Safety tips for motorcyclists

After reading the article by A.Jones on motorcyclists and safety, i found it important for everybody to consider safety since we've lost lives on accidents involving motorcycles. As the number of motorcyclists on the road increases, the number of cyclists killed in the state is also likely to double in the next four years. This is scary news for Texan bikers, especially because the number of fatal motorcycle accidents each year is already alarmingly high. TxDOT has a list of four tips for motorists that it plans to pass along through TV and radio advertisements. Doing the following four tips while driving, TxDOT says, can save lives.

1. Do a double take. TxDOT says to look not once but twice for motorcyclists at intersections, where they could be taking a left turn. While on the highway, be alert for motorcyclists, as they may be changing lanes. Also, use your signals to alert motorcyclists where you plan to go.

2. Show respect. TxDOT wants to remind motorists that motorcycles have just as many rights on the roads as cars do, so even though they take up less space, they deserve the same amount of respect as cars.

3. Give plenty of space. TxDOT says that it is not wise to follow motorcycles too closely because their driving patterns are different from those of a car on certain roads and in certain road conditions. Always give a full lane of travel space between your vehicle and a motorcycle, the DOT suggests.

4. Anticipate possible hazards. TxDOT notes that obstacles that you many not notice could prove deadly for a motorcyclist, so be on the lookout and make sure to give them plenty of room to react in different situations.

Commentary on Rick Perry's approach to economic Development

The post by Anabel on educational cuts by rick perry has caught my attention. I support rick perry's approach to economic development  Texas has consistently been ranked as one of the best places to do business in the nation under Gov. Perry’s leadership. Aggressive job creations and property Tax reductions are among some of his approaches for economic development.  Since July 2003, Texas has created more than 1 million net new jobs. In 2008, more than half of the jobs created in the entire nation were created in Texas. In October and November of 2009, Texas gained 70,000 jobs while the nation as a whole lost 122,000 jobs. The Texas Enterprise Fund, the largest job creation fund of its kind in the nation, began under Perry in 2003 and is generating more than 55,000 new jobs and $15 billion in capital investment for Texas. Gov. Perry also championed $15.5 billion in property tax reductions, which resulted in a 33 percent decrease in school property tax rates for Texas homeowners and businesses. Perry said that he wasn't cutting on public education on one of his interviews. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5oaJCv25EE . Although local school officials and education groups overwhelmingly blame the state for forcing the potential layoffs, the ultimate responsibility for district layoffs rests in the hands of local school officials, not the state.

The high cost of Illegal Immigrants in Texas

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    Of course, after very recent significant visit of President Barack Obama to El Paso and

Austin, Texas, which happened just over two days ago, I thought it is appropriate to write

about his speech related immigration issues. I know this blog is about the government of

Texas; however, the President’s speech on Immigration policy of the country in general is

very significant for a border states like Texas and California.

    As Washington refuses to agree on a federal immigration policy, illegal immigrants from

around the world are resided and detained in Texas. They are putting a strain on both the

criminal justice system and the state budget. Last year, more than 1,600 illegal immigrants

from India crossed into Texas and overwhelmed the courts and jails in the Rio Grande

Valley. Waves of immigrants have also come from Brazil and China. It is estimated that

nearly 10,000 inmates in Texas prisons have a detainer, which means their legal status is

in question. They account for nearly 15 percent of the total prison population, and each cost

about $18,000 a year to feed, house, care for, and even educate. Therefore, as cost-cutting

alternative, if the government could be able to deport all illegal who are eligible for parole,

the saving could add up to more than $100 million a year. http://www.khou.com/news/texasnews/

The-high-cost-of-criminal-immigrants-in-Texas--121638759.html

    However, there is a limited resource to deport everyone in this country who is here illegally.

Being in a border state, poses a greater risk to the security of Texas. In such critical

situation, President Barack Obama delivered a speech on immigration issues on 10

May, 2011, on his visit to Austin and El Paso, Texas. The president wants to see a path to

legalization for the millions of illegal immigrants in this country, something opposed by

Republicans who control the House. Hispanic lawmakers are pressing Obama to take

executive action to stop or slow some deportations, particularly of students, which he's so

far refused to do. But with the 2012 election approaching, Obama is highlighting his focus

on immigration, a key issue for Hispanic voters.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/topstory/7553116.html. Before Pres. Obama came to power, he spoke at the League of United Latin American Citizens on July 8, 2008, that “America has nothing to fear from new comers because America was always a land of immigrants”. http://www.talkradionews.com/news/2008/7/8/obama-said-america-was-always-a-land-ofimmigrants.

html. I personally criticize that an issue of immigration should be bounded

with strong policy than using Hispanic and others migrants as a tool for election campaign.

Once they entered into the state, they definitely require too much resource to deport,

educate, create job, and deliver public services such as health care and housing. Therefore,

strong immigration policy should be designed to stop future illegal immigration and

legalization of immigrants who are already resided. Migrants are major sources of both

skilled and non skilled labor for the economy of the government. Thus, it is wise to

appreciate such demographic changes as population is a resource and power of nations. I

also suggest that the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agencies

should be doubled so as to control illegal immigrants at the border of Texas.

http://www.blogger.com/goog_648614059

areas-at-risk

Preserving Texas's Natural Environment

Despite our state’s great size, the rapid development of Texas natural areas is

having a deleterious effect on our natural resources and waterways, is jeopardizing

Texas’ growing recreation and eco-tourism based industries, and is threatening the

beauty, character and rural heritage. As Texas continues its dramatic growth, the

stress on our natural areas will only escalate. Every hour, 20 acres of open space are

destroyed in Texas to make way for new strip malls and subdivisions. Chronic

under-funding of parks protection and open space acquisition have opened the doors

to developers to pave over even iconic Texas wild areas such as Big Bend and Caddo

Lake. Clearly, Texas has been remiss in its stewardship of our natural heritage.

Some of the Texas natural areas are at greatest risk and require immediate

solutions to save Texan’s natural heritage. Austin’s Barton Springs is known across

the state for swimming and clean drinking water, but it is threatened with

development. Caddo Lake, which is Texas’s only naturally formed lake is home of

various plant and animal species including migratory species, such as neotropical

songbirds and colonial waterbirds has been seriously affected by the development of

the region. The development has encroached into the park and fragmenting wildlife

habitat. Poorly managed growth destroys valuable open space and farmland, increases traffic congestion, wastes tax dallors & pollutes our air and water. we must reverse current development patterns and create planned, livable communities.Thus, I would recommend the legislature should be established to sustain

the environment instead of voting on a budget that makes massive cuts to the Texas park and wildlife department since state parks generate large amounts of money from visitors as well as residents within the community. Environmentally-friendly development could help to keep the

region’s ecosystem for the coming generation.

https://www.environmenttexas.org/reports/preserving-texas/preserving-texas-reports/texasnatural-

areas-at-risk

GOP robs Texas of its future

In this blog, http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/11127/gop-robs-texas-of-its-future, Libby Shaw severely attacks Texas Republican lawmakers on their recent decisions to cut many governmental funded budgets for social services and schools.  Libby makes a decent try to call out the republican lawmakers on their “a mean-spirited, heartless and cruel mission of SLASH economics” and expose the issue to the rest of the Democratic Party and its followers so they can persistently fight back to secure these vital funds that will tremendously help children in their education and low income minorities in their daily lives. 

The blogger strongly believes that the reason why the Republican lawmakers are doing these ‘harsh’ decisions is due to their luck of understanding the public needs. Libby also claims that these lawmakers are not intellectually capable of comprehending the importance of children education and these social service programs. Furthermore, she argues that the egocentricity and narcissistic interest of these lawmakers seems to cloud their rationality and integrity to compassionately do the right thing towards women, children and the poor. Libby also questions their mental and intellectual make up to formulate a reasonable budget that improves the lives of Texas’s citizens. Her depiction of the Republican lawmakers as “The Texas Taliban” clearly indicates her disgusted attitude towards their heartless and monstrous actions.   

Libby evidently illustrates several credible sources to polish her sharp accusation of the Republican lawmakers’ decisions. Embedded in her brutal insults, she carefully provides the readers with solid evidence and reason that simply explains her position on the issue. She effortlessly offers solid rationality to support her stance, drawing comparisons between past and present budget structures. She also strongly suggests several potential solutions to avoid this catastrophic turn of events for the Texas public.  Though, at times, the writer’s overwhelming hatred towards the Republican ideals regarding tax structure seems to stand out, her orderly composition of the piece didn’t astray away from her logically and statistically sound arguments to demonstrate the hypocrisy the lawmakers.   

Texas students should not take back seat to Research

In this editorial, http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/7498493.html, the author is formulating an apparent attempt to inform university students’ that they are not getting the education that they are paying for. In the mean time, he is also warning educational institutions and professors about misallocating students and regular taxpayers’ money by purely making research the priority

In this particular piece, Ronald L. Trowbridge explores the mere possibility of universities’ undivided focus on research and how that dwarf students’ educational development. Trowbridge claims that “singular quest for research can by itself be counterproductive to the education of students.”  He basically states that universities have shown a vehemently shift in prioritizing research over teaching, and teaching should be the first precedence.        

Trowbridge evidently believes the fact that “only 57 percent of those entering college actually achieving a degree” is because institutions are abandoning teaching in lieu of research. Universities are shying away from providing their customers with the best means and methods to enhance the excellence in student education. Quality teaching has rather been plummeting because research is competitively drifting away scholars’ and experienced faculty members from classroom time.    

Trowbridge lists five “problematic areas” that result from prioritizing research. This particular list is supposed to draw a logical conclusion as to how pure focus on research is vehemently hurting the quality of education.       

Trowbridge’s revelation of five main predicaments does attempt to shade a light on the mistakes that the universities are committing by prioritizing research. Though the few problematic citations do seem to have some type of correlation, the reasoning purely lucks solid rationality. It is a wild attempt to showcase the cause and effect of research and luck of quality teachings in universities.  The author simply presented collection prestigious university personnel’s quotes to support his mere argument. The author’s perspective lucks any statistical evidence to indicate correlation of research and decreasing in quality student teachings. It’s clearly an overstretched connection. The article also includes an outrageous generalization that research does not have any societal values. Though it depict the benefits of research for private corporations and suggests that universities get the funds from these privatized entities, it fails to recognize that professors still have to utilize classroom time to conduct these privately funded researches. In this sense, the author’s claim seems to be in conflict. 

Illegal Immigrants getting in-state tuition in Texas increases

This article published on Dallas News caught my attention since it was an issue affecting around 700,000 students enrolled in Texas. The Immigration Nationality Act of 1996 prohibits access to in-state tuition benefits by undocumented students (section 8 USC 1623). It reads “…an alien who is not lawfully present in the United States shall not be eligible on the basis of residence within a State for any postsecondary education benefit unless a citizen or national of the United States is eligible for such a benefit…”.  In contrary to this Texas awarded $33.6 million in-state and institutional financial aid to illegal students that enrolled between fall 2004 and summer 2008 and this number continues to increase at Texas public colleges and universities. The most devastating part of it is that, these students are not able to be legally employed and work as professionals which makes the state investment unworthy. The money spent on these illegal aliens should be benefits going to Texas students in the form of loans or grants which they aren’t getting

Gov. Rick perry also supports the law aiding illegal immigrant students. In a recent debate, he said the students are on the path to citizenship. However, they actually won't be on that path unless the Dream Act passes, which allow illegal and portable aliens who graduate in US conditional permanent residency. I surely count myself among those who strongly support the governor on this issue or if not Texas would be wasting budget of its actual residents.