"Gentrification in Our Local Government"

My fellow classmate Carolina, wrote a great post on her blog Politics & Tejas about gentrification issues in Austin. Those who have lived here in Austin for quite some time, and others like me who are still new to Austin know that gentrification is such a big issue. It is wrong to raise the living cost in areas such as East Austin just to increase business. As Carolina mentioned, 40,000 people move to Austin each year and with that rapid increase in population, we need to have affordable housing areas at least in some parts of town. In addition to that, I was unaware that Austin was the fastest gentrifying city in the ENTIRE country. That honestly took me by surprise and it just opens my eyes that much more about this issue.

I'm glad that someone like Mayor Steve Adler cares about this issue and wants to make sure that there will be a place where Austin residents can stay. My classmate quoted from the author that "Mayor Steve Adler created a Task Force with local leaders to create city policy that can guarantee that all residents would be treated fair. This task force was created to combat gentrification in Austin." Along with Carolina, I hope that the City Council will approve these recommendations that Mayor Alder has suggested to ensure residents are provided with a living area that is affordable.

Not only will this reduce the expansion of gentrification, but it will return Austin to the way it should be. We can stop being known for the fastest gentrifying city in the U.S. and instead return to being known for our great food and music. However, in order to ensure this, we must all come together to stop gentrification once and for all.

Should Texas Have a Front AND Back License Plate?

One aspect that is uncommon to most other states is that Texas requires you to have a front and a back license plate. Now some may argue that this is quite unnecessary. Is one not enough? It certainly is in most states such as Arkansas. I’m originally from Arkansas and growing up, I never saw front and back license plates. After I moved to Texas, I began to notice the sudden change. I was curious as to why this was a requirement in the state of Texas and why this state believes we should have it.

Come to think about it, having a front and back license plate ensures more safety. Think about it. Perhaps there is a driver who runs a stop sign, with there being a front and back license plate, cameras will be able to detect who the driver was and give them a ticket. This makes the government's job easier. Another example would include a hit and run. Suppose someone hit your car while you were in a store and by the time you were able to go to your car, you had no idea who may have done that. Most stores have cameras outside in their parking lot and therefore they may be able to detect who the person that your car is based off of the license plate. The camera could be angled in a way that shows the front license plate or in a way that shows the back. The main point is that it makes it easier to hunt down people to ensure they pay a price for the action they committed.

Although it may look unappealing to have a front and back license plate, it is a safer option. For those of us who are against this law, we should now agree with this law because it is in our best interest.

"Texas Should Raise It's Minimum Wage"

One of my fellow classmates has written a post about how "Texas Should Raise It's Minimum Wage" on the blog Sweet Tea and Politics. I could not agree more with my classmate that we should indeed raise the minimum wage here in Texas. Many students who graduate high school are on their own and some have to pay for their college education. They may not receive a high paying job due to not having earned a degree yet. Raising the minimum wage will help these students pay for school and other personal payments they must make. Not only would it be beneficial to students, but to many other families as well.

Other people who would be needing minimum wage pay jobs would be immigrants. Possibly they are coming here to receive a better education and more opportunities than they would in their country. Perhaps they come here with no money, they may also need to have a job that would allow them to pay for school, shelter, food, clothing, and other expenses they may have.

In addition, many people have minimum wage paying jobs and are facing poverty because they are unable to purchase the items they need to. One of the points my classmate makes is that Texas has the most people who are working minimum wage jobs and those people are the ones who are facing poverty. Raising the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10 or $11 could help out so many people to ensure they live a life where they do not have to face constant poverty. It would also motivate more people to work and that would result in the unemployment rate to decrease. We should help out our fellow Texans to ensure they live a life without poverty.

Texas SHOULD NOT Allow Guns On College Campuses

Last year, a new state law was passed that allows students to carry a gun around college campuses as long as they have a license to do so. Now being a college student myself, this terrifies me. Anyone could get a license to have a gun; it could end up in someone's hand where it should not belong. I am many of the students who feel unsafe with this law, not to mention the thousands of parents who worry about their children's safety. However, there are some pro's as there are many con's to this law.

Perhaps the people who do own a gun will feel safe when walking around campus if anyone were to try and harm them. In this scenario, I would think a gun is good to have to ensure the safety of yourself. Despite the minimal pro's, there are many con's with this law being passed. Someone carrying a gun could easily think someone is trying to harm them, and possibly shoot them in a matter of "self defense" when the victim was innocent all along. There is really no reason to carry a gun around a college campus. Though there are thousands of students and one can not ensure that they will be entirely safe at all times, there are other alternatives to use if one does not feel safe. For instance, most universities have policies that can escort a student to their designated area. Also many girls carry around pepper spray which is another alternative that someone could use. This way the pepper spray won't put someone's life in jeopardy.

I cannot stress it enough how unsafe it is to allow college students to carry around guns at college campuses as long as they are licensed. For me, there is no difference between a person who is licensed to have a gun and a person who is not. Either way, I feel unsafe to attend school knowing that many students could have guns there. To parents, students, and other fellow Texans, we must change this law to ensure the safety of those around us. This law is not okay and it must be changed. Together, we are the ones who can change this law to live in a more safe environment.

Senate Passes Bill on Inappropriate Teacher-Student Relationship

After reading an article on The Texas Tribune called Senate Passes Bill on Inappropriate Teacher-Student Relationship, I am glad to know that the Senate Bill 7 will take action on the inappropriate relationships that form between students and teachers. This bill allows school principals and superintendents to face criminal charges if they do not report these inappropriate relationships. Teachers are also not allowed to have relationships with students outside of there districts, this is for all the districts. In other words, if you are a teacher, you should not be in a relationship with a student regardless of where he or she goes to school. It's very disturbing to know that teachers are involved in a romantic/sexual relationship with students that are in elementary, middle, and school. The author mentions how Texas Education Agency have opened investigations involving these inappropriate relationships. There have been situations where teachers who have been involved in these situations have still maintained to keep their jobs. This shouldn't happen. Schools are putting other children in danger that may be prone to having these relationships with their teachers. Based off of that, the author's references seem fairly accurate and thorough. I believe the author is trying to let parents, teachers, school board members and students know that inappropriate student teacher relationships are not acceptable and if they are happening, then there will be serious consequences involved. With that being said, I'm thankful that the Senate Bill 7 has taken the initiative to take this matter into hands.

Educational Choice in Texas: The Fierce Urgency of Now

On the Texas Public Policy webpage, Kevin Roberts wrote an article about Educational Choice in Texas: The Fierce Urgency of Now. Similar to my first blog post, Roberts also discusses the issues with Texas education. Many parents wish for their children to be provided with the best education possible. It appears that in Texas, nearly 1 million students are struggling in school. Roberts can't stress enough how important education really is, and how the state of Texas should do something for those students struggling to ensure that all children are provided with the best education possible.

In aiming to resolve this issue, there is an idea that has been brought to our attention and that is "Education Savings Accounts" or known as ESA. This would put the needs of children ahead of the demands of the system and allow parents to customize their parents education. ESA is registered with an online account or a debit card in which parents can use to pay for their child's school expenses. This money would still be coming from the state funds that would typically be used to pay children education for public school. 

Robert goes on to mention "with the 2017 legislative session now underway, Texas is already lagging behind most states in offering liberty-based policy innovation for education." Many states have already passed some form of education choice including ESA. Some people may think Texas should just spend more money on the system. The problem with that is that we don't spend new education dollars on education. Only half of the money is ended up in a classroom. 

The author concludes with how if Texas choose a good education choice such as ESA, this innovation will help all students. Giving the parents freedom to customize their child's education could be very beneficial not only to the parents but also for the government. 

I believe the author is trying to get the attention of Texas residents to better inform us how poorly our education system is set up. Doing so will open up the eyes of many Texans including myself of how important it is that the government act on this issue. Roberts seemed to have fairly accurate information that was conducted from research. The author did an excellent job on emphasizing how important this issue is, how Texas is behind in their education choice, and how we must act on this. In addition, I do agree with the author because education is key. If parents are given the choice to form their child's education this will hopefully lead to children being more successful in terms of education. Those 1 million children struggling will hopefully begin shining. However, I do believe there should be restrictions and guidelines that come with this freedom.  

Texans Embrace Education Freedom

I read an fascinating article on Texas Public Policy. Thousands of parents wish for their child to get the best education possible. However, some parents are unable to send their children to the schools they desire. Possibly because it is too expensive or it may not be in their district. Many Texans have had enough with this system. They want their education freedom where they may send their child wherever they wish and receive more benefits.

In Peggy Venable's article Texans Embrace Education Freedom, she mentions how Texas is behind. Thirty other states in the U.S. have passed more than 60 private school programs. Although kids are doing fine in public schools here, parents are saying that schools are more focused on the adults rather than the students. Venable mentions how"School boards are passing resolutions opposing transparency and accountably, demanding more funding and rejecting school choice." Even the Texas Constitution says we have to establish an efficient system of public free schools. In addition, parents are wanting education fund that follows their child to the school that the parent chooses. All in all, Texans want more options, they want education freedom.

There is a lot more that Venable has to say about this matter, read the article to find out. We are all currently enrolled in school right now which makes this an interesting article to read about. Also, it may give you a grasp of how good or how bad schools will be in terms of education and giving students more options in future generations. Will funding increase for schools? Will parents have more options of giving their child the best education? Lastly, out Texas and Local government is embedded into this topic. The school system is a huge part of our state and local government.