Capitol Protection

I was unaware The Capitol needed protection until I read this well-organized blog post written by Cindy Pham, a fellow classmate. She explains why it would be a good idea, and why supporting the side against adding metal detectors and security sensors isn’t being careless. She is pro-getting the security advancements added as she provides an example of a shooting that occurred outside The Capitol in January and presents a strong case in her favor. Personally, I’ve been to the Capitol a few times and never saw the need for increased security, but if it ensures safety, why not, right? This blog post presents the pros and cons in a compact version as she provides details and events in relation to the topic. I recommend this article to anyone who lives in Austin, has been/planning on going to The Capitol, or any tourist interested in visiting this building.

Columbus was an Immigrant

Immigration, is it necessary? Do we need immigrants? How does it affect our lives as Americans? Does Arizona have the right idea about immigration? Necessary, I highly doubt, but without immigrants our economy would go from steady decline to rapid. Immigrants in Texas are mostly of Hispanic descent; therefore they speak their native tongue, Spanish. Spanish has become the secondary language in the states now because of the extreme growth in Spanish-speaking population. Although immigrants and not citizens, I believe that immigration should be allowed, monitored and under a quota. Too much immigration will make life for current residents very difficult. The English only rules being applied in some areas of the United States I believe are unconstitutional. I completely disagree with Arizona’s take on this situation. Even Christopher Columbus came to this land as an immigrant. In a sense, not allowing immigration or current immigrants to continue residing where they are is racial discrimination. Back to the language issue; do I prefer English over Spanish? YES, all day, every day, but this doesn’t mean cutting off any translation material, for that would be unfair and in some cases inhumane. The conditions across the border are unsanitary, crime-filled, and extremely poverty struck. Denying these people the chance to make a new life for themselves and their families in a safer environment would just be unethical. It’s crucial that these racial barriers be broken and we all learn to get along because whether or not we like it, it’s bound to happen.

The Real

I chose to read my fellow colleague, Yessenia’s blog post for my assignment as her very well written editorial caught my interest. As you may know by now if you have been reading my blogs; I am not a Rick Perry supporter. Ironically, this blog discusses his motives behind cleaning up our lakes in Texas of the rapid spread of Salvinia. I found this blog to be very informative and clear, so understanding the reading was very straight forward. Yessenia writes of how she likes “the thought of our governor doing something good for our lakes.” Right after that she reveals Rick Perry’s motive behind cleaning the lakes; Salvinia threatens the fishing industry, which grosses 2.4 billion for the state economy. She was very kind when writing about Perry, whereas if it were me; it would’ve been merciless. I enjoyed reading this post and would like to extend my gratitude to the writer for writing it.

BE the change you wish to see in the world

Quite frankly, I am not a strong supporter of any governing body; all politicians to me are crooks and liars. It’s easy for me to down on the government, but let’s face it; without it, there would be anarchy and all order would be gone. However much I would love to continue writing about flaws in our Government (on a national or state/local level), lately I've been more concerned with the 2010 census; which reminds me, i need to fill it out and submit it. Recently on the news I heard of a census related shooting as someone hired to go out to homes and assist families with filling out the census form and wasn’t very welcome. I’m not sure exactly what happened but this just shows you how much ignorance is spreading. People want to complain that the government should do this and that, or that it isn’t providing for the citizens correctly. The census helps the government get you in the system (kills me to say it), it helps them see where you’re coming from and what arrangements might be necessary to help improve your way of life. When I heard about this shooting I was slightly appalled that it would escalate to such a level where people need to pull out firearms over a piece of paper? There are many problems in the system as I am aware, and the government is “ too lazy” to fix them, or they want to work on the bigger picture forgetting what they need to take care of first. Even with healthcare, I support Obama and his healthcare movement, for he did it with good will for the people, and still there are people, and governments opposing it. I guess whenever there are people and issues; there will be talk and argument. Some people see progression as destruction of their traditions, as others see it as a mandatory change needed in society. Whenever there is disagreement, there is conflict. In the United States, everyone faces their government in times of crisis and conflict. Where is the independence and freedom that this country was founded on, I don’t think any human being(s) should be given the kind of power that the government has.

Rick Perry, illusionist?

It almost seems as if Governor Rick Perry enjoys screwing things up; illusionist? He's the only man I know that was able to make $161.5 million disappear from the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund (UITF). "The unemployment tax and the Enterprise Fund," is the title of a blog post that reveals this atrocity; written by Charles Kuffner of offthekuff.com. Kuffner gathers facts from Bill White's campaign website (www.billwhitefortexas.com/payrolldiversion) and quotes from several influential people in government to compose this reading material. The writer wants to reach out to all the residents-whether or not they may be from Texas-to educate them about just how bad of a decision they made by choosing this man for governor. Kuffner discusses how Bill White wants Perry to “audit the Enterprise Fund and disclose his plan for repaying billions in stimulus loans that were used to prop up the unemployment system.” The closest thing Perry got to being productive was bailing out a struggling company called Lexicon for $35 million. The former governor said that this was done to create 5,000 jobs in the near future, but the result was “Lexicon cut [-ting] its workforce in half.” He has denied any grants to be given to support the UITF in this recession where unemployment rates are rising, however he has accepted billions in federal stimulus loans. I would HIGHLY recommend this blog post for reading by any individual that cares about the job market, the economy, or government in general. I wasn’t a great supporter of Perry, but this article really opened my eyes to why I wasn’t the only one that felt this way about him.

Much Ado About Nothing

“Judicial appointments overdue in Texas” is an opinionated editorial written by someone staffed by the statesmen regarding the delay in the appointing of future political leaders in Texas. This article is aimed at all of the Republicans whom are anti-Obama as well as the Obama supporters letting them know what Texas’ Republican senators are doing. With a quote from U. S. Rep. Gene Green and many facts relating to the actions and inactions of our leaders in Government; the writer exposes how some officials may be abusing their powers. As I read the article; I came to the conclusion that the writer was speaking from a democratic standpoint as he praises former President Barack Obama and his “admirable job” in selecting nominees for major bodies of governments where seats are currently vacant and in need of successors. The author believes that the current Republican senators (John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison) are misusing their power as they “have been gumming up the works” opposing Obama’s nominee for a Texas federal bench or U. S. attorney’s slot. His nominee, frustrated by the confirmation process, opted out. The writer explains how badly Texas needs these seats filled and good people for the job appointed during this time in our state “where the federal judiciary is already overburdened by drug and immigration cases.” I completely agree with this author, however my opinion might be a bit biased considering how my views in government are from a Democratic perspective. This editorial is great reading to help being informed as well as for people to realize that if they need to point fingers and blame people, it’s the Republican senators from Texas.

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Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Like the title says, "desperate times call for desperate measures," and when you are a Republican candidate whose name is Rick Perry going up for re-election, it couldn't get more desperate. All the hoopla about immigration has stirred up a great deal of concerned Hispanic voters. Rick Perry, who has never tried very hard to appeal to our state's Spanish-speaking crowd, has now begun to, as a major player in his campaign for upcoming gubernatorial race. Through his “new press secretary Alejandro Garcia,” he hopes to gain support of our local Hispanic community; whom are “not likely to side with [him] in his re-election contest in November against Democrat Bill White.” Garcia is responsible for their campaigns Spanish-language website and mostly Spanish-language Twitter and Facebook group. This article, written by Corrie MacLaggan helps us see how former Governor Rick Perry’s campaign might be struggling and how he hopes to regain support of Texan voters. This reading is important because it keeps us informed with important information relating to our upcoming Governor elections.