Education is a "huge deal"

Briana Foster thinks it's awful and silly that education is "one of the last priorities" for Texas Legislature, and so do I!  However, in her blog 7 entry, titled "Texas Education-The Last Priority," I think she missed a point or two and could have elaborated on a couple other.

Typically the success or failure of a child at an early age is a blueprint for elementary school, high school and throughout life.  This means that providing high-quality preschool education to all low income families, not just those at or below the poverty level as Head Start does, makes good economic sense.  The early education program needs to be improved in general and revised to reach more low income families.  These improvements would result in higher education achievement, economic productivity and eventually reduced costs to taxpayers.  Children with multiple risks suffer the greatest educational disadvantages and need to have well funded preschool facilities that provide them with an opportunity for success.

The blog author states that "It's sad to know our local government doesn't see all the value in education" but I believe many do understand.  How could you not understand the economic hindrance of cutting 5.4 billion from the Texas Education Fund?  Improper funding of primary and secondary schools, especially those at a socioeconomic disadvantage,  can lead to illiteracy, higher teen pregnancy rates, increase in crime and costs for rehabilitation of juvenile and then adult offenders, the subsequent increase in mental health costs and funding for workforce education, higher unemployment and poverty levels, higher welfare and medical costs, homelessness and finally, state funded nursing homes. Yes, there are other factors such as poorly educated impoverished parents....hmm....coincidence?

Brianna's "not asking or trying to preach that education should be our number one."  Well, I am.  It seems that everything is dependent on it.  It all begins with funding in education, especially in the poorest school districts where there are larger and larger classrooms and a lack of school supplies and books. Many children in high poverty schools are attending classes hungry and unhealthy and being instructed by under paid teachers and teachers who are forced, because of funding cuts, to teach multiple subjects outside their expertise.

She says, "If there's not enough funding for the educational program, then  the kids, parents, and most importantly teachers will begin to suffer."  The suffering has begun!  I'm not sure why teachers will suffer more, maybe that's just her shiny red apple, but I tend to believe society as a whole will suffer, and I'm not talking just Texas.

Maybe we can all breath a little easier knowing that our education woes might soon be caressed by the idea that anybody on a college campus could be carrying a gun. That was sarcasm.  I'm tired. It's been a long semester, and as a wise old friend of mine once told me, "let's poop and regroup."   Peace.

Certified or Rehabilitated

I was up late watching T.V. and avoiding schoolwork last week when a Ken Burns documentary about The Central Park Five came on.  Although, these kids were eventually found to be innocent and only one served time in an adult prison (Rikers Island), it got me wondering about the treatment of juvenile offenders in Texas and whether or not they were housed with, and treated as adult offenders.
I found out that juvenile judges in Texas, can transfer youths 14 and older to adult criminal court in a process they call "certification," for trial and punishment of felony offenses.  This means that children can be transferred to these adult facilities before they have been found guilty.
 As an alternative to the certification process, these juveniles charged with violent and non-violent crimes can be placed with Texas Youth Commission with a determinate sentence, whereas a judge can consider the individual circumstances of the case and evaluate their progress at age 19.  The determinate sentence with the TYC ranges from 40 years to 10 years and provides the kids with rehabilitation programs and much needed educational opportunities.  After this period of evaluation and education the young adults can then be transferred to adult facilities or released.  This sounds ideal but guidelines need to be put in place for the certified juveniles that are then transferred to adult jails.
Most of these kids have committed violent crimes but 72% have no prior violent crime history.  They often come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds or abusive homes.   Many  lack supervision, mental health care and education but do have access to guns.  These kids need to have the opportunity for rehabilitation and they need protection from violent adult offenders.  In an attempt to separate certified juveniles from the adult population, many are put into solitary confinement and denied the use of services provided to other prisoners.  These kids are at high risk for suicide.  Research shows that youths in adult jails are 36 times more likely to commit suicide and 500 times more likely to be sexually abused and raped than if they were in a juvenile facility.
Sending juveniles to adult jails seems like a lose-lose situation to me.  Research done by the Center for Disease Control showed that "Transfer of juveniles to the adult criminal justice systems generally results in increased rather than decreased subsequent violence, compared with violence among juveniles retained in the juvenile justice system."  It seems counterproductive to send these kids who desperately need adult guidance to facilities where they are likely to be raped and abused by adults.
 Senate Bill 1209 was passed in September 2011 by the 82nd legislature which gives judges the option of sending certified youth to juvenile detention centers where they are housed with their peers and given the appropriate services, educational programs, and care they need.  This is progress but not enough is being done to protect these kids, some of which have not been convicted.  TDCJ needs to develop a standard procedure for dealing with the worst and most violent offenders vs. the ones who can be rehabilitated if given the opportunity.

Texas Politicians for "Ag-Gag" Laws?

In a commentary on the Eyes of Texas blog, Mr. Jake addresses the important topic of regulation in  the industrial farm industry in Texas.  He informs the reader about the recent push by CATO's (concentrated animal feeding operations) on State Senator's to make it a felony to video inside these facilities and to lie on job applications in order to gain access to these facilities where animals are imprisoned and often tortured and mistreated. He questions whether Texas, along with Iowa, Vermont, and Florida, will felonize these so called whistle blowers while keeping the public in the dark about what happens to animals prior to being burgers.  Mr. Jake's commentary is well written and thoughtful....for a steak loving carnivore.

The blog is titled "Should We Allow Texas Farms to Buy Our Politicians," and the answer is no.  That's if it hasn't already been done.  I was saddened by President Obama's recent signing of H.R. 933, which prevents litigation against biotechnology corporations.  These GMO corporate giants, such as Mansato, along with CATO's will be responsible for the annihilation of our food supply and the destruction of human health. I don't trust that our representatives, here in Texas, have the public's best interest in mind.

I commend Mr. Jake's defense of these courageous and inspiring citizens.  He states that, "We need whistle blowers in the system to provide information on how our food is being processed." and "It's not just for the sake of animals but Texans as well.  We have a right to know if these farms are operating within the law and if they're preparing our food properly and morally." 

The blog author also mentions the public health issues of E. coli and salmonella but fails to mention the ammonia and hydrogen sulfide that comes from the 280 billion pounds of manure each year.  The improper storage and disposal is a serious threat to air and water quality.  Texas does little to enforce environmental standards on these CATO's.

 Thanks to Jake for the great topic but I don't think his blog entry display's the seriousness of this issue. This video was taken at the E6 cattle company in Hart, Texas in 2011, by Mercy For Animals.  Videotaping at factory farms would not be necessary if proper regulations were put in place to protect animals from cruel and inhumane mistreatment. The system enables this sickening cruelty with the lack of regulations and actual laws.

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the ways its animals are treated"-Mahatma Gandhi

The Business of Standardized Testing in Texas

Standardized testing is a billion dollar industry in Texas.  Pearson Education, one of the four testing companies that dominate the market nationally, has a testing contract with Texas that's costing the taxpayers a half-a-billion dollars and providing the private business sector with generous profits.  I suppose this is small potatoes considering the 5.4 billion dollar budget cut in Texas Education, thanks mostly to our shortsighted Governor, Rick Perry.

These standardized test are a result of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 introduced by Texas's own lovable (seriously), President George W. Bush.  The well intended Act was a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (1965), an aid program for disadvantaged students, and requires States to administer standardized tests in order to receive federal funding.

In Texas, it appears that we're leaving kids behind.  Throughout the years, Texas politicians have demanded more tests and higher scores in order for students to graduate.  Poor schools, which tend to score lower than the rich schools were subject to closures.  In 2009, the Texas Legislature introduced STAAR (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness), the biggest and most severe of any testing the state has applied before.  This testing program requires students to pass 15 exams at the end of the 15 required high school courses.  This is in addition to normal testing and for the first time, these standardized tests will account for 15% of a student's grade in that course.  Children in Texas school districts now devote, on average, 45 out of 180 days to testing or prepping for these required tests. 

These tests are deemed "standardized" because theoretically students are asked the same questions under similar conditions and their answers are scored the same.  We have to question these "similar conditions."  Many of these students come from low income families, one parent homes, suffer from health problems and/or learning disabilities. They attend poorly funded schools with insufficient supplies and underpaid teachers and subsequently are held accountable for inadequate and inequitable education.

When the Texas Legislature met in January for their scheduled biennial meeting, newly re-elected Speaker of the House Joe Straus said "Teachers and parents worry that we have sacrificed classroom inspiration for rote memorization.  To parents and educators concerned about excessive testing: The Texas House has heard you." 

This is hopeful, as other lawmakers like Representative Joe Deshotel and  have stepped forward this year in an attempt to completely abolish standardized testing.  "It creates a false sense that we are educating children because we test them a lot. It's a no-win situation if you can't pass these tests, and so many of our kids are having trouble passing," says Deshotel.

 Class inequality has increased substantially in this Country and child poverty has more than doubled.  26% of Texas children live in poverty, higher than the national average.  Now is the time to start teaching our children rather than testing them and stop lining the pockets of billionaires like Pearson.

Why Pay Now, When You Can Pay Later?

Michael Quinn Sullivan opposes new taxes! This is no surprise coming from the president and CEO of EmpowerTexans, and founder of the political advocacy group, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility (TFR).  In his article, "Stupidity isn't Bravery," Sullivan wonders why Texas State Representative Jimmie Don Aycock, "wants to saddle Texans with higher taxes and put the brakes on the state's economy."

According to Sullivan, Rep. Aycock, who is also the new chairman of the House Public Education Committee, referred to the tax increase as "bravery," and Sullivan thinks it's stupidity.  Hence the article title.  Clever.

In 2001, Texas began borrowing money for road construction and within a decade, that debt grew  to nearly 12 billion.  Today it's estimated that TxDOT is 13 billion in the hole.  With population growth comes infrastructure needs and Texas cannot  continue to incur debt that our children will be burdened with.  So a few words that I associate with the possible gas tax increase, that hasn't been raised in 20 years by the way, are; necessity, obligation and reality.

This article stems from State Sen. Kevin Eltife's gas tax proposal but Michael Quinn Sullivan seems to be after Rep. Aycock essentially accusing him of supporting the gas tax to misuse the funds on silly things like public education, DPS, and the State Highway Fund. 

 Eltife, R-Tyler said back in February, "It's the same thing I've been saying forever.  It really isn't a special proposal.  My call is that we have sold $13 billion in debt the last 10 years.  We have maxed out the credit card, and I always said we should pay cash and not go into debt."

There is no real substance or argument in this article. "The enforcer," as some call him, is a real gem. He provides us with no solution and therefore I can only conclude that his intention is to incite more anger in his already angry but "fiscally responsible" audience. By fiscally responsible, I mean conservatives who don't want to invest in the community in a responsible pay-as-you-go manner but instead want to push debt onto  future generations and conceal it behind Rick Perry's claim of economic success in Texas.

Don't Be Ill in Texas!

Texas State Representative Robert Pena Raymond wrote an interesting article that was published in the Austin American Statesman on February 18^th, titled “Raymond: Invest more in mental health.”  Rep. Raymond is also the newly reappointed Chairman of the Human Services Committee, which handles matters pertaining to physical and mental health, alcohol and drug abuse, aging and people with disabilities.

Rep. Raymond begins the article with a recollection of the Whitman shooting at the UT tower, in 1966, and then the more recent tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut.  His argument is that the issue of gun control is not going to be solved anytime soon and claims, “Various interest groups and politicians are taking steps to do whatever the public and the Constitution support regarding guns and firearms.  But that portends a long political fight.  What we should do now is identify those individuals who need help, especially those who have cried out for it.”

Nearly everybody in America was affected when mentally ill Adam Lanza killed 20 children in Connecticut; liberals, conservatives, gun owners, proponents of the Constitution and those who oppose guns and fight for stricter gun laws.  I believe that Raymond’s article appeals to all these people and the people who are without answers or are undedicated to either side of the gun debate.  Americans are looking for an answer to this debate and I agree with Rep. Raymond when he says we “need to put greater resources for psychological examination and treatment in the hands of city, county and state law enforcement and mental health authorities, who consistently ask for more assistance.”

Rep. Raymond mentions that Texas ranks 49^th in spending on mental illness per capita but I’m a little disappointed about what he didn’t mention.  Aside from mass killings and the whole gun issue, untreated mental illnesses can lead to joblessness, homelessness, incarceration (juvenile and adult), divorce and the separation of families.  Gov. Rick Perry and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst eliminated 134 million from an already underfunded Texas Department of State Health Services in 2010, leaving our community’s children, who have diagnosable mental illnesses or chemical dependence problems, to fend for themselves in Juvenile detentions.  This doesn’t benefit our economy.

I watched PBS Frontline, Tuesday night, about Adam Lanza.  He was just a kid himself, in desperate need of some psychiatric care.  Maybe the killings could have been prevented if he had it.

The Pesky Business of Poor Women

Chuck Lindell, of the Austin American Statesman, wrote an article last week titled “Mistakes raise questions on state-run Women’s HealthProgram” that brings to light some errors in Governor Perry’s coveted Women’s Health Program.  Mr. Lindell explains that State health officials had to pull down the website, just a few weeks after they relaunched the program without the use of federal dollars or its largest provider Planned Parenthood, due to errors in the list of providers.   

This unfortunate “mistake” left thousands of women confused about how to get health care, thanks to anti-choice advocates like Mr. Perry.  The Governor's new WHP will include only state approved providers, giving him control over hundreds of thousands of Texas women and their reproductive health.  Because who knows more about poor, fertile, mostly minority women than Rick Perry?

Mr. Lindell provides the reader with opinions from defenders of the new WHP and from advocates of nondiscriminatory health care for women.  State Representative Jessica Farrar is quoted in the article as saying “This program was never actually about providing women’s health care services.  It was always a right-wing political vendetta against great organizations like Planned Parenthood.” 

It’s important to know that Planned Parenthood was the largest provider in the federally funded WHP.  None of the tax payer money that went to PP clinics was used for abortion care: it paid for preventive health care to ensure good health for mom and baby, for family planning counseling, annual checkups, and contraception and for cancer and diabetes screenings.

It’s important to know that in 2011, the Texas legislature and Governor Perry defunded family planning clinics by two-thirds.  This will not save Texas money but instead result in thousands of additional unplanned pregnancies in a state that already has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the country.  These children will then attend Texas schools, which are among the most poorly funded in the Nation.  By defunding family planning and education, we can be sure to have enough money to send these kids to one of our many dysfunctional correctional facilities.

This article is worth reading because it’s important to know that Rick Perry does not care about women or the poor.  He has historically toyed with the lives of Texans to feed his own child-like ego and to ignite war against anything that he deems wrong or immoral or offensive to the Texas Constitution.  He is trying to achieve his goal of crippling Planned Parenthood, by forfeiting hundreds of millions of federal dollars in Medicaid that was supposed to go to women’s health care.  This man is destructive and confused and cannot be re-elected.