Blog stage 8

In my classmates post about gun control, they support a gun ban in Texas and I couldn't agree more. With gun rights being so prominent these days with everything in the news from open carry to school massacres, I think now is the right time to push for a gun ban. Texans of all people might not be to keen to do this but the evidence is strong. People claim they need to have guns for self defence but shouldn't there be a limit? Keeping a gun locked up in your house is one thing but having multiple in places like your car or even on your person is totally different. Guns are relatively easy to come by and the fact that one can buy a gun without any background check is both wrong and frightening. I think only law enforcement should be able to carry guns because making them illegal would surely cut down on gun related deaths and would probably eliminate gun related accidents. This is a long shot and I don't see it happening but considering all the destructive history of guns, I think a gun ban would benefit all.

Changing goals (blog stage 7)

It was brought to my attention in class this Monday that the Texas Board of Education will no longer require Algebra II for high school students who aren't on an honors plan or are pursuing a degree in math/science. While I have mixed feelings about this, I think that dropping this requirement is for the best if substituted with a more practical class. Although our education system is heavily criticized and dropping a math requirement that has been around for decades may seem wrong, I think it is the right thing to do when steeping back and looking at the current situation. With more and more kids dropping out of high school to get a job, I think dropping algebra II (a class a lot of people think of as useless) will perhaps encourage kids to stay and get their diploma. If they replaced the class with a "math in the real world" type class then students might learn practical math that will hopefully entice them by using situations in the real world. If students think that some information or a class is useless to them then motivation levels drop. I don’t see why we should cram Algebra II down every student’s throats when they might never have to remember 90% of the information. Students should spend their school time learning something that is practical and will help them latter in life.

Peer critique blog stage 6

While the insight you offered in Plastic Bags was accurate and informative, I think you fail to see one of the main reasons why the plastic bag "ban" was put into place. Those plastic bags don't break up in landfills and when not properly disposed of, the bags become liter and are bad for the environment. The ban was set up to discourage people from using them so they would stop being littered so frequently. Although it sucks to have to pay for them, this ban is a proactive step towards making the world cleaner. Austin is also a very environmentally conscious city so the ban will probably gain popularity over time.

Austin MetroRail System

Implemented almost three years ago, the Austin MetroRail system has been a reliable transport for people who don’t have a car. After being a successful service for this long I think that a big expansions to the system would cause a spike in popularity among Austenite’s and the MetroRail system could become a primary mode of transportation for many. The problem is that there are currently only nine stations in Leander and Austin making it inconvenient for people not near a station. Austin is the kind of city where people would go slightly out of their way to do this kind of thing. If they built many more stations around Austin and particularly in traffic heavy areas, people would be more inclined to use them. Austin is known for having a lot of bicyclists and to me this seems like a group of people that would support expansion. Biking is becoming more and more dangerous as traffic increases and the MetroRail system would be perfect for navigating downtown. If the service continued to be cheap and reliable like it has, then the MetroRail system would be a great environmental and economic alternative to having a car.   The rails are pretty quick and almost always on time as well as always very clean. Bigger MetroRail systems have become popular in other parts of the country and with Austin being one of the quickest growing cities; a MetroRail system could have many benefits.

The Texas Dream act was implemented a few yeas back and it serves to pay tuition for higher education for students who's parents are immigrates but have been living in Texas for at least 3 years. The Dream act was passed fairly easily and with only a handful of republicans voting against it, it was very much a conservative republican law. But due to the largely negative view this country gained for illegal immigrates the Dream act is now in question. Set aside all the negative and positive effects the rapidly increasing number of illegal immigrates bring and think about what the Dream act actually does. First of all, if a kid fits the criteria for the Dream act and is motivated enough to continue their education past high school then I don't understand why people are opposed to rewarding their achievement. Why educate them for free in public school then deny those who want to move on the chance?  Also, the kids couldn't control the fact that their parents moved here illegally, they just have to deal with the hardships that comes with it. Right now all four of the Republican candidates for Lt. Governor are opposed to the Texas Dream act. With Greg Abbot being the most likely Republican Governor nominee, the future of the Texas Dream act depends on his support for it.

Article: Texas GOP needs Greg Abbot to lead

Last Wednesday the 18th, the Texas Tribune posted a story about a group that targeted governor Rick Perry's business recruiting trip to Maryland. Perry traveled to Washington D.C. to try and recruit business to move to Texas. A group called Good Jobs First released a report revealing that local sales tax funding was used to advertise for Perry's trip as well as cover some of the travel expenses. This report came out after the office of the governor said that no state funds were going to be used for this trip. TexasOne is the group with a state partnership that uses this money and they reportedly have spent 1.8 million in advertising for the governor. Is this they way our tax money should be spent? Are people going to continue to allow this to happen? Some people call for action and this article could spark that.