Wasting Money on an Already Failing System is Unacceptable

I read an article written by one of my classmates, and I do not agree with the idea of segregating genders. I think that plan would be as ineffective as teaching abstinence as the only option for birth control. Our education system in Texas is failing, and it would be irresponsible to use almost $870,000 on a hypothesis that has no proof of success.We cannot prevent teens from having sexual contact, and since that is done outside of school this idea is redundant. 

I think a better plan would be to improve the education and self worth of our youth. Teens with long term goals are less likely to become pregnant at a younger age. Statistics show that the more educated a woman is the less children she has. If a student receives quality public education and better preparation for the future, I think the teen pregnancy rates would decline. Practicing safe sex goes along with being educated, and conservative law makers need to stop being naive about the issue of teen sex. It is impossible to prevent teen relations, but with all around better education the teen pregnancy rates will decrease. 

Don't Give up on the Future of Texas

The education system in Texas is in as much of a crisis as the state budget. The state’s priorities are all mixed up, and mistakes made today will effect generations of Texans. The disconcerting fact that we ranked second to last for having a population of 25 and older with a high school diploma should be a huge wake up call for all Texans. It is imperative that we completely revamp our thought processes on how we operate the education system in Texas. Our population is growing steadily, and we have the second youngest population in the nation to educate.

Education is like building a house and you need to start with a strong foundation. Parents should take their role as their child’s first educator seriously, but that is not the case for all. Programs like pre-k are suppose to pick up that slack, but funding is being slashed. We are forced to hold ourselves to a higher standard since integrating global markets are forcing the U.S. to compete on a global stage. In order to be competitive in this country and the world, we must support job growth and advances in technology. Texas leads the nation in low wage jobs, and that is not supporting the advancement of this state.

A one size fits all solution rarely works for anyone and especially in education. Higher education isn’t for everyone, but that is not the only way to earn a family sustainable wage. In the E.U. they integrate vocational education starting in middle school along with the regular curriculum. This helps students figure out their interests before they finish high school and gets them into the work force faster. For students who want to become doctors or in other high level professions, our education system should offer more specialty schools to prepare students more thoroughly.

I understand with our tight state budget those ideas I have listed could only be long term goals. An attainable solution that could increase our state revenue is to have a more skilled population. In the past there were apprenticeships and more on the job training opportunities which resulted in a economic growth. We need to get back to our roots and take care of our people. Educating our population and providing family sustainable wages reduces our burden for Health and Human Service costs and increases the revenue for the state. The building blocks for economic growth and the future of Texas lies in how we educate the people.

Texas Women's Health Issues Today Effect Tomorrow

Texas Slowly Takes Away Women's Rights

I agree with your stance that Texas is not taking women's health and reproductive rights seriously. In my first post on my blog I talked about how Rick Perry has destroyed the Women's Health Program in Texas. Federal funds cannot legally pay for abortion services, so attacking Planned Parenthood under that pretense is absurd. I do think women should have the choice to make their own decisions about their reproductive health. More importantly preventive measures are essential to avoiding those tragic decisions in the first place. The answer is not to cut spending and accessibility for women's health. 

If Texas truly wants to spend less on state funded healthcare, and avoid fighting unconstitutional wars on abortion clinics then they need to stop unplanned births. Clinics such as Planned Parenthood are necessary to keep low income women healthy, and help them plan their families more responsibly. It is irresponsible for policy makers to cut spending for state family planning programs and then force tax payers to fund Medicaid to pregnant women and their offspring when it could have been avoided for a fraction of the price. 

Women who postpone having families until later in life are more likely to have a college education, and a good paying career. When they are given those options, they can provide a better future for their families. An African proverb states “Educate a boy, and you educate an individual. Educate a girl, and you educate a community.”

Is Keeping Austin Local Under Siege?

We are blessed to have so many natural resources at our disposal in Texas. Austin has a great campaign for its citizen to be conscious about where their purchases come from. Having a local economy protects us from the waves of uncertainty from Wall Street. Many people are unaware that our local economy and resources are under attack by multi-national corporations.

 In Austin alone, local quarries and building supply companies are being bought out by multi-national corporations such as Old Castle. Customers who want to live by the “keep Austin local” meme give their business to seemingly local companies without realizing the facade is merely an illusion. When the corporation buys out a local company it is rarely publicized in the local paper. They do their best to keep everything as it was by giving employees raises to maintain similar faces and keeping the company name the same. Natural resources that are used in building materials such as gypsum, sand, gravel and rock are the backbone to our economy. When a new building is created there are new jobs added, and more money is flowing into the local economy. In order to keep the profits in our local and state economies we must not let our resources be bought out..

What are the implications of these buyouts? When a small company is bought out by a larger one, the morale of the employees is diminished. Going from being a valuable asset to a company to just a number is a tough pill to swallow. Multi-national corporations are not concerned with the local community where they are gaining profits from. They are more likely to pay lower wages, and layoff families to increase their bottom line. The only ones benefiting from this siege are the families who are given a blank check to sell off their companies that have been fueling Texas communities for decades. Keeping local companies in the hands of Texans is imperative to fight back against Wall Street’s attack on the middle class.  These companies should not be allowed to hide behind their local signs, and Austinites deserve to know where their money is going.

Are State Tests Eating up Valuable Classroom Time?

On July 15, 2012, the Burnt Orange Report published the article Op-Ed: A sensible Approach to Decrease the Hours Our Public Schools Spend on Testing.

In terms of public education, Texans should be ashamed that we are 43rd in the nation for high school graduates. What are we doing wrong? According to State Representative Scot Hochberg our current system for preparing students to take state standardized tests such as the STARR is creating a crack in the system for low achieving students and they are falling through. His House Bill 233 would allow high achieving students to opt out of the state tests in the fourth, sixth, and seventh grades. He proposes that this will allow the spot light to shine on the low achieving students. The progress of the low achieving students make on test scores factor into the rankings for the schools and teacher evaluations.

I agree that teacher evaluations should not be assessed by an average of high achieving students. A successful teacher is one who can help a student reach their full potential. The problem I see in this is how are they going to address the problems of the low achieving students if they are reducing test preparation in the classroom. Many students will be able to opt out of tests, so how will they balance the classroom curriculum? The most important part is missing in the article, and that is how will they deal with the different student populations and use their time wisely?

I agree with the conclusion of this article that merely changing the aesthetics of this program has not aided in the progress of our education system. Einstein stated that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. It's clear that 20 years of insanity has not helped our public education's ranking.

Perry Let Down Texas Again

On July 10, 2012, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram published the article Resisting Medicaid expansion will double-burden Texas taxpayers

Governor Perry has once again let down the Texans who need him the most. This well written article highlights the lack of judgment Perry has shown, and the burden every Texan has to bear. This was written for one of the largest metropolitan areas in Texas, and is targeting the working poor. Perry’s choice to pass up millions of dollars of federal funding is a double edged sword. While standing up for Texas sovereignty sounds good for campaign rhetoric, ignoring 6 million uninsured Texans is not.

The decision to not create a state exchange reduces the option to have a plan made specifically for Texas. The author notes that while that would have been ideal, lawmakers put too much stock into the law being overturned. Opting out of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act takes funds away from Texans and provides support other states instead. Texas is in the number one spot for the highest population without insurance, and we cannot afford to pass up on tens of billions of dollars.

A further insult to the working poor was inflicted in the form of the Medicaid program being intentionally under funded by 6 billion dollars. This causes a symbiotic relationship between a higher uninsured population and higher premiums for the insured. If the Republicans are unable to overturn the health care law, the governor needs to provide solutions and admit his mistake. I agree with the major points in the article. I find it frustrating that considering we are in crisis with our citizens not having access to health care that our governor would dare turn down funding without providing another solution.

Texas Women's Health Program is Destroyed

On Wednesday, March 14, 2012, The Texas Independent published an article titled Rule excluding Planned Parenthood from Medicaid program takes effect today.

Today is a big blow for low income women of childbearing age. The Texas Women’s Health Program has been destroyed by Governor Rick Perry. In an attempt to attack Planned Parenthood because they perform abortions, Perry no longer allowed the clinic to be an option for the Women’s Health Program. This is in violation of federal law, and now Texas has lost 90 percent of its funding for women’s health. The most ridiculous aspect of this attempt to prevent abortions is the fact that the federal and state governments strictly prohibit the funds to be used for abortions!

I find this negligent move by the governor to be a slap in the face for all struggling low income people who want to be responsible but can’t afford it.  The fact that $74 million dollars have already been taken away from family planning funding in Texas, makes me wonder if Perry has any concept of cause and effect! How is it that they want to eradicate abortions, but they are leaving 290,000 women in Texas without access to health care and birth control.  The type of environment a child grows up in can define the rest of their life. Is it right to allow an additional 20,000 unplanned pregnancies a year in this state because of someone’s poor judgment and extremist beliefs?


I’m not for or against abortion because every person’s situation is different. If it is this state’s intention to eliminate abortion, they must make logical decisions and not turn their back on those who need them most. The great state of Texas should not be satisfied with more than half of its newest and most vulnerable citizens being unplanned.