Stage Eight - classmate post blog critique

A post in the blog The Lone Star State Diary titled Waking Up in Texas to Clean Fresh Air was written with what seems to be the hope of combating global warming.

Let's make something clear before I proceed: besides not buying into the whole "global warming is our fault" scheme, I feel that it is part of the natural course of action that the planet is on.  I mean, there was an Ice Age and before that there was a tropical climate everywhere.  I think there's supposed to be global warming.

Moving on.  The idealistic nature of the listed points in the post is the main issue as I feel that none of them hold much water.

1.The plan has been revised and worked on for a long time and the final plan is more flexible and fair.

I feel the aforementioned plan is very limited and as the population continues to grow the desire/need for more power plants will also grow so any reduction in the current structure will be a drop in the bucket by the time the mandated deadline arrives.

2. It will strengthen and move the programs that are trying to achieve a cleaner environment faster and better.

I think that this plan will not impact other programs as the continued incursions into the environment will occur with the harvesting of the natural resources that continually appear underground.

3.  If all states in America adopt to this goal, it will motivate other countries especially China to come up with ideas to make our home, Earth healthier.

China and India are some of the biggest offenders when it comes to pollution and, like their population rise, they have made very limited moves to decrease it.

4. The plan's commitment and dedication is shown by having customized goals for each state to decrease the air pollution.

The plan is one thing, but actions are what counts.  As previously mentioned, I feel the growing population will create growing demand for energy and I also feel that most people are not willing to sacrifice creature comforts like air conditioning for the good of the environment.

Overall, the post was put together well albeit with a lot more hope than my curmudgeony self has.

Stage Seven - Original Editorial 2

Coming soon to a State Capitol near you:

THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING GOVERNMENT!!!!!

I would hope that our lawmakers would find cutting a number of (what I see as) extraneous programs is the best way to go about their next legislative session and to reduce the scope of our state government to be as small as possible.  Understanding that the last sentence was chock full of subjectivity, I plan to outline a small number of objective points for my plan forthwith (I really wanted to use the word forthwith).

-  Eliminate any and all financial need based programs (e.g. TexCare Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program (CEAP), Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), etc.)
-  Decriminalize possession of any amount of marijuana under 30 grams throughout the state in an effort to reduce the burden on the judicial system and the police departments.
-  Begin transitioning to Volunteer Fire Departments throughout the state.
-  Outsource all road repairs to private companies.

These are a few of my least favorite things regarding the bloat of our state government.  I understand that some may have a fear that if the financial need based programs are taken away the crime rate will skyrocket.  I trust that it probably will, initially, but that noise will calm and life will go on.  To help ease the transition to a charityless government, private organizations would be encouraged to pick up the slack or if they choose not to, that would also work as I feel that charitable assistance should be completely disavowed from government connection.

I feel that people, overall, need an attitude adjustment regarding what they can do for themselves as opposed to what someone else can do for them (Yeah, yeah.  I know it sounds kinda like President Kennedy).  We're all in this together and if we want real change we all have to be involved in making changes work.

Stage Six - Classmate Blog Post Critique

Should they stay? is post from the blog Deep In The Heart Of Texas.  The post makes a quick summary of the system of government known as Federalism and the inherent differences between the Federal Government and the Texas Government on the issue of illegal immigration.  The author shares the opinion that immigrants willing to work should be allowed access to this country where they can, presumably, become productive members of our society in that "they are willing to work [and] pay taxes."

I found that the post itself was not too wordy in that it gave a concise explanation of Federalism and shared an opinion without blathering on.  The title was short enough to grab attention but too short in that it did not give any allusion of what lies ahead.  I recommend adding something simple as two or three more words so it would read "Concerning Illegals: Should They Stay?"

The author's use of a statistic regarding a majority opinion and the opinion of President Obama as well as his plans on the issue were linked to the article.  This is always a good strategy if you want to have validity for your claims, otherwise, you risk coming off as a "crazy talker" with no backup.

Overall, I found the post an efficient way to convey the author's opinion.