Dream equal happiness

   As I was going through my classmates’ blogs, I came across one of the commentary that was particularly important for me. The commentary was wrote by “the republic” whereby he agrees that the DREAM act is not and immigration bill and the only purpose of that bill is to allow illegal immigrant to pay in-state tuition fee in Texas colleges and universities. I completely disagree with his tough and I think group of activist name “Dreamers” are pursuing a good cause.

   The DREAM Act (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors) is an American legislative proposal first introduced in the Senate on August 1, 2001 and most recently reintroduced there on May 11, 2011. The act would provide conditional permanent residency to certain illegal aliens of good moral character who graduate from US high schools, arrived in the US as minors, and lived in the country continuously for at least five years prior to the bill's enactment. Having that said, we can understand that, the DREAM act give the ability to illegal Texans to get a permanent residency in order for them to practice in their field of study. For me that mean the DREAM act is definitively an immigration act. My colleague is having a misunderstanding between the in-state tuition act signed by Governor Rick Perry in 2005 that allowed illegal immigrants (Texas resident) to pay the in-state tuition fee and the DREAM act that will talked about earlier. The in-state tuition bill does not give their beneficiaries a possibility to work or to get a permanent residency.

the Dream

               

As I was going through the Texas tribune, I came across a story stipulating that “ A Teenager's Suicide Spurs DREAM Activists”. The article is related to LUNA an illegal immigrant that committed suicide and left on the suicide note that the decision to take his life was mainly because of his statue. The activists are asking for the DREAM act to be passed in order to avoid cases like Luna’s one. The DREAM Act (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors) is an American legislative proposal first introduced in the Senate on August 1, 2001 and most recently reintroduced there on May 11, 2011. The act would provide conditional permanent residency to certain illegal aliens of good moral character who graduate from US high schools, arrived in the US as minors, and lived in the country continuously for at least five years prior to the bill's enactment. If they were to complete two years in the military or two years at a four-year institution of higher learning, they would obtain temporary residency for a six-year period. Most of the activists are already getting the in-state tuition bill passed by the formal governor of Texas Rick Perry. I personally agree with the goals that the activists are looking forward to achieve. In fact, the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation estimated that the DREAM Act would "reduce deficits by about $1.4 billion over the 2011-2020 period and increase government revenues by $2.3 billion over the next 10 years. Therefore why no adopt the bill? They people that are concerned by the bill are those that have good stands, perform very well in school, and/or active in military duties. Even though voters are threatening the governor Rick Perry because of the in-state tuition, I agree with him and instead of jumping on him, they should encourage him to do more in order to help Texans that are sincerely looking forward to establish themselves in the state. We shall not forget that the country and the state were both occupy by formal people that were ready to make the territory their homeland.

Life, Water, Texas

     Water plays a big role in our life and everyday activities. In fact, everyone agrees that water is life.

Today is a little bit special because I will be talking about an editorial written by my friend and classmate Jonathan on how Texas government should deal with the water shortage. In his editorial, he agrees that the state should take his hand off the water system and management and at the same time adopt the property ownership by living the management of water to private businesses.

      That a reasonable point of view. However, by allowing private businesses to take over the water system, the will seek for profit because a business without benefit is irrelevant. In addition, local agencies that are actually working with the state will have to close and at the same time put many people out of job.

     I believe the solution is not the ownership. The solution will come from updating the actual infrastructure. According to Debbie Hasting (vice president of environmental affairs for the Texas oil), the State of Texas needs funding to build necessary infrastructures and implement water strategies in order to avoid a big decline on their economy.

     In the seventh paragraph of his editorial, he agrees that the implementation of ownership is not simple. Therefor why make a radical and uncertain change while we can just get the funding necessary to update our infrastructures.  

In-state tuition for Texans

In Texas, illegal immigrants who do well in high school, have lived in Texas for 3 years minimum , and who are willing to file for permanent residency are eligible for in-state tuition rates at Texas’s universities and colleges. In addition, they are also eligible to receive publicly funded grant to help them with their education.

The in-state tuition policy was passed and signed by Governor Rick Perry in 2005. The idea behind that policy is to help smart Texans kids that are willing to be U.S citizen with their school in order for them to help Texas later. Texas is did a great job by passing that policy.

The critics agrees that the grant programs for legal student have been deeply cut and the want to have the grant allowed to illegal students.

The only difference between legal student and illegal student is that one is U.S citizen or permanent resident and the other is not. That means the different is at the federal level. However, whether legal or illegal student, they are all Texans resident therefor they are all contributing in tax base. It will be silly to take people’s tax money and use it for the privilege of one group only. They should all benefit for the tax they paid and are paying.

The illegal students are not criminals. For many of them, they are people willing to live in the State and work for the State so why not give them that opportunity. According to the Texas Higher Education coordinating board, the total amount of aid that are actually granted to illegal students(smart high school kids willing to perform more) is not a significant percentage of the total amount allocated by the State.

Texas did (and is doing) a great job for Texans students (legal or illegal). Instead of blaming Governor Perry, we should all thank him and the people that actually though of the idea and process it.  

End of final feast

             In September 22/2011, the Texas tribune focuses on the announcement made by the executive director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Brad Livingston in response to the direct order made by the State Senator John Whitmire stipulating that, the death row inmate are no longer able to make a choice concerning their last meal before execution. Instead, the will be eating the meal of the day like any regular inmate in Texas prisons. The State senator is addressing the message to the public especially the inmate in death row.

             In his message, he clearly states that, that decision should be directly applicable and he will make sure that it is respected even if he has to use his position as a state senator to call for legislation assembly in order to make be a law in Texas. He claims that prisoners in death row have abuse of the tradition and it is time to end that privilege that was given to them for the past centuries. The decision is a result of the inmate Lawrence Brewer a white supremacist whom before his execution, ordered a giantesses amount of food and did not even touch it. Brewer’s action was judged as inadmissible by many people especially when they encountered the fact that somewhere in Texas a family cannot eat and a criminal is given the privilege to play with food. The public opinion is favorable to the Senator John Whitemire decision even people that do not agree with the death penalty.

            However, some people including myself agree that the tradition should continue but it has to be control and monitored to avoid a misuse by others criminal in death row. The reason behind that position is simply human because if anyone is given the date and the time the will die, we will all have a last thing that we will want to do before that given date arrives. For criminal waiting to be executed, the basic last thing the State can offered the is food however the menu and the quantity have to be set in advance to avoid what happen with Lawrence Brewer.

In-State tuition law

In 2001, Governor Rick Perry signed a law provision allowing illegal immigrants to pay in- state college tuition rates. To be eligible, each student from that group will have to have stayed in Texas for 3 years, graduate from a Texas high school and apply for permanent residency. That had been criticizing all around the United States of America especially for student outside Texas that is looking forward to enroll in a college or university in Texas.
The reason of the critique is because the will have to pay out- of- state tuition. Me personally I think the law signed by GOV. Rick Perry was well though and process because even though those people are illegal immigrant, the condition set to be eligible will make the person who follow the conditions a Texas resident. Therefor I do not see the reason why someone who pays taxes for the State of Texas should be denied in-state tuition. They pay taxes on goods and  property to the state of Texas while a formal American citizen from Ohio for example is not paying any taxes to the State of Texas there he cannot be considered as Texas resident unless he comply with the Texas law. People should not have problem with the In-state tuition law because after an illegal immigrants graduated from one college in Texas, he cannot operate because of his status therefore will not be able to carry the license that he or she worked hard. I think the American government should helped GOV. Rick Perry and Texas by granting at least the permanent residency for brilliant to student that are ready to help the America and Texas by practicing on their field and therefore pay even bigger taxes. For example, Karla Resendiz an illegal immigrant in an interview accorded to the Texas Tribune, talking about her graduating with honor at the University of Texas Austin(Pharmacy school)  because of the In-state tuition law, but have not be able to practice as a pharmacist because the federal government is holding her.  For someone like her, the American government should helped Texas by granting her the permanent residency in order for her to practice so that all three parties will benefit from it.

Death Penalty

       Death penalty or capital punishment is a sentence of death upon individuals by judicial process as a punishment for an offence. Execution is a matter of controversy in various States and the position can vary within a single political ideology or cultural region. Amount States that have adopted death penalty, Texas occupies the first rank. The position is due to fact that Texans considered execution as part of their culture.  Therefore, it has always been carry throughout Texas history. Since the adoption of the death sentence, Texas encountered 474 executions.
     The formal Texas Governor Rick Perry is popular in Texas because of the 234 executions he presides since he took the office in 2000. According to the University of Texas and the Texas Tribune poll, Texans are supporting the death penalty in substantial number even in the face of doubts about fairness of process. For example, during the presidential primary Wednesday September 7, 2011 Governor Rick Perry and his followers showed a sense of proudness when the moderator Brian Williams talked about the 234 executions that Governor Rick Perry presided. Those numbers are scary if we considered the fact that the judicial system is not hundred percent reliable and a percentage people killed can actually not be guilty.