Hurricane Relief

Response to "Permanent Texas Relief Program"

Wow.. I knew there were problems in this area to say the least but not to this extent. My Aunt lived right on the water in Baytown, and after over 6 months of completely remodeling their house, the hurricane came and took everything away right down to her walls. If we have to pay taxes that goes to our government each year, you would think they would be quicker in taking better care of their citizens and helping them get back on their feet faster. The hurricane victims have already been through so much, losing so many precious memories, the last thing they need is to put their life on hold, just to get back to where they once were. If the government reacted faster and more efficient in fixing what was damaged this would also help our economy run smoother, people could go back to their life and jobs.

Prison Contraband

Within the Texas Corrections Systems, there have been some contraband issues. Inmates have been able to smuggle cellphones, weapons and drugs into their cells. The biggest issue of smuggling cell phones is that inmates have the ability to conduct others to do their crimes for them on the outside. A family may think they are safe from the attacker that threatened their life however, just because he is behind bars doesn't mean that they can call a "friend" to help him out. Citizens are suppose to feel at ease and feel secure with the legal system, which means that when people commit a crime and go to prison that they are now safe from those predators. This has now been proved wrong several times, with inmates being able to smuggle in cell phones. In attempt to put this issue to rest, the Prison Officials have come up with a $65.8 million dollar plan to "beef" up security. They plan to hire more security officers, set up more cameras, and even have metal detectors for the inmates to walk through. I believe Texas officials need to do what it takes to make citizens feel safe about going on with their daily routine.  Even though $65.8 million dollars may seems like a little much, you cannot put a price on you or your families safety.

Response

My Response to Texas Abortions

I can see you the point you are making, however if the teenager already made the poor decision of having unprotected sex, what makes them capable of making another life altering decision. Since they are already lacking making adult decisions I beleive that it should go to the parents to make that decision for them. Why should a baby pay for the lack of judgment thier potention parents had when they decided not to use birthcontrol. Also if abortion rates have decreased, shouldn't we be happy that people are becoming wiser and more careful with the decisions they make? The stricter abortion laws become, I strongly believe the less amount of abortions will "need" to be made.

New Change

Now that Barack Obama and Joe Biden have been elected to be in office, I (along with everyone else in the country) am curious to see what changes are in store ahead. Especially in Texas now that a Democrat has won office, our Texas House of Representative has now become more even with the Democratic(74) to Republican(76) ratio. There has now been talk about gas prices rising due to Obama's win. A few months ago it would take up to $70 to fill up my gas tank, recently I have been able to put my hard earned money into savings now that filling my tank barely costs $40. On his website he claims that he is going to "Provide short-term relief to American families facing pain at the pump". We dont need just a short-term relief, we need long term one as well, but short-term is better than nothing. Obama's plans for lowering taxes are more towards lower and middle class family's, which is great however it is somewhat of a Robin hood scheme of "steal from the rich and give to the poor". I work hard for my money and I do not appreciate it being taken away to beneifit those who just dont care about working and prefer to life off of their government. And those who make $250,000 + will go back to the 1990's style tax paying. I can see where Obama is trying to put a relief on tax, but I am still waiting to see how it will all play out for Texans.

Smear Tactics

In the editorial "Smear tactics? We've had enough" the author writes about how America is becoming a more "pro-America" place due to politicians not using the smear tactic as they once use to. The author's inteded audience would be the older voters that have been through more elections and understand how this tactic has been used in the past. He uses Michel Backman as one of his examples, when Backman made a comment about making an expose on the people in congress to find out if they are pro-America or anti-America this caused her opponent Tinkleberg gained over a million more dollars in campaign contributions. This example shows how smear tactic backfired, and also that American Citizens are looking for the more positive attitude to be rewarded office instead of the slanderer. Another example are of those who refer to Obama as a Muslim. This is suppose to scare the voters to the republican party instead of encouraging them to vote due to Republicans views and ideals. I agree with what the Author is saying because I would rather see someone win due to their knowledge of their world and not the insults of their opponent. I’m glad to see that America is not longer being persuaded in the direction of the bully, instead they see how the other opponent is not using these dog eat dog tactics to win an election. They also seem to be a credible source using direct quotes and well known people that gives his argument more of an impact.


Austin American Statesman

Early Voting

In "Early voting in historic election begins today" the authors highly suggests that voters should cast their ballots as soon as possible to avoid technical problems and long lines; which people generally run into when they decide to wait till November to vote. This election is said to be a historical and I believe it is important to be apart of it and vote. The author of this editorial is aiming towards the audience of all voters, especially those who have the tendency to procrastinate. The thinking behind the article is 100% logical, the sooner you vote the better chance you have of waiting in lines. The author of this article is unknown which makes me unsure of their credentials, however I would assume by their logical standpoint that they seem to be a somewhat credible source. This is a great influential editorial that insist that all Americans need to make their vote count, the author gives you informational links on where you can go to early vote as well as what you can do to get your hands on a sample ballot to make your voting process easier and faster.

Make your voice heard and vote!

The link to this article is:
http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/stories/10/20/1020earlyvote_edit.html
More information on voting:

-www.traviscountytax.org
-elections.co.hays.tx.us/
-www.williamson-county.org/
-www.co.bastrop.tx.us/ips/cms

Jessica's Law

The Article "Defendant in Jessica's Law case takes stand
Man denies abusing girl; closing arguments Friday." is about a man named Alfredo Soto Enriquez who has been arrested and charged for the sexual molestation of an innocent 13 year old girl. DNA experts have found both Enriquez and the 13 year old DNA seperately, on something such as sex toys, however the problem is that they have not been found together. Jessica's Law has recently been passed within the last year in Texas. It originated in Florida when a girl named Jessica Lunsford,9 yrs old was raped and burried alive. The law states that a first time offender of sexually molesting a child will spend the minimum of 25 years in prison and the maximum of a lifetime sentence. In his thursday trial Enriquez pled not guilty, he was asked if he had ever touched her and he replied "Never." The closing arguments are being held today.

This is a great article to read to help keep awareness of you and your loved ones. Everyone should be aware of the predators out there, even when you think you have a safe neighborhood you dont know whats going on in others homes.

A great was to stay updated on who lives in your neighborhood is going to the National Sex Offender Registary at www.familywatchdog.us/.


This article is posted in the Austin American Stateman : http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/10/10/1010enriquez.html