Getting rid of Algebra

My classmate has brought up the subject of Texas considering dropping Algebra II in high school. My classmate has agreed with this because it seems unreasonable to have someone learn what will never be used in their working lives. I have the same opinion. Math is the type of subject known to give people anxiety and I am one of those people. Though I do use math everyday at work, majority of it was not learned in Algebra. In Algebra II, you expect people to learn something in a certain time frame that they just try to memorize it instead of learning it. History, Science, and English do give people a hard time as well but those are what is used in your everyday life. Not so much Algebra II. The Pythagorean theorem is NEVER going to come up in conversation or be applied to your job like the other subjects unless the conversation is about useless information you learned in High School and how much time was wasted on it. As that saying goes, people value grades more than they value learning.


http://zkajfa.blogspot.com/2013/12/changing-goals-blog-stage-7.html#comment-form

Nurses possibly taking role of physicians?

Nurses have an important role in the healthcare and it isn't shocking that they want to fight for more independence. Christina Blanco, who is a nurse, has a business in specializing women's health and moved it to New Mexico because their laws are different from Texas. In Texas, nurses have to be under supervision of a physician and even though it was her business, the physicians still demanded at least 25% of her profit. Doesn't seem fair because she is running the business and doing majority of the work. A legislation was passed in Texas this year allowing loosened supervision of physicians over nurses. 

With myself being involved in healthcare as a pharmacy technician, I work closely with nurses and understand their importance. When I call for assistance for a patient, it is the nurses that are on top of things and quick to help. If I was to speak to a physician, then I would have to be put on hold for awhile while the they try to help me and then the physician would eventually give up and hand the phone to the nurse. Some physicians aren't as good with computers or record keeping as nurses are efficient at those type of things. Though physicians do carry a heavy amount of knowledge that they are literally the brains and nurses assure everything runs smoothly.

I have a high respect for physicians but I believe if a nurse wants to open a business without a physician then they should be able to. The only thing is that it should be primary care so that it is within medical need that a nurse can handle. Once the health of the patient becomes in any degree of danger then they should see a physician. If the patient is just going for a physical, I see no problem. The nurse should be able to determine if something is in need of a physician since it is kind of what they already do.

Comment on the Austin MetroRail

Referring to the Austin MetroRail System, my classmate talks about there being an inconvenience. They bring up the fact that there are only nine stations which is not enough to cater to the growing population along with growing tourists.

I agree with this because I have personally seen the trouble it can cause some people. I actually rode the Metrorail this past Sunday. It doesn't usually run on Sundays but there being a special event makes this an exception. I see the popularity it has but once we got off the stop downtown, several people still had to get on there bikes ,as I overheard one of them say that they still have about a 30 minute ride to get to their destination. With this special event and only one stop downtown, biking can get dangerous. Also to mention that some people still need a cab to get where they are going which adds to the traffic. If the MetroRail expanded, then people can get to their destination quicker along with reducing traffic.

Another post about the abortion law

The new Texas law about abortions has become stricter than ever and could arguably have made Texas the strictest on the subject of matter. Once a woman reaches 20 weeks in her pregnancy she can no longer get an abortion unless, her own health is in immediate danger, something that is difficult to prove and therefore makes it almost impossible to implement. The latest Texas law concerning abortion states, that if you go to a clinic to get the abortion, that clinic must be within 30 miles of a hospital that will allow them to perform the abortion there. Beginning September 2014, ALL abortions will be required to be performed at a hospital that meets the safety requirements issued by the state of Texas, and therefore excludes many facilities that are allowed to do so currently.

 As a woman who currently resides in the state of Texas, this is a concern of mine not only for myself but for the rest of the women who will be obligated and stripped of their own dominion over their body.
 I believe that Texas needs to stop interfering because this is a personal choice that should only be dealt with between a woman and her doctor, behind closed doors and NOT in the public sphere. What gives Texas State Legislators the right to assume that the woman would be comfortable or safe having the procedure done at a hospital instead of an abortion clinic? The experience of getting an abortion is traumatizing enough already, without the added limitations that are now trying to be imposed upon Texas women.

Did you know that there are dozens of activists groups that harass women at health clinics on a daily basis? That they accuse these women of being "murderers" as soon as they step out of their vehicles without even asking why they are there in the first place!
This needs to stop. As I mentioned before, the process of getting an abortion is arduous enough already without the personal attacks questioning the woman's character.

It is my body, I should be able to do with it as I please. It is not a political matter it is my choice, and no one else should be able to make it but me.

 This could already have a psychological effect on them that we do not need to be making it worse.

Taxes for personal use

"Taxpayer Abuse for…Personal Use?" by Ross Kecseg talks about how the city of Fort Worth Texas has been using taxes for their own use such as "Apple products, car washes, clothes, liquor..".  An investigation was done and their was questionable receipts that are most likely not for the city use such as $600 dollars spent on premium liquor over a three month period.  A bond is now being asked, (maybe to distract from their wrong doing), to fund for projects to help improve the city. 

     Kecseg has provided support by getting his information from Mireya Villarreal  who did the investigation. Her credentials come from CBS news. Kecseg himself is creditable because he was background in economics along with public policy. He is also still active in local, state and national political campaigns. He does bring up strong points such as giving us the estimates of money being spent and how much funds the city allocates. "After all, the city allocates more funds annually for ‘Non-Departmental Expenses’ ($73million) than it does on ‘Infrastructure’ ($60million).  Debt service consumes $72 million of its $1.2 billion Operating Budget." This provides the supporting evidence to help his argument. The city was given a chance to defend themselves but a "no comment" was used so Kecseg did give the option to see the other side. His only weak point was giving out more variety of statements from the city of Fort Worth. He concludes with advice of what the city should be doing with the money which what is offered is just good nature. Overall he did a good job because he did his research and provided the resources. His knowledge on the current topic shows. 

Are women being heard?

     In Phillips: Davis’ filibuster shifts abortion debate to women’s rights, she talks about how even though women have been in office, it seems like they still don't get the respect they deserve. They can be elected as governor or be a member of Congress but that doesn't mean that they are still being heard is Mrs. Phillips eyes. She talks about abortion and it is seem as a sensitive subject to females since they are the ones carry the child so they should be the ones that have a say on the subject of abortion.  
     She states that “Know your place. We’re in charge.” is what basically men say to women which is a bit extreme. Mrs. Phillips intends to speak to woman who feel like they don't have a voice when it comes to the option of abortion so she provides information about Senate Bill 5 which is the abortion regulations. With the author being a female as well, she is going to be passionate on this topic but it is bias. She shouldn't bash men on how they want women to know their place because it can be seen as  a thing in the past. Mrs. Phillips does bring up woman in the past who have made it to office as if to make a point that we are making history but we are still basically just sitting on the sideline. 
     I do not agree with this because her argument is seeing to much of a women's point of view that it is obvious she does care to see the other side's argument. I felt like women have made a big impact but she doesn't seem to acknowledge that fact. 


http://www.statesman.com/news/news/opinion/davis-filibuster-shifts-abortion-debate-to-womens-/nYYmg/

PACE, good or bad?

In "Texas Eyes PACE Loans to Boost Energy Efficiency" written by Jim Malewitz, he brings up the concern with Texas having the reputation of everything being bigger which also comes with the concern with Texas being nation's leading energy producer. With that being stated, it makes sense for us to be active in conserving energy.

PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) helps with industrial and commercial property finance energy conserving installations like for example, solar panels. Sounds like a good thing but the downfall of this is, "PACE programs bill an owner through the lien and forward payments to a private lender." If the owner was to move, then the new owner would then inherit the debt. 

Seems like it could be worth it in the long run but does not seem fair if the debt was going to be passed on. 



http://www.texastribune.org/2013/09/20/texas-eyes-pace-financing-boost-energy-efficiency/