Austins Road Construction

I’m commenting on Mike Luong’s blog about Austin’s road construction.

I agree with him 100%. It seems like today there are more and more roads being worked on and they are taking forever to complete. He made a good point about this being an inconvenience to the residents of this city. There have been numerous times that I had to drive out of my way to get somewhere because a road was closed for construction. I understand that the end result will benefit us, but they should speed up their work and not take on so many projects at one time. I live right behind the toll road by the Heatherwilde exit, which takes me to my neighborhood, and this exit was supposed to be finished by March 2008 and they just completed it last month. That’s what I call ridiculous. I also agree with Mike when he says that the city needs to be more considerate of its citizens. I’m not personally affected by the noise of construction going on around my neighborhood but I know a lot of people out there are. If I was one those people I would be pretty annoyed that I had to wake up to construction noise every morning. I know Austin is trying to fix our roads and make them better for us to drive on, but I believe they need a new method of doing this. They should only take on so many projects at one time before starting a new one. Overall, Mike did a really good job of getting his point across and expressing how he felt about this situation. He also provided excellent examples to back up his opinion.

Don't Phone and Drive

In some states there has been a law passed that bans the use of cell phones while driving. Texas has failed to pass this law yet but I believe it needs to be done. I'm not saying it should be where you can't use your cell phone at all while driving but it should be required to have a hands free unit. This means cutting out text messaging all together. I used to be a fan of texting while driving and there’s no telling how many times I had to slam on my brakes because I wasn't paying attention to the car in front of me. I know there are several other people out there that have been in the same situation. Also, not only does using your cell phone while driving put you in danger but also other cars around you and pedestrians. I believe by requiring a hands free unit while driving will decrease car accidents because people will start paying more attention to the roads. Cell phones are a huge distraction and something needs to be done about it.

APD Drawing Blood On Intoxicated Drivers

I am commenting on Adrianna’s blog about the Austin Police Department drawing blood from drivers who are suspected of being intoxicated.

I believe this is a good idea and might be more effective than the breathalyzer. I think the idea of them possibly being poked with a needle if they are pulled over will make them think twice about drinking and driving. Many people are killed by drunk drivers every year and we need to do anything in our power to try and lower this number. I did some research on this topic and found that the Austin DWI patrol officers will be trained to draw blood, so there’s not some random officer drawing your blood that doesn’t know what he’s doing. Anyone who is against this and says that it invades our rights can simply just take the breathalyzer test. But people can avoid this conflict all together if they would just stop drinking and driving.

I think Adrianna did a good job of getting her point across and expressing how she felt about the situation. She says that this program would help encourage everyone to have a safer weekend, which is exactly what we need. Her blog was well written and I agree with everything she had to say.

One of the propositions that will appear on the ballots in November is about increasing tax rates. If voters don’t approve this proposition, then the Austin school district teachers will not get the 3 percent raise they deserve. The proposed tax rate increase of 3.9 cents per $100 valuation
would raise an additional $21.7 million for a total budget of $865.1 million.

I believe we should all vote yes for this proposition for a couple different reasons. We depend on these teachers to give our children a good education so the least we can do is vote for proposition 1 to give them a raise. Also, if the Austin school district doesn’t give them a raise most likely all the good teachers will start looking for another job that will pay more. People may not realize this but teachers really do work hard and have a lot to handle and they deserve the raise as much as anyone else. Lastly, teachers do a lot to help our children and make sure they are well educated, now it’s your turn to return the favor. Yeah, your taxes will go up slightly but it’s for a good cause. So remember on November 4 to vote yes for proposition 1.

Austin American Statesman

Why Electing Good Judges Matters

I read an article this week out of the Austin American Statesman by Craig Enoch. He makes some really good points on why it's important to know things about the judges you're electing. He starts off by saying that Texans make sure they know their children's teachers before sending them to school, they know information about their doctors, and many other professionals because they play a huge role in our lives. Therefore, every Texan should know information about the judges being elected. He goes on to say that judges affect many different areas of our life, yet very few people understand or know anything about this branch of government. When it comes to voting, there are a number of people who don't vote in this category simply because they don't have the right information. He ends his article by saying every Texan should go ask questions and get the information they need so when it comes time to vote, they can make the right decision. I completely agree with his argument. I believe we should somehow retrieve this information. I'm not going to lie, I'm one of those people that have no knowledge of our judges but I do plan on getting that information before it's time to vote. Judges play a huge role in the laws that are made and those laws affect everyone living here, therefore we need to make sure we are electing someone who is reliable. I believe Enoch's audience is all the citizens in Texas or at least everyone who is registered to vote. Enoch was formally on the Supreme Court Justice, which makes me believe his opinion in this subject is very important. Since he has experience in this subject his argument is very affective.

How Texas Can Meet the Growing Demand for Health Care

I read an article from the Austin American Statesman by Dr. J. James Rochack. He talks about the growing demand for health care and what Texas can do to prevent future problems. As of right now Texas ranks behind other states when it comes to licensed physicians. He says in order to fix this problem Texas needs to open more residency training schools. In order to be a physician it requires more training than four years of medical school and right now Texas isn’t providing that. Students have to move just to continue their training to be a physician, which leads to a loss of physicians in Texas. He also says to make sure we provide the right health care to Texans we need to focus on the continuum of medical education. For us to do that we must provide not only the education but the training as well. I agree with everything Rochack has to say. Texas is going to continue to grow over the years and there’s going to be an increase in the demand for health care. In order to keep up with the population growth we need to provide the right schools to train physicians. I believe his intended audience is the state because they are going to be the one to fund the school. Also, anybody that has medical problems and depend on doctors for help. The more people that speak up about the issue, the more likely the state will open a new school. Rochack is a cardiologist and the director of the Temple-based Scott & White Center for Healthcare Policy; therefore I’m pretty sure he knows what he is talking about.

Sex Offenders in Shelters

A program that was made by the Texas attorney generals office has confirmed several sex offenders staying in the shelters provided for the Houston evacuees. Another program called the Operation Safe Shelter has found about thirty-six other possible sex offenders. In attempt to protect the women and children staying in the shelters, the program is sending all the names to state officials to do a background check. When they come across a sex offender they let the shelter know so they can keep a close eye on them. I believe this is a good strategy to help protect the people staying there. It's better than the government just letting this issue go left alone. However, I do believe the state officials should keep their eye on other issues, such as drug dealers or just anyone who has commited a crime. This is a good article to read because it lets us know our government is putting in an effort to keep all the evacuees safe.