which is where the University of Texas is also located, which also adds a huge number of population in Austin.

The blogger then goes on to talk about the great benefits of the railroad system in Austin and that investing in the Metro Rail System would reduce the traffic because more people would turn to it instead of driving on their own, especially for those who drive in and out of downtown daily, faced with horrendous traffic in I-35 and Mopac day and night.

Although Mr. Arreguin makes a good argument about Austin's increasing population and the traffic problems, I personally believe that investing in widening the highways could be a greater investment. Although the Metro Rail System is a convenient method of traveling, it's clear that the most preferred method of transportation in America is without a doubt automobiles. Cars provide the freedom to take whatever road we choose to drive on, while railroads only provide a set amount of destinations to choose from. Relying on the railroad is a great idea that could greatly help Austin's road with decreased traffic and it also comes with the bonus of reduced carbon monoxide pollution in the environment, but investing in the railroad system will not benefit the Austinites if the people choose the freedom of driving instead of the convenience of taking trains.

The Land of Opportunity

Education and foreign policy are two topics that are always in discussion in Texas for obvious reasons. Education has and will always be one of top concern in America because the education system ultimately determines how the future generations will shape the world. What many people don't understand is that America is a country developed by foreigners who have contributed to the growth of the country since its origin until today. More and more foreigners immigrate into America acknowledging that America could be the land of opportunity. For some foreigners, this new-found opportunity is education. Not all countries around the world provide an education system that is deep and constructive for students who want to achieve further. In fact, many countries around the world don't even offer a proper education for the children. For students like these, the only way to have a proper education might be to study in the United States.

According to the Institute of International Education, there were approximately 886,052 international students in 2014 and is getting higher every year (8% increase since 2013). It was also stated that there was a 72% increase of international student population in higher U.S. education such as colleges and universities since 2000. This shows how rapidly international students are entering the U.S. as well as how much foreigners contribute to the education system in America.

Although students and children from all around the world come to America to continue or even start on their education, many are forced to return to their country because they cannot afford to pay for their education. There are many reasons for this. The main reason for this is because college tuition is just too expensive for a foreigner. Many students in America graduate from their high school and decide to attend the state university that provides in-state tuition. This is justifiable because the purpose of in-state tuition is to provide for those who have already paid the taxes for the state while they were a in-state resident.

Another reason why international students cannot afford to stay in America is because they are not allowed to have any kind of jobs without a work permit. It is very common for students, especially college students, to have a part-time job in order to pay for their bills, food, tuition, and other basic necessities. Because of the problem of illegal immigrants coming in to the U.S. and "taking" jobs from Americans, the government has decided that it would be a good idea to not allow any international student to have a job. Although it is possible to get a work permit, there is a long and difficult process and is rarely given out. Because these students are not able to get jobs, many of them drop out and return to their country simply because they cannot afford to live. A solution for this problem could be allowing international students to have at least have a part time job, or at least make the work permit process easier.

I believe that America should be welcoming international students and making it easier for them to stay and have the proper education that they want. We are fortunate for an education system that allows for each and every student to have the opportunity to learn and achieve their dreams; why can't we share this opportunity to those around the world who aren't fortunate enough. Although immigrants are not completely without problems, we should still try to help all children around the world by providing them with hopes of coming to America and helping them achieving their goals.

No More Homeless Veterans

According to the Burnt Orange Report blog "Texas Democrats Accepts Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness in 2015" by Joe Deshotel, First Lady Michelle Obama announced a "Mayor Challenge" for cities to help homeless veterans by providing them with housing and put them out of the streets. The blog states that an estimate of 50,000 veterans across the nation are homeless and which is due to a 33% decrease of homeless veterans since 2010. 11 mayors in Texas, including the mayor of Austin, Steve Adler, as well as the Senator Kirk Watson, have declared that they would provide 200 homeless veterans with free housing which will be supported by landlords, service providers, and business leaders which will be completely paid for "by reliable pay via the U.S. Government" as well as a fund managed by the Austin Community Foundation.

The author of this blog was targeting the general public which includes both Democrats and Republican to show that the mayors and senator of Texas are doing everything they can in order to help the homeless veterans and that anyone else can also help by contributing to the funds for the Austin Community Foundation. The author was no particularly arguing or disagreeing with anything. Although the title suggests that it was the Democrats who "accepted the challenge" to provide housing for homeless veterans, the names of the other 10 mayors were never given and without knowing exactly who supported this movement, any of those mayors could be a Democrat or Republican. Joe Deshotel's intentions were clear when entitling his blog because he is the currently the Communications Director for the Travis County Democratic Party and was heavily involved in politics, serving a member of the U.S. Congress as well as the Texas Legislature.

Despite the misleading title, most of what Joe Deshotel stated in his post were simple factual information that pushes towards helping veterans by providing them with free housing. I personally agree with what the mayors are trying to accomplish. From my knowledge, there's nothing wrong with helping the homeless, especially for those who are possibly in such conditions due to a consequence for defending the country.

College Readiness for Students in Texas

Education is one of the most important fundamental requirements for a successful future in a country, but it is still undeniable that in order to properly educate the students in Texas, money is necessary. Because money is such a huge contribution for education in Texas, the issue of funding for education has constantly been debated.

Bill Hammond, a former Texas House member and chairman of the Texas Workforce Commission, who is now the President and Chief Executive Officer of Texas Association of Business & Chambers of Commerce (TABCC), recently stated in The Dallas Morning News that our priorities for education funding are skewed and that we need to look at the merits of increased education funding for college readiness mainly for high school students. 

Hammond states that the college- readiness rates in Texas high schools are very low. According to the latest ACT College Readiness Report for Texas, only 27% graduates met the standards in all the subjects. The College Board of the SAT exam also stated that only 31.8% of the students met the standards. Hammond believes that the main reason for this is because the policies that regulate college-readiness in high school students no longer exists. Hammond claims that in order to better educate students and prepare them for college, the Supreme Court must consider reinstating the requirements necessary so that students can graduate fully prepared for college or career, not just simply increase the education funding even if the funding is for college-readiness.

I am normally in agreement for increasing educational funding, but I also know that many Texas public high schools do a poor job of preparing students for college. If the money for educational funding goes to any high schools that do not do their jobs properly by actually helping students get ready for their future education or career, then I believe that it is just a waste of money. If we truly want to provide a better education for future generations, we need to make sure that students receive the proper guidance they need before they graduate and continue their studies before eventually becoming the leading generation for our state.

Rise of Sexual Assault in Texas

The crime of sexual assault has been around in Texas for a long time, but because it is often unreported by the victims in fear of receiving public attention, the issue has managed to stay dormant under many other issues going around in Texas and has been ignored by the mass majority of the public. Recent report made by the University of Texas Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault has brought back the attention of the public when it was reported that sexual assaults have become much more prevalent in Texas than in 2003. Burnt Orange Report states that according to the survey statistics,  33.2% of Texans are survivors of sexual report. This means that approximately 1 in every 3 people in Texas have experienced sexual assault in their life. It was also noted that this is much higher than the national average of sexual assaults, which is 1 out of 6. There was also a direct link to the increased chance of sexual assault within a college. Every student in a college or university, without relations to the individual's academic skills, are at least 10% more likely to experience sexual assault. Although the issue of sexual assault is so difficult to reveal to the because it is such an under-reported crime, it is clear from these results that Texas needs to raise the awareness for sexual assault and do everything in order to stop the crime.