Commentary and Constructive Criticism

Adela Moreno recently wrote a post about her concerns for early start education in Texas. She provided personal experience and thoughtful insight into the problem of early start education and the unequality that exists in Texas. She explained that low income children are often eligible for early start education to help them through the system, and how research shows success in these programs.

I agree with the idea that early start education helps those who participate in it, and I also agree that it should be more available to anyone who wants it. I started Pre-K at age 3, giving me 2 years of schooling before actual grade school and I contribute part of my scholastic success to that. I believe that the sooner a child is involved in active learning and education, the child will establish good habits of learning and storing information.

Thank you for your insightful post, Adela!

The Surprises Could Be Deadly

Anyone that wakes up and goes outside anywhere in the Austin area should know by now that we are in the midst of a very dangerous drought. In fact, this drought has been going on for almost a decade. New Austinites and young people are growing up accustomed to the lakes being at dangerously low levels, and islands everywhere on Lake Travis. The drought is doing more than cut off our recreational activities- it has made us come dangerously close to running out of local water supply, and some municipalities have already brought in water from other parts of the state. As the problem has persistently gotten worse, Austin and its surrounding suburbs have put various restrictions on the use of water in reaction to the decreasing water levels. There is an attempt being made to preserve the water we have, but it just hasn't been good enough.

Scientists at Texas A&M and Texas Tech University have forseen and studied this drought. There are demographical predictions as to what could happen within the next century based on what has been happening already. Studies show that the average temperature will continue rising, ever so slightly, but still depleting water sources. People in cities will be able to adjust to changes better than people elsewhere, specifically in agricultural areas. It is very possible to transfer water to cities that need it, or relocate in order to have more access to water. However, it is going to be more difficult when farmers run out the very source of growth for their crops. They will have to move North, and the change will be difficult. What some propose, and what I agree with, is a change in how we approach the problem that is at our doorstep.

The government in the state of Oklahoma has consistently worked with some scientists that study changes in the environment. With this close alliance, the state is more able to prepare for likely circumstances such as drought or another environmental disruption. Preventative measures allow the state to be better off in the long run. In regards to Texas, there are already some government leaders working with scientists to study the possible changes in demographics due to the environment, but more attention needs to be paid to the issue. I think as we anticipate the changes coming, we will be more apt to move through them with minimal damage as opposed to reacting to a change we didn't anticipate. Being one step ahead of the problem could really help us in the long run.

Commentary and Constructive Criticism

Among other things that Texas ranks low in, the Lone Star State ranks low compared to the rest of the United States in environmental conditions. Thankfully, the City of Austin has begun to address this problem and implement new policies to preserve the environment.

Austin has recently gone "bagless". This means that stores in Austin no longer provide plastic bags, and in some places paper bags are a small fee. Texas Within's blog post about this issue calls for action, backing the movements in Austin and expecting the rest of the state to follow. As a native Austinite, I am proud of the way the city is making movements to not only save money on bags, but protect the environment from harmful production emissions and superfluous waste. I admit it was a bit annoying to remember my reusable bags when going shopping at first. However, I've concluded that the convenience of plastic bags is not worth the waste caused by them. We, in developed suburbia sometimes don't take into consideration the damage we do by making things convenient for ourselves, such as overusing plastic bags which kill wildlife indirectly. Reusable bags have existed for years, but only recently has it been an official public policy that consumers but use them. I think that the government getting involved with this has helped the effectiveness of the movement. I also agree that because of the success in Austin, the policy needs to expand to the rest of the state to continue to affect the environment. Thank you, Nirmal, for your thoughts of the subject and for moving to call the rest of the state to action.

Well, something needed to be done.

This week, Governor Perry exercised his power as commander-in-chief over the National Guard as he began taking steps to deploy them to the border for protection. The high numbers of illegal immigrants and minors entering the state has been considered a crisis that endangers Texas citizens and puts the state into more debt. The immigration crisis has been a problem for years now, and even with Bush deploying the National Guard a few years ago to repair border fences and boundaries, the problem still is pressing. The vast border is sparsely covered by state protection. There are various opinions as to how the immigrants affect the economy- the labor increase may help, but it also may take jobs from those in the (legal) labor force who are searching. Regardless, the immigrants entering into our state contribute to the high levels of crime and fill places in our prison that we can't pay for, just to start with.

Perry did what Obama hasn't moved to do. By exercising his right as commander-in-chief, he is attempting to make a move and actively work to ensure our border’s protection. Many are starting to criticize Perry’s moves, but I think he is finally doing what needs to be done. There are many unknowns about the situation- it is yet to be seen if the National Guard will have power to arrest or enforce state laws, and there is doubt that the officers are trained in order to carry out these duties. Regardless, there are not enough men at the border, and Perry has recognized this. While there are many unknowns to the future of Perry’s orders, we must trust that he has made this decision knowing a change needed to be made. There cannot be a perfect solution to the problem, but we know that we cannot support the people who illegally are here forever. We cannot ignore the problem that is literally at our doorstep or improve the economy and safety of citizens without taking steps to do it. The next weeks and months will allow for changes to start being implemented and the border to return to safety.

Ignorance May Not Be Bliss

Greg Harrison, of the Empower Texans blog, recently made a post referring to a debt problem ultimately resulting from a low voting population problem that is infecting the entire nation, let alone the state. In his post, he exposes Fort Worth ISD for their unexplained and problematic debt. Apparently, they have a recent history of purchasing new equipment for expansion of classrooms despite the slow student population increasing rate. Their new purchases and technology allegedly remain unused and cause even more maintenance spending that is unnecessary. Who is to be held responsible for these things?

A closer look at this reveals that irresponsible board members and employees in the district are at fault for these matters. There have already been workers that have received prison sentences for misusing the budget. The real tragedy of this is that the millions of dollars misspent could have been invested into teacher's salaries, which are dwindling with budget cuts across the state. The choices of these people are effecting students and taxpayers alike. Many people fret about these problems, saying it is out of their control, and continue complaining and being frustrated with the choices that are made. This is not all that can be done.

Harrison does a praiseworthy job of calling on the majority to respond to this situation. After presenting all the facts about the current situation, he goes on to explain one of the reasons why the people in authority are getting away with things such as entering into massive debt. Astoundingly, the voting percentage can be as low as 5% for school board elections. This voter turnout means that the elected officials are held less accountable for their actions and we, the public, have no way to hold them accountable if we didn't even elect them to office. Harrison addresses the public and gives them a charge- one that would begin to fix this massive problem and prevent it if action is taken. His argument is easily credible because the affects are so tangibly seen. This is a problem sweeping the country, and the solution begins with us. We must act as a democracy as our founders intended it to be to be functional and unified.

Are we allowed to think?

Virginia Postrel had some brilliant and startling thoughts on the restrictions within college campuses. Her post, Turning College Into a No-Thought Zone, explained the contradictory rules placed on campuses currently. She opened her piece by telling the story of a college student who was scolded and threatened to be expelled because he ventured to talk about a controversial subject outside the college's “free-speech” zone. This so-called "free-speech" zone was one where students inside could announce their views, desires for social change, ethnic issues on their minds and so forth. Postrel went on to explain the rationale behind this rule- that it was originally put in place to protect studious students from being disrupted among their studies and respect privacy. However, at some campuses, the rule has escalated to prevent students from being able to share their wishes and concerns about the society they are learning to live in. To look at this in a very basic view, Postrel reminded her readers of the first amendment, and how there are two problems with the “free-speech” zone rule on campus. First, it is constitutionally wrong to deny students to talk about their views. Second, it is not educationally sound to prevent students to think about and be exposed to different views. This evidence provides a very strong point in the argument against speech zones, and Postrel does a good job of breaking down her thoughts. Since her post is on the internet, her audience can range from any age of adulthood. I think this is a good medium for this kind of post because it makes people aware of the culture of thought being provoked currently, and encourages readers that are students to be aware and exercise their extensive rights of free speech. Her claim is simply that this restriction put on colleges is unconstitutional, and discourages students to be independently thoughtful. She agrees (and I do too) that it is difficult to navigate a crowd where thoughts and pamphlets are being thrown at you, but she makes yet another valid and important point that young people must begin to learn how to navigate the world of thought around them, defending what they stand for. 

On 15 July 2014, KVUE Austin News published an article referring to the infrastructure of Austin and what is required to improve it due to the growing population in the area. The wastewater system, particularly, is in need of repair. This has more relevance to the economy of Austin than meets the eye- due to the steep population increase in Texas, and specifically urban areas, the infrastructure needs to be able to support the consumers pouring into the city (quite literally). The article explains that some of the wastewater systems under the city date back to the 1920's, and have begun to contribute to large amounts of water loss because of leakage and other problems. "...the city loses more than 3 billion gallons of water each year", they say. Those who live anywhere near Austin know well that we are in the fourth year of a dangerous drought, and this water loss doesn't help lower taxes or become any more eco-friendly, a characteristic Austin dwellers strive for. It will take years to check all the water systems, but it is desperately needed for the good of Austin and for the future that knocks at our door. From the very minimum level, the growth here must be supported to sustain the economy and standard of living.