Full-Time Legislature Needed

On May 5, 2016, Veronica Sigler wrote an article discussing the shortcomings of the Texas State Legislature. Her article was straight to the point and I couldn't agree more with every word of it. It is unbelievable that a state with such a population as Texas has only has a part-time legislature. How can 140 days every 2 years be anywhere near sufficient in getting things done in order to improve our state? This policy is setting us up for failure, and I think the results are clear when you see Texas ranked against other states, in areas such as education, for example. Its hard to analyze Sigler's post much more, because she perfectly sums the situation up when she state's "the government is failing us". Such a short session and terrible representation of the state's population within the Legislature  (which I discussed in a previous blog post) leave no room for improvement of this state, which so many hold up in such high esteem. Sigler ends her post perfectly with an urgent request for everyone to get out there and vote. As citizens of Texas, we have so much more power than most realize. We need to take advantage of the voices we have, as we really are lucky to have them. So many places throughout the world don't allow freedom like ours to control the government. But, at the moment, we are living as if we have no say in our government. Nothing will change unless we decide its important to us to get educated and take the reigns out of the hands of the tiny and elite group of wealthy people currently holding all the power. So, I'll end this like Ms. Sigler did: VOTE.

STAAR Testing

Kiah Collier of the Texas Tribune wrote an article on April 29, 2016 discussing the overall stagnant scores of the STAAR test this year, despite the recent higher standards. There are quite a few major issues to deal with within this one topic. First of all, the fact that there was really not much of a change in the scores when comparing this year’s to last year’s is concerning to me. Shouldn’t those in charge of the curriculum and standardized testing be able to look at the results of STAAR tests and see what areas students are lacking in, and then adjust the next year’s curriculum accordingly? These tests aren’t just frivolous matters either, they can determine whether or not a student is able to move on to the next grade, or if they will have to repeat the year. Considering that Texas is one of the worst states when it comes to education, I would think that someone would be actively trying to get our test scores up. But I guess that would just be crazy to use any of the state’s money, time or resources for educating its citizens…

Not only are student’s not being properly educated in the first place, but there are so many technical difficulties and mishaps taking place that they barely have a chance to adequately show what they really know. The article explains that “in March, technical glitches impacted more than 14,000 computerized STAAR exams, causing students to lose answers (some were also given the wrong test)." Some school districts are discovering that certain exams were scored incorrectly or were sent to a church rather than a school for grading. Obviously, the state, and whatever private companies that play a part in this testing, have some work to do. At the moment, they seem unable to guarantee that every student’s test is fairly and accurately graded.

I think that standardized testing should be gotten rid of all together. It doesn’t make any sense to test every single student in the same way over randomly chosen topics that may or may not be relevant. Everyone has their own learning styles and capabilities, with different strengths and weaknesses. Rather than preparing their students all year for one test, teachers should have the freedom to help each of their students learn in a way that will benefit them most and prepare them for the next year.

Unfair Representation

On April 7, Carlos Mendoza wrote an article discussing the unfair representation of the Texas Legislature. His position is solid and one that’s hard to argue with. He starts with the most important piece of information to be considered: white Texans are rapidly falling from their position as the majority in the state. Hispanics are closing the gap and will soon become the plurality. Mendoza’s example of the recent Planned Parenthood cases is a perfect way to further convince his audience of unfair representation. The best interests of women and minorities are not going to be adequately considered, or even understood, by a group of wealthy, highly educated, white men.

Now how can we fix this problem? Mendoza points out that the true flaw is in the way the system is set up – which is to fail us. Even if we can get a more diverse group of people educated on and interested in becoming local politicians in order to better the state, how can the average person afford to take 140 days off of their daily lives and work schedules in order to attend the legislative sessions? They can’t. And that’s why, as Mendoza puts it, we have a Legislature composed of rich people representing the rich people of Texas.

Again, the article is hard to find a flaw in. His arguments are straightforward and backed up with enough evidence to show this is a real issue. The only critique I can come up with is he could have concluded with suggesting a way to change the structure and how the legislature is run so that average citizens have a chance in participating in their local government proceedings and decision-making. 

Ending Homelessness

Providing services for the homeless population in our state costs the taxpayers millions of dollars per year. When you consider the costs of hospitalization, medical treatment, incarceration, shelter expenses, and police interventions, the numbers add up quickly. The people who are homeless often suffer from diseases and disabilities that require long-term care. Without the stability of a home, their problems only get worse, further inhibiting them from any chances of getting healthy and making a better life for themselves. These people are also spending much time in jail or prison for violating laws such as sleeping in cars, begging, etc. The National Alliance to End Homelessness provides some shocking statistics and studies done on these costs. A survey done by the University of Texas revealed that “each person cost the taxpayers $14,480 per year, primarily for overnight jail. A typical cost of a prison bed in a state or federal prison is $20,000 per year."

So basically, not only are these people suffering in poverty, but those who are not homeless are being affected as well, paying for their care with our taxes. It would be one thing if the care they received were to help them move on from this stage in their life and get them closer to a better life. Sadly, that is not the case. For many of these individuals, it is a continuous cycle of sleeping on the streets, getting thrown in and out of jail, and racking up high emergency room/medical bills that only push them further down the abyss of homelessness.

In recent years, though, there have been some privately funded projects working to help end this issue. Alan Graham, The CEO of the Austin- based Mobile Loaves and Fishes, has funded a non-profit organization called Community First! that is based off the Housing First model and aims to end homelessness. Community First! builds a community of “tiny homes” in which homeless people can rent (for as low as $220 per month). The community is like its own little village, with movie theaters, restaurants, art galleries and more, that are open to the public and also provide job opportunities for the residents. These communities have been seeing enormous success in each city they have set up in. Graham estimates that the city of Austin alone spends about $40,000 per homeless person every year. He believes that the Community First! in Austin will save taxpayers up to $3 million per year. A study from Los Angeles, CA. (which has one of the highest homeless populations in the country) followed four chronically homeless people and found that placing them into permanent supportive housing saved the city over $80,000 per year:

“After two years in permanent housing, which included access to mental and physical health and education classes, investigators observed increased stability and improved quality of life for all four participants.

During the study time period, only one individual visited the emergency room and none entered the criminal justice system. The only area where costs increased was mental health, which is a positive finding because people who use community mental health resources are less likely to use the hospital emergency room.”

All of these experiments with placing homeless in permanent housing have saved the government thousands of dollars. Yet, they are being run by private people/organizations. What if the government pitched in? What if the state of Texas partnered with people like Alan Graham and committed to financing the placement of homeless individuals into permanent housing, or building more communities like the ones Graham has established? Michael Cousinea, who led the Los Angeles study said that “government financing of supportive housing is a wise public investment. It saves taxpayer dollars and makes important contributions to solving homelessness." A solution to end homelessness has already been found. And its isn't some complicated formula that needs to be worked out, it is actually an attainable goal if the right actions are taken.  Yet, as of now, it seems that the local government is not doing enough to save the taxpayers’ money and save the citizens of it’s city who are struggling every day to survive.