Dexter the Texter! - a commentary on a dangerous driving habit

John Olson in his blog "Texas Govt. Today and Tomorrow" posted about a concern that all Texans should be aware of, especially since we may be the people to be concerned about. In his article "Dexter the Texter!" he brings up the issue of texting while driving, something that legislation has been battling for a while now.

John uses an article in the Houston Chronicle, and specifically quotes from representative Tom Craddick to support his commentary's main point regarding the danger of texting, bringing credibility in the fact that it's a view from a politician involved in the texting legislation. He then includes a website with more information about the matter, giving a reader another source to dive deeper into the matter.

I cannot help but agree with John's view. I do not text and drive myself, but I have been in the same car with people who take their eyes off the road, put their knees on the steering wheel to keep the car straight, and start texting. It is truly a terrifying thought knowing that he is completely unaware of what's happening in front of him while looking at his mobile device. While laws are in place to counter this, they are really only enforced in school areas in Round Rock at least. You aren't even allowed to talk on the phone in school zones here. But elsewhere, people can be seen doing it all the time. I believe that stricter enforcement of these laws, as well as harsher penalties, will truly make it not worth looking at your phone while you are on the road, even though the occasional wreck put on TV should already be incentive enough .

The Healthcare Bomb

With the re-election of President Obama on November 6th, it has become an imminent event for his healthcare plan, or "Obamacare", to come to full fruition. It will require the states to put the burden of providing government mandated healthcare on the backs of the taxpayers, and to make sure that every citizen is covered as by law. With this thought, the federal government offered the opportunity to have states set up their own system of affordable healthcare as long as it is in regulation with federal law. In this scenario, the state will be able to at least have the illusion of control compared to having the federal government come in and set it up.
However, Governor Perry declined this option, citing states' rights as a key reason why Texas shouldn't be forced to put these laws into action. While I think states' rights is an excuse that died with the Civil War, I don't disagree with it at all. This law, while promising to bring affordable healthcare, is a crushing blow to the American middle class which is already getting demolished by the economy. The bill doesn't pay for itself, and all the money is not going to come from just the top 2 percent that the tax rates are about to be increased on. It is a bill that is going to be harmful to the majority of Texans' wallets, and is something that I personally wish could be shot down with a thought such as states' rights.
Shame that for the moment, all that Perry accomplished was delaying Washington's judgement on our state, especially since the laws will be put into action next year. Who's ready for 2013?

Commentary on the Rejection of the Voter's ID law

On November 4th, via his blog "The eyes of Texas are upon you", Josh Cox stressed his support towards Rick Perry's stance on the Voter Identification law in his commentary "Texas Voter ID Law". He believes that our state should protect the citizen's right to vote and prevent acts of fraud at the ballot box by having an ID law, and that people who haven't earned the right to vote, such as illegal immigrants, should be kept from voting in our elections as well. He uses direct quotes from the article he is providing commentary for, as well as direct quotations from the governor himself to support his view.

I personally support this view myself, and Josh brings up a valid concern. There are people who are worried about their vote being cancelled by someone who is either committing fraud or isn't able to vote under legal means. But people see it as an attack on our rights to require ID. We have to provide identification when we buy alcohol or tobacco, there's no reason not to provide a picture ID for voting as well.

The article Josh bases his commentary off of is found on the Texas Capitol Report, An article called "Reaction to rejection of TX voter ID law". It is here that Josh finds the direct quotes from Rick Perry to support his writing, and express his thoughts on the lack of a voter ID law.

Decision 2012

Next Tuesday is the big date. November 6th, 2012 is election day, where the leader of the free world for the next four years, among other offices both nationally and locally, will be decided. Forget the line between Democrats and Republicans, this is the future we're talking about, something that will impact our nation, our state, and us in the long run. So with that in mind, I can not express how important it is for each one of us to express our voice and go out to the booths.

The last day of early voting is today, November 2nd. The locations that you can go out to at this time to cast your vote before November 6th in both Williamson and Travis counties are both listed in the links on their names. It is the best way to avoid any crowds on election day and, as I have found myself, can be a very quick five minutes of your time.

I try to stay as neutral as I can with my view on this blog, but I really can't say enough about how important it is to have a voice in the government. In these times, we need people who can work for a better future and buck the trends our country is currently undertaking. Vote smart, be informed, and remember that no matter who wins that they are the people we are to rally behind for our future.

God bless us all, and may the people who are best suited to lead our country and our state be elected.

The Importance of Being Informed and Voting

Voting is a right given to all Americans once they have reached the age of 18, and it is a right that I believe is important for everyone to exercise, no matter what your view. With that being said, even though we all have that right, I also believe that you should only vote when you are well informed about what you are voting about. Take this discussion that Neil Aquino at Texas Liberal brings up for example. He is trying to get us to understand that we as voters are responsible for being informed before putting the check mark on a ballot.

Using links to various pages and sources, Aquino brings up the thought that even though there are solid facts showing that a certain candidate is not fit or qualified for the job, he was voted in as the Democrat candidate for district attorney in Harris county. That brings up the concern that voters are on cruise control in the box, just picking for the party they've always voted for and selecting the name that sounds more familiar to their ears. With the thought that these people are going to be running our government for however long their term is, we need to put a little more thought about who we pick for our offices.

Yes, voting is a right all Americans have, but we need to be aware that we put the folks sitting in the government in office with our vote. If we find  that we dislike the way a person is doing their job, we need to realize we were the ones who put them in there in the first place, and that we are also the folks who need to vote them out come the election. For information on how to vote in our fine state, regardless of which party you support, here is a link to a page also created by Mr. Aquino. Be informed, make your voice count.

Views on Texas healthcare for prison inmates

Tax payers like to believe that any money they have taken by the government is going to be used for their long term benefit and growth, but what if they knew that it was being used to keep the people who wronged society healthy out of their pocket? The Houston Chronicle brings up the case of Donald Rash, a 61 year old felon, who is serving a 23 year sentence and was refused parole to go to a nursing center halfway through his time, yet continues to receive state provided healthcare for his diabetes, hepatitis C, and other heath concerns. The story of this man brings up an interesting topic: should prison inmates receive high healthcare benefits?

With a budget that seems to be as tight as our state's, it doesn't seem like the brightest idea. The Chronicle supports the thought with statistics, such as the fact that the top TEN inmates alone costed 1.9 million dollars in healthcare costs back in 2011 and that healthcare for inmates takes up 30 percent of the state healthcare budget. They are trying to appeal to reason and point out the issues with the current system to the common reader, and help them understand that the current healthcare plan for inmates is a burden on the state, hence a burden to taxpayers.

These thoughts in mind, I agree with the article and its concerns. I believe that the state should not provide any more health care than is necessary to those who have betrayed society's trust. If it is obvious that the person is too ill or old to commit another crime, or is looking death in the eye, then release them from prison into a secure home and track them. There is no reason at that point to spend government money and pour it into the prison system for medical reasons at that point. The funds the government receives should be used to help the folks who are out in the world, not those behind bars.

Perry speaks at Houston for pro-life medical clinic

I'm personally a pro-life kind of guy who is against abortion in all of its forms, but most people would bring up the case that the government should not be able to force a child onto someone who doesn't want it. Back in 2009, President Obama signed an executive order that allows taxpayer dollars to be used on international family planning organizations, some of which use abortion as a preferred method. With that, he solidified the national government's stance in favor of abortion. So is it right for the state government and its representatives to take a stance against abortion and organizations that utilize it? Governor Rick Perry made his stance clear with the recent actions against Planned Parenthood and his support of the opening of The Source. If you are against Perry and his anti-abortion policies or not, this article is still worth a look.