Battle Over Community College Tuition Hike

Here is the link where I commented on one of my classmate's editorials:

http://strongtexashs.blogspot.com/


To read more about this article click the link:

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/region/legislature/stories/07/26/0726highered.html

Drinking and Driving

A new act has been made a law that places drunken drivers behind bars for life if they kill first responders. Some may say that this punishment is too severe, but I believe action should finally be taken. Not only should drunken drivers be placed in prison for life for killing people such as police officers, firemen, or paramedics, but they should also suffer these consequences for taking any other human being's life. No one deserves to die by a drunken driver and nobody should ever get behind the wheel if they are inebriated. This law is a good way to prevent others who do drink and drive from ever doing it again. Some may think that it may not ever happen to them, but life is just to short to test your limits.

Since 2002, nine Texas police officers have been struck and killed by drunken drivers. This statistic proves that drinking and driving is dangerous. If nine police officers were killed, the number of non first responders must be astonishing. I am greatful that this law has passed and I hope that this will reduce the amount of people who do drink and drive.

To read more about this article click this link:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/legislature/stories/DN-officers_18tex.ART.State.Edition1.3b82e05.html

Steroid Testing

A new Texas state law may now require high school student athletes to pay for their own steroid testing. Although the State is paying for the first test, students are required to pay for the retest. Some may say that this is unfortunate for students because steroid testing is around $130, but this retesting will only occur if the first test results are positive. Because the State of Texas is paying for the first test and is contributing about $3 million to this test for student athletes, I think this is beneficial for the students and for the school as well.

Some may disagree that paying for a retest is unreasonable because some dietary supplements may affect the testing of steroids, making the results positive. I believe if a student can afford dietary supplements, he/she can afford a steroid testing.

As a former high school athlete, I would like to see this law passed because it provides safety for the children and informs parents whether or not their children are involved in drug usage. Many athletes who are involved in steroids have the higher advantage in winning compared to those who do not use them because steroids are known as performance enhancers. This is not fair to the student who does not use these substances, nor is it fair to the school.

To read more about this article click this link: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA072807.01B.steroids.3390440.html

Law Opens Restroom Doors for Medical Needs

Finally, there’s some relief for people in need of…relief. A new Texas state law will now require retail store owners to allow people, regardless of whether they are a paying customer or not, to use their store’s restroom facilities. I feel that this is an important article because it seems like most retailers don’t want to make this new law too public fearing that the public will abuse it. The people that this new law is targeted towards are mainly people with chronic debilitating diseases that require them to answer the call of nature more frequently and unpredictably. However, people suffering from temporary conditions such as food poisoning or the stomach flu might not be aware that they now have the right to use a retailer’s restroom. But retail store owners need not be afraid of the wanton bathroom user, i.e. the homeless, for they have the right to ask for evidence of a medical condition before relinquishing their facilities. I feel like this article is showing that the Texas legislature is still keeping the common man in mind.

To read more about this article, click this link:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/4984060.html