Proposition 1. Vote "Yes"

There is a local proposition, Proposition 1, that will appear on the ballot in November to try and increase the property tax in order to give teachers a 3% pay increase this next year. The property tax would increase by a mere 3.9 cents per $100. This would mean that an average household would pay an additional $343 annually. This tax increase would not only allow teachers a pay raise it would also allow districts to compensate for the increasing cost of health care costs, fuel to run the busses, and operating costs for the school itself(ex. heat and air conditioning).

We need to support our teachers with Proposition 1. We have a duty to make sure our teachers are taken care of. Our kids will be under the care of these people for most of their formative years and eventually these kids will be the adults of this world. It is a huge job for these teachers to undertake and we want the best for our kids. If we don't take care of our teachers they will find a district that will. If we don't want to lose our good teachers to other schools we need to vote "yes" on proposition1. Our property taxes will go up by about $252 anyways because of increasing property values. So that $91 from each household means a 3% pay increase to each teacher. These teachers are counting on us because our taxes are as high as they can be without the people voting for a tax increase. Everyone wins with this proposition, teachers get their raise and we get to keep our good teachers.

Public Humiliation

I read a post on the blog, Grits For Breakfast, Dallas Using Public Humiliation Tactics For Petty Scofflaws. This article talks about how Dallas County has published a website where people can look up and find people in their area that have as little as a class c misdemeanor. Scott Henson (the writer of this blog) believes this is just the counties way of embarrassing people into paying their fines therefore raising revenue. He believes that it is one thing to provide this kind website for sex offenders because that actually offers a service. The website even offers pictures of the people owing fines and a list of who owes the most. It is horrible that this is even out there but then on top of it, the website put up a disclaimer. The disclaimer states, " The wanted person’s [sic] listed may not be accurate due to the instant ability to satisfy their delinquent accounts and the inability to update this list in a timely fashion. This list may not be current. The case amount is approximate, and can vary." So these people are being embarrassed and in some cases without reason. The article also talks about how the jails are charging inmates a medical screening fee which of course doesn't come from the inmates but rather from their families. The author feels that this is just another ploy on the behalf of the county to produce more revenue by taking from the people on the bottom.

I think this author is justified in his his opinion about the website. It is not the job of Dallas county to air people's dirty laundry. I think most people could understand this argument. I don't have any charges or fines against me but, I can certainly understand people who do, not wanting their business out for all to see. This article was probably written to inform the average citizen who might have these minor charges against them that this site is out there. As far as the medical screening fee for inmates, I can understand what he is saying that it is not the inmate that is actually paying these fees, but i don't think that it is a horrible idea for the people who broke the laws to pick up some of the financial burden they cause. Even if our opinions might differ the author is credible. He has for his adult career served as a volunteer for criminal justice reform and worked in professional politics for a long time. So his opinions are based on being around this arena for much of his life. Government can definitely be greedy so i am glad he wrote this article to inform us whether we agree or not. The more knowledge the better.

Church Can Do What It Wants?!

The article I read was about a Church that in my opinion, got away with a crime. The Texas Supreme Court Wrong On Demon Case was an article written by The Editorial Board from the Austin American Statesman on Tuesday July 1st 2008. This story is about a church that physically restrained a seventeen year old girl to the ground saying that she had been possessed by a demon. The girl tried to sue the church for physical, mental, and emotional abuse. She was bruised and also said she had sustained mental trauma. A jury awarded her $188,000 but that decision was overturned by the Texas Supreme Court. The Judges in this court said that this lawsuit violated the first amendment that protects religious freedom. The authors of this article find that this decision is unfair and gives the church too much power and exemption from an consequence.

This article was written to a wide variety of people excluding would anyone religiously extreme. I think that the average person could relate to this story even including "church people". I grew up in church but i was outraged when I read this article. Pretty much anyone that is not a religious nut would be concerned at what this church got away with. The article was not trying to bash church all together but just saying that just because church and state are separate doesn't mean they should be able to get away with injustice. The article takes the claim that in another environment this would have been considered a crime and that church should be held responsible for their actions. The article states, "Abuse, assault and false imprisonment cannot be excused as the free expression of religion. Religious practice must conform to the law of the land, not exist outside it. If not constrained by law, religion could claim any exemption from rape to human sacrifice." This is a fair statement, a line needs to be drawn so they don't get away with injustices. I think the authors' point is well taken and they don't come off angry which helps to make the argument feel legitimate. However, there is a lack of actual research and proof of why this church shouldn't be allowed to get away with this. It is a shame though because the point would have been easy to make. They could have made arguments for assault and abuse pretty simply. It was a good article and I agreed with what they said but they could have made a more solid argument.

Moment of Silence

On Austin36o.com I read an interesting article about the moment of silence observed in Texas school's after the pledge to the Texas and U.S. Flags. In 1985 the supreme court said is was ok to allow a moment of silence if it was motivated by a secular purpose. In 1995 permission was given to allow a moment of silence for the students if the individual schools desired to do so. In 2003 that law was amended and it was then required for all schools to allow one whole minute for students to silently reflect on anything of their choice as long as they were not disruptive to others. In this law there was a list provided of examples of things students could do during this time. Among other options like meditation and reflection, prayer was listed. This law has been a point of contention among some. In this group are David Croft and his wife Shannon. Mr. and Mrs. Croft are atheists who don't like the idea that their children are subjected to this mandatory moment of silence. Since prayer is listed they believe it is a cloaked religious practice. They believe it is just a way to establish prayer in school and also they think it is just a waste of time. The Croft's have tried to fight this law and so far have not had any success in doing so.


It is just rediculous that these people would spend this much time, energy, and money on something like this. No one is making their kids pray to a god they are just allowing other kids the right to do so. Kids can do what ever they want in this time. They can get themselves ready for class, take a minute to relax and clam down before class starts or pray to the god of fire if they want. In the article it says that this family has spent $16,000 on this so far. If you want to do something for your kids then put that money away for college. It just seems crazy that people would be so insecure in what they believe that they have to fight other people on what they believe. As long as their kids are not being force to do anything who cares. I recommend reading this story, "Atheist Family Challenges Minute of Silence Law" and see what you think.