John Thompson writes blog post entitled "Hypocrites" which informs citizens of the fraudulent voting in the legislator and encourages people to take action.
Thompson explains the blatant disregard for the agreed upon rules the legislature sets. At the beginning of the legislative session the legislators agree to follow certain rules, including not voting for other members unless requested by that person. While it would seem that this would be an easy rule to follow and that our representatives would it can be seen, quite easily in fact that it is not followed. And as Thompson points out no representative is going to stop this fraud because they all benefit from it. I would also like to add that sometimes one member will vote for another even when they are present, which is directly against the rules.
Thompson then encourages people to take action against this fraud. No citizen would want a representative from another district vote for them. While Thompson encourages the people to take action he does not suggest and actions we can take.
Friday, December 14, 2012
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Will Rain Water Save The Day?
With drought after drought after drought many people are looking towards ways of conserving water and some are turning to rain water in hopes that can help save and maybe earn them some money.
People are able to earn money by collecting rain water through rebates. The City of Austin offers a rebate of 50 cents on every gallon of non-pressurized storage and 1 dollar on every gallon of pressurized storage up to $5,000 (David Barer). Not only can people earn money they can also help our booming population deal with the water shortages. Personally I have not heard of these rebates, it is a fantastic way to encourage people to look toward other places for water other than the city.
There is also no sales tax on water collection equipment and homeowner associations cannot ban the installations of those systems (David Barer). These measures allow homeowners the opportunity to install these systems. I was very surprised that homeowner associations cannot ban the water collection systems, sometimes it seems that they have unlimited control, this gives people the ability to not have to worry about how their neighbors will feel, they can focus on collecting water.
It seems that these encouragements aren't well known to the public though as the droughts get worse more people will be looking for ways to get water that don't rely on the tap. If these methods of collecting water were advertised along with the tax breaks and rebates more people would be willing to invest in the collection which would help alleviate some of our drought problems before it becomes a major problem.
People are able to earn money by collecting rain water through rebates. The City of Austin offers a rebate of 50 cents on every gallon of non-pressurized storage and 1 dollar on every gallon of pressurized storage up to $5,000 (David Barer). Not only can people earn money they can also help our booming population deal with the water shortages. Personally I have not heard of these rebates, it is a fantastic way to encourage people to look toward other places for water other than the city.
There is also no sales tax on water collection equipment and homeowner associations cannot ban the installations of those systems (David Barer). These measures allow homeowners the opportunity to install these systems. I was very surprised that homeowner associations cannot ban the water collection systems, sometimes it seems that they have unlimited control, this gives people the ability to not have to worry about how their neighbors will feel, they can focus on collecting water.
It seems that these encouragements aren't well known to the public though as the droughts get worse more people will be looking for ways to get water that don't rely on the tap. If these methods of collecting water were advertised along with the tax breaks and rebates more people would be willing to invest in the collection which would help alleviate some of our drought problems before it becomes a major problem.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Race and Admisions
Jimmy Pham argues that race should have nothing to do with admissions at UT in his blog post "Race-Based Admissions". Pham states that UT has been accepting students based on race, though UT states that though they do consider race it is not a major part in the decision making process and they consider race in order to create a more diverse student body.
Pham writes this blog toward people who are interested in improving the admission methods of universities. He assumes that the reader knows that race is taken into consideration when looking at applications. It is also assumes that people understand the Equal Protection Clause in the 14th Amendment.
Pham points out a current court case where a white student (Abigail Fisher) sued UT because she had been denied entry even though she had better academics and more extracurricular involvement than other students who had been accepted and also happen to be a different race. This court case strengthens Pham's argument, he isn't the only person who feels that race shouldn't be an issue when accepting students. It also adds legitimacy to his argument, there has to be evidence in order to place a law suit. The evidence has been summed up and because of the suit the details do not need to be stated. Pham then addresses the universities defense in this case. UT states that they use race in their admissions in order to keep a diverse student body. While this may seem like a good idea Pham points out that this actually makes the university more racial because they are using race to accept or deny admissions. Pham sums up his argument stating that race shouldn't be considered at all, only a person's merits should be taken into consideration when deciding whether that student should be accepted or not.
I have felt that race shouldn't be considered for a long time, I also feel that it shouldn't even be asked on applications. I have always questioned what my race has to do with my work ethic and credentials. Though I have always questioned this I haven't heard of any court cases I also haven't discussed this issue with any one else so it is very nice to hear another person's opinion, especially since we agree. I am very interested to see how this case turns out and hope that this will keep race from being a part of any decision making whether it be in school admissions or job applications.
Pham writes this blog toward people who are interested in improving the admission methods of universities. He assumes that the reader knows that race is taken into consideration when looking at applications. It is also assumes that people understand the Equal Protection Clause in the 14th Amendment.
Pham points out a current court case where a white student (Abigail Fisher) sued UT because she had been denied entry even though she had better academics and more extracurricular involvement than other students who had been accepted and also happen to be a different race. This court case strengthens Pham's argument, he isn't the only person who feels that race shouldn't be an issue when accepting students. It also adds legitimacy to his argument, there has to be evidence in order to place a law suit. The evidence has been summed up and because of the suit the details do not need to be stated. Pham then addresses the universities defense in this case. UT states that they use race in their admissions in order to keep a diverse student body. While this may seem like a good idea Pham points out that this actually makes the university more racial because they are using race to accept or deny admissions. Pham sums up his argument stating that race shouldn't be considered at all, only a person's merits should be taken into consideration when deciding whether that student should be accepted or not.
I have felt that race shouldn't be considered for a long time, I also feel that it shouldn't even be asked on applications. I have always questioned what my race has to do with my work ethic and credentials. Though I have always questioned this I haven't heard of any court cases I also haven't discussed this issue with any one else so it is very nice to hear another person's opinion, especially since we agree. I am very interested to see how this case turns out and hope that this will keep race from being a part of any decision making whether it be in school admissions or job applications.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
City of Austin Propositions 3 and 4
The current City Council has six members which are elected by the whole city. This system doesn't reflect the diversity of Austin, seeing as how five of the current council members live downtown or in West or Central Austin (Austin American Statesman). With this lack of diversity the people have decided it is time for a change. 33,000 signatures were collected in order to get Proposition three on the ballot (The Daily Texan).
Proposition 3, commonly known as the 10 to 1 plan, calls for 10 single member districts with the mayor being elected by the city. These districts would be drawn by a 14 member council with no interference from the city council. This plan would require a large council, their staff, and the council to draw the districts which would cost approximately $5,622,000 according to Progress Texas. The City of Austin Council also put together a Proposition to reform the current Council in Proposition 4.
The 8 to 2 to 1 plan or Proposition 4 was put together by the City Council. They want 8 district representatives and 2 at large council members. The district lines would be drawn by City Ordinance (The Daily Texan). According to Progress Texas this plan would also cost $5,622,000. Both Propositions would call for a Mayor being elected at large.
In order to one of these propositions to come into effect they would need 50% of the vote, if they both get 50% then the one with the highest votes would win and if neither get 50% the system doesn't change.
While both of these Propositions have differences, they are both quite similar so much so that the conspiracy theorist it me is screaming. Prop 3 was initiated and written by the citizens. Prop 4 was initiated and written by the City Council. That in combination with the fact that a Proposition needs 50% to pass makes me think that the City initiated Prop 4 in hopes of splitting the vote so neither would be able to get 50% and therefore the system would stay the same with no change.
Proposition 3, commonly known as the 10 to 1 plan, calls for 10 single member districts with the mayor being elected by the city. These districts would be drawn by a 14 member council with no interference from the city council. This plan would require a large council, their staff, and the council to draw the districts which would cost approximately $5,622,000 according to Progress Texas. The City of Austin Council also put together a Proposition to reform the current Council in Proposition 4.
The 8 to 2 to 1 plan or Proposition 4 was put together by the City Council. They want 8 district representatives and 2 at large council members. The district lines would be drawn by City Ordinance (The Daily Texan). According to Progress Texas this plan would also cost $5,622,000. Both Propositions would call for a Mayor being elected at large.
In order to one of these propositions to come into effect they would need 50% of the vote, if they both get 50% then the one with the highest votes would win and if neither get 50% the system doesn't change.
While both of these Propositions have differences, they are both quite similar so much so that the conspiracy theorist it me is screaming. Prop 3 was initiated and written by the citizens. Prop 4 was initiated and written by the City Council. That in combination with the fact that a Proposition needs 50% to pass makes me think that the City initiated Prop 4 in hopes of splitting the vote so neither would be able to get 50% and therefore the system would stay the same with no change.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Travis County Central Health Tax Increase
Randy Samuelson argues that voters should vote no on proposition one, which will increase property taxes to fund construction of a new medical school in "Opposing the Travis County Central Health tax increase" which can be found on Blue Dot Blues' blog. He also believes that the tax increase is actually a way to increase medicaid funding from the federal government.
This article was written to people who are interested in understanding what this proposition means. Samuelson is a State Republican Executive Committeeman for Senate District. The fact that he works in the political world both gives him credit and takes some away. Because of his job the reader believes that he knows the facts of the issue and his opinion is trustworthy, however the reader is also aware that many people will lie or stretch the truth in order to make citizens vote a certain way therefore all his facts should be double checked by a nonpartisan source.
Samuelson starts out by explaining that the property tax increase will cost about $125 per year for the average homeowner and this money will be used for a new medical school. He goes on to state that universities have been funding their own medical schools with out the government's help. Samuelson then states that the true reason for the tax increase is to have an increase in medicaid funding through the federal government matching funds. For the reader this is a small red flag, he doesn't support this theory with any facts which makes the reader wonder if this is true or if he is just making a connection up. This weakness in the facts weakens his overall argument.
Samuelson then goes on to write about how the medicaid system is broken and continually loosing money which is a situation the United States cannot afford with their current debt problem. This argument assumes that the reader agrees with the fact that the medicare system isn't sustainable and it should be based off a free market model. With that assumption it is easy for the reader to agree with his claim that they should vote no for proposition one.
Even though he had a major weakness in his argument which I didn't really follow. I still agree with him because right now the people need as much money as they can get and increasing property taxes will only take away money from people and put it into a project that could funded through other means.
This article was written to people who are interested in understanding what this proposition means. Samuelson is a State Republican Executive Committeeman for Senate District. The fact that he works in the political world both gives him credit and takes some away. Because of his job the reader believes that he knows the facts of the issue and his opinion is trustworthy, however the reader is also aware that many people will lie or stretch the truth in order to make citizens vote a certain way therefore all his facts should be double checked by a nonpartisan source.
Samuelson starts out by explaining that the property tax increase will cost about $125 per year for the average homeowner and this money will be used for a new medical school. He goes on to state that universities have been funding their own medical schools with out the government's help. Samuelson then states that the true reason for the tax increase is to have an increase in medicaid funding through the federal government matching funds. For the reader this is a small red flag, he doesn't support this theory with any facts which makes the reader wonder if this is true or if he is just making a connection up. This weakness in the facts weakens his overall argument.
Samuelson then goes on to write about how the medicaid system is broken and continually loosing money which is a situation the United States cannot afford with their current debt problem. This argument assumes that the reader agrees with the fact that the medicare system isn't sustainable and it should be based off a free market model. With that assumption it is easy for the reader to agree with his claim that they should vote no for proposition one.
Even though he had a major weakness in his argument which I didn't really follow. I still agree with him because right now the people need as much money as they can get and increasing property taxes will only take away money from people and put it into a project that could funded through other means.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Standardized Testing
In John Young's "Signs of fed up Spring" Young argues for the people of Texas to protest and create change in the schools and their use of standardized testing. Though Young does use some facts in this article to support his argument he mostly uses emotional persuasion.
This article is written to persons concerned with the education system. The type of persuasion Young uses wouldn't convince people who had no previous knowledge of the education system. Young's lack of facts in this article reveals that he expected his readers to know of the problems that have arisen from standardized testing.
"Signs of fed up Spring" can be found on the statesmen.com. Since the article has been posted on a trusted news web site. Some of their credibility is transferred to Young which makes gives his argument more strength.
Young assumes that people believe that standardized testing has become a problem. With this assumption he is then able to build on that belief and persuade people to become involved and try to change how standardized testing is used in schools. This argument is persuasive the passion with which he writes encourages the reader to do something about the current problem. Young also quotes many predominant people who believe that standardized testing has hindered the student's ability to learn.
This article is written to persons concerned with the education system. The type of persuasion Young uses wouldn't convince people who had no previous knowledge of the education system. Young's lack of facts in this article reveals that he expected his readers to know of the problems that have arisen from standardized testing.
"Signs of fed up Spring" can be found on the statesmen.com. Since the article has been posted on a trusted news web site. Some of their credibility is transferred to Young which makes gives his argument more strength.
Young assumes that people believe that standardized testing has become a problem. With this assumption he is then able to build on that belief and persuade people to become involved and try to change how standardized testing is used in schools. This argument is persuasive the passion with which he writes encourages the reader to do something about the current problem. Young also quotes many predominant people who believe that standardized testing has hindered the student's ability to learn.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
AISD FUNDING
Richard Whittaker wrote an article for The Austin Chronicle which is entitled "Report Highlights Inequities in AISD Funding." In this article Whittaker addresses the issues with the current inequalities in funding different schools. He states that parents who have children attending schools in more wealthy sections of the city believe that the more poor schools get more money from the government than their school, which leads them to participate more in school fundraisers. According to Whittaker this gives the 'high-equity' schools more money to spend on extracurricular activities. Whereas the 'low-equity' school are still struggling to help the students succeed. He also comments on how the financial record keeping of the district is disorganized. Whittaker sums up the article with some suggestions on how the government might work to equalize the schools.
The problems in the school system are not very surprising to me. Having attended public schools myself and being the daughter of a teacher I have heard of the problems that schools face. What surprised me in this article is how the financial department is in a state of disarray. I believe it is very important for the government to keep good track of where and how they spend my money. Tracking money is also a good way to improve systems, they would be able to tell what schools need more of and what they are not using. I personally would also like to know exactly where my taxes are going.
The problems in the school system are not very surprising to me. Having attended public schools myself and being the daughter of a teacher I have heard of the problems that schools face. What surprised me in this article is how the financial department is in a state of disarray. I believe it is very important for the government to keep good track of where and how they spend my money. Tracking money is also a good way to improve systems, they would be able to tell what schools need more of and what they are not using. I personally would also like to know exactly where my taxes are going.
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