Classmate Critique #2

The post Congestion In Austin was written be Lonestar State of Affairs. This post makes a brief summary about the traffic congestion in Austin. The author supports the idea that the city needs to implement a plan for the traffic issue.

I was so glad to read this post because the traffic issue is such a trouble here in Austin and it affects everyone. However, I have some questions that were not answered in your post. I feel you could of elaborated more on the proposal of the ground rail system and why it failed. Was it due to a lack of traffic of riders in a certain areas or just in general. What were the other solutions to reduce the traffic congestion? If i could make a suggestion, maybe add more statistics about Austin's congestion and about the rail system. For example, how long was the rail system in effect and what were the numbers? How close or far was the vote to shut it down.

Overall, this was a very interesting article and i look forward to researching to see what plan the city puts in effect to help alleviate or solve the traffic issue.

To Wear That Controversial T-shirt Or Not, That Is The Question...

On Friday April 20, 2012 a junior named Seth Groody, wore a t-shirt that depicted a rainbow with a slash through it. The other side showed a male stick figure and a female stick figure holding hands above the legend, "Excessive Speech Day."This same day was designated a Day of Silence at Wolcott High School as part of a national movement to raise awareness of bullying and harassment of gay, lesbians, bisexuals and trans-gendered people. According to Seth, he was ordered to remove the t-shirt and did so under protest. Seth intended the shirt to express his dislike for gay marriage and his opposition to the school's perceived message during the Day of Silence. The Groody family did not proceed to file a lawsuit, the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut sent a letter to the principal of Wolcott High School on behalf of Seth Groody. In the letter, legal director Sandra Staub, points out that to Seth's knowledge, there's no rule or policy that prohibits the wearing of expressive attire. By him wearing the shirt, he did not "materially or substantially interfere with...the operation of the school," or cause "invasion of rights of others," as these terms have been defined in Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District; 393 U.S. 503 (1969). The school's action in requiring Seth to remove his shirt, absent of evidence of material or substantially interference, or invasion of the rights of others, violates the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article First, Section 4 and 5, of the Constitution of Connecticut.

In my opinion, I think to a degree, both parties are correct for what they did. Seth has a right to wear what he wants to wear, as long as he is not harming anyone, according to the First Amendment. However, the school did the right thing also by asking that Seth to change his shirt and no further punishment. The school has to worry about the environment that they create, so restricting outside influences and what they are trying to promote whether they personally agree or not, is a good thing. 

The Patriot Act was passed six weeks after the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Patriot Act allows security agencies of the government to track potential terrorist threats by gaining access to the financial, telecommunications, business, library, and other records of American citizens who may be plotting or be in contact with other plotting attacks. Section 215 of the Patriot Act records searches, it allows the FBI to force anyone at all to turn over records on their clients or customers. I think The Patriot Act policy counters the efforts of the Supreme Court when it comes to civil liberties. Section 215 of the Patriot Act violates the Constitution in several ways, for example, it violates the Fourth Amendment, which says the government cannot conduct a search without obtaining a warrant and showing probable cause to believe that the person has committed or will commit a crime. There are two violations for the First Amendment, the guarantee of free speech by prohibiting the recipients of search orders from telling others about those orders, even where there is no real need for secrecy. The other being by effectively authorizing the FBI to launch investigations of American citizens in part for exercising their freedom of speech. Lastly, it violates the Fourth Amendment by failing to provide notice-even after the fact- to persons whose privacy has been compromised. Notice is also a key element of due process, which is guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment. 

After reading both civil liberties and the Patriot Act, I do not believe there is a simple solution. I think if we modified either one it it would make it less effective. We would have to do away with one entirely and i'm not so sure that is the right decision. We have had success in both cases that it would be hard to decide which one was better for our society. I, personally, have nothing to hide so i do not mind them both. I do understand there is a feeling on violation, but if we do not have a watchdog kind of system then we would be in a lot worse situation than we are now. 

Classmate Critique

Youth Empowerment Services Waiver is the post of the blog Govern Us wrote. The post makes a brief summary of what the Youth Empowerment Service waiver is, which is a program set to help parents get care for their children that have advanced emotional disturbances and how to help them cope while still staying at their own homes, as opposed to going to a mental hospital. The author supports the push for this program to be implemented in Texas Counties for numerous reasons. 

I found the post to be very interesting, yet I feel that it lacked in some areas. For example, the author could have elaborated more on the conditions the children have to have in order to qualify for this program. Would children of Autism/Asperger's Syndrome qualify? Also, the requirements for the parents financially or if there are any. Lastly, what are the barriers that the Texas counties have been experiencing? The title, if i may make a recommendation, was straight to the point, which is not bad but lacks that quality to grab your attention. I would recommend something along the lines of "Say YES to the waiver for the kids." 

Overall, I found the post to be good and look forward to researching how this could help the youth of today.

Should they stay?

The United States was founded on federalism. Federalism is when a system in which governmental powers are divided between a central government and smaller units, such as states. One complicated issue that both national and state governments are in disagreement is illegal immigration and what action needs to be taken. President Obama says we should reward anyone who is willing to work hard and play by the rules. In November of 2012, Obama's administration took action to fix our broken immigration system as much as he could through his immigration accountability executive actions. These actions are cracking down on illegal immigration at the border, deport felons, not families, accountability-criminal background checks and impose a tax for the undocumented immigrants

At a local level, the state of Texas implements the policy that immigrants are prohibited from receiving most public benefits. However, they are allowed to receive emergency services, health care and other programs that protect their life and safety. Even having access to these benefits, they are not safe from deportation or securing employment.

In conclusion, considering these two policies, I would have to agree with federal policy. I do not agree with restricting people's entry into this country, if they are willing to work, pay taxes and contribute to our society. I feel we are all winning in this game of life with this federal policy in place. I think Texas law, is great in providing the bare essentials, but how does this help the immigrants in the long run? They help contribute to our economy, but what do we do for them? I recently read that 72% of Americans believe in allowing illegal immigrants to stay in the country as long as they meet the specific standards, which I feel is further reinstating how federal law is a step in the right direction for finding a solution in illegal immigration. 

Would You Follow Her Lead?

I chose to write about an article from Off The Kuff, that brings to light the issues we have with same-sex marriages. I truly believe everyone should have the same opportunity as the next person, and ask what grounds do we have, to make that decision for someone else? Equality for all, is a subject that has caught my attention, along with discrimination.

The Rusk County Commissioners Court on Monday formally accepted the resignation of County Clerk Joyce Lewis-Kugle, apparently the first Texas elected official to quit rather than abide by the U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage. "Before taking office, I was required to take an oath to uphold the laws of this State and the United States." Lewis-Kugle, elected in 2006, wrote in her resignation letter to County Judge Joel Hale last week. "Due to the recent decision by the Supreme Court, the laws I swore to have changed now."

Despite the controversy, I feel Lewis-Kugle made the right decision in stepping down and letting someone who does not have a problem abiding by the law to take over. We are all entitled to our opinions, but to force them on others is wrong. I can appreciate her approach to this difficult issue and wish more people took her lead. If you are in a position of power, do not abuse it, if you disagree. Simply, take yourself out of the equation, Lewis-Kugle may disagree, but I feel she did the most appropriate and respectful thing she could ever do. She did not engage in a direct discussion with anyone on how she does not agree with the law, and did not treat anyone directly with disrespect. There have been other county clerk in the news, that have not taken the same approach as did Lewis-Bugle. I think the author, Charles Kuffner, of this article did a great job in demonstrating the right thing to do in a hard situation, on whether to agree or disagree. He showed two instances of how two county clerks handled this situation and how to target an audience by showing both sides of the issue. Even though I am against discrimination, I can appreciate the approach and action of Lewis-Bugle.

Are You Crazy?

KXAN reported on a topic that has seem to get the people of Bastrop County all riled up. The topic is Operation Jade Helm. This article has sparked my interest, and I feel it is important to relay reliable information as oppose to rumors.

The special operation training, known as Operation Jade Helm 15, is an eight-week exercise from July 15- Sept.15, and is an exercise to Special Operations soldiers in all branches of the military for unconventional warfare. It is happening in not only Texas, but Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Many Bastrop County neighbors have questions to why the soldiers do not train at Fort Bragg, NC., where they have thousands of acres of land. Lt. Col. Mark Lastoria said Realistic Military Training, or RMT, happens off of federal reservations and on private property because soldiers have to learn how to adapt to unfamiliar terrain. Lastoria stated that people hear about RMTs and volunteer their private land to military training, which is what is said to have happened in Bastrop. There is only going to be 60 troops, two Humvees and a tank used to carry water. The training includes role playing, with soldiers in their uniform and others in civilian clothing. There will not be live ammunition, but may use blanks, also medics on hand and fire extinguishers if needed.

With that being said, there is still skepticism about what the government is really doing and what they are here for. Social media has put out theories of martial law and some of the residents of Bastrop County believe this theory,while others do not. I, personally, do not believe the government is training for martial law out there. I believe what is stated, is what is being conducted. My husband is a marine officer and has been apart of one of these exercises before. I think it is wrong for the media to misinform the public and to keep reporting on such ridiculous claims. I believe the military is taking all the proper precautions, especially for safety. I think the author, Anna Wiernicki, targeted the confused audience to be wary of the government. She posted what these people are scared of and how they feel. Some will pry on this making this issue a lot worse than it is. She did state the mayor does not feel like this is an issue and to put people at ease, they have involved the Texas National Guard.

Open Carry, Campus Carry Into Law

An article that interests me was published by KXAN news, about Governor Abbott signs open carry, campus carry into law. This law allows registered Texans to carry concealed handguns on college campuses and to openly carry them virtually everywhere else. This concerns me because i'm worried about the well being of these individuals and myself. I feel the requirements to carry a concealed weapon are pretty relaxed. The requirements are the following: applicants must be 21, pass a background check, receive classroom and shooting range instructions. One major qualification they did not mention is a psychological exam. I believe it is crucial in approving someone with an armed weapon, to go out in the public. Many times people have struggles that they are dealing with and sometimes take the law into their own hands. I feel we will encounter more news stories by this law putting a weapon in the wrong person's hands, if we do not properly scan the individuals. This is a huge responsibility and i just do not think many are fit for this.