Illegal Immigraiton

I agree with the author of the blog entitled, “Texas off the Record,” in the post entitled “Texas or Tejas.” I agree that there should be a harsher punishment for employers of illegal immigrants. If we want to solve the illegal immigration problem we need to stop offering jobs to people who come into this country illegally. The Arizona law about immigration has caused quite an uproar, but really it is just enforcing a federal law. People are required to carry legal identification and a law enforcement officer can request it at any time, like my colleague said. In reality the new Arizona immigration law is not a new thing. Everybody has rights but people need to obey the laws if they want to live in this country.

Immigration

The state of Arizona has recently passed a new immigration law. Will this law affect how Texas deals with Arizona and immigration? I believe it is going to change how Texas and Arizona interact. This new immigration law has become another issue for the governor’s race.

Because of this new immigration law, Texas and Arizona are both going to change. The Austin City council is considering the termination of business contracts with Arizona, and limiting traveling to the state. Councilman Bill Spelman said, “Arizona’s new immigration law puts anyone traveling to the state in jeopardy of being detained.”

Arizona’s new immigration law has become a part of the governor’s race between Rick Perry and Bill White. Governor Rick Perry said that the immigration law passed in Arizona “would not be the right thing for Texas.” Bill White’s spokeswoman, Katy Bacon said “How would police work to enforce this Arizona law, say, in a restaurant without racial profiling? Ask everyone to produce their passports and birth certificates?”

It is the responsibility of the federal government to protect the borders and the legal citizens of the United States of America. If the federal government was doing their job effectively, illegal immigration would not be a major problem. The state of Texas should not have to do the job of the federal government. I believe the solution to the illegal immigration problem is more border security. The federal government needs to help the states protect their borders in order to keep all the citizens safe. Former Chief Justice Roy Moore has stated, “There are too many people in our country who don’t recognize that the rule of law is not whatever a judge says. If that were true judges in Hitler’s Germany would have been correct in ordering people to die.” I believe that everybody should have the opportunity to live in the United States of America, but they need to follow the rules and become legal citizens.

Representation

I agree with the author of the blog “Let’s talk big, let’s talk Texas.” In this person’s post entitled Good hair vs. Baldy she talks about the governoral election between Rick Perry and Bill White. Every person’s opinions differ slightly, and you need to vote for the person whose opinions are closest to your own. Our leaders should reflect our principals.

I agree that Rick Perry has done a fairly decent job as the governor of Texas. Especially with our economy in such a mess, jobs are a big deal. Rick Perry has created 630,000 new jobs, he has more experience and he understands Texas. The writer points out that Perry is focused on important issues. She makes a good point to educate the children of illegal immigrants to give them a better future and make them less dependent on state programs. I do think she is correct to say White has a focus on things that are not top priority for Texans. I like her humor in pointing out Rick Perry has hair while Bill White is bald.

The people of Texas need somebody who will stand for them during this economic low. If Rick Perry has been a good Governor for the past decade why not keep him?

Is the Health Care Bill Right for the People of Texas?

The Federal Government recently passed a health care bill, and the President of the United States has made it law. The states have mixed feelings about the new health care law. Is the new health care law in the best interest of Texas?

The new health care law is going to be expensive for Texas. Health and Human Services Executive commissioner Tom Suehs said that “the expansion of Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program would cost the state twenty-seven billion dollars during the 2014 to 2023 budget years.” This new law is going to drastically impact Texas’ budget.

This new health care law is also going to raise taxes on Texans. The law is going to cost the United States approximately one trillion dollars over the next ten years. What kind of impact is this going to have on Texans? Nobody is certain yet how everything is going to work out, but it is pretty clear that everybody is going to have to pay something, even if they don’t get health insurance. Under this new law people who don’t purchase health insurance will have to pay a fine.

Texas along with twelve other states has filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the new health care law. The states involved in the lawsuit are Texas, Florida, South Carolina, Nebraska, Utah, Louisiana, Alabama, Michigan, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Washington, Idaho, and South Dakota. The Attorney General of each of those states has filed suit. The Supreme Court will have to decide on the constitutionality of this new law.

This new health care law has another flaw, manpower. Who is going to handle all the major changes that are going to come as a result of this law? It’s clear that new employees will have to be hired, but how many is not yet determined.

I believe that the federal government does not have the right to require that people buy something, and especially that they are fined if they do not purchase it. My concern is just how expensive this health care will be for Texans. I fail to see that it is in the best interest of Texas. Texas has a long history of independence and the Federal Government should not mess with Texas. I think the Federal Government should have states control health care. Each state should have the power to make decisions for its citizens without overreaching form the Federal Government.

Governor's Race

I found an article on the Burka Blog, written by Paul Burka and entitled “Perry’s case against Bill White.” This article discusses the upcoming Governor’s election.

Mr. Burka’s intended audience is people interested in the upcoming Governor’s race between Bill White and Rick Perry. Both Republicans and Democrats will find this article interesting. Mr. Burka is trying to make a special appeal to Democrats at the end of his article.

Paul Burka is a credible author for several reasons. He has received diplomas from Rice University and the University of Texas School of Law. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas and has spent 5 years as an attorney with the Texas Legislature. He is a member of the Texas Institute of Letters and teaches at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. In his article Mr. Burka uses facts that can be easily verified.

Paul Burka talks about the Governor’s race between Rick Perry and Bill White. Mr. Burka believes that the Governor’s race is not a toss up because of two important reasons. The first reason that he presents is that Republicans still have an advantage in party identification. The second reason is that President Obama’s approval ratings are extremely low in Texas. Mr. Burka “breaks down” the approval rating of President Obama specifically in Texas.

I agree with Mr. Burka in his prediction of the Governor’s race. I do not believe that the Democratic Party has gained enough support in Texas to challenge the Republican Party for the governorship. I also believe that President Obama’s approval ratings will affect the upcoming race. I disagree with Mr. Burka about his theory of the “anti-Obama sentiment” being based on racism. I believe that people can form an opinion based on actions not race. In this upcoming race, anything could happen. We will have to see who people vote for. Right now I believe the advantage, however small, is in favor of Rick Perry.

Texas Don't Leave

I found an article in the opinion section of the Austin American Statesman, written by Sanford Levinson entitled “Commentary: States can’t nullify federal law.” This article discusses the ideas of nullification and secession.

Mr. Levinson’s intended audience is anyone interested in the idea of states being allowed to nullify federal laws and the idea of secession. His article draws the attention of both those in favor of the ideas and those who oppose them. In his article, Mr. Levinson uses several different examples to support and contradict the beliefs of those who read his article.

Sanford Levinson is a credible author because he writes for the Austin American Statesman and therefore must adhere to its rules and regulations. Mr. Levinson is also credible because he uses examples from history which can be verified. He currently is a law professor at the University of Texas School of Law.

Mr. Levinson’s argument is strong and valid, because he uses examples form the history of the United States. From his examples he is able to form ideas about the beliefs of previous leaders of our country, which follow a logical pattern.

I agree with Mr. Levinson’s ideas about secession. Having lived in Texas all my life I have heard a lot about Texas being the only state in the Union allowed to secede. Secession is possible for every state, it is called revolution, but the consequences of such an action would be terrible. I personally don’t think secession would solve any of our problems. Just because people don’t like what the government is doing there are other ways to solve problems without a revolution. People need to learn to work through their differences and come up with a reasonable compromise.

One Debate Facing the Candidates

I found an article in the Austin American Statesman written by Ben Wear, titled "Perry's toll road sins mostly in woulda-coulda status now." The article talks about the upcoming Republican Primary, and the debate about transportation between Governor Rick Perry and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.

The Article refers to the issue of transportation in the upcoming Republican Primary. Governor Perry is being criticized by Senator Hutchison for his decisions on toll roads. One of the issues is that Governor Perry wanted free roads to be changed into toll roads, but the Legislature didn't allow it. Governor Perry's Trans-Texas Corridor has been winnowed down to almost nothing and Governor Perry has given up on it. Senator Hutchison is criticizing the Trans-Texas Corridor as if Governor Perry is still trying to make something of it. Senator Hutchison's idea for transportation is to build high-speed rail lines across the state which would be expensive.

This article is interesting because not only does it talk about Governor Perry's idea about transportation, but also about Senator Hutchison's idea to fix Governor Perry's "problems." It is a way for Senator Hutchison to attack Governor Perry's past plans. Most of us already know what Governor Perry did but in this article we get a glimpse of Senator Hutchison's ideas for Texas, which are interesting.