Blog 8

In this post I agree with what Miguel Ramirez is saying, the state of Texas needs a reform on the health care system, and with this reforming and expanding health care is going to cost big spending money. And by all the money that will be need it will also affect budget cuts and if our schooling isn’t bad as it is, the schooling will also be affected way more. I personally think that the health needs a better program but with this in mind we need to stop and draw something out and get right to the point instead of trying all this methods and spending money that we don’t even have. Investigate more about the people that we are helping and make sure they aren’t taking this system to their “wants” and not their “needs”.

The Democratic Party is saying that they are all in for the pass of legislation on this health care system with the aid of Obama’s administration. But like Miguel states the “federal government will help Texas Medicaid beneficiaries is unclear, and both Republican and Democratic parties can agree that the Texas care system needs reform”. In the article   No Republican lawmakers have gone on record supporting the Medicaid expansion, which would have an estimated of  1.8 million Texans into the joint state-federal health plan by 2022 and the Kaiser Family Foundation, a health care think tank, estimates the expansion would cost Texas $5.7 billion between 2013 and 2022 .

Money money money is what drives the world that we live in. Should Obama pass or not the legislation and how much are we going to spend. To be honest we say and say what we are going to do and at the end its something different. Like I said before we need to really investigate where and how the money and aid is going to and if the people really need it or not! Texas has more than 6.3 million uninsured residents and the highest percentage without health coverage of any state! Does this system need improvement yes but what are we going to do I’m not sure of.

Plans Show Wide Gap Remains on Immigration

Jobs, opportunities and most importantly a better life style, as the American Dream is described.  In the article of Plans Show Wide Gap Remains on Immigration by Julián Aguilar, they talk about the resigning of U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison; introducing legislation as she co-authored that would give legal status to undocumented minors that intended to server in the military or attending college. With this being said and done it has allowed roughly about 11 million undocumented people to register with the federal government with submitting fingerprints, background checks, and the right to learn English and civics. But with this system also come with the right of paying taxes and contribute fully and legally to their economy and eventually earn a path to permanent residency and/or eventual citizenship.

As we all know nothing come easy to us .. so as Kay Hutchison stressed that her proposal and dubbed the Achieve Act and with co-authored by U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl. R-Ariz that the system  would not create a path to citizenship but would create a new visa system for undocumented immigrants who were brought to the country before they were 14 years old and have committed no major crimes! With this approved applicants would have to meet the requirements of meeting with Department of Homeland Security every 6 months and would not be eligible for student loans nor other public assistance programs. These Applicants also must have English proficiency and knowledge of the U.S. government. Applicants who have been approved for W-1 status will receive a W-1 visa will have six years to earn a college degree or serve in the military for four years. 

In my personal opinion this is a good thing for undocumented immigrants that come to this country to pursue their dreams and try to make a better life. If we think about it this world would not be who we are if immigrants were not here …. Even with a low min. wage they work as hard or even more to survive and pursue their dreams as much as a legal citizen!

In his post on Medicare Fraud Strike Force Indicts 28 in texas http://texaspoliticstodayandtomorrow.blogspot.com/2012/11/medicare-fraud-strike-force-indicts-28.html?showComment=1353384078749#c4310357451558435586 he discusses on the false and fraud statements that have been found which people use and take advantage of the used of Medicare. People that are taking advantages of the used that other people in need need, I believe that he whoever has been found guilty needs to be punish for the cause. I have recently heard that Medicare has cut down on their dental care due to the false and misuse of care. For example braces, people with Medicare mis used the policy of braces just because there looked cool and could change colors of the bands a lot of people all over started going in just to get braces. So a good question might be .. what can we do to stop or prevent the misuse of the care other people may need? And he who does misuse that what is being done for punishment?

                                               Are you who you say you are?

As tomorrow November 6, 2012 is our election day, many people weren’t sure if they can vote without an ID document. The ID law was enforcing to cut down on the voting fraud that was affecting the “Real number” of votes.

Are you who you say you are? Having a Valid government ID in some states but in others a current utility bill or bank statement is sufficient  but in present before stepping in to cast your vote, many people already don’t vote and with the more standards that we are put up I believe we are cutting down on the votes. The more difficult we make it to cast a vote the less people we are going to have to actually vote. I believe that the required ID is unnecessary and is and will affect elderly, minority and low-income groups that tend to vote Democratic. Obtaining a valid photo id is somewhat costly and burdensome, with even Free State ID requiring documents like a birth certificate that can cost up to $25 in some places, and with people that live in rural area having trouble accessing ID offices. In some research that I have done there have only been small number of fraud cases resulting in a conviction  A New York Times analysis from 2007 identified 120 cases filed by the Justice Department over five years. These cases, many of which stemmed from mistakenly filled registration forms or misunderstanding over voter eligibility, resulted in 86 convictions.  About 11% of U.S. citizens, or roughly 21 million citizens, don't have government-issued photo ID, so will that 11% affect the total number of votes. I believe yes, even though it is 11% we are talking about 21 million people not being able to vote. I think we should try to make voting easier so that we get more people to vote instead of making it more difficult to cast a vote and pushing those without an id away.

Blog 4

Reading a blog on The Right Side of Austin Written by James Johnson “If Obamacare is Upheld…. “, He talks about the right to firearms, in comparing Obama care and obtaining firearms. The letter fights that If Obama can pass a law requiring citizens to purchase health insurance no matter what, then there should be no hesitation for them to mandate citizens owning firearms. James continues with stating the second amendment guarantees the right of citizens to keep and bear arms. Where is the amendment that states where citizen are required to purchase health insurance? But in the case of purchasing a firearm a background check in to be done. Is this the right then to do? In my opinion I say yes and no at the same time because a background check can go way back in time and are you the same 10, 20, 50 years ago? You could or couldn’t be in this world you never know what you’re going to get.

The author of “If Obama care is Upheld…. “  states of fact but doesn’t make them clear enough to make his point across, and more information of the purchase of health insurance.   

Critique on an editorial

I was reading an article in Amarillo Globe-News, on October 7, 2012 under Editorial: Monday Briefing, “Three cheers for bible banners ruling” Kountze High School cheerleaders got into some trouble with simply supporting and encouraging their team with their team spirit. Kountze high school just about 85 miles from Houston TX. Kountze cheerleaders’ spirit banners that were writing and displayed at their high school football game was more important than the football game its self that Friday night. Some people had a strong belief that it was not right to display bible verse banners in a public high school football game.  Establishment of religion was the main concern with the bible verse banners. People said that it was showing and encouraging a specific religion and that was not allowed in TX. Public schools. While on the other hand Kountze cheerleader had another point of view as they said we were just simply showing team spirit to our football players. A hearing in the case is set for October 18, 2012 for displaying school spirit.

In my eyes and in my opinion I believe that a hearing is not necessary, establishment of religion is one thing and displaying a bible verse banner is another. Establishment of a specific religion means that you are founding, or something is being established. A banner does not mean you are enforcing a religion, nor does it mean schools text books are being replace by the bibles. FREE EXERCISE of religion was being used with this issue and nothing more. Just because a person or group exercising their rights offends someone, does not give them the right to abridge that person’s or group’s constitutionally guaranteed rights.

First amendment:

 Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, OR PROHIBITING THE FREE EXERCISE THEREOF [emphasis added]; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Posted October 7, 2012 By DAVE HENRY

  Reading many Articles I found a rather interesting story on Immigration News the article Immigration Laws Have Negative Effect On U.S. Farming Industry, talks about the effects of Immigration laws, The people or better know as Farmers are very angry with the law and boaderlines that have been set up. Farmers are taking these law to heart and to their money in thier pockets due to their large dependency on undocumented immigrants with skilled knowledge to their business. One farmer states "The enforcement of immigration policy has devastated the skilled labor source that we’ve depended on for 20 or 30 years," and another Ralph Broetje say's  “It’s getting worse each year, and it’s going to end up putting some growers out of business if Congress doesn’t step up and do immigration reform.”
The vast dependency that farmers have on the immigrants is out-numbered, Statistics say that 70% of agricultural industries are worked with undocumented immigrants. The Findings states' that having immigration laws do not pay off, but instead create a devastating economic toll on specialized local economies like farms.

Added September 21st, 2012 to Immigration by Abby Keane