Closing schools not the Answer nor Solution

Closing failing schools does not fix failing students. The state's misdirected law that essentially requires the Texas education commissioner to shut down schools that flunk state standards five years in a row. I certainly agree with this editorial, and do believe that its not just school who is responsible for bad records and grades, its an individual students too. You can do all the transferring that you want and it still will not make a failing student into a high performing one. Send him/her to private school and the only difference will be is that they will be failing in private instead of public school. You have to address the reasons that they are not passing. Some are working full time jobs after school to help the family survive. Some have been caught up in the system and now feel there is no use to try hard. but most of all it comes down to having the family structure that will not accept nothing less the their best. I did not come from a rich home but my parents would have a belt waiting if I brought home an "F". Then I would be made to go to summer school. This attitude is lacking today. Closing isn't the right answer, but it's easy, cheap, and putative, which is what large governmental bodies seem to lean towards. I also believe even if the school stayed open, that would mean some students would still be stuck at a failing school. No matter what happens to the school, the solution is to put the focus on the students. That is, let the money follow the student, and let the parents send the student whenever they choose. This would force the public school system to do what is best for the student in order to retain them. Currently the school system does what is best to protect itself, which often not what's best for the student. Closing buildings is not the answer — fixing problems is. That starts with strong principals and quality teachers. But schools also need the time and tools to fix problems. The revisions that give failing schools more time to improve and a way to rebuild without starting over are good steps.

"No Refusal" Policy

I heard about the "No Refusal" Policy, but never really gave a thought about it until I read this article. It was the latest “No Refusal” enforcement from the Austin Police Department, the program where if a driver is pulled over for an Austin DWI, they may not decline to take a breathalyzer test. And if the driver says “no,” the Austin police officer can get a warrant for their blood. This isn’t the first time the Austin Police Department has instituted the “No Refusal” policy/Austin DWI blood draws. They’ve done it two times previously. I really agree with my classmate in that issue that taking a breathalyzer test is different thing and taking a blood is totally insane. I know people get crazy on weekends; they get nuts but come on seriously! I do believe forcing out their blood is against the person's rights. I find it somewhat offensive because I think it is requiring people to incriminate themselves, I think it sets a dangerous precedent when we strap people down and force a needle in them to draw their blood. You may think it’s beneficial to everybody around to get the drunk drivers off the road, but you can take them to jail anyway if they refuse a breathalyzer and that takes them right off the street. I like the point while reading this articles about "Injury lawsuit waiting to happen", of course not all enforcement agency officer know how to draw blood which might put agencies into serious problems. I am very much into taking DWI out of the road but lets try some thing else which might as not be dangerous as drawing blood.

Do we really need a gambling in Texas ?

A question to ask our self "Do we really need a gambling in Texas"?, As part of the Governor's school finance plan, it has been proposed to legalize video gambling (called the "crack cocaine" of gambling) as well as allow use of credit cards for gambling. This would be a terrible mistake for Texas. Governor Perry argues that there are already a large number of illegal slot machines in Texas, and that this proposed plan would legalize gambling and allow it to be regulated by the state. If this argument were true, then we would legalize drugs since they are illegal and rampant as well. Thus, the argument of legalizing gambling and drugs is illegitimate.

Statistics show on free market.org, that it will lead to a net loss of resources for the state and invariably create pressure for future tax increases. Legalizing Gambling will affect taxpayers heavily due to increased social welfare costs and increased crime, increase bankruptcies, act as a regressive tax on the poor, hurt local businesses by diverting consumer dollars, increase problem gamblers to more than 10 percent of the population, with two to five percent becoming compulsive gamblers, destroy families by increasing child abuse, neglect and parental suicide.

In conclusion, I know there are people out there who have money to throw away, well for all of those people think about an average family, and values of Texas. If you got enough money to spend on gambling, FINE, go to Las Vegas and Have Fun !!!