Graduating is a MUST!

That's what I like about Texas' blog is about Texas having serious graduating problems. Danielle stated that Texas is ranked 43rd out of the 50 states, this was extremely appalling to me. I cannot believe Texas ranked that bad considering the high school I went to I believe I only knew of a few people that did not graduate, but if you take a few from every high school I guess those numbers add up.
I did a little research on Texas graduation rates and found that "Texas' on-time high school graduation rate has reached an all-time high, increasing 1.6 percent to 85.9 percent for the Class of 2011." It also said that this was the first graduating class that had to take four years of math and science, which Danielle said we need to focus on getting college students away from taking remedial courses I believe this may help in a big way. With high school students have to take more math and science and maybe less of the "office aid" classes it will help keep students up to date in certain areas where there are remedial classes. So in turn the state can put less money toward college remedial classes and more toward higher education classes in high school.

Single-sex schools?

There are many private schools that are single-sex, and is quickly becoming the new thing in public schools. There are two middle schools in Austin that are greatly considering changing to single-sex, Pearce and Garcia Middle Schools. Of course the students are not liking this idea at all, the Statesman says "the results from an online survey, taken by nearly 500 students in May, show 81 percent said they would not be interested in an all-boys or all-girls school in their neighborhood, while 6 percent said yes, and 13 percent said maybe."

I do not agree with this proposal, it's going to cost more money, and students will rebel. Texas is already having trouble trying to figure out what to cut from the upcoming budget, this would only cause more of a deficit. The Statesman said the "district estimates show it would cost $860,833 more to operate the two schools as single-sex schools in the first year than the district spent for them in the 2012-13 school year."

Board President Mark Williams thinks there are too many teen pregnancies and that this could help prevent them from happening. This is not going to prevent pregnancy in teens at all, if anything the students will be more interested in the opposite sex. If a child wants to engage in the type of activity that is going to get them into a situation like this I don't think going to a different school is going to stop it.

After researching this a little more, I still don't believe students should be segregated by sex. Though there are some good reasons in single-sex schools like less distractions, better learning environments, and broader educational prospects, I still don't agree with splitting boys and girls in public schools. If parents have problems with their child in public school because of distractions or the learning capabilities of either boy or girl then there are private schools that the parents can put their children in. If we keep children separated by sex through grade school, what do parents think will happen when they go to college??

Planned Parenthood Fraud

After reading Lauren's post on Planned Parenthood, I started researching more on the fraud that is being reported. I honestly could not believe this is going on. In one article I found on this issue it says:
"The complaint alleges Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast had a policy of providing abortions and medical services based on the ability of customers to pay...However, if patients were relying on Medicaid or another government program to pay the Planned Parenthood bill, then planned Parenthood would run up the costs “often provid[ing] services on an ‘across the board’ basis even when such services were not medically necessary.”  This absolutely sickens me. How can the people who work for these government funded organizations do this? I see how it can be easy to feel bad for some women who cannot afford these services, and to maybe help them out a little bit, MAYBE, but to then go and over charge Medicaid to make up for the free services they gave to another woman is absurd! Though I think this is a great organization for women who cannot get annual exams, birth control, and cancer screenings anywhere else, I strongly agree with Lauren's post, and think the government needs to watch Planned Parenthood's books a little closer.  I don't think it is a good idea to start cutting funds to this organization either because it will only hurt the one's who rely on their services.

Texas voter ID is a must

Voter identification is becoming a big issue in Texas. Do we need photo identification to vote or not? There is controversy over this issue in the state of Texas, because there are multiple cases of fraud across the state. The Republicans have voted for having voter identification while the Democrats find say that fraud is not a problem and that it "discriminates against the poor and minorities," stated by Tim Eaton.

Requiring a person to have an ID to vote is reasonable and should have been a requirement all along. The law requiring voters to have proper photo identification was passed in Texas, but Texas is one of nine states that must have the Department of Justice approve any changes to the election laws in case of discrimination. MSNBC reports that a few weeks ago the the weeklong trial ended and has been said that the judges would like to make the ruling by Novembers elections.

"Texas currently only requires voters to show their voter registration cards, which do not have photos, or another acceptable alternative form of ID such as a driver's license or utility bill." This is a horrible system, there is no way to prove if you are the person who's name is on the card without proper identification. Fraud is a serious concern for elections because people want voting to be a fair process. The Texas attorney general's office has found many cases of voter fraud across the state including using deceased voter registration cards to city council members registering illegal immigrants. 

This is a serious issue and should not be taken lightly. I believe this law can make a difference and those who don't think fraud does not play a role in the elections, look at the past decade in Texas:

"...six Texas House of Representatives races have been decided by a margin of fewer than 50 votes in the last decade. Texas courts have overturned at least four different elections in recent years after finding that improper conduct affected the outcome of the election. In 2012, alone, five local elections in Texas reportedly resulted in a tie and were ultimately resolved by a coin toss, a dice game or a second runoff election."

Texas voter ID's??

Texas is one of nine states that must get the Department of Justice (DOJ) to approve any changes to the election laws due to a history of discrimination. Texas is trying to change the law to require a person voting to have photo identification. The DOJ has found that over 600,000 Texans are without a photo ID and believe this would not be fair to not let them vote.

Robert Pratt posted on EmpowerTexans blog that this is going to be a very interesting trial. He states that the first of the testimonies to come into the trial are just sickening. I agree with him when he says that the issue on the Texas Voter ID issue will not get settled until the appeals are played out, because already people are making up reasons to not have a photo ID. I do not see how people today don't have an ID. You can't even use a credit card without being asked for a photo ID. Now I know that they are trying to make the law say that you cannot use even a student ID, but I see where they are coming from with that because anyone can make a student ID. A voter registration card with maybe a picture on it may be a way to help with this issue  if you don't have a current driver's license.

Pratt is host of the top-rated Pratt on Texas radio program which can be heard at www.PrattonTexas.com, and knows what he is talking about with this issue. I have looked at a few other sites on this issue and it seems to add up with what Pratt is saying. People just need to find a way to get a photo ID and register to vote so that there won't be any problems with the elections being fair.

Taking from the needy...

Hank Perret, Local Contributor tells about the dramatic cuts to the Farm Bill that passed through the Agricultural Committee of the House of Representatives. Perret is president and chief executive officer of the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas, and is very concerned that if this bill passes it is going to greatly effect our elderly and children. He believes that if the bill passes people are going to have to start choosing between paying for food or health or utilities. With just about 80 percent of the Farm Bill budget funds going to food stamps, a cut in this will greatly effect those who are already in desperate need.

Obviously the government needs to figure out ways to cut the budget in Texas, but why start taking away from those who need it the most. They have already made it so the money goes back into the state as people spends it, so if the budget does get cut how will the government make up for the money that was coming in?? Also, these cuts will effect our senior citizens forcing them to choose between get a meal or having electricity. The children receiving free or reduced lunches could possible loose their lunch, so thousands of children will be without food! 

How can they pass this bill? It is absolutely absurd that the government will take away from the poor, our children and elderly. It could be your friend that will no longer get the help they need or the single mother just barely making it by. What will people do? There will be more homeless and more starving children. I know that there are people out there that do cheat the system and probably a lot of people getting away government help that do not deserve it, so maybe there should be more extensive rules to those who can be accepted. I do however, completely agree with Perret on this we have to do something! There are so many people who do need this assistance and without it where will this economy end up then?

No Obamacare for Texas...

Governor Rick Perry opposes to both the Medicaid expansion and the creation of a state health insurance exchange program last week. According to The Daily Texan, Perry is not the only governor that has opted out of Obamacare. He does not believe it is best for our state or the country. It will drive up health insurance rates and send this country further into debt. How is forcing people to buy this health insurance going to improve the national debt?? People will sign up for the insurance and will still refuse to pay. Just because the government forces something on the people does not mean they are going to be willing to pay for it and the debt will rise. Maybe the government should make health insurance affordable for those who choose to have it, not force it on people who aren't willing to pay...

 http://www.dailytexanonline.com/state/2012/07/09/texas-opts-out-key-affordable-care-act-provisions