Fatal Shooting by Sergeant

Recently, a fellow classmate of mine wrote and article about a fatal shooting by an A.P.D. sergeant. Sgt. Michael Olsen was fired last week for fatally shooting a man(Kevin Brown)during a foot pursuit outside an East Austin nightclub in June. Olsen unnecessarily fired a second shot into his back as he lay facedown before giving him a chance to comply with an order to show his hands. He said he fired when Brown after he reached toward his waist, as if drawing a weapon. No weapon was actually found on Brown. My class mate went ahead and wrote it was good judgement by the police department to fire Olsen. I agree went my classmate. What Olsem did was bad judgement by his part altogether. The police department should avoid having to take a shot at all times. If theres anything an officer can do before actually having to take a shot should be used. Officers like Olsen make the AustinPolice Department give it its bad name. That is one less corrupt officer off our streets.

Use of Pepper Spray on Youths

Texas Youth Commission officials have come to an agreement to restrict the use of pepper spray on unruly youths. It is still uncertain though if this proposal could last due to a new policy which would yet again liberalize pepper spray. The agency does not like the wording of the new rule. It has scheduled an upcoming hearing on the use of pepper spray on out of control youths. Their conditions that they want heard is to limit the use of pepper spray to situations with youths that could be dangerous. They also state that they want to limit the amount of spray that would be needed to just prevent any danger or harm. I believe that this agency is right. The use of pepper spray on youths seems a little too extreme. If a situation gets out of hand and lives are at stake, I understand that pepper spray should be used. Otherwise, I believe it is inhumane. Some kids might have some kind of physical ailment that could cause much more harm if they come in contact with pepper spray. The agent’s plans also include some commands that should be use before pepper spray is used. This is also a good idea because pepper spray should not have to be used if it is not needed. Warning a youth of pepper spray before actually using it might seize the situation at that point, and no pepper spray would need to be used. I believe their proposal is very assuring, and should really be heard with open ears. It should limit injuries and put less youths at harm of being pepper sprayed. The problem with pepper spray is that officers are becoming familiar with the use of it, therefore much more force of pepper spray is being used.

The Other Ninety Percent

I agree 100% on your post. I know a lot about the whole top ten percent process, because I had to go through its flaws. You support your article with many good points. I understand how this rule is supposed to encourage students to try harder, but it really ends up punishing students. When I went to high school, I tried very hard, but ended up finishing just out of the top percent. My reward was not getting into the school of my dreams. You are right, this rule has many flaws. Students who work their butts off are not noticed by this rule. The top ten percent rule was created to diversify our Texas Universities, but there hasn’t been a huge increase in minorities. I believe the rule should be abolished, and Universities should start looking at more characteristics of a student. You have some good evidence in your commentary. I agree with everything. The top ten percent rule is not a good determinant of a good student, in my opinion.

Costly Election for Taxpayers

In the last 25 years, local governments in Texas have increased their spending at an alarming rate of 158%. This wouldn’t be too big, but the per-person income has only increased by 39%. The debt has grown at an even higher rate of 270%. These numbers are very shocking to taxpayers that have to support these growing numbers. Texas already has a general-obligation bond debt of 7.5 billion. After the upcoming election, that number might double. The ballot initiative for the upcoming election almost totals 10 billion in state spending. Voters need to sit down and actually think about these numbers. Approving some of these spending will end up hurting them. Taxpayers already carry a large debt that needs to be paid. After this election, it might be a whole lot worse. The real problem for taxpayers is state issued bonds. Yes some of the initiatives on the ballot sound good, but voters need to think of what it will do to their spending. Many of the initiatives are for education. I believe it is a great idea to put money down to further our development for our kids, but it would also hurt our kids. When they grow up, they will be paying taxes on the state debt forever. In the elections, there are five general obligation bonds that total 9.75 billion in spending. That includes Proposition 2, 4, 12, 15, and 16. Voters need to really sit down and think about the effects of passing these bonds. Texas will end up having to pass another amendment for being in debt. Voters need to start voting no on these initiatives to help taxpayers.

Growth and Development in Texas Counties

I was reading through a couple opinion-based articles of the Austin American Statesman, and one commentary really grabbed my attention. It is written by Valinda Bolton, who is a State Representative out of Travis County. The title of her article is “Bolton: Texas counties should control their own destinies”. Recently, Bolton has been paying attention to the rain that has done some damage to our county. The main example that Bolton uses is the impact that Hamilton Pool took from the recent weather. She hates to see this beloved Travis County asset be destroyed.
She believes this is just an example of an overall problem that faces Texas counties. Texas county governments just don't have the tools they need to manage growth and development. The county governments are very busy with other issues that they cannot deal with every little thing. Bolton believes counties that experience high growth should be granted land use authority.
To express her point, Bolton filed a bill that would grant counties more power on land use. This bill would have given counties with a population greater than 500,000 the tools to manage water and land use. That bill died off early before it could really be taken into consideration.
Bolton travelled around her district to get the people’s opinions. She found that many people feel helpless in managing their water and land. The people look to their commissioner for help, but they don’t receive anything.
Her point of this article is that she believes that it is time for the legislature to accept the idea of local control in our counties. If anything, those counties that have the most growth should be able to exercise local control. She believes counties should be able to control their own destinies, and she is ready to fight and have this legislation passed.
I believe Valinda Bolton’s point of local control is exactly what counties like this one needs. I have seen a lot of our local habitat become destroyed from there be nothing done to help or prevent it. I have not been affected by this first-hand, but I really feel that our local people should be able to control what goes on with water and land use. Local commissioners have so much to do in big counties that they don’t have time to focus on small things. This causes many projects to be forgotten or left out. Local people should be given the power to manage on their own. Bolton brought up a subject that is forgotten in the legislature, and she is very right on her opinion.
I link to this article can be viewed at:
Local Control in Texas Counties

Proposed Medicare Cut

An article that I recently read that was written by two men, Tim Graves and Bruce Yarwood, really got my attention. I found this article in the opinion-based section of the Austin American Statesmen. The title of this article is “Medicare Cuts threaten Texas’ vulnerable nursing home residents” and it was published on Aug. 23, 2007. These men address the growing concern over a proposed Medicare cut. This cut would happen if a proposed bill was passed by the House. Those who support this new bill are the Children’s Health and Medicare Protection Act of 2007(CHAMP Act). So if this CHAMP act was passed, it has been revealed that it would sharply cut Medicare funding to America’s seniors by 168 million over 5 years. If it is passed and becomes law, The State of Texas would take a big hit in numbers compared to other states Medicare plans. Texas would suffer the 4th largest cut in the nation in conjunction with having the 4th lowest Medicaid reimbursement rate in the nation. CHAMP is for the new bill and states that it “will help America’s Greatest Generation of Seniors.” Graves and Yarwood state that this will “undermine the future viability and capacity of our long term care infrastructure just as baby boomers are beginning to enter retirement in large numbers.” They believe that passing the bill would seize provider’s efforts to modernize and refurbish aging facilities and equipment. The crazy thing about the whole thing is that senior citizens are the fastest growing group in the United States. Graves and Yarwood’s opinions are against this bill, and that influential lawmakers should help put this bill to a stop before it becomes a law. I believe these two gentlemen were right on target with their opinion on this new “cut”. They support their argument with some good facts and stats on the issue. Cutting Medicare would have a pretty strong shift in the economy. Putting a halt on Medicare would put a halt on the many investments that should be made into nursing homes and development. Like the two men stated, we strongly need the help of State Representatives to help overturn this bill. I do not believe this new bill would help senior citizens at all, but just make the situation much worse. I wouldn’t want to have my grandparents Medicare to be cut. This bill affects all of our families, and how we live our lives. If the bill is passed, the mindset of many seniors who plan on retiring would change greatly. Much stress would be put on seniors, and the younger generation that needs to look after their parents. Graves and Yarwood write a pretty strong opinion that is backed up with many supporting facts. If you too want to read this very good article, go to

Statesman.com

Attention Taxpayers

An article in the Austin American Statesman titled “Williamson County Notebook: Rating equates to savings for taxpayers” will make many tax payers in Williamson county happy. This all is happening due to an increase in the county’s debt rating. The old rating of AA- was pushed up to a AA by Standard and Poor. An increase in the area’s population will also help increase the rating, and save many tax payers some money. Road and park bonds, which were approved by voters in 2006, will save 2.5 million in its 16 year life. Tax payers will have a much more stable rate, and in the long run save money. Many Williamson County citizens near the Georgetown are will benefit by this. This $228 million road bond package passed last year will widen many roads in the area, including Westinghouse Road. This new budget will help projects, like the widening of roads, finish much quicker. The new AA rating will help Williamson County sell three times as much bond, without harming the tax rate. Other projects that are proposed are new bike trails, improved athletic fields, etc.

This article can be found at Statesman.com