This is in response to Catalina's blog Teachers need an urgent salary raise . I agree whole heartedly that teachers are much more that just professionals who instruct our children in reading, writing and arithmetic. Catalina makes a good point that teachers our with our kids for 8hrs of the day and we rely on teachers to shape our children's young minds, personalities and behaviors. An increase in pay will help to attract those teacher candidates who might otherwise go into other professions if the salary wasn't as competitive. For those reasons I do agree that we should pay these important professionals more. However, with more pay shouldn't we expect more out of our teachers?
If we are to pay these teachers more we need to hold them to higher standards. Teachers should be tested on a regular basis to ensure that they continue to develop in their respective field. The progress of their students should also reflect how effective the teachers methods of instruction are. The last thing we need to to have higher paid teachers with a laissez-faireattitude. Let´s give our kids the best, and if that means recruiting better teachers with a higher pay scale, then so be it. That is, as long as we make sure those teachers remain the very best.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Teen Mothers Need Help
Teen pregnancy in Texas is on the rise and we need to put measures in place now in order to get it under control. Let's face it, abstinence is not working. We need to provide these young teens with contraceptives in order to avoid future pregnancies. Senate Bill 592 which has passed a preliminary vote, would apply to mothers ages 16 and older who are already mothers. The bill would provide contraceptives to these young mothers without the consent of their parents in efforts to deter repeated pregnancy. Some representatives are proposing an amendment to the bill would require the parents or legal guardians to be notified later.
Opponents to the bill argue that this would only encourage bad behavior. I say that this is ridiculous. First of all this bill is aimed towards girls who have already engaged in sexual activity and have already had kids. Chances are these young teens are going to repeat this behavior so why not put something in place to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Second, some girls are still embarrassed to talk with their parents about sex and this bill would provide them access to this much needed contraceptive. Regarding the amendment, if it will help to pass the bill then I say great, but regardless if parents are aware of their teenager's sexual activity or not, the teenagers are going to engage in these activities. Let's give these girls the ability to at least try and take some responsibility to protect themselves from another unwanted pregnancy.
Opponents to the bill argue that this would only encourage bad behavior. I say that this is ridiculous. First of all this bill is aimed towards girls who have already engaged in sexual activity and have already had kids. Chances are these young teens are going to repeat this behavior so why not put something in place to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Second, some girls are still embarrassed to talk with their parents about sex and this bill would provide them access to this much needed contraceptive. Regarding the amendment, if it will help to pass the bill then I say great, but regardless if parents are aware of their teenager's sexual activity or not, the teenagers are going to engage in these activities. Let's give these girls the ability to at least try and take some responsibility to protect themselves from another unwanted pregnancy.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Handguns Aren’t the Answer! In response to Lauren’s article “Carrying Handguns onto a College Campus”
First off I am a supporter of our right to bear arms. My father had guns in the house, my brother in law is a police officer, and I encouraged my husband to purchase a gun for our home. However, the thought of giving college students the right to carry concealed handguns is not a policy that I would agree with. In fact it is down right scary. I believe that the Virginia Tech shooting was a one off event that no matter what kind of laws were in place something like that would have happened. If not at Virginia Tech, then maybe at another campus. Could someone have killed or stopped the shooter before he killed as many as he did, possibly. But what about the argument that the shooter could have planned out such an event with even more detail resulting in more deaths. Imagine if the shooter would have been able to walk into a freshman history class with over 300 students while legally toting a handgun. Even more unfortunate deaths would have resulted.
Another reason I feel that isn’t a good idea to pass such a law is that 21year old college students aren’t as mature as you think. Most of them have trouble keeping track of their books or laptop can you imagine a gun? Twenty one year olds are too busy celebrating the idea that they can now legally have a drink. Now you want to give them the right to carry a handgun to my calculus class?
I say leave the guns on campus’s to the experts, the campus police. College is an institute of higher learning, not the old Wild West.
Another reason I feel that isn’t a good idea to pass such a law is that 21year old college students aren’t as mature as you think. Most of them have trouble keeping track of their books or laptop can you imagine a gun? Twenty one year olds are too busy celebrating the idea that they can now legally have a drink. Now you want to give them the right to carry a handgun to my calculus class?
I say leave the guns on campus’s to the experts, the campus police. College is an institute of higher learning, not the old Wild West.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Challenge Our Young Minds
More and more Texas school districts are adopting a policy that is prohibiting teachers from giving students failing grades. Some districts don’t even allow teachers to give even less than a grade of 70. This means that in some high schools a student cannot fail his or her class. Some state lawmakers have finally come to their senses and are acting to pass a bill that would put a stop to this practice and would go back to giving students what they deserve.
The state of education, namely in science and math, is bad enough in this country. I can’t imagine where this country would be in ten years. This policy of giving students a free pass is definitely a step backwards. If we continue on this trend our country would face the challenges of the 1960s when the educational scare occurred. During the space race, the United States realized that the country was behind in educational development in comparison with rival countries. Why? Students became lazy. This no fail policy does nothing but encourage students to do the bare minimum.
I say bravo to the state legislators who are taking a hard stance and giving the power back to the teachers. More than ever our country needs enlightened, challenged minds. Given our economic disasters, environmental issues, and energy shortages we cannot afford to allow our future generation to become status quo. The only was to ensure that the United States continues to be a world leader is to challenge and develop young minds.
The state of education, namely in science and math, is bad enough in this country. I can’t imagine where this country would be in ten years. This policy of giving students a free pass is definitely a step backwards. If we continue on this trend our country would face the challenges of the 1960s when the educational scare occurred. During the space race, the United States realized that the country was behind in educational development in comparison with rival countries. Why? Students became lazy. This no fail policy does nothing but encourage students to do the bare minimum.
I say bravo to the state legislators who are taking a hard stance and giving the power back to the teachers. More than ever our country needs enlightened, challenged minds. Given our economic disasters, environmental issues, and energy shortages we cannot afford to allow our future generation to become status quo. The only was to ensure that the United States continues to be a world leader is to challenge and develop young minds.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Obama's Fight on Drugs
In Melissa Del Bosque’s blog Obama Listens to Mexico in Border Security Plan she comments on how Obama is being criticized by republicans for his current drug and border security policy with Mexico. The blog is directed at a general audience, but there are some clear jabs at those Obama nay sayers. This is clear because her opinions are not only is done in a style to inform, but also to defend President Obama. Her blog appears to hold some credibility as she is quick to provide facts and figures on current expenditures in this drug war with Mexico. As well as the current Obama plan in the fight against drugs cartels.
Melissa’s argument is a strong one in that she is quick to point out that although some criticism could be warranted, the previous administration accomplished little to nothing in their fight on drugs. She goes as far as to say that at least Obama is acknowledging that there is an issue, the first step in resolving. She states that the administration has three main issues in its battle with drugs. First of all Obama’s plan gives Mexico what it has been asking for, a plan for the U.S. to curb the amount of drug use in the U.S. and to stop the influx of guns into Mexico from the U.S. Mellissa also states that the U.S. will make a concerted effort to create a plan that will spotlight drug prevention and addiction treatment.
I think that the author did a good job in connecting with a general audience and bringing light on the drug problems that the U.S. is facing with Mexico. In recent news the drug and border security issues have been more prevalent stories. It seems that the previous administration focused more on illegal immigration and not the more serious issue of the exponentially growing drug cartels.
Melissa’s argument is a strong one in that she is quick to point out that although some criticism could be warranted, the previous administration accomplished little to nothing in their fight on drugs. She goes as far as to say that at least Obama is acknowledging that there is an issue, the first step in resolving. She states that the administration has three main issues in its battle with drugs. First of all Obama’s plan gives Mexico what it has been asking for, a plan for the U.S. to curb the amount of drug use in the U.S. and to stop the influx of guns into Mexico from the U.S. Mellissa also states that the U.S. will make a concerted effort to create a plan that will spotlight drug prevention and addiction treatment.
I think that the author did a good job in connecting with a general audience and bringing light on the drug problems that the U.S. is facing with Mexico. In recent news the drug and border security issues have been more prevalent stories. It seems that the previous administration focused more on illegal immigration and not the more serious issue of the exponentially growing drug cartels.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Trade with Mexico is a Two Way Street
A recent editorial in the Corpus Christi Caller-Times criticizes Obama’s administration for its decision to back the Teamsters Union that caused the NAFTA program to take a step backwards. The decision cut off a pilot program that once allowed Mexican freight trucks to drive on U.S highways. In light of this cut off, the Mexican government struck back and put trade tariffs on 10 to 20 percent of U.S. products that are imported into Mexico.
The authors editorial is directed to a general Texas based audience. This is evident since he/she states how the direct result of the trade tariffs will most likely impact Texas trade locally. The editorial also implies that these unions are based in the north and their push to pass this cut off would require Texas and some of the other southwestern states to take the blow. The editorial does not go into lengthy legislative details regarding NAFTA, so it makes the reading easy for a general audience to understand.
The author makes his/her point in the editorial in a clear concise manner. A brief history of what NAFTA was supposed to allow, why the cut off was proposed, and what it will do to the local economy. The author also provides a few facts and figures regarding the trucks that came into the U.S. without incident, and the dollar amount that this tariff imposed will hurt our economy. These are just enough statistics to hold the readers attention without overwhelming them with numbers.
I personally agree with the author’s editorial criticizing Obama’s administrations decision to ban trucks from Mexico into the U.S. This can only result in a damaging trade relation with our neighbor. The tariffs imposed by Mexico can only hurt an already damaged U.S. economy that needs all the help it can get. The argument that these trucks are banned because of the safety issue on our roads is ridiculous. I think this is just another example of how big unions influence government policy negatively.
The authors editorial is directed to a general Texas based audience. This is evident since he/she states how the direct result of the trade tariffs will most likely impact Texas trade locally. The editorial also implies that these unions are based in the north and their push to pass this cut off would require Texas and some of the other southwestern states to take the blow. The editorial does not go into lengthy legislative details regarding NAFTA, so it makes the reading easy for a general audience to understand.
The author makes his/her point in the editorial in a clear concise manner. A brief history of what NAFTA was supposed to allow, why the cut off was proposed, and what it will do to the local economy. The author also provides a few facts and figures regarding the trucks that came into the U.S. without incident, and the dollar amount that this tariff imposed will hurt our economy. These are just enough statistics to hold the readers attention without overwhelming them with numbers.
I personally agree with the author’s editorial criticizing Obama’s administrations decision to ban trucks from Mexico into the U.S. This can only result in a damaging trade relation with our neighbor. The tariffs imposed by Mexico can only hurt an already damaged U.S. economy that needs all the help it can get. The argument that these trucks are banned because of the safety issue on our roads is ridiculous. I think this is just another example of how big unions influence government policy negatively.
Friday, March 6, 2009
City Cuts Facing Challenges
Our struggling economy is starting to affect some of our most important city departments. The article titled “City manager to rethink cuts of fire truck staffing” can be found at http://www.statesman.com/search/content/news/stories/local/03/06/0306fire.html and describes the backlash the city is facing.
City manager Marc Ott was in favor of cutting the manpower on fire engines from four to three but due to city council opposition as well as firefighter pressure he has decided to rethink. Over 100 firefighters held a news conference outside of city hall to discuss the potential problems that this could cause. Union representatives argued that these cuts would jeopardize their reaction time to emergencies and would create a safety issue for the firefighters. Ott said that the change is staffing would save approximately $200,000.00 dollars and after hearing all sides to this proposed cut, there was no doubt that the fire department would participate in budget cuts. Ott has now asked to hear community input whether or not the fire department should make such cuts. The article is important because citizens should be aware of the possible issues that could arise from city budget cuts. It is apparent that these tough economic times are putting our most valued city services in crisis.
City manager Marc Ott was in favor of cutting the manpower on fire engines from four to three but due to city council opposition as well as firefighter pressure he has decided to rethink. Over 100 firefighters held a news conference outside of city hall to discuss the potential problems that this could cause. Union representatives argued that these cuts would jeopardize their reaction time to emergencies and would create a safety issue for the firefighters. Ott said that the change is staffing would save approximately $200,000.00 dollars and after hearing all sides to this proposed cut, there was no doubt that the fire department would participate in budget cuts. Ott has now asked to hear community input whether or not the fire department should make such cuts. The article is important because citizens should be aware of the possible issues that could arise from city budget cuts. It is apparent that these tough economic times are putting our most valued city services in crisis.
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