Blog 4

This article, SAT Should Now Be Called SAD by Howie Katz, is just... annoying.  I understand that he is making the point that if these kids did not score high enough, they should not be placed above the kids who scored higher. I get that, but it is all circumstantial. What if the man/woman that is destined to cure cancer grew up in a bad neighborhood with a tough life. Maybe if that person were given the right tools, support and trust, they could accomplish amazing things. People get so upset when they no longer get the privilege. They have been so privileged that they don't realize this is just evening out the playing field to what is fair. So many kids that come from these circumstances have never been given the chance to succeed and don't know what that looks like. Do we punish them more for the way they grew up? We all know it isn't their fault.
I'm not entirely sure who this article is meant for. Maybe to the rich parents of some white kid that didn't get into the university they wanted and wants to complain about affirmative action being the problem. Either way, he comes off lacking empathy for these kids and all they have gone through and doesn't believe that they just deserve a break. They need someone to look out for them and point them in the right direction, otherwise this pattern will just keep repeating.

Blog Stage 8

In Rajvi's Blog 7 post Texas Too Timid for Abortion? , he talks about the laws in place the past several years that banned abortion in Texas. He acknowledges that banning them isn't going to simply stop them from happening. Similar to those abstinence talks they would have in school, telling people not to have sex doesn't mean they're going to stop having sex. Bottom line is people are going to do what they want to do. I like that Rajiv states that sometimes it isn't a good time in the woman's life and that ultimately would not be ideal for any child.

Blog Stage 7

Austin lifting the ban on single-use plastic bags is really unfortunate. It is estimated that this ban reduced the use of almost 200 thousand plastic bans annually, just in Austin. Now, they have lifted this ban and the future seems a little grim to me.

            A common problem with using plastic bags is the littering often associated with them. All too often they end up in water streams and wrapped around plants and can even be a major harm to animals. Plastic bags can also be expensive as the amount of cleanup that is needing to be done in local areas can get pricey and should be an unnecessary expense if we pay attention to what we are doing.

            Many animals, specifically water-dwellers, can easily get wrapped up in plastic bags that will either leave them defenseless or could suffocate them. Consuming plastic bags is pretty fatal for animals as well. It could become tangled up in their bodies or there could be some harsh chemicals that are poisonous to the animal.

            As I have researched, I also learned that plastic bags are made from petroleum and natural gas, which are nonrenewable resources. A nonrenewable resource means there is a limited supply of that resource and once we are out of it, it is gone. WHY ARE WE WASTING THESE PRECIOUS RESOURCES ON SOMETHING SO POINTLESS? (I accidentally hit my caps lock button but it seemed like appropriate timing).

            Apparently, these plastic bags are recyclable, but it isn’t something commonly pushed for as they are very difficult to recycle. Some grocery stores collect used bags for recycling, but it isn’t encouraged and the general public does not really know about this option.

            The simple solution in my mind is to re-ban plastic bags and everyone be responsible for bringing their own reusable bags. If you forget yours and have to carry everything, you won’t forget next time.

Blog Stage 6

I read Emmy's "blog stage 6"This is such an important issue. Like to someone like me, I don't really care who uses what bathroom: it really doesn't keep me up at night. But to someone who is transgendered, it's incredibly important. It's such a simple thing that can make people feel less insecure and so much more included and accepted in society. A lot of the arguments I have seen against it is mostly women being concerned about men being creepy and going into the women's bathroom,  but that just clarifies that our priorities are misplaced. Maybe if we all start respecting each other a little more, this won't seem like such a crazy idea.

Blog Stage 5

Water conservation is extremely important. If we don't make sure we are conserving enough now we could run out and it would be too late to do anything about it. According to texaslivingwaters.org , the population of Texas is set to double by 2050 , and if that is the case we are not prepared to have that much water to support that influx of people.

Austin is the leading city in Texas towards making conservation efforts (yay!). Of course, there is always more we could do though. It seems to be more cost-effective for the state as well as any conservation means prevention of waste, hypothetically. This prevention could also keep from disasters like flooding from dams. Therefore, no expensive damages would have to be paid for.

It also seems expected that as we grow as a state, things like droughts could be more likely and common and conserving our water could help when times become more desperate. Do simple things like keeping an eye on how long you let the water go on your lawn or turning of the faucet while brushing your teeth are small changes but could be incredibly helpful in the long run. It’s a small price to pay to help keep the younger generations afloat as well as help ourselves as I don’t think any of us would like to run out of water in the middle of a drought in hot, humid Texas!

Blog Stage 3

Jerry Patterson, a former Texas state senator, reveals his feelings about the movement to tear down memorials and specifically statues of historical figures who don't necessarily promote a positive ideal. In this article posted on bigjolly.com, he focuses in on Abraham Lincoln and more specifically monuments and streets attributed to his honor and some interesting quotes that seem to directly contradict the image that we have of Lincoln. As liberal as I tend to consider myself, I think it is important to have a flexible opinion when presented with new information. I was not aware that Lincoln was not completely in favor of creating equality among all men and did have a prejudice view of black people.

Although we of course know this is wrong today, they were living in a different world then and to even be as progressive as Lincoln was was enough to create change. That’s where I tend to disagree with Mr. Patterson. Although Patterson does bring up a really interesting argument that maybe we should pay a little closer attention to those we consider “heroes”, as many were slave owners. I think in some ways it’s even better to see someone change and go from being a part of the problem to creating some sort of solution. Far be it from perfect but Lincoln had a lasting impact on the U.S. for the better and that is deserved of being recognized. I don’t think we should ignore his prejudice, but use it to teach the future generations that change is good and we should be willing to change in order to better ourselves and the lives of those around us.