Late Post: IV

In The Texas Tribune, there is an article that is about a proposed bill that entails how interrogations should be recorded. According to the author of this article, the recording would make cases (of lets say capital murder, human trafficking, etc) more concrete, more preserved, and any false confessions would be caught. I feel that Mr. Chammah did a great job composing this article, in the sense that he expressed the pros and cons of SB 87. He also featured commentary from the bill's proposers (ie Sen. Rodney Ellis) and it's nay-sayers (ie Sen Dan Patrick).

I also feel that this bill should pass mainly for the reason that the bigger crimes result in the death penalty, and too often are there people who either make false confessions or put to death and are actually innocent. People like Sen. Dan Patrick will say to just "trust the police", but the police are also human. We expect our judges, lawyers, and law enforcement to be perfect but in reality they are far from perfect like the rest of us. At least the recordings can bring the judges, the enforcers, the lawyers, the jurors, and the victims even more closer to what they want and look for -- the truth. They say that all acts done in the dark will eventually come to light, but in these crimes against society we can't just wait for justice to knock on our doors. Sometimes, we have to pursue justice ourselves, and that's the point of this bill.

Assignment 8

Big Ol'Texas: Toll Lanes. Yay or Nay?: This was an interesting read. I feel that, in time, the toll ways will be worth the investments. The Texas population is growing exponentially
(especially in the cities), and everyone has places to go. Its needless to say that the more roads we build, it will be more space for drivers to take up and get from point A to B wasting the least amount of time and Carbon Dioxide emitted from those drivers as possible.

True, this will cost the State a ton of money, but this is a long term benefit.

7

The Texas Tribune was showcasing an article about how even though Texas is a sea of conservative, Texas Democrats still see an opportunity to pass legislation about healthcare with the help of the Obama administration. Whether how the federal government will help Texas medicaid beneficiaries is unclear, but both Republican and Democratic parties can agree that the Texas care system needs reform. I personally feel that the government should care for those who need the care, but I also understand that a government provided care system will cost money. A lot of money.

According to this article, Republicans also say that expanding the Texas Medicaid before reforming it will cost even more for the Texas government and would mean even more budget cuts (I can't imagine what Texas schooling would be like if the legislature decides to add even more budget cuts). Medicaid, and Medicare are two of the pillars for the Democratic party, because the party is about giving rights to more people. However, the Texas medicaid program needs some more improvement before the legislature goes around spending more money. Texas is already in a horrifying position (top of the bottom, one would say) when it comes to government spending, budget cuts, and especially out government provided care programs.

And according to this article, I feel that the Texas Democratic Party will be more than willing to make some negotiations with the Republican party to meet some sort of understanding.