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.