The Need of a Better Education

Texas needs to reconsider their education systems and programs to fix the low high school graduates and the low SAT scores. Texas is trying many new ways to improve this and have made some accomplishments. However, the bigger problem stands on what the government is deciding to do with education. They are cutting education budget from public schools.

The State of Texas placed 49 out of 50 in verbal scores in the nation and 46 out of 50 in math SAT scores. Texas is also number 36 in the nation in high school graduation rates. This is way too low, don’t you think? Due to the budget crisis Texas is facing, Texas cut about $5 billion dollars from public schools recently. Financial Aids given to college students also has dramatically decreased over the years.

In the “Texas Needs Education” posted on August 3^rd, 2011, it states, “Texas needs to find a way they can balance education programs. The State needs to stop cutting the budget for education because it isn’t doing any good for the future citizens of Texas”.  I strongly agree with this opinion, because I also see the hope of our bright future in the hands of our upcoming generation.

The government is finding other issues more important than education, and is paying more attention to things that are in their faces at the moment. However, I think that education should be the first priority and should be getting the most consideration because it really is the future; better educated people will make Texas a better place.

Better Prepare for Droughts

Texas government should pay more attention to preparing for future drought conditions that hit every year. Texas droughts not only affect farmers and ranchers, but also those who live in cities and even those in other states. There are warning signs cautioning people about the dangerous drought conditions and insisting them to conserve water as much as possible. Texas droughts can strongly increase the prices of food and clothes for a significant portion of the population.

Texas provides a large fraction of cotton, fruits, and vegetables. However, much of it is fatally affected due to drought. For example, about half of this year’s cotton has been discarded. This is fatal, because Texas is the nation’s leading cotton producers. This should remind us Texans, and especially the Texas government that we should better prepare for the next droughts. According to the Palmer Drought Severity Index, it shows that most part of Texas deals with extreme drought conditions.

There were some attempts to help with this drought season. Monsanto Co. is researching to develop ways to genetically change corn so that these crops will be able to survive droughts better. Texas Tech University and Texas A&M are also researching and doing projects to find ways to deal with drought conditions.

The government of Texas should encourage and support better preparation for Texas’ upcoming droughts. The legislators missed a chance this year to make a way to support Texas’ long-range plan that could have helped cope with the current drought. The more the government ignores this critical issue, the worse it will become, and the more problems it could lead to. We need to change, and be better prepared for droughts.

Teaching of Evolution

The teaching of evolution in public schools will always be an issue and people will continue to debate over it. Although many people might think that it is not a huge issue anymore, it is still causing many problems that should be taken into consideration. Many biology teachers in middle schools and high schools are having a hard time trying to decide what to do with the topic of evolution. They are aware that if they teach evolution, many of the students in their classes will experience clashes with their faith. “To Teach Evolution? Or Not to Teach Evolution?” informs that the Texas Board of Education met to improve the education system for children, but ended up disputing over the teachings of evolution. Polls indicate that large portions of the American population believe in a God, and the teaching of evolution to young children might upset their parents. It seems that this conflict will never come to an end. Most conservative Protestants believe in the creation described in the book of Genesis. However, most liberal Protestants, the Roman Catholic Church, and most scientists believe that the evolution of the species has happened. Over 99% of scientists studying biology and earth sciences believe in the theory of evolution, because if evolution is not true, many science topics including astronomy, nuclear science, geology and biology would become meaningless. Because this battle involves the separation of church and state, creation science can only be taught as a concept some people believe in, and not as a true fact. As a Christian, I personally believe that evolution should only be taught at school as a concept some people came up with, and it should never hinder the faith of young religious students at schools.

Governor Rick Perry

      The supporting evidence of Governor Rick Perry having a fair chance of becoming the next U.S. president is overwhelmingly obvious. However, Texans should be alarmed and worried at the fact that Perry believes he can control and manage our complex union. Gov Rick Perry is self-serving governance who represents himself even if it means it will harm the poor and the vulnerable Texans who should be given more support. This is the reason why so many teachers and especially university students do not support Rick Perry. There are also rumors that proclaim Rick Perry has used his prayer events for political reasons and he only wanted support from the Christian population. His abuse of power is clearly revealed in his selfish political actions. In one event, when a commission attempted to inspect the possibility that an innocent person might have been executed, Perry fired the commission members to make it impossible for investigation. It also seems that he is abusing power over appointments to get more money for himself. He even charges Texans about 1,900 dollars a month to further his already abundant rental property instead of personally fixing it himself. He also vetoed a law that prevented private investors from using eminent domain to steal property. This is no surprise because he gets most of his money from buying and selling real estate.  He is definitely not a public servant, and demonstrates that he represents himself and his corporate supporters. Governor Rick Perry would do anything to stay as the national celebrity, and abusing his power will not stop it.

I’m Sick & Tired of Liberals!

          In an article titled “I’m Sick & Tired of Liberals!” written on July 6^th, 2011, Bobby Eberle argues that he is strongly against the people who are banning others from saying a prayer with the words “God” or “Jesus”. Bobby Eberle is the president and CEO of both GOPUSA, a commentary and a news website. This article basically informs us that veterans are being told that they are not allowed to use the words “God” or “Jesus” during funeral prayers. Fox News reports, “ ‘Veterans in Houston say the Department of Veterans Affairs is consistently censoring their prayers by banning them from saying the words ‘God’ and ‘Jesus’ during funeral services at Houston National Cemeter’ ”. Not only that, the prayer needs to be submitted for review. Eberle is definitely against this issue, and I am strongly against it as well. This is not only morally wrong, but it seems that it is going against our constitution. Where did the “freedom of speech” and “freedom of religion” go? In addition, the Associated Press reported that there was a story in which liberal city councils have a hard time agreeing to say the Pledge before the meetings because it mentions God.  Eberle says that the government should not be telling people what they can and cannot say in their prayers. I also believe that people should be free to say whatever they want in their prayers. Banning people from saying “God” and “Jesus” is completely unconstitutional, and with about 80% of Americans identifying themselves as Christians, it seems so unreasonable to be prohibiting veterans to say that in their prayers. This act is completely outrageous, and as Eberle argues “We certainly live in crazy times, and the only way to fight back… is to fight back”.

Another Texas Republican for President?

            Steve Chapman is a columnist and editorial writer for the Chicago Tribute. He has been in the Tribune editorial board since the year 1981. He is a Texas born American, and attended Harvard University. Chapman argues in his commentary, “Another Texas Republican for President?” written on June 23, 2011, that he believes Rick Perry has a good chance of becoming the next President of the United States. He convinces the reader that every other possible candidate is a “collection of fatal mistakes and irreparable flaws”.  He mentions, Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Newt Gingrich, Herman Cain, Rick Santorum, Michele Bachmann, Jon Huntsman, and Ron Paul, but says all these people have imperfections and are a no match for Rick Perry. Rick Perry has a “record of fiscal frugality and economic growth, a flair for channeling anti-Washington sentiment, a proven fundraising capacity and an appealing biography”.  Chapman says that Perry’s flaws are the sort of things that other GOP candidates wish they had.  His “flaws loom large, unless you compare them to anyone else’s”. Steve Chapman is basically saying that Rick Perry has the best standing in the 2012 race. I strongly agree with Steve Chapman’s convincing point.  I agree with Chapman that Perry has a good chance of becoming the next President. The Texas economy is a living example of Perry’s accomplishments. Texas led the nation in job creations last year. In addition, Dallas and Houston are number one and number two respectively in metro areas nationwide for their yearly rates of job augmentation. Texas unemployment is below the national average. Not only that, Perry has the ability to speak convincingly and has an appealing form, making him charismatic and well-rounded. With having so many advantages in hand, I will not be surprised to see Gov. Rick Perry of Texas to become our next President of the United States.

With session over, lawmakers eye 2013 seats

          On News 8 Austin, a commentary was made titled “With session over, lawmakers eye 2013 seats”. Now that the eighty second legislative session is over, lawmakers are paying attention to the future. State Senator Kirk Watson, D-Austin, the leader of Senate Democrats, says that the session was an accomplishment for the democrats. He says that "The reason I say it was successful is I think first and foremost, what we were able to do is assure greater transparency and honesty in what was happening,”. State Republican Jason Isaac said that he is also proud of the things succeeded, especially with the issue of not raising taxes. He says that “I think [Latinos] are going to show up and support fiscally conservative candidates that are not going to raise taxes on small businesses in general,".  I think this is an article worth paying attention to, because we should be well informed with who will be taking the 2013 seats, and as citizens, this should be as important as it is for the lawmakers, the new leaders.