Final One

       In his blog, my classmate, Arturo Benitez, discusses the topic of funding the Texas state government receives or the lack thereof. While I agree in the sense that Texas doesn't invest as much as it needs to or should in the education system. This is further evident in the USnews article ranking the Texas education system as number 34 out of the 50 states. We as Texans need to elect people who will invest in the education of our future generations and giving them the best possible opportunity to succeed. The part I don't really agree with is the point that the Texas government doesn't make enough or should increase areas of revenue. The Texas government has a tax it collects from gasoline sales and property taxes and it collects money specifically for education with the lands they lease for oil drilling. Texas has one of the largest state economies in the country, however, we elect people into office who seem more concerned with lining their pockets with money from the fossil fuel companies instead of improving the lives of everyday people. This ultimately falls on our hands (the people) to vote for change and then actually show up to the polls.

Anti-Protest

         In her article, Clarice Silber talks about a bill that would increase the penalty for those who trespass or damage oil and gas operations. On the outside, this may look like a bill to try and deter damages against oil and gas operations however upon further evaluation it seems as though lawmakers are trying to impede protest that involves trespassing onto pipelines and oil sites to prevent further damage and construction. While I agree with the idea of penalizing those who are damaging and destroying others property, in terms of trespassing I don't believe you can increase the penalty on someone voicing their concerns in any way possible to get others attention. The point of protesting is to make those they disagree with extremely uncomfortable to the point they are forced to recognize and at least be willing to listen to the other side.

Marijuana Ignorance

I agree with my classmate Estevan Hernandez's view on the marijuana reform. I am a strong believer in treating drug abuse, addiction, and dependence as we would a mental illness. We need to educate people instead of throwing them in jail where there are countless minorities locked away for minor possession. This systemic inability to separate politics from science and facts creates a culture of ignorance and bias when it comes to issues such as marijuana. The science and facts say alcohol kills approximately 88,000 people a year from over-consumption, marijuana has killed a grand total of 0 people from over usage, yet marijuana and heroin are classified are a schedule 1 drug. This kind of discrepancy in the way the average person and the government view cannabis is the reason so many peoples lives are affected by a small amount of virtually harmless marijuana.