Commenting colleague

Interesting blog to say the least. I think it's courageous you can open up about not understanding Texas Government when most would keep their mouths shut, with the worry of be embarrassed. Some people may get this class, some may not, but the fact how you stay in the class instead of dropping, and WILLING to try to understand the class speaks volumes. You're right Texas Government is important if you're living in this state, don't want to be clueless to as what is going on. Like you I also enjoy learning things about that state I live in. So just keep on keeping on and you'll be fine.

Death Penalty?

As a criminal justice major, I’ve had the chance to explore all the laws and regulations of Texas, and another topic I’ve done research on is the death penalty. For a long time I was for the death penalty, but as I learned from my teachers it may be a bad thing, especially for us tax payers. According to the death penalty information center Texas is spending 2.3 million dollars PER case. With 300 people set to be executed the math equals up to 690 million dollars. To make this more appealing this 2.3 million is about 3 times the cost of putting someone in prison at the maximum level for 40 years. With this much money being spent on executions, that is tons and tons of our tax payers dollars, that to me now isn’t really necessary. The money being spend on executions can go to other things so as education funds (especially for teachers salaries), highway funds, and anything the state of Texas can benefit from. Aside from the money aspect of denying the death penalty in Texas, another reason we should is because innocent people are sometimes sent to the execution chamber. Although it’s rare mistaken identity does happen, not only do you have to pay the family shall the family sue, but again all of our tax payers money would have gone to a case that had no meaning. Yes I was pro death penalty, but if someone take the time like I did to realize all this money being spent (OUR money) you’d realize it’s not worth it, and yes I am pro “and justice for all” but the money is not worth it.

Commenting on Hair vs. Baldy

On one of my colleagues blogs, she goes onto write about the good hair vs. baldy, Rick Perry vs. Bill White in the upcoming race for Texas Governor. Like her I am a Democrat, but for Texas well being I would rather have Rick Perry in office than any other person, even if that person is a democrat. Governor Rick Perry has done more for this state than I have seen or heard anyone do in any other state, like she says especially in teaching. I also like the fact that my colleague has information to back up what she is saying such as numbers, and figures to present to as who we should vote for as our Texas Governor. Though I really never knew much about White, up until reading this blog, I took it upon myself to read information about him, and yes my colleague presents factual evidence, and if what I read is true, and if one city alone can’t stand him for his obscure behavior and harsh attitude, and not to mention his staff, I can only imagine him being Texas Governor, and with a bigger staff. Can you imagine how day to day would be with him? In closing it’s no contest as far as my opinion who should stay in office and that’s Governor Rick Perry, besides I can’t imagine not seeing that hair anymore.

Legalize Gambling

As a citizen of Texas, I think we should legalize gambling. Yes there are many arguments to this, but in the long scheme of things I think it will be great. We as citizens don’t have to spend our money in other states such as Nevada, or Louisiana, anyone on vacation to Texas will spend their money here, and if people can’t afford to make long trips to Las Vegas or Louisiana, people can gamble here. Also legalizing gambling in Texas definitely creates more job opportunity. In the end the state will be benefiting from this because ultimately the state is making money, and I figure with all the deficit’s the state is in, hey why not take a chance at this, and try to gain some money for the state, and at the same time make everyone’s time at a gambling establishment enjoyable.

As a citizen of Texas I have seen and have known school to go under funded, teachers have a huge pay cut, actually a lot of businesses have had huge pay cuts in the last few years. Legalizing gambling can solve these problems as well as many others. For example Louisiana are taxed at a rate of 21.5% of their gross revenue, and with this they pay taxes off with what they bring in with no deductions of any expenses. According to a casino spokesman from Louisiana 53% of all gaming revenue come from out of state mainly Texas. As a result over $18.2 million per month received by the state and local governments in gaming taxes. In the end of all this moneys and figures, just imagine how much Texas would be making, yes it’s a big gap to fill as far as trying to pay off our debt in this state, but this could be a huge step to getting all debt paid off.

Legalizing gambling in Texas, will also open up JOBS. Now days with jobs being cut left, and right, opening up gambling establishments would be a huge boost for this, whether it be a dealer, hostess, cook, bartenders, ticket sales, security. At the minimum gambling establishments have at least 2,000 employees, that in itself is 2,000 more job opportunities. So if Texas have ten or more casinos that’s over 20,000 new jobs, and to me that sounds wonderful.

In conclusion bringing gambling to Texas will be a great thing to do, it has every tool there is to help Texas pay off debts, that would otherwise take longer than not legalizing gambling. Also to me more than anything else the job opportunity is so important. In the end I think Texas should take a gamble, and see what happens, only one of two things can happen it either fails, or hit’s the jackpot.

Texas and The Health Care Reform Bill

The new Health Reform bill will be better for Texans? According to Katherine Haenschen who posted a blog on The Burnt Orange Report this bill will be better for Texans, because not only will we as Texans see improvements to the insurance policies we hold, but even the most at risk Texans will finally get the care they need. Katherine also goes on to say that Governor Rick Perry, does not support this bill, and that if he doesn’t, that we need a Governor who will. In my opinion not everyone is going to agree, so saying we need a new Governor to me is childish. Just because we have a Governor who doesn’t agree, doesn’t mean he won’t in the end do what people believe is to be right. In reading this I think Katherine is trying to attract the people who have little to no insurance, because it’s something people will read, and it’s also something to believe in. To keep any audience attracted, and reading what’s being written, is to provide nothing but hard solid facts, and don’t sell out, because once you do that to your audience then mayhem is likely to happen especially with something as important as this.

The basic argument to Katherine’s writing is that she’s telling us how good this bill will be while Governor Rick Perry, and Attorney General Greg Abbot are trying to prevent the people of Texas from receiving any part of this bill. Some assumptions that this argument relies on is that I think Katherine believes that The Governor, and Attorney General want to do away with all Texans having any insurance whatsoever.

In uncovering the evidence her argument is supported how Rick Perry and Greg Abbot, want to do away with this bill, again yes I believe they want to do away with this bill, but not do away with having another insurance plan, that can be beneficial to all Texans.

The future of the death penalty

In the Houston Chronicle, David R. Row made an argument on how the death penalty will probably soon fade away, because of how much money goes towards putting someone to death. This argument happened because, Row is trying to get the people of Texas to realize how much time, and money goes into putting someone to death, when we can put all those efforts to actually helping this state. To keep any audience attracted I Think David R. Row, should build upon this and bring out other facts as to what all could be done with the money. I agree with Rows argument to fund the money else where such as, more police officers, teachers, programs in prisons so that when people get released, they can have some sense of what’s going on, and how to do things. Some of the facts Row relies on is how much money we lose, and that by not using it for the death penalty we can make great benefit for it else where. I believe that this argument is directed to everyone in the state of Texas, because with our state in so much debt, we as people of Texas can do so much more with the money, than putting someone to death. David R. Row goes to mention that there have been 1,200 people put to death, and that equals up to 1.2 billion dollars, again just imagine all we could have done with 1.2 billion dollars. Also people here in Texas have agreed that we should focus on fixing schools, pot holes, and other things going on in Texas, than to waste it on putting someone to death. So him conducting surveys to see what the people of Texas think about this matter, is a plus. In my opinion is this that this argument is a successful one, and yes it does convince to support this argument. Before I was pro death penalty, but now as I read this and hear from other Law Officials, it’s just not worth it anymore to waste all that money.

Trafficking in Texas

I believe human trafficking is a huge crime, and a bigger problem to deal with. Although this is happening across America, this subject hits home to Texas in a big way. From Corpus Christi, San Antonio, El Paso, Dallas, and especially Houston, this is a growing business here in Texas. I feel it's important to talk about, because just two hours from here in Austin, Houston has a big ring of trafficking, and needs to be addressed. As ICE campaigned last year their "Hidden in Plain Sight", this is happening in places in House such as bars, and grill and cantinas, and we need to stop ignoring that slavery doesn't exist and put a stop to it now, before this billion dollar industry grows even larger swiping more cities across texas