Tax Payer Funded Abortion Services

Planned Parenthood began as a clinic for “contraception, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infection, and cancer screening and prevention.” But Planned Parenthood posted its service numbers for 2009, and it has substantially increased its abortion services, by 2.5 percent from 2010. 

Planned Parenthood workers were caught on undercover videos helping undercover investigators posing as sex traffickers obtain abortions and STD testing for underage girls who are victims of the sex trade.

Approximately 1.2 million abortions are performed in the United States each year.  Of that number, Planned Parenthood performs a whopping  27.6% of those, making it clear that women who are pregnant receive abortion services rather than help and support.

Abortion services are at the woman’s discretion, and I take the stance of “it’s none of my business.”  But what makes it my business is that my tax dollars, and yours, are paying for someone else’s abortion.  If abortion was needed for a legitimate reason, such as rape or incest, these reasons should be well documented before offering abortion services.  When Planned Parenthood is performing abortions on women who have received multiple abortions, practicing safe sex should be a priority, not another tax payer funded abortion. 

This blog is aimed at a seemingly “left-leaning” audience.  Her evidence is substantial and the argument does flow logically.  I, however, do not agree with the argument. 

Open carry: A good idea or back to the Old West?

On April 29, 2011, one Texas House Committee passed the open carry gun law, which would essentially remove the word “concealed” from the law.

The bill would allow current concealed handgun licensees to wear their gun openly, in broad daylight, if it is in a holster.  It would not, however, change the law that requires a license to carry a handgun, or the laws that are in place to acquire the license.

Advocates say it isn’t changing anything.  Only a few people would actually carry their gun on the outside of their clothing.  Many also believe that it would help to deter crime, at least a little bit.

Opponents to the bill say that it will strike fear in those not carrying a gun, since many people would scare, just because they have a gun.  There is also the question of who will police people and verify that they do have a license to carry in the first place. 

As a born and raised “country” girl, guns don’t scare me.  I think I would feel MORE comfortable knowing that a person was carrying a gun.  These same people have guns right now, we just don’t know it.   Opponents are seemingly putting off the impression that “If we don’t see it, it must not be there.”  This doesn’t make it any more safe.  I also do believe that it would help deter crime, because people would be scared of the guns walking around in public. 

The bill must now go to the entire House of Representatives for a vote. 

Currently, 42 states are open carry friendly states, while 26 require no permit for open carry.

Taking Notice

Budget cuts and education is a touchy subject to many people throughout Texas.  And everyone has an opinion.  The budget, to date, is unbalanced, but should we really be cutting in the education department?  Of course not.  And there are alternatives. 

In Taking Notice, the blogger suggests some alternatives that could generate income for Texas, as well as cut frivolous spending. 

1. Open casinos and legalize gambling.  The lottery has generated 18 billion dollars, and the education system could benefit from money of that size.
2. Cutting welfare benefits.  Many people live off of welfare and other government assistance programs.  This is wasting money that could certainly be used to provide a better education to the children of this state.

I agree with these points (my blog is about this as well).  Children should be our main priority, especially since studies have shown that children who are educated tend to do better in life.  They are more likely to not be on government assistance programs, and stay out of jail.

The audience is anyone who lives in Texas, since the budget issues are a big deal, as well as anyone with children, teachers, or educators in general.

Who is to blame?

As the legislature continues to try to find ways to slash the budget, many teachers are nervous to find out if their job is the next “budget cut”. More than 100, 000 teachers are likely to lose their jobs if the budget crisis continues as it is. Who is responsible? What can be done to fix this?

Governor Rick Perry says that it isn't his fault. Nor is it the state's fault. According to Mr. Perry, the choice to lay off teachers is up to the local school boards. In theory, this is true, but what about their choice to do away with the law that limits the amount of students per class for grades K-4? This leaves less need for teachers, and allowing many to be laid off.

There are alternatives to laying off teachers, even at the school district level. One simple fix is pay cuts. Many people would be affected by pay cuts, of course, but it would certainly be less drastic than losing your job completely. And there is always the option of doing away with sports activities as well. Sports are “extra curricular” and should be treated that way. Sporting events should not be the main focus of a school district. Between new uniforms and gear, to the higher pay of the coaches and athletic directors, this would be one viable option that could save so much money.

Texas could also do away with frivolous state funded programs and entitlements, as well as limit the amount of time a person is allowed on government assistance programs. Assistance should be just that, a way to get ahead when you are struggling, not something that is life long.

The legislature has decided to dip into the “rainy day” fund to a tune of about 3 billion dollars, to balance this years budget. This money will not be touched for subsequent years budget deficits.

Education should be a main priority. Many districts are already struggling to find good teachers, but to put the ones that are good at risk of losing their jobs is not logical.

"Read my lips... No new taxes...?

As Texas prepares to make drastic budget cuts, the House is trying to find new ways to  generate revenue without adding more taxes.

Because many politicians have promised not to raise taxes, the house is attempting to come up with new ways to generate revenue without increasing the tax bill. One major option is HB658 by Rep. Villareal, which would close the corporate tax loophole. Then there is HB257, which seems to be aimed at reducing the period of presumed abandonment on unclaimed personal property. This would allow Texas to claim forgotten bank accounts, uncashed checks, and security deposits, if they are left for more than five years, compared with the current five years.

 

The next, and most likely option, is some accounting tricks that allow some of the payments to be delayed until the next legislative session in 2013. This will, however, put lots of pressure on the budget in the next legislative session. HB275 would allow taking money from the Rainy Day Fund to help ease some of the budget shortfalls.

Each piece of proposed legislation will likely do little to no good, but when applied all together, it will definitely have some affects

The author of this article is the founder of the website Off the Kuff, where this article came from. The intended audience is likely one with any interest in politics, or anyone who lives in Texas, as the budget cuts will likely affect all Texans.

The Judicial system of Texas is broken...

As we pass the biennial State of the Texas Judiciary speech, many people have been reaffirmed in their belief that the state needs to do an overhaul of the judiciary system.

Even Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson believes that Texas' judiciary system is broken and in desperate need of repair. As it currently stands, Texas only gets new Supreme Court justices via gubernatorial appointment when a vacancy comes about. After the governor makes his selection, the voters then can reaffirm that selection with a vote. They can, at the end of their appointed term, be reelected by the voters. These judges serve a four-year term, and appellate judges serve six-year terms.

Justice Wallace hopes to change this, however, and change the term of the justice to six years and appellate judges to serve eight-years. He feels that by creating longer terms, there will be a more consistent judicial branch.

The author has a point that the judicial system is broken, and Texas system of electing judges is not ideal. The author believes that there should be some major changes to the judicial system to make it more efficient. The author also feels that the way a society handles judicial issues will measure how they will be able to handle other moral issues. Information is cited from Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson's own speech at the State of the Judiciary Speech. Mr. Wallace seems to be uesd as the authority on the matter.

The intended audience is definitely one of a higher political knowledge. The wording is easy to understand, but younger people aren't typically interested or involved in things like this!

“The Chief justice understands it and justice demands it.”

Budget cuts and the school district

As the state attempts to balance the 2012 budgets, schools in the Austin area, as well as those throughout the state, are hoping for some flexibility with the drastic budget cuts to avoid laying off teachers.  So AISD, other district gamble on state law changes to write budget for 2011-2012.

AISD is experiencing approximately 15.5 million dollars in budget shortfall. The state of Texas has established laws on maximum students to teacher and furloughs that have been in place for nearly twenty-five years. With some flexibility in these issues, school districts could likely save millions of dollars.

 

School officials, as well as members of the Texas Association of School Boards, are hoping that by the legislature increasing the number of students to 24 from 22 per class in the elementary schools, and allowing teacher 2-day furloughs, they can save 3.7 million dollars as well as avoid laying off teachers to balance the budget. The district could request a waiver from the legislature if the cap on class sizes does not change.

The taxpayer will ultimately be the one to pick up the bill for any school district monetary problems. Even with the changes to class size, AISD will still need approximately 11 million dollars that they were counting on from the local, state, and federal governments.

If the legislature is to make any changes, however, they must make one soon.  State law requires school districts to notify employees at least 45 days before the end of the school year of any major changes, including changes in pay.

Taxpayers in Texas should pay close attention. This will likely increase taxes because the funds must come from somewhere. Parents, soon-to-be parents, and those who will eventually become parents also should pay close attention. This will affect students for years to come.