Blog Stage 8

   I agree with Ruben on his opinion that school shootings is a prevalent topic in US society, but it has been for years, maybe even decades now. It is something that unfortunately we keep seeing year after year in the news and in my opinion it is unbelievable how the government won’t do anything to change this situation. It is obvious that laws like the Texas Senate Bill 11 are not really laws that will improve this situation. 

   How can people and legislators actually think that allowing teachers and students over 21 years of age carry a concealed weapon will be the route to stop these massacres from occurring? Gun regulation is a more believable way to stop these shootings from happening, but as Ruben mentions in his blog post, it is something that has zero probability to happen, especially in the state of Texas. It is frustrating and sad how this is something that could basically happen to anybody but the government and legislators refuse to take real action towards this problem of society.

   Even when this Bill 11 has gone through different amendments since the day it was first proposed in 2015, its clear how none of these changes is the solution that the society needs. It shouldn't be a normal thing for people to have automatic weapons at home and for basically anyone to be able to own one.

Blog Stage 7

We are all aware that one of the main problems that our society is currently facing are drug related issues. These problems vary from consumption, to drug dealing, and trafficking and they convey so many other problems within society. According to recent statistics, the United States currently holds the first place for marijuana, cocaine, and tobacco consumption. Also, other illegal drugs like methamphetamines are widely consumed across the country.

  Despite the fact fact that some states have now legalized the use of marijuana as a recreational drug or/and for medical use, the problems are somewhat consistent and he consumption of other illegal drugs is on he rise or has stayed the same. In the state of Texas, drug possession is considered a felony which carries a penalty of up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $4,000 depending on the type of drug.

   In 2013 alone, the state of Texas reported almost 400 calls to the poison control center for heroin overdose. Even when this statistic is from 5 years ago, the problem is still the same. In my opinion, the real problem relies within the society, and we cannot put all the blame on the government. Once someone makes the decision to use drugs, even if it’s only one time, they become part of the problem. I know it may sound absurd, but maybe for some people this could sound insignificant and even say “ well it was only one time”, but the reality is that this one time carries a lot of problems behind that we are not able to see (for example, all the crime involved with drug trafficking).

I believe that this example doesn’t only apply to drug crimes, but to many other problems in our society as well, in which we tend to blame the government for. We should be able to take a look at ourselves and see if there might be something that we are doing that directly or indirectly contributes to theses issues. I do believe that all big changes start with us, so if we want a change we must begin with changing the way we act, think, the choices we make, and the way we treat others.

Blog Stage 6

   Carson, after reading what you wrote on gun control in America, and particularly in the state of Texas I can say that I share your point of view and believe that it is something that should happen immediately. It is unbelievable how many gun related massive killings have already happened and the government refuses to start making changes to the law and actually control this market. I can’t believe that only in 2018 there were 23 “incidents” in schools alone and that this doesn’t seem alarming to the people in charge of changing and making the laws in this country. Of course, not counting all of the other major tragedies that happened in 2018 that were related to the use of guns. I know there may be economic or other interests related to not controlling this situation but politicians should be able to see pass this and realize that this an every day issue, which unfortunately happens to innocent people and we see it everyday in the news.

Gerrymandering in the State of Texas

Gerrymandering in the State of Texas

   Gerrymandering, is a practice in the United States politics that consists in drawing lines and “breaking” or dividing the districts in order to favor one specific political party. This policy was first implemented back in the 19th century by Eldridge Gerry’s government, in order to reestablish the districts in Massachusetts. It has been used particularly to favor the Republican party, to diminish the number of Democratic voters and making it easier for them to win the different type of elections.

   The practice of Gerrymandering can be enforced because of the voting system that’s used in the United States. This system differs to the traditional way to count votes in many different countries that are ruled by a democratic government. In other countries, votes are traditionally counted one by one and votes are not divided by district, state, etc but every single vote counts. This means every single person’s vote count to elect the different office positions. On the other hand, the votes in the United States are counted by district, which means that its not the individual vote that matters in the end, but the political party that has the most votes per district or state.

   The situation described above is why Gerrymandering is such a popular practice and why it becomes convenient for the Republican party. By dividing the district, they strategically divide out the number of voters, in order to win over more districts. Also, even when it is obvious how this divisions are made to reduce the number of Democratic voters, it is permitted as long as people “drawing the lines” and making the divisions don’t get caught on doing it deliberately with the intention of benefiting it. Therefore even when the intention is obvious, it won’t be considered illegal unless someone publicly admits the real reason this divisions are made.

   I believe that this practice could be eliminated by changing the way votes are counted in this country. I understand that back when the states were uniting, it was more convenient and fair to count votes per state and not per person, because there was an uneven number of people living in different states, therefore if votes were to be counted by person and not by state, some citizens would be in obvious disadvantage and their “voices” would never be heard. However, nowadays people migrate from one state to the other, and times and demographics have definitely changed. If this voting structure were to change, then gerrymandering would stop having the importance it has now and politicians would not be able to manipulate de districts like they currently do. Or even if they did it wouldn’t really matter at the moment of counting down the votes.

   In my opinion, the intention of creating gerrymandering might have been a good one back in the day, but nowadays it is something that might be affecting voters because their voting preferences are not being represented in an accurate way. Especially in the state of Texas, which Is known as “one of the most gerrymandered states”, favoring the Republican Party which currently holds the majority of the seats in office. If we take a quick look into a map of how districts are divided in Texas, we can immediately identify this situation, especially in the way district 35 is drawn.

A border crisis that a wall won't fix

This article published on the San Antonio Express News begins by explaining the existing immigration issue that we can find at the southern border. I agree with how it tries to make clear that the current problem is not the same as it was years ago (immigrants coming from Mexico looking for work, which apparently seems to be the problem Trump describes every time he addresses the topic). They explain that the main problem now is that all these people are not coming from Mexico but from Central American countries such as Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. This problem particularly affects Texas since it is a border state.

These people coming from Central American with their children with the "ever-present threat that their boys will be forced to join gangs or that their girls will be forced to submit to sexual degradation at the price of simply existing" in these countries. They state that these people are looking for political asylum and that not even the president's new laws and strict rules will stop them.

In my opinion it is a good article but it doesn't really suggest what we can to do change this situation. It only talks about what the government is currently doing (trying to build the wall, increasing security at the border, enforcing strict immigration laws, etc) but not what they can do to change this problem. I believe that this is a problem that has to be approached by their local government in order to help them achieve a better quality of life in those countries. There's obviously a problem in the opportunities (education, jobs, quality of life) they have in those countries as well as a problem with these gangs that has to be taken care off, and they state in the article that the USA helps these countries annually with huge amount of money and this is obviously not used appropriately by their government.

I understand these people need help but you cannot violate the sovereignty of another country. For example months ago there was a 'caravan' coming from these countries and their final destination being the United States. Immigrants entered Mexico as if it was their own country, demanding for food, accommodations, etc and even complaining because Mexican government was giving them certain type of food and they believed they deserved something else. I know this is a controversial topic and I do agree in helping people in need but I don't believe in people demanding for things and violating another country's laws. I do believe that rules and laws should apply to everyone so why would some people have to pay for immigration fees, lawyers, paper work, etc and others just walk in and are not obligated to comply with what the law says?

Four reasons why Beto shouldn't run for president, and four reasons he should

   This article written by Austin reporter Jeremy Wallace and published on the Houston Chronicle revolves around El Paso Democrat Beto O'Rourke and the possibility of him running for president, which he is set to announce by the end to this month. In his article, Wallace fives four pros and four cons on this decision. We can identify more valid reasons why he should run than why he shouldn't.

   The article begins by listing the reasons why he shouldn't. The first reason is that "his children routines might be affected by moving into the White House". In my opinion this is not really a valid reasons on why he shouldn't reuse it has nothing to do with his ability to do a good job. The second reason is that "Texas Democrats need him more", which might be true because there are not many Democrats working for Texas, but he can always keep on helping as he has been doing until now by running for president. The third reason listed is experience, because Wallace says that O'Rourke has only served 12 years in elective office between the city council in El Paso and 6 years in Congress, and while experience is a valid reasons to doubt the performance of someone in office, we currently have an elected president who has no previous political experience, and apparently people believed he could do a good job regardless of this situation. The last reason is "Primary War" which means he has to compete against other Democrats before being able to compete against Trump.

   On the other hand, Wallace gives some good reasons on why he should go for it. First of all he says that this might be the only moment for hum to do it and that by not doing so he might lose his opportunity. He gives the example of former President Barack Obama, who decided to take his shot even when he had only been two years in senate, or how Mario Cuomo decided not to run in 1992 and lost his opportunity because he was never considered a good candidate again. I believe that in politics and in life in general, when you have opportunities like these, if you let them pass you might never get them again. The second reason is the money, and how it was particularly easy for him to raise it when he was running for senate. The third is that he is still a young man, who can "give a dramatic contrast with President Trump", who is the age of the other Democrat contenders, and in my opinion this is a characteristic that he could use in his advantage. Lastly he says that "primary calendar could be ideal" for him.

   After reading this article, I believe that it is a well written and well informed. The author is a known Austin reporter so he has credibility. It gives good reasons on why it might be a good idea for him to run for president, but not so good ones on why he shouldn't. In mu opinion the const are not strong arguments, but this might be because there are not so many valid reasons on why he shouldn't do it.

Donal Trump Vows to "Finish the Wall" in El Paso Political Rally

   The article published by the Texas Monthly narrates President Trump's recent visit in El Paso Texas and the declarations he made while being there. He talked about his intention on completing the wall in the border with Mexico, and explained how ever since the construction of the wall Bega over a decade ago, the faulty of life in El Paso changed for the better. According to him, El Paso used to be one of the "most dangerous cities in America". These declarations and "facts" were marked as false and "lies" by the people of El Paso and they reveled that such declarations made them upset.

  It also explains how El Paso congressman, Beto O'Rourke, recognizes the hard work of undocumented immigrants and urges people to come together in the midst of this controversial topic. He also addresses the problematic situation of the detention of over six thousand children this past year and gives his thoughts on immigration. Finally, they provide the testimony of an immigrant woman form Honduras, she explains how she was separated from her children and that they are being falsely accused of being criminals when they are only looking for better opportunities for themselves and for their families.

   In my opinion, this a well written article on the immigration topic, which tries to address both sides of the issue giving an objective point of view. I believe that it is important for people to be well informed on this matter because it is something that directly affects our state of Texas and the whole country and it is important to be informed by facts and not by judgements and opinions.