Plastic Bag Ban

I recently read the blog post Plastic Bag Ban: A gateway to a greater environmental protection by one of my classmates.  I would have to say I agree 100% with her argument and believe that Austin should band plastic bags.  I feel so strongly about this because I saw first hand of how the bags are polluting our beautiful city.  It was a couple of weeks ago and I  went for my morning run along town lake.  I ended up walking because I was astonished at how much pollution was all over the lake in just one night.  There were bags, Styrofoam, and plastic bottles everywhere.

I will be the first one to say that it is a pain to always recycle and bring your plastic bags to the store.  I agree that if we start to recycle and bring our own bags  it makes a small step to making our city more environmentally friendly.  I liked how this article goes into detail about all the environmental issues our world has and how we can make a difference.  It allows the readers to get an idea of how bad pollution really is for our country.  

Furthermore, I thoroughly enjoyed the view they give the readers by providing a quote from The Bluebonnet State. 

“Discussing the topic of a greener city or state seems just perfect doesn’t it? Why stop at plastic bags then? Why not ban plastic bottles or milk cartons or everything else that harms the society. I find it difficult to understand that in a world where cigarettes can’t be banned even though they are a health hazard, there is banning of something as small as a plastic bag.” 

This quote allowed me to think in a different perspective about how we shouldn't stop at just banning bags and that the world needs to start making small changes.  I agree that even though banning plastic bags is very minor it could start an environmental movement.  This article really persuaded me to be more environmentally friendly and not complain when I have to bring my own bag.  I liked how they underline and bold certain words to create an emphasis of what they are trying to state.  I think that this article was very informative and used links to back up what they were stating which makes them creditable. I think the intended audience was for all of their fellow Austinites.  I can only hope that more people start to be more environmentally friendly to keep our city beautiful.  

Legalizing Weed for certain circumstances

When a soldier comes back from war they are most likely going to have PTSD.  According to the fifth edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,released in 2013, PTSD is triggered by “exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violation.” Exposure may result from personally experiencing or witnessing a traumatizing event, learning that a close friend or family member has been a victim, or repeatedly hearing or studying the details of such traumas. Symptoms include re experiencing the event through flashbacks or nightmares, insomnia, depression, the inability to talk about the memories, estrangement and isolation from family and friends, self-blame, irritability, anxiety, fear, hyper vigilance, anger, aggression, and reckless or self-destructive behavior.  In the blog, "War Without End," my eyes were opened about legalizing weed for certain circumstances.  Most soldiers that said they used weed to help with their symptoms said that it helped tremendously.  One solider said, "“When I got out, I tried it again. I didn’t want to be a pilled-up zombie. I saw the difference right away. My mood was more level, I didn’t flip out, and I could sleep through the night. It’s my medicine.”  Most soldiers are given pain medicines that are very dangerous with alcohol or if they take too much at one time.  
    Furthermore, there are no signs of anyone dying of overdose of Marijuana.  I would have to agree with this article and if someone who served for our military should be allowed to smoke Marijuana if needed.  There should be special test to tell if a person has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  Marijuana is not as bad as alcohol and could allow a lot of people to be relieved of pain and certain disorders. 
     Of the 266 veterans for whom they had adequate information, reporters found that “more than one in three died from a drug overdose, a fatal combination of drugs, or suicide.” Of the 50 who died in motor vehicle accidents, 35 were single-vehicle crashes, a recognized means of suicide. Of the 46 veterans who died who had a primary diagnosis of PTSD, 80 percent lost their lives as a result of a confirmed suicide, an overdose, or a single-vehicle crash.  It breaks my heart that the people who served our country are having to deal with this and we could just simply solve the situation by allowing them to have medical Marijuana.  
   Lastly, I think the veterans should all come together and take a stand to make weed legal for people suffering from PTSD.  I think that most people aren't against marijuana, but since it is illegal they think it's bad.  I also think that if more people would talk about weed and understand it's not as dangerous as alcohol. they would see no reason not to legalize it.  Therefore, weed should be legal for certain circumstances and allow people with qualifying symptoms to consume it.

Education Bust

I recently read, "One Land, Under Six Flags," article about education issues.  I agree that our education system in Texas does need some sort of reform. Art is being taken out of schools which to me is a big deal.  I recently took an art education class at Texas State University and was blown away by how important art is.

Most children today don't get art past 6th grade.  As I researched for why art matters I came across something amazing.  Most blue ribbon schools integrate art into the classroom which helps improve teaching and student learning.  As a future teacher, I have realized that using art to create a different way of teaching is what is going to allow my students be outstanding.

Furthermore,  I would have to disagree about the textbook situation that Sierra describes .If a child is always learning facts from a textbook they will simply get bored.   I think schools should do away with textbooks all together.  It is the teachers job to stay on top of facts and make sure what they are teaching is correct.  Textbooks are so expensive for any situation especially college students.  I believe that a good teacher finds alternative ways to teach the facts without using a textbook.  If K-12 did not use textbooks it would save our schools a lot of money.  I think that the teacher should have a textbook and if something is important she should print the students a copy or have them write it down.

Lastly, I do agree that the state needs to do something to help reform our schools instead of making cuts.  I couldn't imagine teaching 40 kids in one classroom and trying to manage them all.   We as Texans need to find ways to fund our schools and other programs that are needed to help the school succeed.  I think that Sierra's article was very well thought out, but would like to see links with statistics. I am curious about students to teacher ratio and the cuts the legislator is doing.

Livin in a Bible belt.

      If you grew up in Texas you probably heard about saving for marriage.  You probably have been taught in your school to stay abstinent until you find the "right one".  What happens when you think you've found the right one and you want to experience sex with them?  In Texas, Gov.  Rick Perry, has pushed for an abstinence-only education program.  This means that children are only being taught to stay away from sex, but not how to prevent getting pregnant.  As a 22 year old I can say that the abstinence talk worked for me until I was about 20.  Most of my friends had sex when they were about 14 and at least 10 of my wealthy friends had a teenage pregnancy.  According to the National Campaign, teen childbearing cost U.S. taxpayers $9.4 billion, and $1.1 billion of that -- more than any other state -- comes from teen childbearing in Texas.

         This statistic blew my mind but also allowed me to think a lot.  Are Texas schools only teaching abstinence-only education programs because we live in a Bible Belt?  In Colorado, a more liberal state teaches about contraception and has dropped 40% in teen birth rates.  

      Furthermore,  I think we as Texans are taught abstinence because Texas takes pride in being a God fearing state. The bible says to stay pure in your heart and mind until one is married and we must always stay abstinent before marriage.  As a preachers daughter, I agree to an extent of what the Bible says and so does my father.  I am lucky to have a father that is understand and knows that it is natural for people to have sex.  I read on Huffington Post that most women feel shameful about having sex therefore making it harder for them to use contraception to stay protected.  I will never forget when my friends started using Birth Control.  I remember thinking, "What a slut, she is using Birth Control just so she can have sex all the time." I can honestly say that I did feel shameful at first about having sex.  I also realized how stupid I was for judging my friend because I know use a form of contraception.  

       "Advocates for Youth reports that a full 88% of virginity pledge participants fail to maintain the pledge, and are more likely than their non-pledging peers to engage in risky sexual behavior and tend to have more partners once they start having sex.''  We as Texans need to get over the fact that everyone has desires to have sex.  Even if the child is abstinent until they are in their 20's they are at some point going to have sex.  We should teach our children about contraception and how to prevent them from getting pregnant.  The question really is, can we get over our Bible belt days and allow our children to get the funding and education to know more about preventive contraception.  Could we possibly teach both abstinence and ways to prevent with contraception together?  I think Texas can, but must first let go of some of our pride.  The truth is that abstinent education programs aren't working in Texas. We need to find a way to teach our future children about contraception in a proper and fulfilling way. 

Texas Education

         I was very intrigued as a future educator by Burka Blog's article called "A response from Michael Williams."  Burka wants his audience to know that Texas has become outstanding at having good education.  Since Governor Perry has been on board he has caused schools to have testing scores higher than the national average.  He has helped Texas lay a strong education standard and had more students be in AP classes.  Texas has also achieved being the 2nd high state of graduation from high school in the nation.  

         Furthermore, I believe that his article is intended for readers who think that Perry isn't doing a good job in comparison to California's education.  Michael Williams who is the commissioner of education tells us all of the facts of how great Texas is doing.  He wants us to commend Perry on raising curriculum standards and implementing a new accountability program for schools.  

    Overall, this article was a fresh breath of air since the immigration crisis. The articles credibility is 100% because he gives us actual percentages of 36.4 of African and Hispanic children doing well on AP exams.  He claims that Texas education is not only doing well but soaring within the nation according to the facts. The evidence he uses is from several sources such as, the College Boards 10th annual report to the nation and the NAEP.  

      In conclusion,  I wish that the article allowed direct links so I could few the college boards report and the NAEP.  I think the readers would enjoy looking at our progress and seeing how far Texas education has come.  I would have also liked a little bit more of comparison throughout the article with California.  I agree with Michael because he uses facts and knows first hand because he is the commissioner of education.  I would also like to know if Texas lowered the quality of their tests and education which allowed us to get higher or if our test have stayed the same or gotten harder.  I also hope that teachers aren't just teaching on how to take the tests and are actually educating our children. 

Complicated Situation on the Border

I read an editorial by Cynthia Allen called "It's a complicated situation on the Texas border," that was very eye opening.   She takes a very middle approach and discusses all of the different aspects to consider.  She talks about how allowing children and mothers to come across the border with a "free pass" isn't always the smartest idea.  She explains that they come into the country without any education and not being able to speak the language which makes it harder for them to succeed.  Not being able to succeed can cause the children to get into gangs or make them vulnerable.  I agree with her when she says that we as citizens have every right to be charitable and help the immigrants without undermining their own principals of the law.  The audience she is trying to reach is the people wanting to give charity to the immigrants.  She wants them to realize that being charitable can help them for a small amount of time.  She claims  that we have much bigger issues than providing aid to our friends across the border.  We as a country could be aiding in sex trafficking and drug cartel if we allow the immigrants to come over.  As someone who has read several books about sex trafficking I understand that this is a big issue that most citizens don't take into account.   She also claims that we as citizens should not be protesting against the immigrants crossing the border but that our elected leaders should be enforcing the law.  I agree with her that they should be enforcing the law but that their should be exceptions and each person should be screened before coming in.   Throughout her entire piece she has embedded links to provide evidence for what she is trying to claim. Some of her links are other editorials and some of them are actual facts or statistics.  I think she should has 75% credibility for providing some facts other than editorials.  Although the crisis is complicated and does not have the proper enforcement I agree with some of her claims.  I think that a child should only be allowed to the United States if were involved with any kind of abuse or sex traffiking.  If after so many months they cannot provide for themselves and get on their feet they must go back across the border.  Therefore, I agree with her when she claims that most Texans are okay with the complicated border crisis because at this point most citizens don't really know what to do.

Immigrant Children better vaccinated than Texas.

Lately on the news all we hear about is immigration.  I came across this article "Disease Threat From Immigrant Children Wildly Overstated" on the Texas Observer.  I thought it was really interesting how most immigrants are better vaccinated than Texan kids because the government provides it.  Where as, children who live in Texas can fall behind on vaccinations because they do not have healthcare insurance.  In League City, the City Council will not allow housing to undocumented immigrants.  They fear that they will have disease and they need to protect the citizens of Texas.  I think this is worth reading because it can open people's eyes and we can stop stereotyping immigrants from other countries.  It also makes me wonder why our children in Texas don't get free vaccinations. If the government funded vaccinations our world would be much better to live in and children wouldn't have to miss school as much.  This really allowed me to take a step back and question our healthcare system.  I hope other people read this article and realize that just because someone is foreign doesn't make them "dirty".