Lissa-"Freedom of speech or just a case of Senioritis?"

Lissa, your post really reminds me when I was in high school and how people always got in trouble for wearing clothes they were not suppose to wear. Whenever people would wear inappropriate clothes or colored their hair in a "disruption manner of classroom etiquette" they were either sent home or made them call their parents to bring them something to wear. In these two aspects I agree with the school administration because honestly I didn't want to see a girl's body hanging out everywhere or a boy's boxers showing every time he walked.

As to your article on Hays High School I have to say I disagree with the administration and yourself. Why you may ask? If we have freedom of speech...why are we not allowed to use it? The student didn't have profanity on his t-shirt so I think he should have been allowed to wear it. Also I don't know about everybody else but I have even had teachers in my school career say "sucks" and even profanity words.

One limitation of freedom of speech at least for school and learning purposes in my opinion is students shouldn't be allowed to have profanity words on their shirts. In a way I may be contradicting myself with saying that we should be able to have our freedom of speech but I don't agree with being able to have profanity written all over shirts. We all know that most of us know and say profanity words at least once in our lifetime but we shouldn't encourage it either.

So my standpoint is we should be able to have freedom of speech while at school but to a certain extent!

Will your job be stable forever???

Graduating from college worries me. Why you may ask? Today's slow economy. It is a scary thought to think about it because it may be really hard to find your ideal job once you have received your diploma. My major is business management and it is scary when people say "well good luck to ya, maybe when you graduate there will be more businesses to run than close!"

Many families all over the U.S. and Texas suffered when the economy faced devastion, and some still suffer today. Millions of jobs were lost leaving families with no homes and with nothing to do. Luckily, my family was not faced and still has not experienced this tragedy. When people first become laid off by their jobs they receive an unemployment check, but when this unemployment is done at times people still have not been able to find another job. Today's daily life is very costly from the cost of homes to living expenses. It is a frightening thought to lose your job. Is your job secure now?

So as I was thinking about my future and what I would do with it, I thought it might be a good idea to see what our Texas economy is looking like now. After reading Texas Ahead's article on Comptroller's Economic Outlook, I wasn't happy but I was a little relieved. Texas is in better shape than the nation but still struggling. Here recently Texas gained jobs for many people. If you compare the statistics of tax sales, unemployment rate, and trade it is looking better but not good overall.

In the end I sure hope our economy gets better for individuals now and in the future.

Randy's Abortion Issue

I understand what your saying but everything in life we all as human beings disagree on something. I think the people that do disagree on abortion maybe just have not experienced it or have not been in the position where they might consider it, which is why they are against it. Point is I agree with you on how we the public should have more of a say as to what we women do or don't want to do with our bodies.

As I was reading Is abortion justifiable in cases of rape or incest? I believe it should be an option women have if they do want to have in abortion in cases like these. I'm not knowledgeable in rape cases but I do know for a fact that it is something that people hate and suppress in their lifetime, so why have a remembrance of it?

We as citizens should have a voice in what we want to do with our body!

How do I contribute?

How do I or we contribute to Texas state and local government?

I believe that paying taxes on goods to the local government is a huge contribution. We pay taxes for mostly everything we buy. The taxes we pay each day help our state and local government stand as it is today. I have to admit paying taxes is no fun but we are so use to it, that it comes naturally. Without us taxpayers our state would be in a bad condition.

Another way I believe I contribute to Texas state and local government is by simply being a student. I attend Austin Community College and therefore pay my tuition bill which goes to the school, professors, and local government. This money is used to give me an education as well as be able to have facilities that can give myself and others the chance for an education. I also feel that by going to school I can one day use my knowledge I learned to somehow help the state of Texas in whatever job I may pursue.

Contributing to Texas state and local government doesn't necessarily mean that it has to be done money wise but it can also be what you can do for a state, community, or people. We all contribute something to this state whether it is knowledge to our job or knowledge we share with our family. Being a good citizen is crucial for everyone. If all citizens of Texas were "good people" there would be less crime and peace in this world.

Texas state and local government gives us much of the public things we use today such as schools and highways as well as try do what is best for the people. So how do we give back?

Next time you think about how you contribute to Texas state and local government or how does it contribute to you think about everything you do each day or what you plan to do in the future.

Costly Mistakes

We all make mistakes. While reading the Austin American Statesman I came across the editorial Show us that we can trust you. An Austin Police officer Leonardo Quintana makes a mistake to not turn on his dashboard camera and murders Nathaniel Sanders II. Police claim that as Quintana approached Sanders, he had a gun so the officer was acting in self defense. According to the article Quintana had opportunities to activate his patrol car camera but did not, in return this has caused minorities and citizens to question Austin Police trust.

This editorial enlightens the Austin residents, police officers, and citizens all over America. The evidence the writer has comes from the Travis County grand jury, Leonardo Quintana, and police department leader Acevedo. Police officers should always do what they are trained to do if you have the chance to do it. Another thing citizens, minorities or not why should we carry a gun in our car?

In conclusion this has led to Sanders' family to file a lawsuit against the Austin Police department, which in return involves us tax payers. I agree that Quintana made a mistake, but in my opinion it was unnecessary. We are all trained to do our job right so do it if possible. I want to be able to trust my community's police department and I know they are trying their best to clear everything up but can it not be at tax payer's expense? Decisions we make sometimes do not just involve ourselves but others as well.

Do you consume alcohol?

In the Austin American Statesman newspaper the editorial There will be blood is brought to the attention of Austin drinkers. The argument in this editorial is we as citizens should have medical staff take our blood if needed to be tested for alcohol consumption rather than police officers. Some people refuse to blow in the breath alcohol testers supplied by police officers, which is why taking a blood sample is the alternative to whether or not an individual is intoxicated. The author received his/her sources from the Austin City Council. Drinking and driving is a very dangerous maneuver in any part of the country so as to this resolution passed I believe it is a good idea. Honestly if I were ever to be in that situation I would rather have someone in the medical staff take my blood rather a police officer. On my behalf and I'm sure of other Austin residents we trust that our police officers are trained to do their job but I'd rather have a specialized medical employee do anything that is involved with my health. Austin is a hot spot for drinking due to our infamous 6th street why is why police offers are enforcing a "no refusal" operation with blood testing if they feel the need. The author agrees that taking blood is no fun but it has to be done because there is many dangerous drivers out that can harm an innocent person's life or their own. The author also states "Mandatory blood tests are their worst nightmare." I think we can agree that if you've been drinking and driving you do not want to get caught, so getting a blood test would be your least favorite thing to do at the time. I side with the author and how relieved he/she felt after Austin City Council gave the right of taking blood to medical staff rather than police officers.

Did you ever feel like you were not prepared enough for middle school, high school, or college? I attended the University of Texas at Austin my freshman year of college and boy was I lost and overwhelmed! So where did my education or our education go wrong? According to The Dallas Morning News and their editorial about education some elementary teachers are not qualified to teach the required core subjects effectively to children. In response the U.S. Department of Education wants to make it a requirement for first-year elementary teachers in Texas to pass a broad exam in order to be "qualified". By doing this test it is not for sure that teachers will be exceptional but it can help eliminate teachers that are not qualified. The Texas Education Agency is now waiting for Washington's approval. I hope that this compromise is approved in order for children to have acceptable stepping stones in order to build on their education and not be as unfortunate as I was.