Let's Take a Joyride!

Austin MetroRail has been opened since March of 2010. It has about nine stations in total and a route that start roughly around 4^th street and takes a northern route through downtown Austin until it arrives at Howard Station, and then veers away to Leander. That’s a long way but not long enough. Compared to the Metro Buses this is a huge update. Not only is the speed better because there is no dealing with traffic, but the accommodations that come with it are excellent. I mean, comfortable seats, cool and clean air conditioning, and free WiFi…who doesn’t want a ride like that? This transportation is used a lot in the downtown areas of Austin, but not enough in the urban areas. This is only logical. When you get off the MetroRail train in a downtown station everything is within walking distance, but if you get off in its outer stations then everything is a mile away. For example, the Howard Station is deserted there are no stores close by, not a lot of offices, not a lot of restaurants, and most important no people. The nearest places are a McDonald’s, a Subway, and a couple of gas stations. Let me point out that these places are on the opposite side of the MetroRail station, meaning you have to cross under MoPac to get to them. This could become a problem for people who have no car and no other type of transportation from there on.

This is a reason why the Austin MetroRail route should be expanded. It should expand toward our other neighboring cities like Manor, Elgin, Kyle, Taylor, Round Rock, Georgetown etc. Especially since Austin is growing, the population is as well. According to the 2010 Census, Austin’s population has increase by nearly half a million. No wonder there is more traffic! Austin needs to expand its transportation system because with this type of growth and with new developments for new schools and new residency buildings there is going to be more demand. We need modern transportation to help people get to their jobs, schools, pick up their kids from daycare, even make a run to the grocery store. Not only will it be convenient for people not having to use their cars (Let’s face it Gas isn’t cheap) and to have easy access to public transportation, but it will also get more car traffic out of the streets, and we will decrease pollution in the air.

The City of Austin has shown new maps that demonstrate the addition of 10 miles to the route in place. According to the Austin American Statesman the “newest map shows rail lines reaching Southpark Meadows shopping center in far south Austin, MoPac Boulevard (Loop 1) near West Fifth Street and at West 35th Street, the Triangle on Guadalupe Street and MetroRail's Crestview Station on North Lamar Boulevard.” It is a start in the right direction. Some people are opposed to this because they feel that if an Austin MetroRail station is too close to their neighborhood it is not going to look right. I do not think that should be a problem, it is not as if the station is going to be right outside of people’s homes. I am in total agreement with the expansion of the MetroRail, and if there was a MetroRail station near my house I would take the joyride every day.

Authorized Murder

I Shot a Man in Houston Just to Watch Him Die is an editorial from the blog InThe Pink Texas. The author of this editorial and blog, Eileen Smith, addressed the problems of the rise of homicides because of the “Castle Doctrine” here in Texas. The “Castle Doctrine” was adopted in Texas in 2007; other states might know it as the ‘Stand Your Ground’. Serious homicides have been justified in Texas because of this doctrine.

Smith argues what the definition of justifiable is. Invading private property or stealing is already a bad enough crime, but killing a person because of that is no justification. Ever since expansion of this doctrine the number of homicides has increased. The author explains that before the “Castle Doctrine” Texas already allowed for deadly force against intruders, thieves but instead of requiring a person to retreat from the danger when possible they no longer have to. In this editorial the author gives us an example of what would be considered  justifiable killing with a story from the Houston Chronicle about a 24 year-old getting killed by the owner of a taco truck after stealing the tip jar that contained $20. Kind of harsh, don’t you think? The author also argues at the ending of her post that police are not even allowed to use deadly force then why should average citizens. Smith’s arguments are logical. If you think about it, if you see children playing on your yard you don’t shoot them for invading private property. Some people (like the taco truck owner) take it too far. Yeah, it may be stealing or seeing a man trespass your property but I’d rather let the police deal with those type of criminals instead of becoming a criminal myself.

Critical Thinking is Being Banned

TheDaily Texan posted an article called Re-thinking the GOP platform. This editorial is about the 2012 Texas Republican Party platform and the arguments students at The University of Texas at Austin are making against it. The Republican Platform states that they “oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking (HOT), critical thinking skills and similar programs that are simply a relabeling of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) which focus on behavior modification and have the purpose of challenging the student’s fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority.” I can see why The Daily Texan Editorial Board is against this platform, after all the people behind The Daily Texan are students themselves from The University of Texas at Austin.

According to this editorial the drafters of the Republicans’ platform devoted two and a half pages to positions under the heading “Educating Our Children”. Also this party is planning to stop multicultural education, and revoke the top 10% rule so more Texans can attend the Universities of Texas and leave out, out-of-state students and foreigners.

It makes sense that students at the University of Texas at Austin (the staff of The Daily Texan) are opposed to this platform and giving it the stink eye. The Universities of Texas are not just made up of Texan culture, but many different ones. There is a lot of diversity and THAT is what makes the Universities whole. It is logical that The Daily Texas is critiquing this platform. The Republicans are against everything these U.T. students are for. Apparently, Republicans are against critical thinking and the teaching of new ideas that do not promote what your parents taught you. Um, isn’t that called growing up?

I do not understand this Republican philosophy, educated our children but do not educated them fully? I agree with this article and think programs like HOT benefit us. We, as students, are going to school to get educated and grow as a person with the new knowledge we obtain. How can we come up with new ideas? We need new ideas from different people we cannot just stay inside the same bubble. How are the future leaders of this country going to manage this country with this type of mentally? It would be like building a castle in a pile of mud.  Diversity in our people is what makes, not only this state function, but the country that we are today.

Healthcare for Texas? Perry Says No.

Perry Rejects Health Care for Texas...? Big Shocker! It seems that the approval by the U.S. Supreme Court of the Obama Healthcare plan scared the wit out of Texas governor, Rick Perry. Even after having been declared constitutional by the Supreme Court, Perry is not enforcing the law here in Texas. Why you may ask? In a letter to the secretary of the U.S. Department of Human Services Perry stated, "I will not be party to socializing healthcare and bankrupting my state in direct contradiction to our Constitution and our founding principles of limited government." The Texas Democratic Party disagrees with Perrys decision, obviously. TDP spokeswoman  Rebecca Acuña said, "Rick Perry’s Texas solution is to let Texans stay ill and uninsured." According to a study done by the U.S. Department of Human Services, Texas has the worst healthcare of any state. Is Perry doing us, his constituents, wrong? Or is he really looking after our great state of Texas? These are just some of the questions I was left with after reading this article in the Austin Chronicle.