I-35 Underground In The Future?

   On Wednesday, August 7, CKernan wrote an interesting Articleon the “Cut and Cap” plan in Austin.  A plan by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) that plans on to sink I-35 underground  to help ease traffic congestion on the Interstate in downtown Austin.  I agree with Ckernan that this plan to extend I-35 in order to decongest traffic in Austin is a great one but I feel like this is a plan that needs to be reconsider before being acted upon.

   I believe that if the plan is passed it will make Austin more congested, especially during the construction stage. I- 35 is one of the main highways drivers use to travel in and out of Austin. I mean yes, there is Mopac express way and 183 but they do not direct go through I-35 like I- 35 does. I feel like once I- 35 is closed down for construction for the “Cut and Cap”, traffic on these other highways and city streets that are already crowded will be overcrowded. Also the cost of the project is an issue I see with this idea. It will cost about $550 million to build. My question is where is this money coming from? Will it come all from the government?  Will come from the taxpayers or will it be a mixture of both? I do know, if some of the money comes from the taxpayers that the working and lower socioeconomic classes will feel the most effect from it as lower classes tend to be taxed heavier than the upper class. This could be stressful for the citizens of Austin, particularly the citizens on the east side of Austin. 

   Overall, I am glad that the city of Austin knows they have a problem this traffic in their city and are trying to fix it but I do not think this should be the master plan and should edit it. Maybe they should have a highway that loops around the city like cities such as, Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio.  But does property and geography stop this? What if TxDOT intended the upper deck on I-35? Will it cost more than going underground or will not be possible to do? There are so many questions about this issue but there is so little time to find a solution with a constant Austin population that continues to grow. 

Link to Article: http://txgovt2013.blogspot.com/2013/08/proposal-to-sink-i-35.html

Governor Davis 2014

   On Friday July 26, I wrote an Article on "Exactly Who is Wendy Davis?” a Democrat Senator from Fort Worth Texas. If you still do not know who she is by name, I highly recommend you check out my article or her website. Once you do, you will realize she has the qualifications to be the next governor of Texas in 2014. Since current Texas Governor Rick Perry is not running for re-election in 2014 and her recent filibuster over a bill that would place new restrictions and ban the practice after 20 weeks of pregnancy in abortion clinics in Texas, Davis has the credentials to show that she is not just an ordinarily senator and can be a governor of the people for the state of Texas. 

    Even though her eventfully filibuster in her a Texas special session in the summer of 2013, it will be used against her in a state where most voters oppose abortion if she runs for governor. But, her interests on sponsored bills such as, cancer, payday lending, protecting victims of sexual assault, and government transparency will gain her voters. She has also given the Republicans a run for their money on other bills. In 2011, she filibuster against a budget that underfunded the state's public schools by $5 billion and got most of the money replaced in 2013. The filibuster made the Republican- led house strip her of her position on the education committee.  She has also filed “Texas Jobs First” legislation to give preference to Texans in the award of state contracts, protected the Veterans’ Assistance Fund from being used to fill budget gaps, and fought against the severe cuts to women’s health care.  Her bills and interests tends reflect the concerns of minorities of Texas (African Americans and Latinos) who’s population continues to grow. A fact they could help her win the office of governor if she runs. 

   But that is the question; will she run for Governor in 2014? As of now she has only said she’ll run for re-election for senator but depending on what happens to the old and new election maps, running for governor might help her find more support from Texans than re-running for senator. I believe that the democrats have a chance to run statewide for the governor seat in 2014. Wendy Davis is their best candidate to push them through.

Links in this article:   http://www.wendydavisforsenate.com/page.cfm?pageid=82 http://texasgirl91.blogspot.com/2013/07/exatcly-who-is-wendy-davis.html

Texas Justice System

   I agree with Brandi’s point of view on the Texas justice system but there is more behind it than just the budget issues.  The Texas justice system is a slow, unbalance, under budget and unfair system.  It’s a structure that works of the idea of due process, a concept that assets administration of laws that do not violate the sacredness of private rights. In other words, it’s a set of rules that set up the legislative branch that doesn’t grantee fairness and just follow the laws. It’s obvious in the United States Constitution. The 4^th, 5th, 6^th, 8th, and 14^th amendments are a great example of this.  Even though due process establishes the rules for the Justice System, the ‘players’ themselves have create issues too for the system. 

    Before the Sentencing Reform Act was passed in the 1970’s and in the 1980’s at Federal level, there was a big issue with disparity and leniency among judges in the court system.  For example, some judges’ sentences were based on sex and race (discrimination). Strictly speaking, similar offenders convicted of similar crimes were serving different sentences. This made the public themselves worried about sentencing disparity.  But on the other hand, Some Judges may have given a lighter sentence for a major crime for an offender. Once the Sentencing Reform was passed, decision making on sentencing switch from the judge to prosecutors and determinate sentencing (fixed sentencing) was created for equality among offenders.

    Although the Sentencing Reform Act was a key element of the national shift to crime control in the 1980’s and beyond, parole was being eliminated for offenders and there was a big incarceration boom. Now this might sound like this is positive, but The United States has the highest Incarceration rate in the world and an over populated prison and jail system because of it.  Crime is still a big issue in the United States and the Texas system is part of this matter.  Without of doubt, I agree on Brandi’s argument that the Texas justice system being chaotic but the budget issue is just one of the issues behind this mess. 

Link to Brandi's Blog:  http://brandigovt.blogspot.com/

Exatcly Who is Wendy Davis?

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   If you kept up with Texas politics this hot summer, you have heard of the name Wendy Davis. Davis, a Democrat Senator from Fort Worth, recently stood up for eleven hours at the State capital to filibuster a bill that would place new restrictions and ban the practice after 20 weeks of pregnancy in abortion clinics in Texas. She stood long enough to kill the bill, but the bill was later on passed by Governor Rick Perry. Even though some might see her filibuster as a failure, she still stands strong today and has the credentials to show that she is not just an ordinarily senator.  

    Raised by a single mother and becoming a single mother herself at the age of 19. Davis became the first person in herfamily to graduate from college. She attended Texas Christian University for undergrad her studies and then continue on to Harvard Law School.  Over time, she spent a few years in the title insurance business before starting her own practiced (NewbyDavis) for federal and local government affairs, real estate, and contract compliance.  She has spent 9 years on the Fort Worth City Council and was elected to the state senate where she became the 12th Democrat in the upper chamber in 2008.

    Because of her election in 2008, she has given the Republicans a run for their money. In 2011, she filibuster against a budget that underfunded the state's public schools by $5 billion and got most of the money replaced in 2013. The filibuster made the Republican- led house strip her of her position on the education committee. In 2012, she threw out a Republican gerrymandering plan that would have put her in a conservative district.

    Wendy Davis is a woman that has shown Texas and the United States that she means business when it comes to politics. I would not be surprised to see her running for Texas governor in 2014 or even president of the United States one day. But whatever she does next, everybody will be watching to see what she can bring new to the political table. 

Texas Latino Voters and George P. Bush

   On Monday July 22, 2013, Omar Araiza published an article in the Burnt Orange Report on Latinos voting in Texas. As Araiza states, "immigration has been an important issue (especially in Texas) of discussion lately and a huge headache to socially conservative Republicans. From earlier talks in 2012 about "self-deportation", to President Obama capturing over 70% of the Latino vote in 2012, and to now this year when Congress has finally decided to address immigration reform." Immigration tends to be an important issue with Latinos that also reflects the concerns of Democrats. In other words, Latinos and other minority racial groups in Texas have a tendency to be democratic. The Republican Party on the other hand aims towards White Americans and the middle and higher class. To say that all Republicans are White and rich and all Democrats are a minority and poor would be stereotypical and false. This is where George P. Bush comes in the picture.

   George P. Bush, half White, half Latino, is the son of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, nephew of former President George W. Bush, and is running for office as Texas Land Commissioner as a Republican. Araiza argues that Bush, because he is part Latino, might actually be Republican's future hope of keeping the Latino vote competitive in Texas since he is a candidate that is interacting with the Latino community and making it seem like a member and a friend to the people. Overall, Latinos account for two-thirds of Texas' growth over the past decade and is now about 38% of the State's population and would help the state continue to stay 'red' if they get more votes from Latinos.  But I agree to Ariaiza’s conclusion, that “just because George P. Bush is Hispanic, speaks Spanish, and has a well-known last name, doesn't mean he truly represents the needs of the community.” 

  I feel that both parties (Republicans and Democrats) can learn from George P. Bush’s actions by interacting with the community and trying to understand what the people need and want. But, a party and its electors must share the same common interests in order to be successful.  As of now, Texas Latinos should continue to support the Democratic Party unless Republicans change their values and include more minorities. 

Link to the article:  http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/13817/the-latino-vote-what-republicans-and-democrats-can-learn-from-george-p-bush