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.