Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Ride Sharing at Risk in Austin?
Are you voting "yes" or "no" to Proposition 1? This is a proposition clouded in conjecture and media bolstering, but the fact is that this proposition belongs to Uber and Lyft, two ridesharing companies that were affected by the city of Austin's December proposition that required ridesharing companies to have its drivers submit to fingerprint screening for background checks, begin wearing the semblance of a uniform, and start identify their vehicles with some uniform symbol like Lyft's mustache. So, in short you either vote "yes" for ridesharing companies, or "no" for the city of Austin.
Seems like a tough choice given that there are only two options but what people aren't hearing is that the ridesharing companies have agreed to come back to negotiations if their proposition fails. With that information it would be seemingly easier to vote "no", if you don't agree with either side or would like to see a few changes made in this new negotiation. The problems the people of Austin might want to consider is whether or not an agreement can be reached if prop. 1 fails, and what it means if Uber and Lyft leave the city.
Truthfully, the only part of this I care about at all is that if they leave the city, people are doing to be hurt or die unnecessarily. Yet other Texas cities, like Corpus Christi, Tx, have pushed ridesharing out by passing similar ordinances. According to KRISTV.com there was a letter Uber sent to Corpus Christi City Council on March 4, Sarfraz Maredia, the general manager for the South & East Texas region of Uber said, "The proposed ordinance would require drivers to complete unnecessary and duplicative steps that make it difficult for them to earn extra money and hurt our ability to ensure that riders have access to reliable and affordable transportation." I find it ironic that ridesharing companies would have to turn the new requirements into the Taxicab Inspectors Office personally, and pay for the inspection and application immediately, yet people don't believe this is about money.
I personally don't think that there has been enough evidence to warrant that ridesharing companies increase security, much less start dressing alike. If we were placing more strict ordinances on companies who's employees committed crimes then the NFL would no longer exist. I believe there are other influences at work here that are not being talked about or considered. I believe that we should be looking at the paperwork filed and money exchanged by Taxi lobbyists and Taxi owners for a start. They had the most to lose by allowing the ridesharing companies to stay, and no one in America, especially in Texas, likes to go out without a fight, even if it's held in a courtroom, or pushed through as a foolish proposition.
Then there is the idea that DWI's, reckless driving, speeding tickets, and the list goes on, have drastically decreased. Some estimates place the DWI decrease near 23%. That makes for a very large sum of money that the city is no longer receiving, so do we believe that those in power would just sit back and allow such a thing to happen without at least trying to stop it? Will these claims prove to be true? Only time will tell, but Saturday, March 7th, is the day that the proposition vote takes place. Personally I believe ridesharing should be left alone to capitalize on a needed market until a real danger has presented itself, but either way I look forward to watching the rest of this interesting development unfold in the great city of Austin.
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Commentary of a Classmate's Post
This is a simple commentary of classmate Jennifer Silva's blog post Editorial: Don't be afraid of our self-driving car future. Jennifer gives an outline of the tech giant Google's new self-drive advancements.
"I appreciate the honesty about hating to drive, Jennifer. Your commentary about Googles self-driving cars was well done, but there are many other things to consider. What about people like me that love driving?I bought a powerful, beautiful handling vehicle because I adore driving. Having gone through several specialized offensive and defensive driving courses and no record of accidents, I take driving as a joyful hobby. That being said, If I had to give that up in order to keep everyone safer, I'd like to think I would make that sacrifice. The self-driving Google vehicles also just had there first accident, but Google claims it is as simple as fixing the algorithm they created. If that is indeed the case, I think they are well on their way to making the roads safer for everyone, but it's hard not to think about the Terminator movies where Skynet's automated robot's and vehicles take over the world. Far fetched but fun to consider. Thanks for the information, this is a current topic with many future implications so it's nice to stay apprised."
"I appreciate the honesty about hating to drive, Jennifer. Your commentary about Googles self-driving cars was well done, but there are many other things to consider. What about people like me that love driving?I bought a powerful, beautiful handling vehicle because I adore driving. Having gone through several specialized offensive and defensive driving courses and no record of accidents, I take driving as a joyful hobby. That being said, If I had to give that up in order to keep everyone safer, I'd like to think I would make that sacrifice. The self-driving Google vehicles also just had there first accident, but Google claims it is as simple as fixing the algorithm they created. If that is indeed the case, I think they are well on their way to making the roads safer for everyone, but it's hard not to think about the Terminator movies where Skynet's automated robot's and vehicles take over the world. Far fetched but fun to consider. Thanks for the information, this is a current topic with many future implications so it's nice to stay apprised."
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Mental Wellness for Veterans Takes a Backseat in Texas
Imagine this. A young adult in today's military comes home from not one war, but more likely two or three in the span of their first enlistment, if you include National Guard or Reserve duty. After all they have done, seen, and lived, they are put through a "civilian reintegration process" that lasts roughly a week...a final pat on the back right before the soon-to-be-veteran is sent back home to wherever that is. Most of these soldiers never hear from their chosen branch of service again. So much might have changed during those periods of little to no family contact that "home" might not even be there for them when they get out. This disconnect from society, or everyday life and traditional family ties, specifically during war or times of conflict, is one of the leading causes of the rampant number of homeless and disabled veterans across the U.S.
There are very few equivalents to the amount of change and pressure that occurs in those few days of "reintegration." It would be like being removed from your entire family, fired from your job, and losing your home all at once, just as a start. If you were one of the 3.46 million veterans today who have experienced extreme physical trauma or arguably worse, severe mental damage from your active duty experiences, you were probably discharged with little to no warning after your accident or incident. This abrupt change leaves these individuals without help unless they want to count the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as a viable resource, which I certainly do not, but I'll get back to that later. Their branch of service ships them back to a home of record, and if that state is Texas, they may find that aside from a few key non-profits, and shallow state run benefits, there is nothing to welcome them home.
According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, Texas alone holds almost 10% of the homeless veteran population, somewhere between 55,000 and 80,000 people. The large gap in those numbers stems from the lack of personal records and the high death rate of homeless individuals in our nation.
Now the question is, what is Texas doing about it?
Well, they'll give you a free fishing license. Texas will provide you with schooling benefits, that is, if you first use all of your G.I. Bill that you earned from your completed service. Texas will even give you some tax deductions on your land and vehicle, along with a few other benefits not worth mentioning if we don't first take a step back and ask the real question. What is being done to assure that Texas veterans are in a place, mentally, physically, and emotionally, where they can even begin to use these benefits? It seems that the answer by default is that it's the VA's responsibility. They are the organization responsible for the mental and physical health of veteran's, right? But if this organization hasn't even figured out how to build a national medical database, how are we to trust that it can accomplish anything meaningful for these veterans?
If a veteran needs assistance from the VA and is not in his or her city of record. they barely exist. Instead they face a lengthy registration process and will, in most cases, not see a physician on that same day. If they are in a different state, they don't exist at all. Veterans being denied service, even showing a VA Identification Card was a regular occurrence, even before we as a nation agreed to another war. That was over a decade ago, and little to nothing has changed. Couple that with their prescription drug restrictions, lack of qualified staff, and little to no mental health department, and what you have is federal organization that essentially has nothing to offer someone in serious need. Texas, unfortunately, isn't doing any better.
Instead of giving out menial benefits that help voters ease their conscience, Texas should be concentrating on mental health programs like Functional Restoration, Somatic Experiencing (SE), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), all forms of therapy for mental disorders such as P.T.S.D. and Compartmentalization Disorder. Why isn't more being done to help such a large and powerful part of Texas when these forms of therapy have been statistically shown to help, if not reverse, the largest issues plaguing the mental health of veterans.
Until we face this issue at its root and stop shifting the blame to an obviously powerless entity, we will be leaving these, brave and broken, Texas men and women to their own fates. How can we truly be so unforgiving and careless after watching them face such trials, as to change or damage the whole of their being, from the comfort of our couches? I personally, as a veteran who had to seek private help for my changes, but only because I was lucky enough to have saved enough money during deployments to afford it, am ashamed of us. As a state that leads the way in so many things, we still fall radically short in so many others. Maybe this "change" we voted for 8 years ago will catch up to us someday. Until then, however, I'll remain a Texan in need of hope.
There are very few equivalents to the amount of change and pressure that occurs in those few days of "reintegration." It would be like being removed from your entire family, fired from your job, and losing your home all at once, just as a start. If you were one of the 3.46 million veterans today who have experienced extreme physical trauma or arguably worse, severe mental damage from your active duty experiences, you were probably discharged with little to no warning after your accident or incident. This abrupt change leaves these individuals without help unless they want to count the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as a viable resource, which I certainly do not, but I'll get back to that later. Their branch of service ships them back to a home of record, and if that state is Texas, they may find that aside from a few key non-profits, and shallow state run benefits, there is nothing to welcome them home.
According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, Texas alone holds almost 10% of the homeless veteran population, somewhere between 55,000 and 80,000 people. The large gap in those numbers stems from the lack of personal records and the high death rate of homeless individuals in our nation.
Now the question is, what is Texas doing about it?
Well, they'll give you a free fishing license. Texas will provide you with schooling benefits, that is, if you first use all of your G.I. Bill that you earned from your completed service. Texas will even give you some tax deductions on your land and vehicle, along with a few other benefits not worth mentioning if we don't first take a step back and ask the real question. What is being done to assure that Texas veterans are in a place, mentally, physically, and emotionally, where they can even begin to use these benefits? It seems that the answer by default is that it's the VA's responsibility. They are the organization responsible for the mental and physical health of veteran's, right? But if this organization hasn't even figured out how to build a national medical database, how are we to trust that it can accomplish anything meaningful for these veterans?
If a veteran needs assistance from the VA and is not in his or her city of record. they barely exist. Instead they face a lengthy registration process and will, in most cases, not see a physician on that same day. If they are in a different state, they don't exist at all. Veterans being denied service, even showing a VA Identification Card was a regular occurrence, even before we as a nation agreed to another war. That was over a decade ago, and little to nothing has changed. Couple that with their prescription drug restrictions, lack of qualified staff, and little to no mental health department, and what you have is federal organization that essentially has nothing to offer someone in serious need. Texas, unfortunately, isn't doing any better.
Instead of giving out menial benefits that help voters ease their conscience, Texas should be concentrating on mental health programs like Functional Restoration, Somatic Experiencing (SE), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), all forms of therapy for mental disorders such as P.T.S.D. and Compartmentalization Disorder. Why isn't more being done to help such a large and powerful part of Texas when these forms of therapy have been statistically shown to help, if not reverse, the largest issues plaguing the mental health of veterans.
Until we face this issue at its root and stop shifting the blame to an obviously powerless entity, we will be leaving these, brave and broken, Texas men and women to their own fates. How can we truly be so unforgiving and careless after watching them face such trials, as to change or damage the whole of their being, from the comfort of our couches? I personally, as a veteran who had to seek private help for my changes, but only because I was lucky enough to have saved enough money during deployments to afford it, am ashamed of us. As a state that leads the way in so many things, we still fall radically short in so many others. Maybe this "change" we voted for 8 years ago will catch up to us someday. Until then, however, I'll remain a Texan in need of hope.
Monday, March 21, 2016
#NeverTrump
On March 17th, 2016, Buddy Kipp of Empower Texans wrote an article titled "The Problem with #NeverTrump." You can view it under the previous hyperlink.
Mr. Kipp wrote as a Texas Republican throughout the entire piece about #NeverTrump, and its social media implications on local and national elections. Though I do agree with the intended message, I do not appreciate his delivery, specifically the way he used #NeverTrump and a giant photo of Donald Trump as the articles only image to portray the idea that Twitter was some colossal news powerhouse in its own field, when the amount of people getting news from Twitter is actually quite smaller, almost 75% less, than its current rivals in Facebook, Google, and Youtube, according to Digitalnewsreport.org. Stating data on how important all social media was at playing a larger role in politics this year, since candidates are being followed across the board 6% more this election cycle, from the 10% of last cycle, would have been better than calling people "#NeverTrump-ers" to recycle his own title.
I believe that Mr. Kipp got to his real point at the end of the article when he states, "We as Americans focus to much on that fancy office 1,500 miles northeast of here, but we fail to see how those other contests below that race affect everything we do. Directly. Immediately." I could not agree more with this analysis, local government has almost always played a more powerful role in our day to day lives than national policies and movements. Local and State Officials usually have the last say in everything from the attempted BBQ smoke ordinances inside city limits (Travis County 2014), to the taxation of the land we raise our children on.
If we neglect the "smaller" ballets or offices, for any reason, especially if it's because they don't have as much social hype, we are literally saying that a Twitter hash tag is more important than our children's educations, our health care, and so many more of our most basis rights and privileges, the ones closest to our daily lives as a community. Though some would say our status as a community was arguable at best, so maybe this is just an unavoidable backlash of our own, documented and verified, lackadaisical attitude towards all forms of the governmental process.
Mr. Kipp wrote as a Texas Republican throughout the entire piece about #NeverTrump, and its social media implications on local and national elections. Though I do agree with the intended message, I do not appreciate his delivery, specifically the way he used #NeverTrump and a giant photo of Donald Trump as the articles only image to portray the idea that Twitter was some colossal news powerhouse in its own field, when the amount of people getting news from Twitter is actually quite smaller, almost 75% less, than its current rivals in Facebook, Google, and Youtube, according to Digitalnewsreport.org. Stating data on how important all social media was at playing a larger role in politics this year, since candidates are being followed across the board 6% more this election cycle, from the 10% of last cycle, would have been better than calling people "#NeverTrump-ers" to recycle his own title.
I believe that Mr. Kipp got to his real point at the end of the article when he states, "We as Americans focus to much on that fancy office 1,500 miles northeast of here, but we fail to see how those other contests below that race affect everything we do. Directly. Immediately." I could not agree more with this analysis, local government has almost always played a more powerful role in our day to day lives than national policies and movements. Local and State Officials usually have the last say in everything from the attempted BBQ smoke ordinances inside city limits (Travis County 2014), to the taxation of the land we raise our children on.
If we neglect the "smaller" ballets or offices, for any reason, especially if it's because they don't have as much social hype, we are literally saying that a Twitter hash tag is more important than our children's educations, our health care, and so many more of our most basis rights and privileges, the ones closest to our daily lives as a community. Though some would say our status as a community was arguable at best, so maybe this is just an unavoidable backlash of our own, documented and verified, lackadaisical attitude towards all forms of the governmental process.
We
as Americans focus too much on that fancy office 1,500 miles northeast
of here, but we fail to see how those other contests below that race on
the ballot affect everything we do. Directly. Immediately. - See more
at:
http://www.empowertexans.com/around-texas/the-problem-with-nevertrump/#sthash.gE11h0gu.dpuf
We
as Americans focus too much on that fancy office 1,500 miles northeast
of here, but we fail to see how those other contests below that race on
the ballot affect everything we do. Directly. Immediately. - See more
at:
http://www.empowertexans.com/around-texas/the-problem-with-nevertrump/#sthash.gE11h0gu.dpufdsdssdf
We
as Americans focus too much on that fancy office 1,500 miles northeast
of here, but we fail to see how those other contests below that race on
the ballot affect everything we do. Directly. Immediately. - See more
at:
http://www.empowertexans.com/around-texas/the-problem-with-nevertrump/#sthash.gE11h0gu.dpuf
We
as Americans focus too much on that fancy office 1,500 miles northeast
of here, but we fail to see how those other contests below that race on
the ballot affect everything we do. Directly. Immediately. - See more
at:
http://www.empowertexans.com/around-texas/the-problem-with-nevertrump/#sthash.gE11h0gu.dpuf
We
as Americans focus too much on that fancy office 1,500 miles northeast
of here, but we fail to see how those other contests below that race on
the ballot affect everything we do. Directly. Immediately. - See more
at:
http://www.empowertexans.com/around-texas/the-problem-with-nevertrump/#sthash.gE11h0gu.dpuf
We
as Americans focus too much on that fancy office 1,500 miles northeast
of here, but we fail to see how those other contests below that race on
the ballot affect everything we do. Directly. Immediately. - See more
at:
http://www.empowertexans.com/around-texas/the-problem-with-nevertrump/#sthash.gE11h0gu.dpuf
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Local control is at stake in important Texas House races
Richard Greene, former Arlington mayor and appointee of President George W.
Bush as regional administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency, wrote a piece outlining the current Texas State Reps. for districts 92 and 94, why he feels they are corrupt, and who would be better suited for the positions. Here is a link to the article:Local control is at stake in important Texas House races.
Mr. Greene does admit to residing in district 94 and supporting the opposition, but I believe he fell short in almost every other area of the article. Opinion pieces are about finding support from those who believe as you do, while informing and swaying the opinions of those that do not. I believe Mr. Greene completely missed his target audience and failed to connect with anyone that isn't accustomed to over dramatization and fluff.
While I assume he was trying to reach the common citizen and voter, he used phrases to describe the incumbent like "outside forces determined to usurp the core principles of home rule" and political banter like "crucial to our system of representative democracy" as if the current office holders were trying to take the system hostage, which painted them as foreigners coming unto power they only wanted to use for evil. I do believe that currently the political system is run by money, and the rich few get to bully the lesser many, but simply pointing it out without giving proper information on how to help fix the problem is called whining.
Mr. Greene does mention the challengers to the incumbent, but offers so little in the way of information about them, or their platforms, that I was left wondering why he bothered mentioning them at all. His jumble of single line paragraphs would have almost been better served as a full slam piece of the current office holders Rep. Jonathan Stickland in District 92 and Rep. Tony Tinderholt in District 94.
Mr. Greene sites why he is adamantly against these two men, and mentions who he is indeed voting for, though the best he had to offer in the way of representing them as better choices was in reference to challenger Andy Piel of District 94, "I believe his lifetime of public and volunteer service in our community provides experience and insight far exceeding that of the incumbent." Public and volunteer service is a rather broad statement. Was Mr. Piel a file clerk at the court house, and gave soup to the needy? Was he a philanthropist and award winning political author? I don't have a clue what makes him anymore or less qualified than his opponent by the end of the article.
Mr. Greene chose his target audience and wording very poorly in my opinion. Using the word "they" in reference to the public, over and again, as if he was above us or separate from the public really drove the final nail in this piece for me. If he had brought the challengers into a brighter light instead of bashing the incumbents pasts transgressions I might have remembered their names for more than a few seconds, but all I really left with was another poor taste for current small town Texas politics.
Mr. Greene does admit to residing in district 94 and supporting the opposition, but I believe he fell short in almost every other area of the article. Opinion pieces are about finding support from those who believe as you do, while informing and swaying the opinions of those that do not. I believe Mr. Greene completely missed his target audience and failed to connect with anyone that isn't accustomed to over dramatization and fluff.
While I assume he was trying to reach the common citizen and voter, he used phrases to describe the incumbent like "outside forces determined to usurp the core principles of home rule" and political banter like "crucial to our system of representative democracy" as if the current office holders were trying to take the system hostage, which painted them as foreigners coming unto power they only wanted to use for evil. I do believe that currently the political system is run by money, and the rich few get to bully the lesser many, but simply pointing it out without giving proper information on how to help fix the problem is called whining.
Mr. Greene does mention the challengers to the incumbent, but offers so little in the way of information about them, or their platforms, that I was left wondering why he bothered mentioning them at all. His jumble of single line paragraphs would have almost been better served as a full slam piece of the current office holders Rep. Jonathan Stickland in District 92 and Rep. Tony Tinderholt in District 94.
Mr. Greene sites why he is adamantly against these two men, and mentions who he is indeed voting for, though the best he had to offer in the way of representing them as better choices was in reference to challenger Andy Piel of District 94, "I believe his lifetime of public and volunteer service in our community provides experience and insight far exceeding that of the incumbent." Public and volunteer service is a rather broad statement. Was Mr. Piel a file clerk at the court house, and gave soup to the needy? Was he a philanthropist and award winning political author? I don't have a clue what makes him anymore or less qualified than his opponent by the end of the article.
Mr. Greene chose his target audience and wording very poorly in my opinion. Using the word "they" in reference to the public, over and again, as if he was above us or separate from the public really drove the final nail in this piece for me. If he had brought the challengers into a brighter light instead of bashing the incumbents pasts transgressions I might have remembered their names for more than a few seconds, but all I really left with was another poor taste for current small town Texas politics.
Thursday, February 4, 2016
Travis County Confirms First Case of Zika Virus
On Thursday, Feb. 4th, Travis County confirmed its first case of Zika Virus. The virus is contracted several ways, including bodily fluid and sexual contact, though the main form of contraction is the bite of an infected mosquito. The virus is being spread mostly from Central and South America though warmer weather this summer could facilitate a more rapid spread. Though the virus is believed to do little more than make the victim slightly feverish and show cold or flu symptoms, it possibly has another much more devastating side effect that we should all be very aware of. The World Health Organization called the virus a "public health emergency" because it has been linked to Microcephaly, a severe mental, physical, and developmental birth condition characterized visually by severely under developed brains and undersized skulls in children. Here is a link the the Texas Tribune article highlighting the virus and its possible spread further into Texas.
Sunday, January 24, 2016
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