Friday, February 27, 2009
Local News: Every View Expressed in Roundtable Discussion
Professor: Every View Important
Ronald Briggs Speaks During Roundtable Discussion
By: Stephen Shepperd
From the Texas A&M University Battalion
Prairie View A&M Associate Professor Ronald S. Briggs said that everyone's point of view is important during a round table discussion on social paradigms facing minorities.
Texas A&M Center for the Study of Health Disparities in the College of Education put on the roundtable discussion in Rudder Tower to conclude Black History Month.
"We have had several students who worked with Briggs at [Prairie View A&M]," said Raynolette Ettienne-Gittens, a doctoral research assistant in the Center for the Study of Health Disparities. "They suggested that he would be a good speaker to have because it is Black History Month."
Briggs's discussion focused on shifting minority paradigms and opening up one's mind to accepting more than one point of view.
"I've been trained to look at people of color, and shed light," Briggs said. "Black people, as well as any person of color, all have different points of view. We need to see that."
"These discussions extend beyond people of color to involve even the people of the dominant culture," Ettienne-Gittens said.
Briggs gave scenarios and asked members of the round table to discuss how they viewed the characters in the different scenarios. He used music as a discussion aid to help members emotionally connect with each of the characters in an attempt to expand their points of view.
"I take a look at many people's differences, incorporate it in my learning, and it allows me to reevaluate even my own point of view," Briggs said. "Just because I think one way doesn't mean everybody thinks the same way."
People in attendance were encouraged to express their opinions on topics, including their disagreements. Briggs used the differing opinions of discussion to further explain his point.
"Everybody is not in the same place, and we aren't meant to be in the same place," Briggs said. "We need to be scattered out, and no one person is right. Being right is relative."
Briggs is a licensed marriage and family therapist with a specific emphasis in chemical dependency and group therapy.
Published on Friday, February 27, 2009
Ronald Briggs Speaks During Roundtable Discussion
By: Stephen Shepperd
From the Texas A&M University Battalion
Prairie View A&M Associate Professor Ronald S. Briggs said that everyone's point of view is important during a round table discussion on social paradigms facing minorities.
Texas A&M Center for the Study of Health Disparities in the College of Education put on the roundtable discussion in Rudder Tower to conclude Black History Month.
"We have had several students who worked with Briggs at [Prairie View A&M]," said Raynolette Ettienne-Gittens, a doctoral research assistant in the Center for the Study of Health Disparities. "They suggested that he would be a good speaker to have because it is Black History Month."
Briggs's discussion focused on shifting minority paradigms and opening up one's mind to accepting more than one point of view.
"I've been trained to look at people of color, and shed light," Briggs said. "Black people, as well as any person of color, all have different points of view. We need to see that."
"These discussions extend beyond people of color to involve even the people of the dominant culture," Ettienne-Gittens said.
Briggs gave scenarios and asked members of the round table to discuss how they viewed the characters in the different scenarios. He used music as a discussion aid to help members emotionally connect with each of the characters in an attempt to expand their points of view.
"I take a look at many people's differences, incorporate it in my learning, and it allows me to reevaluate even my own point of view," Briggs said. "Just because I think one way doesn't mean everybody thinks the same way."
People in attendance were encouraged to express their opinions on topics, including their disagreements. Briggs used the differing opinions of discussion to further explain his point.
"Everybody is not in the same place, and we aren't meant to be in the same place," Briggs said. "We need to be scattered out, and no one person is right. Being right is relative."
Briggs is a licensed marriage and family therapist with a specific emphasis in chemical dependency and group therapy.
Published on Friday, February 27, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Local News: Texas A&M President Addresses Student Senate
Murano Talks About Reasons for Possible Fall 2009 Tuition Increase
Student Senate Passes Bills Regarding Freezing Tuition, Free Newspapers
By: Melissa Appel
From the Texas A&M University Battalion
Texas A&M University President Elsa Murano addressed a possible freeze on tuition rates at the Student Senate meeting Wednesday.
She mentioned that although reducing costs to students is always preferred, there are many factors involved in passing a bill regarding tuition.
"If at all possible, I would love it if we didn't raise tuition at all, but that would mean that the state would have to help us [more]," Murano said.
A bill addressed later in the evening stated freezing tuition was undesirable for A&M because it could put a strain on available funds for the University. Student Senate passed the bill with 51 votes for, four against and one abstaining.
"Texas A&M gets its revenue from two sources: state funding and tuition increases and tuition revenue," Breaux said. "If you freeze our tuition revenue, you have to come up with a way to have flexibility, and that comes from state funds. If there was a way to increase state funds, then we would be okay to giving control over to the state legislature, but we have to make sure we are all being provided for."
Murano gave the Senate an update on her intricate work in Austin during this 81st Session of the Texas Legislature.
"I've been to Austin already probably about six to eight times," Murano said. "It's necessary. We've got to be up there for a reason. The session is very brief - it's only five to six months of intense work, and there's a lot of work that we do behind the scenes in terms of meeting with members to carry your message of what we need to do for Texas A&M."
Murano reported on the status of several actions and bills she has been supporting in Austin. Right now, a formula used by the legislature to allocate funds to Texas land grant institutions has projected a $20 million increase in funds for A&M. Murano also requested $95 million to improve and update buildings on campus.
The legislature is considering adjusting the Competitive Knowledge Fund Policy. As stated, this policy provides $1 in faculty funding for every $10 earned by A&M in research grants. A bill is working its way through the legislature that would change the ratio to 4-to-1.
Student Senate unanimously passed a bill supporting this change in research money ratio.
"The best reason why we should support this type of funding is because it is completely merit based," said Michele Breaux, external affairs chairwoman. "If we are doing good, and we're doing good research, let's fund these institutions better."
After addressing the legislative bills, Student Senate turned its attention to the USA Today Collegiate Readership Program Implementation Bill. The readership program provides college campuses with student access to national newspapers, such as USA Today and the New York Times.
The bill asked for implementation of a four-week pilot program in the fall where Aggie students could receive the newspapers free of charge.
"The students would have the ultimate say in whether they want the program or not," said Logan Nichols, student services chair. "We don't pay for anything until it gets voted on by the students in a referendum."
The bill passed with 52 votes for, seven against, and three abstaining. The pilot program will be initiated in Fall 2009.
Published on Thursday, February 26, 2009
Student Senate Passes Bills Regarding Freezing Tuition, Free Newspapers
By: Melissa Appel
From the Texas A&M University Battalion
Texas A&M University President Elsa Murano addressed a possible freeze on tuition rates at the Student Senate meeting Wednesday.
She mentioned that although reducing costs to students is always preferred, there are many factors involved in passing a bill regarding tuition.
"If at all possible, I would love it if we didn't raise tuition at all, but that would mean that the state would have to help us [more]," Murano said.
A bill addressed later in the evening stated freezing tuition was undesirable for A&M because it could put a strain on available funds for the University. Student Senate passed the bill with 51 votes for, four against and one abstaining.
"Texas A&M gets its revenue from two sources: state funding and tuition increases and tuition revenue," Breaux said. "If you freeze our tuition revenue, you have to come up with a way to have flexibility, and that comes from state funds. If there was a way to increase state funds, then we would be okay to giving control over to the state legislature, but we have to make sure we are all being provided for."
Murano gave the Senate an update on her intricate work in Austin during this 81st Session of the Texas Legislature.
"I've been to Austin already probably about six to eight times," Murano said. "It's necessary. We've got to be up there for a reason. The session is very brief - it's only five to six months of intense work, and there's a lot of work that we do behind the scenes in terms of meeting with members to carry your message of what we need to do for Texas A&M."
Murano reported on the status of several actions and bills she has been supporting in Austin. Right now, a formula used by the legislature to allocate funds to Texas land grant institutions has projected a $20 million increase in funds for A&M. Murano also requested $95 million to improve and update buildings on campus.
The legislature is considering adjusting the Competitive Knowledge Fund Policy. As stated, this policy provides $1 in faculty funding for every $10 earned by A&M in research grants. A bill is working its way through the legislature that would change the ratio to 4-to-1.
Student Senate unanimously passed a bill supporting this change in research money ratio.
"The best reason why we should support this type of funding is because it is completely merit based," said Michele Breaux, external affairs chairwoman. "If we are doing good, and we're doing good research, let's fund these institutions better."
After addressing the legislative bills, Student Senate turned its attention to the USA Today Collegiate Readership Program Implementation Bill. The readership program provides college campuses with student access to national newspapers, such as USA Today and the New York Times.
The bill asked for implementation of a four-week pilot program in the fall where Aggie students could receive the newspapers free of charge.
"The students would have the ultimate say in whether they want the program or not," said Logan Nichols, student services chair. "We don't pay for anything until it gets voted on by the students in a referendum."
The bill passed with 52 votes for, seven against, and three abstaining. The pilot program will be initiated in Fall 2009.
Published on Thursday, February 26, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Left of College Station: Live on the Air
Tonight I will once again be on Biased Transmission, a weekly progressive radio talk show on KEOS 89.1FM, and this week’s topic will be reproductive rights. I will be a co-guest; Laura Kaminczak from Planned Parenthood will join me on the show.
This week the anti-choice protest 40 Days for Life begins, Laura and I will be talking about the impact the protest have on patients and about other important issues involving reproductive rights.
Biased Transmission is on Facebook, where you can listen to several past episodes.
Listen Wednesday night from 6:00pm – 7:00pm on KEOS 89.1 FM.
The broadcast will also, hopefully, be posted on Left of College Station.
This week the anti-choice protest 40 Days for Life begins, Laura and I will be talking about the impact the protest have on patients and about other important issues involving reproductive rights.
Biased Transmission is on Facebook, where you can listen to several past episodes.
Listen Wednesday night from 6:00pm – 7:00pm on KEOS 89.1 FM.
The broadcast will also, hopefully, be posted on Left of College Station.
Video Lunch: Congresswoman Barbara Lee on Reproductive Rights
Rep. Barbara Lee of Oakland, California has published a new book, Renegade for Peace and Justice, in which she devotes a chapter to her personal experience with abortion and how that experience led to her strong support for a woman's right to choose. In this C-SPAN Q&A Rep. Lee discusses these convictions.
Local News: Local Stimulus
Economic Stimulus Road Projects
From KBTX
We could see dozens of road projects popping up all over the Brazos Valley in the next few months.
The state has released a list of more than a dozen roads in our area that qualify for funding from the economic stimulus package.
As it stands now, that tentative list contains more than $60 million worth of improvements. These projects are spread out across the Brazos Valley. You'll find a full list by clicking on the document linked above this story.
The state has chosen these projects to review, because each could be started within the next few months. This way, the stimulus money would have an immediate impact on the economy.
The Texas Department of Transportation meets on Thursday to finalize the list. We'll have an update for you when they do.
Published on Wednesday, February 25, 2009
From KBTX
We could see dozens of road projects popping up all over the Brazos Valley in the next few months.
The state has released a list of more than a dozen roads in our area that qualify for funding from the economic stimulus package.
As it stands now, that tentative list contains more than $60 million worth of improvements. These projects are spread out across the Brazos Valley. You'll find a full list by clicking on the document linked above this story.
The state has chosen these projects to review, because each could be started within the next few months. This way, the stimulus money would have an immediate impact on the economy.
The Texas Department of Transportation meets on Thursday to finalize the list. We'll have an update for you when they do.
Published on Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Local News: Push to Legislate More Money for Nurses in Texas
Legislature Urged to Kick in Money to Stave Off Nursing Shortage in Texas
By Cindy V. Culp (Tribune-Herald staff writer)
From the Waco Tribune-Herald
McLennan Community College President Dennis Michaelis has lost count of the number of times community members have asked him to pull strings to get a loved one into the school’s nursing program.
Since the program always has more qualified applicants than slots, Michaelis said he understands the requests. But all he can do is tell people to be patient.
“President Obama can’t get your daughter into the nursing program,” he joked.
Soon, however, the program may be able to accept more students. A broad-based group of Texas organizations is asking the Legislature to allot an extra $60 million for nursing education, and MCC would be in a prime position to get some of the money.
The group, which calls itself the Texas Nursing Workforce Shortage Coalition, has members representing more than 100 organizations. They include health care organizations, education entities and business groups.
The coalition’s message is that if Texas doesn’t increase the number of nurses it graduates each year, the state soon will find itself in a crisis. Already, elective surgeries sometimes must be postponed because of the shortage. Similarly, some hospitals have had to temporarily close their emergency rooms due to a lack of nurses, the coalition says.
Last year, the demand for full-time registered nurses in Texas exceeded the supply by 22,000, coalition figures show. By 2020, that gap will balloon to short of 70,000 if nursing education programs are not expanded, according to the coalition.
Plenty of Texans want to become nurses, coalition officials said. Last year alone, more than 8,000 qualified applicants were turned away from Texas nursing schools due to limited space.
The additional $60 million would allow schools to hire enough nursing faculty to nearly double the number of registered nurse graduates by 2013, coalition members said. Right now, there are about 7,000 graduates each year.
Having adequate faculty is the main barrier Texas schools face in expanding their nursing programs, said Elizabeth Sjoberg, associate general counsel for the Texas Hospital Association. Schools are required to have one faculty member for every 10 nursing students — a ratio aimed at keeping patients safe while students do hands-on work at health care facilities.
That ratio means major money is needed to achieve significant expansion, said Jennifer Banda, senior director of governmental relations for the Texas Hospital Association.
That is especially true because schools must offer high salaries to compete with private-sector paychecks for nurses, she said.
If the $60 million is approved, both public and private schools would be able to apply for a share.
“It’s sort of a jump-start to put the trajectory of nurses on par with the population growth in Texas,” Banda said.
If money becomes available, it would go a long way toward MCC’s goal of doubling the size of its nursing program, Michaelis said. That was one of the things the school promised when it asked the community to approve a $74.5 million bond package in 2006.
The school’s plan for doing so is slow, however, Michaelis said. The high staff-to-student ratio causes the program to lose $555,000 annually. Because of that, MCC can afford to hire only one additional nursing instructor per year, meaning it can add only 10 students annually.
The program currently graduates 120 nurses per year. The goal is to increase that to 240.
Increasing the nursing program’s size will directly benefit local residents, Michaelis said. A study the school did in preparation for the bond election found that 67 percent of local nurses graduated from MCC, he said.
Scott Connell, senior vice president for strategic development for the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce, said because of that, the chamber is a member of the nursing workforce coalition and passed a resolution last year calling for more nurse education funding.
“We could grow health care in the greater Waco area if we could just move people through the education process faster,” he said. “(Nursing positions) are good-paying jobs in an industry that’s continuing to grow.”
Published on Tuesday, February 24, 2009
By Cindy V. Culp (Tribune-Herald staff writer)
From the Waco Tribune-Herald
McLennan Community College President Dennis Michaelis has lost count of the number of times community members have asked him to pull strings to get a loved one into the school’s nursing program.
Since the program always has more qualified applicants than slots, Michaelis said he understands the requests. But all he can do is tell people to be patient.
“President Obama can’t get your daughter into the nursing program,” he joked.
Soon, however, the program may be able to accept more students. A broad-based group of Texas organizations is asking the Legislature to allot an extra $60 million for nursing education, and MCC would be in a prime position to get some of the money.
The group, which calls itself the Texas Nursing Workforce Shortage Coalition, has members representing more than 100 organizations. They include health care organizations, education entities and business groups.
The coalition’s message is that if Texas doesn’t increase the number of nurses it graduates each year, the state soon will find itself in a crisis. Already, elective surgeries sometimes must be postponed because of the shortage. Similarly, some hospitals have had to temporarily close their emergency rooms due to a lack of nurses, the coalition says.
Last year, the demand for full-time registered nurses in Texas exceeded the supply by 22,000, coalition figures show. By 2020, that gap will balloon to short of 70,000 if nursing education programs are not expanded, according to the coalition.
Plenty of Texans want to become nurses, coalition officials said. Last year alone, more than 8,000 qualified applicants were turned away from Texas nursing schools due to limited space.
The additional $60 million would allow schools to hire enough nursing faculty to nearly double the number of registered nurse graduates by 2013, coalition members said. Right now, there are about 7,000 graduates each year.
Having adequate faculty is the main barrier Texas schools face in expanding their nursing programs, said Elizabeth Sjoberg, associate general counsel for the Texas Hospital Association. Schools are required to have one faculty member for every 10 nursing students — a ratio aimed at keeping patients safe while students do hands-on work at health care facilities.
That ratio means major money is needed to achieve significant expansion, said Jennifer Banda, senior director of governmental relations for the Texas Hospital Association.
That is especially true because schools must offer high salaries to compete with private-sector paychecks for nurses, she said.
If the $60 million is approved, both public and private schools would be able to apply for a share.
“It’s sort of a jump-start to put the trajectory of nurses on par with the population growth in Texas,” Banda said.
If money becomes available, it would go a long way toward MCC’s goal of doubling the size of its nursing program, Michaelis said. That was one of the things the school promised when it asked the community to approve a $74.5 million bond package in 2006.
The school’s plan for doing so is slow, however, Michaelis said. The high staff-to-student ratio causes the program to lose $555,000 annually. Because of that, MCC can afford to hire only one additional nursing instructor per year, meaning it can add only 10 students annually.
The program currently graduates 120 nurses per year. The goal is to increase that to 240.
Increasing the nursing program’s size will directly benefit local residents, Michaelis said. A study the school did in preparation for the bond election found that 67 percent of local nurses graduated from MCC, he said.
Scott Connell, senior vice president for strategic development for the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce, said because of that, the chamber is a member of the nursing workforce coalition and passed a resolution last year calling for more nurse education funding.
“We could grow health care in the greater Waco area if we could just move people through the education process faster,” he said. “(Nursing positions) are good-paying jobs in an industry that’s continuing to grow.”
Published on Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Video Lunch: Headlines Democracy Now! February 24, 2009
Headlines * Report: US May Increase Stake in Citigroup * Obama Pledges to Cut Budget Deficit in Half * Obama Backs Bush Policy on Bagram Detainees * Binyam Mohamed Released from Guantanamo * US Military Secretly Working with Pakistani Troops * Amnesty Calls for Arms Embargo on Israel and Hamas * 11 Burundi Troops Killed in Somali Suicide Blast * Tamil Tigers Ready for Ceasefire * Clinton Criticized for Comment on Human Rights in China * Owner of Philadelphia Inquirer Declares Bankruptcy * AIM Activist Robert Robideau, 61, Dies * Sean Penn at Academy Awards: Weve Got to Have Equal Rights for Everyone. * More Headlines
Monday, February 23, 2009
Left of College Station Live on the Air
Wednesday night I will once again be on Biased Transmission, a weekly progressive radio talk show on KEOS 89.1FM, and this week’s topic will be reproductive rights. I will be a co-guest; Laura Kaminczak from Planned Parenthood will join me on the show.
This week the anti-choice protest 40 Days for Life begins, Laura and I will be talking about the impact the protest have on patients and about other important issues involving reproductive rights.
Biased Transmission is on Facebook, where you can listen to several past episodes.
Listen Wednesday night from 6:00pm – 7:00pm on KEOS 89.1 FM.
The broadcast will also, hopefully, be posted on Left of College Station.
This week the anti-choice protest 40 Days for Life begins, Laura and I will be talking about the impact the protest have on patients and about other important issues involving reproductive rights.
Biased Transmission is on Facebook, where you can listen to several past episodes.
Listen Wednesday night from 6:00pm – 7:00pm on KEOS 89.1 FM.
The broadcast will also, hopefully, be posted on Left of College Station.
Local News: Stimulating Bryan-College Station Schools
B-CS Schools Await Stimulus Aid
By Janet Phelps
From the Bryan-College Station Eagle
Bryan and College Station schools could receive millions of dollars from the $787 billion economic stimulus package signed by President Barack Obama last week.
No one knows exactly how much money the districts will receive or when.
U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards said initial estimates from the Congressional Budget Office showed that Bryan schools would get about $6.8 million, while College Station schools would receive $2.4 million.
Local school officials said that the money would help but that it's not a long-term solution to school finance issues.
Bryan schools Chief Financial Officer Amy Drozd said the district had eliminated several teaching and staff positions through attrition over the past year because of financial difficulties.
"The problem with bringing positions back with this money is that this is temporary money. What do we do when the funds are over?" she said. "This is not an annual allotment for the next 10 years."
College Station schools Superintendent Eddie Coulson said the timeline for the money would create a difficult situation when it came to deciding how to spend it.
"We don't want to put something in place and have an ongoing expense if the money will not be ongoing," he said. "It's one of the questions we have, and it's one of the questions a lot of people have."
The money has been approved for use over two years through the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) and Title 1, federal programs that provide funding for special-needs and low-income students, respectively.
The Texas Education Agency is responsible for informing schools about how much money they will get and how it must be spent, but a spokeswoman for the Austin agency said last week that she didn't know when the information would be announced.
Once the amount is made public, Drozd said, a staff committee will likely meet to decide how to use the money most effectively.
"Most of this [money] is going to be instructional, so it's really going to come down to: To have the most effect on students, how do we spend it?" she said.
She said the district's special-needs services could use the help. That department has lost several teaching positions over the past year because of budget cuts, she said.
And in low-income campuses, which qualify for Title 1 funds, Drozd said, the money will have a visible impact.
"What happens is usually your higher at-risk campuses require more services to get [students] on level [with the rest of the district]. So any time we can get more money on those particular campuses, it's helpful," she said.
Coulson said the money would be spent based on the district's identified priorities within the two programs. That could mean adding programs, staff positions, staff development or resources for teachers, he said.
"Like we would with anything, we will look at what we've deemed as our priorities in terms of what our needs are, then look at what the parameters are and align those. Once we've aligned those, we will move forward."
Both Drozd and Coulson said they would use the money in whatever way would most directly benefit students. Bryan schools' budget this year is $125.3 million, while College Station schools' is $97.7 million.
Edwards said he estimated that the stimulus money would create or save 8,400 jobs in the 17th Congressional District.
"A number of those jobs will be in the Brazos Valley," the Waco Democrat said.
Ultimately, Edwards said, he didn't know how the money would affect school districts but was hoping for the best.
"At worst, I hope it allows them to keep people employed who might otherwise have been fired," he said. "At best, I hope it will allow them to increase the number of teachers and staff and, most importantly, fund their highest-priority needs."
Published Sunday, February 22, 2009
By Janet Phelps
From the Bryan-College Station Eagle
Bryan and College Station schools could receive millions of dollars from the $787 billion economic stimulus package signed by President Barack Obama last week.
No one knows exactly how much money the districts will receive or when.
U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards said initial estimates from the Congressional Budget Office showed that Bryan schools would get about $6.8 million, while College Station schools would receive $2.4 million.
Local school officials said that the money would help but that it's not a long-term solution to school finance issues.
Bryan schools Chief Financial Officer Amy Drozd said the district had eliminated several teaching and staff positions through attrition over the past year because of financial difficulties.
"The problem with bringing positions back with this money is that this is temporary money. What do we do when the funds are over?" she said. "This is not an annual allotment for the next 10 years."
College Station schools Superintendent Eddie Coulson said the timeline for the money would create a difficult situation when it came to deciding how to spend it.
"We don't want to put something in place and have an ongoing expense if the money will not be ongoing," he said. "It's one of the questions we have, and it's one of the questions a lot of people have."
The money has been approved for use over two years through the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) and Title 1, federal programs that provide funding for special-needs and low-income students, respectively.
The Texas Education Agency is responsible for informing schools about how much money they will get and how it must be spent, but a spokeswoman for the Austin agency said last week that she didn't know when the information would be announced.
Once the amount is made public, Drozd said, a staff committee will likely meet to decide how to use the money most effectively.
"Most of this [money] is going to be instructional, so it's really going to come down to: To have the most effect on students, how do we spend it?" she said.
She said the district's special-needs services could use the help. That department has lost several teaching positions over the past year because of budget cuts, she said.
And in low-income campuses, which qualify for Title 1 funds, Drozd said, the money will have a visible impact.
"What happens is usually your higher at-risk campuses require more services to get [students] on level [with the rest of the district]. So any time we can get more money on those particular campuses, it's helpful," she said.
Coulson said the money would be spent based on the district's identified priorities within the two programs. That could mean adding programs, staff positions, staff development or resources for teachers, he said.
"Like we would with anything, we will look at what we've deemed as our priorities in terms of what our needs are, then look at what the parameters are and align those. Once we've aligned those, we will move forward."
Both Drozd and Coulson said they would use the money in whatever way would most directly benefit students. Bryan schools' budget this year is $125.3 million, while College Station schools' is $97.7 million.
Edwards said he estimated that the stimulus money would create or save 8,400 jobs in the 17th Congressional District.
"A number of those jobs will be in the Brazos Valley," the Waco Democrat said.
Ultimately, Edwards said, he didn't know how the money would affect school districts but was hoping for the best.
"At worst, I hope it allows them to keep people employed who might otherwise have been fired," he said. "At best, I hope it will allow them to increase the number of teachers and staff and, most importantly, fund their highest-priority needs."
Published Sunday, February 22, 2009
Video Lunch: TPMtv: Sunday Show Roundup: Take It Or Leave It?
Your Daily Politics Video Blog: The economic stimulus package has been signed into law by President Obama, guaranteeing billions of dollars to individual states. Most governors are taking the money, but some Republican governors are refusing it in opposition to the stimulus package. And still others oppose the stimulus, but are taking the money anyway, because hey, it's free money. The question in today's Sunday Show Roundup: who wants it more?
Friday, February 20, 2009
Video Lunch: Amy Goodman Covers Protest Against the New York Post Racist Cartoon
Protests are continuing today outside the offices of the New York Post following the publication of a cartoon that critics say depicts President Obama as a chimpanzee. The cartoon shows a white police officer shooting dead a chimpanzee in the street. His partner, another white officer, says, They’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill.
After a number of civil rights activists and organizations called for a boycott of the paper, the Post issued an apology of sorts last night.
The apology said in part “It was meant to mock an ineptly written federal stimulus bill. Period. But it has been taken as something else - as a depiction of President Obama, as a thinly veiled expression of racism. This most certainly was not its intent; to those who were offended by the image, we apologize.” However, there are some in the media and in public life who have had differences with The Post in the past - and they see the incident as an opportunity for payback. To them, no apology is due. On Thursday the Rev. Al Sharpton led a protest outside the offices of the Post. These are some of the voices from the protest.
Local News: Edwards Staff Meets With Group About Faith Based Initiatives
Edwards Staff Talk Faith Based Hiring
By Sommer Ingram (Staff Writer)
From the Baylor University Lariat
President Obama's recently revamped office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships is rekindling a timeless debate over the rights of federally funded religious organizations to discriminate on the bases of religion in hiring practices.
Representatives of the J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies at Baylor this week met with Stephanie Formas, legislative assistant to Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, to give feedback on this issue, along with other related topics.
"It's important for our staff to meet with local constituencies about a variety of issues," said Chris Chwastyk, chief of staff for Edwards. "The particular concern now is on church-state relations, and Baylor's institution is a leader on that issue."
The meeting served as an informational session that Edwards' office thought was a fundamental step toward a more cohesive effort in using local resources to help guide decisions made on Capitol Hill.
"Because of Edwards' commitment to religious liberty and to understand better what we do here in the institute, Formas thought it would be a good idea to become better acquainted with us and what we do," said Dr. Charles McDaniel, associate director of the institute. "This issue of faith-based hiring has always been a passionate issue for him (Edwards); he's been concerned since the beginning."
Dr. Chris Marsh, the director of the institute, was also at the meeting but was unavailable for comment Thursday.
Earlier in his campaign Obama made a promise to reverse faith-based hiring as practiced under the Bush administration, but now has reportedly turned the issue over to White House and Department of Justice attorneys.
"Our position has always been to guarantee equal protection," Chwastyk said. "Using federal funds to discriminate in hiring is something we've always opposed."
McDaniel said he voiced his concern in the meeting with the fact that Obama has seemingly sidestepped the decision by turning the problem over to the attorneys.
"It's no longer a commitment on the part of Obama," he said. "But I see this as an inevitable consequence of faith-based organizations becoming involved with the government."
However, issues like this may cause religious groups to more carefully evaluate whether they are willing to subject themselves to standards of the government that may go against their theological principles when they accept federal funding.
"My hope is that the controversy may cause some religious groups to think through the potential consequences of involvement in some government programs, especially where standards imposed for participation may conflict with their fundamental theological convictions," McDaniel said. "Private religious organizations can easily get caught up in the pursuit of government funds and lose sight of those values and commitments that make them truly effective."
Though Formas made no promises about what Edwards would do with the information she gathered at the meeting, both parties are confident that this meeting will not be the end of their dialogue.
"I think there is a desire to have an informal relationship so that we can be a part of the network of resources," McDaniel said. "We're open as a resource to anyone who wants to investigate church-state issues."
Chwastyk said he views the meeting as a continuation of an effort put into place long ago that will continue.
"The dialogue on religion started with Herbert Reynolds, former president of Baylor," Chwastyk said. "It has continued since that day and will continue much longer into the future."
Published on Friday, February 20, 2009
By Sommer Ingram (Staff Writer)
From the Baylor University Lariat
President Obama's recently revamped office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships is rekindling a timeless debate over the rights of federally funded religious organizations to discriminate on the bases of religion in hiring practices.
Representatives of the J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies at Baylor this week met with Stephanie Formas, legislative assistant to Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, to give feedback on this issue, along with other related topics.
"It's important for our staff to meet with local constituencies about a variety of issues," said Chris Chwastyk, chief of staff for Edwards. "The particular concern now is on church-state relations, and Baylor's institution is a leader on that issue."
The meeting served as an informational session that Edwards' office thought was a fundamental step toward a more cohesive effort in using local resources to help guide decisions made on Capitol Hill.
"Because of Edwards' commitment to religious liberty and to understand better what we do here in the institute, Formas thought it would be a good idea to become better acquainted with us and what we do," said Dr. Charles McDaniel, associate director of the institute. "This issue of faith-based hiring has always been a passionate issue for him (Edwards); he's been concerned since the beginning."
Dr. Chris Marsh, the director of the institute, was also at the meeting but was unavailable for comment Thursday.
Earlier in his campaign Obama made a promise to reverse faith-based hiring as practiced under the Bush administration, but now has reportedly turned the issue over to White House and Department of Justice attorneys.
"Our position has always been to guarantee equal protection," Chwastyk said. "Using federal funds to discriminate in hiring is something we've always opposed."
McDaniel said he voiced his concern in the meeting with the fact that Obama has seemingly sidestepped the decision by turning the problem over to the attorneys.
"It's no longer a commitment on the part of Obama," he said. "But I see this as an inevitable consequence of faith-based organizations becoming involved with the government."
However, issues like this may cause religious groups to more carefully evaluate whether they are willing to subject themselves to standards of the government that may go against their theological principles when they accept federal funding.
"My hope is that the controversy may cause some religious groups to think through the potential consequences of involvement in some government programs, especially where standards imposed for participation may conflict with their fundamental theological convictions," McDaniel said. "Private religious organizations can easily get caught up in the pursuit of government funds and lose sight of those values and commitments that make them truly effective."
Though Formas made no promises about what Edwards would do with the information she gathered at the meeting, both parties are confident that this meeting will not be the end of their dialogue.
"I think there is a desire to have an informal relationship so that we can be a part of the network of resources," McDaniel said. "We're open as a resource to anyone who wants to investigate church-state issues."
Chwastyk said he views the meeting as a continuation of an effort put into place long ago that will continue.
"The dialogue on religion started with Herbert Reynolds, former president of Baylor," Chwastyk said. "It has continued since that day and will continue much longer into the future."
Published on Friday, February 20, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Local News: Texas A&M Professors Have Stimulating Discussion
Professors Discuss Economic Crisis
A&M Society Ask Questions About Stimulus Plan, Auto Bailout
By: Calli Turner
From the Texas A&M University Battalion
Texas A&M economics professors Kishore Gawande and Dennis Jansen fielded questions on the economic crisis Wednesday in the Robert H. and Judy Ley Allen Building.
The professors were participants in the A&M Economics Society's Financial Crisis Panel Discussion.
One of the issue that was discussed was the stimulus plan.
"The stimulus, like any fiscal stimulus, is supposed to create jobs. It's not as great a plan as it's supposed to be, it's not as deep as it's supposed to be, it's not as big as it's supposed to be," Gawande said.
He said the economic situation is not like the Great Depression for a couple of reasons. He said during that time, there was a deficiency in demand, but the rest of the economy was OK.
"The problem right now is the consumers are so heavily indebted as a group that they are not willing to spend," he said. "It's a tough time for this economy, there are no very easy answers."
Jansen said some think that an increase in job development indicates an upward turn in the economy.
"I would be a little bit skeptical about how well the proposed package or actual package will work to create new jobs," he said.
"Most economists will say [new jobs] can never be measured actually," Jansen said.
Gawande said the focus needs to be placed on banking systems because many banks may be close to or even at bankruptcy but are still operating.
"You can't let these guys just operate when they're bankrupt, they'll do all kinds of crazy things," he said.
But Gawande said banks that do work are needed.
The Federal Reserve System was noted as one of these banks.
"The Fed has been out there basically discounting all kinds of assets basically trying to conduct an open market of sorts," Gawande said. "It actually has succeeded, but it's not clear how much lending is coming from that."
Gawande said one shortcoming of the stimulus package was the amount of time spent creating it.
"In terms of the fiscal stimulus plan that was packaged and planned, perhaps we were in a rush to do that," he said. "I think it scores a lot of political points, but not so much for economic growth."
Gawande said he had two graduate students who bought houses with zero income, and that this was an example of how the economy ended up in this situation.
He said the lenders are willing to make the loans to potential home buyers with no credit, because they're not buying the risk, they're selling it out.
"They will sell it to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac," he said. "Junk is being bought on the market by very reputable [companies]."
He said the companies are doing this because Congress has decided everyone should buy a house.
"They were probably happy to do it in the ways that were being described, but they were being instructed by Congress to do this," Gawande said.
Jansen said the auto bailout was not a good idea.
"I do not think the U.S. car companies have been in good shape, maybe Ford being the exception, for a long time," he said. "They do not meet the market test on quality or price."
He said bankruptcy is the best option and that the auto brands, such as General Motors, would continue to exist.
"If you let them go through bankruptcy, then these problems will maybe be taken care of," Jansen said.
Gawande said he agreed with Jansen, but he did like one aspect of the auto bailout: the requirement placed upon automakers to produce an electric car.
"This is a long time coming," he said.
Dylan Kluth, the society president and a senior economics major, said the society will have more panels this semester discussing health care and energy.
Kluth said the society worked with their adviser A&M professor Brit Grosskopf to coordinate the event.
The economics society consists of economics and non-economics majors. Kluth said he hopes the panels will be understood by all in attendance, no matter what major or background.
"Our goals are to advance social and economic thought," he said.
Published on Thursday, February 19, 2009
A&M Society Ask Questions About Stimulus Plan, Auto Bailout
By: Calli Turner
From the Texas A&M University Battalion
Texas A&M economics professors Kishore Gawande and Dennis Jansen fielded questions on the economic crisis Wednesday in the Robert H. and Judy Ley Allen Building.
The professors were participants in the A&M Economics Society's Financial Crisis Panel Discussion.
One of the issue that was discussed was the stimulus plan.
"The stimulus, like any fiscal stimulus, is supposed to create jobs. It's not as great a plan as it's supposed to be, it's not as deep as it's supposed to be, it's not as big as it's supposed to be," Gawande said.
He said the economic situation is not like the Great Depression for a couple of reasons. He said during that time, there was a deficiency in demand, but the rest of the economy was OK.
"The problem right now is the consumers are so heavily indebted as a group that they are not willing to spend," he said. "It's a tough time for this economy, there are no very easy answers."
Jansen said some think that an increase in job development indicates an upward turn in the economy.
"I would be a little bit skeptical about how well the proposed package or actual package will work to create new jobs," he said.
"Most economists will say [new jobs] can never be measured actually," Jansen said.
Gawande said the focus needs to be placed on banking systems because many banks may be close to or even at bankruptcy but are still operating.
"You can't let these guys just operate when they're bankrupt, they'll do all kinds of crazy things," he said.
But Gawande said banks that do work are needed.
The Federal Reserve System was noted as one of these banks.
"The Fed has been out there basically discounting all kinds of assets basically trying to conduct an open market of sorts," Gawande said. "It actually has succeeded, but it's not clear how much lending is coming from that."
Gawande said one shortcoming of the stimulus package was the amount of time spent creating it.
"In terms of the fiscal stimulus plan that was packaged and planned, perhaps we were in a rush to do that," he said. "I think it scores a lot of political points, but not so much for economic growth."
Gawande said he had two graduate students who bought houses with zero income, and that this was an example of how the economy ended up in this situation.
He said the lenders are willing to make the loans to potential home buyers with no credit, because they're not buying the risk, they're selling it out.
"They will sell it to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac," he said. "Junk is being bought on the market by very reputable [companies]."
He said the companies are doing this because Congress has decided everyone should buy a house.
"They were probably happy to do it in the ways that were being described, but they were being instructed by Congress to do this," Gawande said.
Jansen said the auto bailout was not a good idea.
"I do not think the U.S. car companies have been in good shape, maybe Ford being the exception, for a long time," he said. "They do not meet the market test on quality or price."
He said bankruptcy is the best option and that the auto brands, such as General Motors, would continue to exist.
"If you let them go through bankruptcy, then these problems will maybe be taken care of," Jansen said.
Gawande said he agreed with Jansen, but he did like one aspect of the auto bailout: the requirement placed upon automakers to produce an electric car.
"This is a long time coming," he said.
Dylan Kluth, the society president and a senior economics major, said the society will have more panels this semester discussing health care and energy.
Kluth said the society worked with their adviser A&M professor Brit Grosskopf to coordinate the event.
The economics society consists of economics and non-economics majors. Kluth said he hopes the panels will be understood by all in attendance, no matter what major or background.
"Our goals are to advance social and economic thought," he said.
Published on Thursday, February 19, 2009
Video Lunch: Rethink Afghanistan: Jon Rainwater vs. Jeremy Shapiro
Jon Rainwater faces off against Jeremy Shapiro in our Afghanistan debate topic 'Do U.S. Military operations in Afghanistan decrease the threat of terrorism to the United States?'!
We must rethink our policy toward Afghanistan. Congressional oversight hearings on Afghanistan would facilitate a substantial public debate on this war. Learn more at Rethink Afghanistan.com
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Local News: Congressman Edwards Promotes Impact of Stimulus
Edwards Says Measure to Have Big Impact in BV
By Cassie Smith
From the Bryan-College Station Eagle
The $787 billion economic stimulus package that President Barack Obama signed into law Tuesday will have a significant impact on the Brazos Valley, U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards said.
The bill will create or save 8,400 jobs in Edwards' 17th Congressional District, the Waco Democrat said.
"This bill is a new day," he said.
In the Brazos Valley, Edwards said, the stimulus package will prevent the economic strains felt in other areas.
"There's no guarantee this will work, but taking no action would have been negligent," said Edwards, who visited The Eagle newsroom Tuesday afternoon.
Supporters say that the recovery package will create or save 3.5 million jobs nationwide over the next two years and that 269,000 of those will be in Texas.
The bill includes a $400 tax break for most individual workers and $800 for couples, which will affect around
95 percent of working families, Edwards said.
Edwards said the bill makes it easier to buy a home or car and adds incentives for using renewable energy.
The bill will also increase the size of Pell Grants and make tuition tax credits refundable, which will help students and Texas A&M University, which has been credited with keeping the area's economy afloat.
Edwards called the recession a "very, very serious situation" and said that, while the bill may not be perfect, it will create jobs and help people affected by layoffs get back on their feet.
"Anything this big is never going to be perfect," he said.
Restoring consumer confidence is the key to ending the recession, he said. "The fear of losing the job by people who still have their jobs ... is causing people to not buy the cars and the houses," he said.
Edwards said the bill would create jobs in the construction field and in Brazos Valley schools.
Tom Wilkinson, executive director of the Brazos Valley Council of Governments, said the region could expect to see less of an effect from the stimulus package than other areas because the local economy remains relatively stable.
The Brazos Valley has one of the state's lowest unemployment rates, around
3.8 percent, which is significantly under the national average, he said.
Ron Crozier, director of community relations at Twin City Mission in Bryan, said he hoped the relief package would result in funding for job training programs or would offer other options for residents of the agency's homeless shelter, many of whom struggle to find jobs.
"If there are options, then that just increases their capabilities from making the transition from being homeless to being self-sufficient," Crozier said. "We're kind of in a wait-and-see mode."
Crozier said he was optimistic that the bill would make a difference but that he's not counting on anything until he sees progress.
"Anything is better than nothing," he said. "If there's hope, then that gives them something to hang their hat on while they are at the shelter."
Edwards called the package a step toward a solution, though he would have preferred a more aggressive plan. No stimulus of any size will provide long-term solutions if businesses can't get loans, he said.
Published Wednesday, February 18, 2009
By Cassie Smith
From the Bryan-College Station Eagle
The $787 billion economic stimulus package that President Barack Obama signed into law Tuesday will have a significant impact on the Brazos Valley, U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards said.
The bill will create or save 8,400 jobs in Edwards' 17th Congressional District, the Waco Democrat said.
"This bill is a new day," he said.
In the Brazos Valley, Edwards said, the stimulus package will prevent the economic strains felt in other areas.
"There's no guarantee this will work, but taking no action would have been negligent," said Edwards, who visited The Eagle newsroom Tuesday afternoon.
Supporters say that the recovery package will create or save 3.5 million jobs nationwide over the next two years and that 269,000 of those will be in Texas.
The bill includes a $400 tax break for most individual workers and $800 for couples, which will affect around
95 percent of working families, Edwards said.
Edwards said the bill makes it easier to buy a home or car and adds incentives for using renewable energy.
The bill will also increase the size of Pell Grants and make tuition tax credits refundable, which will help students and Texas A&M University, which has been credited with keeping the area's economy afloat.
Edwards called the recession a "very, very serious situation" and said that, while the bill may not be perfect, it will create jobs and help people affected by layoffs get back on their feet.
"Anything this big is never going to be perfect," he said.
Restoring consumer confidence is the key to ending the recession, he said. "The fear of losing the job by people who still have their jobs ... is causing people to not buy the cars and the houses," he said.
Edwards said the bill would create jobs in the construction field and in Brazos Valley schools.
Tom Wilkinson, executive director of the Brazos Valley Council of Governments, said the region could expect to see less of an effect from the stimulus package than other areas because the local economy remains relatively stable.
The Brazos Valley has one of the state's lowest unemployment rates, around
3.8 percent, which is significantly under the national average, he said.
Ron Crozier, director of community relations at Twin City Mission in Bryan, said he hoped the relief package would result in funding for job training programs or would offer other options for residents of the agency's homeless shelter, many of whom struggle to find jobs.
"If there are options, then that just increases their capabilities from making the transition from being homeless to being self-sufficient," Crozier said. "We're kind of in a wait-and-see mode."
Crozier said he was optimistic that the bill would make a difference but that he's not counting on anything until he sees progress.
"Anything is better than nothing," he said. "If there's hope, then that gives them something to hang their hat on while they are at the shelter."
Edwards called the package a step toward a solution, though he would have preferred a more aggressive plan. No stimulus of any size will provide long-term solutions if businesses can't get loans, he said.
Published Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Stimulating Texas: A look at some of the almost $40 billion allocated for Texas.
Brazos Valley Stimulus: How much Bryan and College Station have requested in stimulus projects.
According to Stimulus Watch.org Bryan has requested $46.5 million, College Station has requested $36.2 million, Waco has requested $81.55 million and overall Texas has requested $10,775,423,039.
All of the projects that Bryan has requested funds for are for water improvements. Bryan has requested $13 million for improvements to the Burton Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, which was built in 2004 for $1.2 million dollars, and another $13 million to construct the Thompson's Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. Also $6.5 million has been requested for improvement to Still Creek sewer; $1.5 million for a Highway 47 waterline extension, $1.5 million for a Highway 21 waterline extension and $1.5 million for a Well 19 collection line.
Bryan also requested $4 million for 5 million and 1 million gallon ground storage tank, and another $5.5 million for a Westside Interceptor. Bryan did not include the number of estimate jobs created in the stimulus project request.
College Station has requested $9 million for “pedestrian improvements” to Northgate, which the city estimates will create twenty-five jobs; $4.2 million was requested for Northgate park improvements that the city estimates will create 31.5 jobs. Another $2 million was request for improvements to Tauber Street and Stasney Street off of University Drive, which the city estimates will create six jobs.
College Station also requested $4 million for mixed-use development and another $2 million for utility-line burying on Holleman Drive; the city estimates that these projects will create a total of 75 new jobs.
The project that is estimated to create the most amount of jobs is the Community Center project that College Station requested $7 million for; this project is estimated to create 120 jobs. The project that could possibly be most beneficial to the community is $8 million that was requested for affordable housing development that is estimated to create 40 jobs and help several people attain affordable housing.
Texas Stimulus: How much and where the stimulus money is going in Texas.
Texas is set to receive $2.25 billion in funds for infrastructure out of the almost $27 billion designated for infrastructure in the stimulus bill and there has been over $10 billion in project request from municipalities in Texas. The cities that are expected to receive the most amount of funds are Dallas and Houston, $134 million being appropriated for Dallas and $123 million appropriated for Houston.
According to a White House report the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will create 8,400 jobs in Texas Congressional District 17; the most jobs estimated to be created in Texas is 10,300 jobs in Congressional District 10. In Texas the White House estimates that 269,000 jobs will be create which is 7.7% of the 3.5 million jobs the bill is designed to create or save, and only California (396,000) is estimated to have more jobs created or saved.
Local school districts have been appropriated grants in the stimulus bill: Bryan Independent School District has been appropriated $6.333 million; Navasota Independent School District has been appropriated $1.105 million, and Waco Independent School District has been appropriated $8.94 million.
Signing Day in 100 Seconds
According to Stimulus Watch.org Bryan has requested $46.5 million, College Station has requested $36.2 million, Waco has requested $81.55 million and overall Texas has requested $10,775,423,039.
All of the projects that Bryan has requested funds for are for water improvements. Bryan has requested $13 million for improvements to the Burton Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, which was built in 2004 for $1.2 million dollars, and another $13 million to construct the Thompson's Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. Also $6.5 million has been requested for improvement to Still Creek sewer; $1.5 million for a Highway 47 waterline extension, $1.5 million for a Highway 21 waterline extension and $1.5 million for a Well 19 collection line.
Bryan also requested $4 million for 5 million and 1 million gallon ground storage tank, and another $5.5 million for a Westside Interceptor. Bryan did not include the number of estimate jobs created in the stimulus project request.
College Station has requested $9 million for “pedestrian improvements” to Northgate, which the city estimates will create twenty-five jobs; $4.2 million was requested for Northgate park improvements that the city estimates will create 31.5 jobs. Another $2 million was request for improvements to Tauber Street and Stasney Street off of University Drive, which the city estimates will create six jobs.
College Station also requested $4 million for mixed-use development and another $2 million for utility-line burying on Holleman Drive; the city estimates that these projects will create a total of 75 new jobs.
The project that is estimated to create the most amount of jobs is the Community Center project that College Station requested $7 million for; this project is estimated to create 120 jobs. The project that could possibly be most beneficial to the community is $8 million that was requested for affordable housing development that is estimated to create 40 jobs and help several people attain affordable housing.
Texas Stimulus: How much and where the stimulus money is going in Texas.
Texas is set to receive $2.25 billion in funds for infrastructure out of the almost $27 billion designated for infrastructure in the stimulus bill and there has been over $10 billion in project request from municipalities in Texas. The cities that are expected to receive the most amount of funds are Dallas and Houston, $134 million being appropriated for Dallas and $123 million appropriated for Houston.
According to a White House report the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will create 8,400 jobs in Texas Congressional District 17; the most jobs estimated to be created in Texas is 10,300 jobs in Congressional District 10. In Texas the White House estimates that 269,000 jobs will be create which is 7.7% of the 3.5 million jobs the bill is designed to create or save, and only California (396,000) is estimated to have more jobs created or saved.
Local school districts have been appropriated grants in the stimulus bill: Bryan Independent School District has been appropriated $6.333 million; Navasota Independent School District has been appropriated $1.105 million, and Waco Independent School District has been appropriated $8.94 million.
Signing Day in 100 Seconds
Local News: Texas A&M Professor on Forefront of Fight Against Discrimination
Discrimination Law Cites Professor's Article
President Obama uses Leonard Bierman's article to pass legislation
By: Matt Woolbright
From the Texas A&M University Battalion
In 2004, Texas A&M professor of management Leonard Bierman coauthored the article "Love, Sex and Politics? Sure. Salary? No Way: Workplace Social Norms and the Law," which The Berkeley Journal of Employment and Labor Law published the same year.
Less than 10 days after his inauguration, President Obama signed a new law, in which Bierman's article was consistently cited during its early stages of litigation.
"I was proud a little because as an academic I've written a lot of articles over the years and it's not that often that you write something where you really have an impact on the real world," Bierman said.
In a 2007 Supreme Court case, Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Bierman's article was referred to by the dissenting judges and used in testimony before different committees in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate as legislation was considered.
In the case, Lily Ledbetter was wrongly paid less than her colleagues at Goodyear where she had started her career over 20 years ago. Originally she was paid the same amount but by the time she got to retirement in 1998, she was being paid less than the men with whom she worked. Her pay was lower than her male counterparts not because of the merit or level of her work, but because she was a woman.
The law originally stated that someone could sue for discrimination within 180 days of the first act of discrimination but not after that. Now, largely due to Bierman's work, the law has been amended; citizens discriminated against now have 180 days from any discriminatory act to sue, not just 180 days after the first act of discrimination.
"I think it's a law that should have been in place a long time ago, but I'm proud to know that a professor at my school and my college was able to make such a strong impact for equal rights in the workplace," said freshman business major Katy Hoyer.
Published on Tuesday, February 17, 2009
President Obama uses Leonard Bierman's article to pass legislation
By: Matt Woolbright
From the Texas A&M University Battalion
In 2004, Texas A&M professor of management Leonard Bierman coauthored the article "Love, Sex and Politics? Sure. Salary? No Way: Workplace Social Norms and the Law," which The Berkeley Journal of Employment and Labor Law published the same year.
Less than 10 days after his inauguration, President Obama signed a new law, in which Bierman's article was consistently cited during its early stages of litigation.
"I was proud a little because as an academic I've written a lot of articles over the years and it's not that often that you write something where you really have an impact on the real world," Bierman said.
In a 2007 Supreme Court case, Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Bierman's article was referred to by the dissenting judges and used in testimony before different committees in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate as legislation was considered.
In the case, Lily Ledbetter was wrongly paid less than her colleagues at Goodyear where she had started her career over 20 years ago. Originally she was paid the same amount but by the time she got to retirement in 1998, she was being paid less than the men with whom she worked. Her pay was lower than her male counterparts not because of the merit or level of her work, but because she was a woman.
The law originally stated that someone could sue for discrimination within 180 days of the first act of discrimination but not after that. Now, largely due to Bierman's work, the law has been amended; citizens discriminated against now have 180 days from any discriminatory act to sue, not just 180 days after the first act of discrimination.
"I think it's a law that should have been in place a long time ago, but I'm proud to know that a professor at my school and my college was able to make such a strong impact for equal rights in the workplace," said freshman business major Katy Hoyer.
Published on Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Video Lunch: Rethink Afghanistan: Jason Rosenbaum vs. David Atkins
Jason Rosenbaum faces off against David Atkins in our Afghanistan debate topic 'Will an expanded war in Afghanistan hurt President Obama's domestic agenda?'!
We must rethink our policy toward Afghanistan. Congressional oversight hearings on Afghanistan would facilitate a substantial public debate on this war. Learn more at Rethink Afghanistan.com
Monday, February 16, 2009
FRONTLINE | Inside the Meltdown
Tonight on Frontline:
In this sneak peek from "Inside the Meltdown," FRONTLINE examines the final hours leading up to the deal between Bear Stearns and JP Morgan, and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's attempts to discourage moral hazard.
In "Inside the Meltdown," airing Tuesday, February 17 at 9 pm on PBS, FRONTLINE investigates the causes of the worst economic crisis in 70 years and how the government responded. The film chronicles the inside stories of the Bear Stearns deal, Lehman Brothers' collapse, the propping up of insurance giant AIG, and the $700 billion bailout. Inside the Meltdown examines what Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke didn't see, couldn't stop and haven't been able to fix.
In this sneak peek from "Inside the Meltdown," FRONTLINE examines the final hours leading up to the deal between Bear Stearns and JP Morgan, and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's attempts to discourage moral hazard.
In "Inside the Meltdown," airing Tuesday, February 17 at 9 pm on PBS, FRONTLINE investigates the causes of the worst economic crisis in 70 years and how the government responded. The film chronicles the inside stories of the Bear Stearns deal, Lehman Brothers' collapse, the propping up of insurance giant AIG, and the $700 billion bailout. Inside the Meltdown examines what Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke didn't see, couldn't stop and haven't been able to fix.
Local News: Baylor Group Fills Gaps Between Faiths
'Void' Fills Gaps Between Faiths
By Brittany McNamara (Reporter)
From the Baylor University Lariat
"Void," a new collective, welcomes people of all faith, Baylor students and Waco residents to discuss and provoke questions about faith, doubt and existence. The group will meet at 6 p.m. Monday at Treff's Bar and Grill.
College of Arts and Sciences adviser Adam Moore said he envisioned beginning a faith collective, based not on an evangelical message or standard preaching and teaching methods, but on questions.
"The last couple years I've been thinking and talking to people about what it might look like to have a space, not a church, but a space, open for exploring different ideas relating to faith, religion and the uncertainty of it all," Moore said.
A handful of those interested have spent the past months planning to begin the collective. Though the majority of the group claims to be Christian or come from a Christian background, all religious preferences are welcomed.
Waco junior Aaron Ellis affirmed the openness of the group.
"People hesitate to be honest for fear of conflicting some ideology or group belief," Ellis said. "Any gathering of people that's open and honest, done through a lens of creativity, is a valuable enterprise to engage in."
Developing the group specifically in Waco holds significance. Certain expectations come along with living in Waco, Ellis said. It can be easy for someone to feel marginalized.
"Waco is the type of place where when you meet someone, the second question you ask them is where they go to church," Ellis said.
Treff's Bar usually permits those 21 and over, but for this event, the age requirement has been lifted.
Moore said choosing to hold the collective's first gathering at a bar was a decision not made in vain.
He said it is imperative to the group that this event be held in public, so the discussion could be heard in the "real world."
"It's great that it will be in a bar," Ellis said. "I don't think I've ever heard God in a bar without an expletive behind it."
Void mirrors a group started in Belfast, Ireland. The first guest speaker will be Dr. Peter Rollins who studied in Belfast and coordinated a collective of his own. Moore said Rollins is a primary source of inspiration for the new collective and will speak on the subjects of faith and doubt.
He said Rollins commonly speaks on 17th century philosopher Blaise Pascal and his belief that we all have a void that is empty until God fills us. Creation of the name "Void" derived from the opposite of this thought.
"What if it's the other way around, and we feel this void only when we've had some encounter with God," Moore said. "Maybe it's only then we realize the void."
The collective is open to Baylor University students, faculty, and those in the Waco area not affiliated with Baylor. Moore said he hopes it will be a Waco group that includes Baylor students, but is not exclusive to Baylor students.
According to Void's Web site, "Void is a creative, provocative, experiential event, marked by the religious question, but radically open and welcoming." For more information visit www.voidcollective.com.
Published on Friday, February 13, 2009
By Brittany McNamara (Reporter)
From the Baylor University Lariat
"Void," a new collective, welcomes people of all faith, Baylor students and Waco residents to discuss and provoke questions about faith, doubt and existence. The group will meet at 6 p.m. Monday at Treff's Bar and Grill.
College of Arts and Sciences adviser Adam Moore said he envisioned beginning a faith collective, based not on an evangelical message or standard preaching and teaching methods, but on questions.
"The last couple years I've been thinking and talking to people about what it might look like to have a space, not a church, but a space, open for exploring different ideas relating to faith, religion and the uncertainty of it all," Moore said.
A handful of those interested have spent the past months planning to begin the collective. Though the majority of the group claims to be Christian or come from a Christian background, all religious preferences are welcomed.
Waco junior Aaron Ellis affirmed the openness of the group.
"People hesitate to be honest for fear of conflicting some ideology or group belief," Ellis said. "Any gathering of people that's open and honest, done through a lens of creativity, is a valuable enterprise to engage in."
Developing the group specifically in Waco holds significance. Certain expectations come along with living in Waco, Ellis said. It can be easy for someone to feel marginalized.
"Waco is the type of place where when you meet someone, the second question you ask them is where they go to church," Ellis said.
Treff's Bar usually permits those 21 and over, but for this event, the age requirement has been lifted.
Moore said choosing to hold the collective's first gathering at a bar was a decision not made in vain.
He said it is imperative to the group that this event be held in public, so the discussion could be heard in the "real world."
"It's great that it will be in a bar," Ellis said. "I don't think I've ever heard God in a bar without an expletive behind it."
Void mirrors a group started in Belfast, Ireland. The first guest speaker will be Dr. Peter Rollins who studied in Belfast and coordinated a collective of his own. Moore said Rollins is a primary source of inspiration for the new collective and will speak on the subjects of faith and doubt.
He said Rollins commonly speaks on 17th century philosopher Blaise Pascal and his belief that we all have a void that is empty until God fills us. Creation of the name "Void" derived from the opposite of this thought.
"What if it's the other way around, and we feel this void only when we've had some encounter with God," Moore said. "Maybe it's only then we realize the void."
The collective is open to Baylor University students, faculty, and those in the Waco area not affiliated with Baylor. Moore said he hopes it will be a Waco group that includes Baylor students, but is not exclusive to Baylor students.
According to Void's Web site, "Void is a creative, provocative, experiential event, marked by the religious question, but radically open and welcoming." For more information visit www.voidcollective.com.
Published on Friday, February 13, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Searching for Gorbachev…
Why the United States must look towards the future and not the past in Iran.
With the economic stimulus and recovery package set to pass a final vote and subsequently to be signed by President Obama, hopefully the new administration can begin to shift their focus in different areas. The present economic crisis has presented a difficult situation for the new administration; the entirety of the message coming from the White House has been about the economy and the stimulus plan. Most of the rhetoric that has filled the media environment and the blogosphere has been about the economy and the stimulus plan. The problem is that the economic problems facing the United States and the rest of the world are the largest stack of papers on an already cluttered desk.
One of the priorities of President Obama during the campaign was to change the tone of foreign policy; specifically Obama promised to change direction in dealing with countries such as North Korea, Iran, and Cuba. Iran should be the highest priority simple because of the volatility of the Middle East and because of the difficulty that an unstable Middle East places on our ability to eliminate terrorist networks.
The politics in Iran are not necessarily unlike the politics of any other country; there has always been a dynamic between the more moderate leaders and the hard line leaders. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad uses political rhetoric to speak to his base in the same way that any other politician speaks to his base; while the rhetoric that Ahmadinejad uses to focus on the United States and Israel is offensive and repressible it is not done without political calculation.
Hillary Mann Leverett describes former national security advisor (and former Secretary of State) Condoleezza Rice’s positions on diplomatic relations with Iran:
Condoleezza Rice dismissed then President Khatami as a potential diplomatic partner for the United States. Indeed, the erstwhile Sovietologist compared Khatami to Mikhail Gorbachev, arguing that by engaging Khatami, the United States would risk missing the opportunity to find the Islamic Republic's Boris Yeltsin.
Having a “Gorbachev” as president of Iran would actually be of great benefit; it was in fact through negotiations with Gorbachev that the ground work was laid for the ending of the Cold War and Yeltsin being elected was made possible.
When it comes to foreign policy with countries like Iran we must realize that the conventional wisdom and everything that has been support by neoconservatives is not a constructive way to operate. Above all we must realize that we are dealing with a culture that is fundamentally different than ours, and we cannot expect to have a successful foreign policy without an understanding of their culture and politics.
Possibly one of largest mistakes, among many, in Iraq was not fully understanding the culture and the politics of the Iraqis. This mistake was probably the largest contributing factor to the quagmire that the United States military was imbedded in after the invasion and subsequent fall of the Iraqi regime. If we want to successful deal with our enemies then we must first understand them, and we must not look to conventional wisdom. If we can successful deal with Iran then it opens many doors for the United States in foreign policy, on of which could be a resolution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
With the economic stimulus and recovery package set to pass a final vote and subsequently to be signed by President Obama, hopefully the new administration can begin to shift their focus in different areas. The present economic crisis has presented a difficult situation for the new administration; the entirety of the message coming from the White House has been about the economy and the stimulus plan. Most of the rhetoric that has filled the media environment and the blogosphere has been about the economy and the stimulus plan. The problem is that the economic problems facing the United States and the rest of the world are the largest stack of papers on an already cluttered desk.
One of the priorities of President Obama during the campaign was to change the tone of foreign policy; specifically Obama promised to change direction in dealing with countries such as North Korea, Iran, and Cuba. Iran should be the highest priority simple because of the volatility of the Middle East and because of the difficulty that an unstable Middle East places on our ability to eliminate terrorist networks.
The politics in Iran are not necessarily unlike the politics of any other country; there has always been a dynamic between the more moderate leaders and the hard line leaders. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad uses political rhetoric to speak to his base in the same way that any other politician speaks to his base; while the rhetoric that Ahmadinejad uses to focus on the United States and Israel is offensive and repressible it is not done without political calculation.
Hillary Mann Leverett describes former national security advisor (and former Secretary of State) Condoleezza Rice’s positions on diplomatic relations with Iran:
Condoleezza Rice dismissed then President Khatami as a potential diplomatic partner for the United States. Indeed, the erstwhile Sovietologist compared Khatami to Mikhail Gorbachev, arguing that by engaging Khatami, the United States would risk missing the opportunity to find the Islamic Republic's Boris Yeltsin.
Having a “Gorbachev” as president of Iran would actually be of great benefit; it was in fact through negotiations with Gorbachev that the ground work was laid for the ending of the Cold War and Yeltsin being elected was made possible.
When it comes to foreign policy with countries like Iran we must realize that the conventional wisdom and everything that has been support by neoconservatives is not a constructive way to operate. Above all we must realize that we are dealing with a culture that is fundamentally different than ours, and we cannot expect to have a successful foreign policy without an understanding of their culture and politics.
Possibly one of largest mistakes, among many, in Iraq was not fully understanding the culture and the politics of the Iraqis. This mistake was probably the largest contributing factor to the quagmire that the United States military was imbedded in after the invasion and subsequent fall of the Iraqi regime. If we want to successful deal with our enemies then we must first understand them, and we must not look to conventional wisdom. If we can successful deal with Iran then it opens many doors for the United States in foreign policy, on of which could be a resolution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Local News: Waco Democrat to Lead Texas Economic Committee
Waco Legislator Dunnam to Lead Texas Economic Committee
By Regina Dennis (Tribune-Herald staff writer)
From the Waco Tribune-Herald
As chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, state Rep. Jim Dunnam, D-Waco, threw his muscle behind efforts to unseat former House Speaker Tom Craddick.
Then, as Gov. Rick Perry continued criticism of the federal stimulus package, Dunnam introduced a measure to ensure that the House Appropriations Committee could pursue the funds without his approval.
Now, a new House committee chairmanship will give the Waco legislator considerable weight in directing how the state funnels those stimulus dollars, expected to be approved today by Congress.
The Select Committee on Federal Economic Stabilization Funding will make recommendations to the state House Appropriations Committee on how federal stimulus funds will be distributed to the state’s education, transportation and health care agencies. Committee members also will lobby their congressional counterparts to maximize the state’s share.
House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, praised Dunnam in a news release as the best choice to steer the process.
“In selecting Rep. Dunnam as committee chair, I considered his wisdom, experience and proven ability to provide new, dynamic leadership and offer fresh ideas,” Straus said. “We are blessed to have Rep. Dunnam as chair of this important committee, and I know he will do what is best and right for the citizens of Texas.”
Straus, who was elected speaker last month, gave prime committee chairmanships to all 10 Republicans who first put forth his candidacy and made his rise to power possible. He also is giving Democrats their first taste of power in a GOP-controlled House. His assignments made it clear that those who supported Craddick, R-Midland, won’t have much influence under the new regime.
All representatives in the 150-member House are assigned to committees on specific topics — appropriations and education, for example — and that’s where much of the work is done. It’s where bills get their start and are crafted. Committee chairmen can be powerful because they have the discretion to let bills linger and die, too.
Straus became speaker of the narrowly divided House last month. His surprise candidacy was boosted by a coalition of Democrats and Republicans who opposed Craddick.
New committee leader posts are split between 18 Republicans and 16 Democrats, reflecting the chamber’s 76-74 GOP majority.
Dunnam also was named to the transportation and environmental regulation committees.
State Rep. Charles “Doc” Anderson, R-Waco, maintained his role as vice chairman of the Agriculture and Livestock Committee for the third consecutive term. His two other committee assignments are the Committee on Pensions, Investments and Financial Services — recently expanded to include regulation of retirement systems and banking institutions — and the Administrative Rules and Resolutions Committee.
“These are committees that I have invested in, so to speak, and I’m going to continue trying to act in the best interest of the constituents in my district and the constituents in the state of Texas in these areas,” Anderson said.
Published on Friday, February 13, 2009
By Regina Dennis (Tribune-Herald staff writer)
From the Waco Tribune-Herald
As chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, state Rep. Jim Dunnam, D-Waco, threw his muscle behind efforts to unseat former House Speaker Tom Craddick.
Then, as Gov. Rick Perry continued criticism of the federal stimulus package, Dunnam introduced a measure to ensure that the House Appropriations Committee could pursue the funds without his approval.
Now, a new House committee chairmanship will give the Waco legislator considerable weight in directing how the state funnels those stimulus dollars, expected to be approved today by Congress.
The Select Committee on Federal Economic Stabilization Funding will make recommendations to the state House Appropriations Committee on how federal stimulus funds will be distributed to the state’s education, transportation and health care agencies. Committee members also will lobby their congressional counterparts to maximize the state’s share.
House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, praised Dunnam in a news release as the best choice to steer the process.
“In selecting Rep. Dunnam as committee chair, I considered his wisdom, experience and proven ability to provide new, dynamic leadership and offer fresh ideas,” Straus said. “We are blessed to have Rep. Dunnam as chair of this important committee, and I know he will do what is best and right for the citizens of Texas.”
Straus, who was elected speaker last month, gave prime committee chairmanships to all 10 Republicans who first put forth his candidacy and made his rise to power possible. He also is giving Democrats their first taste of power in a GOP-controlled House. His assignments made it clear that those who supported Craddick, R-Midland, won’t have much influence under the new regime.
All representatives in the 150-member House are assigned to committees on specific topics — appropriations and education, for example — and that’s where much of the work is done. It’s where bills get their start and are crafted. Committee chairmen can be powerful because they have the discretion to let bills linger and die, too.
Straus became speaker of the narrowly divided House last month. His surprise candidacy was boosted by a coalition of Democrats and Republicans who opposed Craddick.
New committee leader posts are split between 18 Republicans and 16 Democrats, reflecting the chamber’s 76-74 GOP majority.
Dunnam also was named to the transportation and environmental regulation committees.
State Rep. Charles “Doc” Anderson, R-Waco, maintained his role as vice chairman of the Agriculture and Livestock Committee for the third consecutive term. His two other committee assignments are the Committee on Pensions, Investments and Financial Services — recently expanded to include regulation of retirement systems and banking institutions — and the Administrative Rules and Resolutions Committee.
“These are committees that I have invested in, so to speak, and I’m going to continue trying to act in the best interest of the constituents in my district and the constituents in the state of Texas in these areas,” Anderson said.
Published on Friday, February 13, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Local News: Texas A&M Senate Proposes Legislation
Senate Bill Attempts to Make Textbooks Cheaper
Student Senate Proposes Legislation to Make Textbooks Tax-Free
By: Melissa Appel
From the Texas A&M University Battalion
Student Senate considered proposals for the Texas legislature Wednesday as the representative voice of the Texas A&M student body.
Senators proposed bills relating to legislation in discussion or on the floor of the Texas Legislature. The vote and subsequent passage of the bills serves to reflect the opinion of Texas A&M Student Government Association.
Senators discussed issues critical to Aggie students, including saving money on textbooks, dealing with meningitis, and future admission standards of the University.
The Senate unanimously approved to support a bill giving a tax break to college students purchasing textbooks. The state legislature is considering a bill that would make college textbooks tax- free for a period of two weeks prior to the beginning of the semester.
"If the state were to get rid of the 8.5 percent sales tax on textbooks, it would save A&M students well into the million dollar range," said Senator Hayden Paul, one of the authors of the Senate bill.
Reasoning behind the bill included lessening the burden on college students with limited funds and promoting local Texas businesses, which often lose textbook business to cheaper online sites.
Senators unanimously passed a bill that suggested easing access to or reducing the cost of meningitis vaccines. Senators noted that bacterial meningitis is an especially important issue to address, as the illness affected students on the A&M campus last year.
Considerable discussion was brought up concerning the Top 10 percent Law Modification Bill. Currently, the state of Texas requires that public universities, including Texas A&M, automatically admit students who ranked in the top 10 percent academically in their high school senior class.
The Senators' presentation showed that automatic admission has caused the freshmen class of the University of Texas to be mostly based on top 10 admissions. Last fall, 81 percent of their freshmen class was admitted based on this distinction, and patterns have shown that upcoming years will cause admission to be based entirely on this academic achievement.
Trends predict that similar patterns will emerge at Texas A&M in the future. Bill authors desired to prevent this problem from occurring.
"We don't want to be in the same boat as [the University of Texas]," said Senator Brandon Honoré, who introduced the bill. "We're asking the legislature to allow Texas A&M to take a more holistic look at who gets to come here."
After considerable discussion, the bill passed through the Senate with a vote 33 to 23 with two abstaining. As written, the bill asks the Texas Legislature to place a cap on the number of entrants based on the Top 10 distinction. In this way, Texas A&M could use the traditional methods of leadership, service and essays to choose more of the students entering as freshmen.
The meeting included the first reading of the USA Today Collegiate Readership Program Implementation Bill. The USA Today Collegiate Readership Program allows college campuses to provide nationally-distributed newspapers free of charge to their students.
"The majority of students feel that keeping up with current news is important," said Senator Drew Ambrose, one of the bill's author and. "This [program] provides USA Today's, as well as any other nationally-distributed paper, as we so choose."
The program would place distribution centers around campus where students could pick up national newspapers free of charge. The University would be charged based on the number of newspapers distributed per day. Although there is no money designated for the program, the most likely funding would come from a $3-4 student fee.
This bill and other new agenda will be addressed at the next Senate meeting on Feb. 25.
Published on Thursday, February 12, 2009
Student Senate Proposes Legislation to Make Textbooks Tax-Free
By: Melissa Appel
From the Texas A&M University Battalion
Student Senate considered proposals for the Texas legislature Wednesday as the representative voice of the Texas A&M student body.
Senators proposed bills relating to legislation in discussion or on the floor of the Texas Legislature. The vote and subsequent passage of the bills serves to reflect the opinion of Texas A&M Student Government Association.
Senators discussed issues critical to Aggie students, including saving money on textbooks, dealing with meningitis, and future admission standards of the University.
The Senate unanimously approved to support a bill giving a tax break to college students purchasing textbooks. The state legislature is considering a bill that would make college textbooks tax- free for a period of two weeks prior to the beginning of the semester.
"If the state were to get rid of the 8.5 percent sales tax on textbooks, it would save A&M students well into the million dollar range," said Senator Hayden Paul, one of the authors of the Senate bill.
Reasoning behind the bill included lessening the burden on college students with limited funds and promoting local Texas businesses, which often lose textbook business to cheaper online sites.
Senators unanimously passed a bill that suggested easing access to or reducing the cost of meningitis vaccines. Senators noted that bacterial meningitis is an especially important issue to address, as the illness affected students on the A&M campus last year.
Considerable discussion was brought up concerning the Top 10 percent Law Modification Bill. Currently, the state of Texas requires that public universities, including Texas A&M, automatically admit students who ranked in the top 10 percent academically in their high school senior class.
The Senators' presentation showed that automatic admission has caused the freshmen class of the University of Texas to be mostly based on top 10 admissions. Last fall, 81 percent of their freshmen class was admitted based on this distinction, and patterns have shown that upcoming years will cause admission to be based entirely on this academic achievement.
Trends predict that similar patterns will emerge at Texas A&M in the future. Bill authors desired to prevent this problem from occurring.
"We don't want to be in the same boat as [the University of Texas]," said Senator Brandon Honoré, who introduced the bill. "We're asking the legislature to allow Texas A&M to take a more holistic look at who gets to come here."
After considerable discussion, the bill passed through the Senate with a vote 33 to 23 with two abstaining. As written, the bill asks the Texas Legislature to place a cap on the number of entrants based on the Top 10 distinction. In this way, Texas A&M could use the traditional methods of leadership, service and essays to choose more of the students entering as freshmen.
The meeting included the first reading of the USA Today Collegiate Readership Program Implementation Bill. The USA Today Collegiate Readership Program allows college campuses to provide nationally-distributed newspapers free of charge to their students.
"The majority of students feel that keeping up with current news is important," said Senator Drew Ambrose, one of the bill's author and. "This [program] provides USA Today's, as well as any other nationally-distributed paper, as we so choose."
The program would place distribution centers around campus where students could pick up national newspapers free of charge. The University would be charged based on the number of newspapers distributed per day. Although there is no money designated for the program, the most likely funding would come from a $3-4 student fee.
This bill and other new agenda will be addressed at the next Senate meeting on Feb. 25.
Published on Thursday, February 12, 2009
Video Lunch: Frontline: Inside the Meltdown
In this sneak peek from "Inside the Meltdown," FRONTLINE revisits a pivotal moment in the fall of Bear Stearns: CEO Alan Schwartz appears on CNBC to address Wall Street rumors that the investment bank is in trouble.
In "Inside the Meltdown," airing Tuesday, February 17 at 9 pm on PBS, FRONTLINE investigates the causes of the worst economic crisis in 70 years and how the government responded. The film chronicles the inside stories of the Bear Stearns deal, Lehman Brothers' collapse, the propping up of insurance giant AIG, and the $700 billion bailout. Inside the Meltdown examines what Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke didn't see, couldn't stop and haven't been able to fix. Watch online at PBS.org
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Local News: Grimes County Homeless Count Triples
Shelter Services in Demand as Homeless Count Triples
By Rosemary Smith, Examiner editor
From the Navasota Examiner
Just as the results of a local Homeless Coalition Point-in-Time survey Jan. 21 were released documenting the number of homeless in Brazos Valley and suggesting Grimes County numbers have tripled since 2007, the Brazos Valley's Twin City Mission shelter is awaiting a new place to call home as the demand for shelter services rises.
The count, which is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for any coalitions that apply for and receive HUD's continuum of care funding, showed the Grimes County unsheltered count rose from 9 to 30 individuals and families.
According to Twin City Mission Case Manager Sandra Hoelscher, the increases were discovered in Navasota, Plantersville and Todd Mission.
Totals for the Brazos Valley included 183 individuals living in shelters, 15 of which were children, and 85 unsheltered that included one youth. Since the last count in January 2007, sheltered individuals and families increased 66 percent, from 86 to 197, and unsheltered increased 40 percent.
Since the count is restricted to the findings over a one-day period, coalition member Alsie Bond said the count is not completely accurate and that at any given time, there could be an estimated 1,000-plus homeless individuals in the Brazos Valley.
Hoelscher said factors that contribute to a homeless situation include substance abuse, mental illness, domestic violence and lack of affordable housing.
A tour of The Bridge shelter in Bryan confirms that the facilities have outlasted their lifespan over the past 46 years and are overdue for replacement. Homeless and Housing Services Director Steven Bethea agrees, and says the new shelter will not only provide a more comfortable living environment, but also extra room as numbers continue to grow and the shelter becomes overcrowded at times.
The new facility will increase the number of beds for men from 48 to 60 and from 12 to 26 for women. Six family rooms will be added, complete with their own bathrooms, and will provide more than enough space for cribs and extra beds when needed. The 16.288 acres of land on which the new shelter will be constructed will also offer a more suitable play area for children than the current downtown area.
A new long-term wing will also be added for shelter residents such as Tim, 55, who has been living at the shelter for nearly five years. Tim, who has been sober for 19 months thanks to the help of case manager Sandra Hoelscher, now serves as a desk monitor and is taking his steps to full recovery one day at a time.
Tim currently shares an old office space with several other residents that was not intended to serve as living quarters.
Fortunately, Bethea said the shelter has a 90 percent turnaround rate. He attributes The Bridge's success to the fact that there are two case managers on staff that assist intakes with needs assessments and are equipped to make referrals for housing, employment and healthcare needs. Family service plans are also completed to help the homeless determine goals.
“This is just a temporary shelter. We are trying to make them self-sufficient. That's our goal,” said the shelter director.
In 2008, 90 households that included 29 children participated in the housing program, which includes up to two years of rental assistance and monitoring by case managers. By the end of the year, 56 were still using the program.
“It's not a 100 percent success rate because of mental health issues,” said the director, who explained that some of the shelter residents have to be instructed in basic self care.
One of the program's success stories came from a family that sought shelter because of domestic violence.
“Within four years, this woman in her 40s, who was a victim of domestic violence, had her own home thanks to our help and Habitat for Humanity. We're really proud of her because she worked really hard,” said Bethea.
“All she came in with was the clothes on her back and now she's an assistant manager where she works.”
The shelter also provides help for those who are on the brink of becoming homeless. The shelter director said those who live paycheck to paycheck are just one illness or lost paycheck away from that possibility.
According to Bethea, the shelter received a $16,000 grant from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs as part of an Emergency Shelter Grant Program in October 2008.
“It's for families who has someone lose a job and they get an eviction notice or have their electricity turned off. They have to show that they can pay the next month's because it's only a one-time help,” explained Bethea.
In fiscal year 2007, the Mission provided shelter for 1,036 people and assisted 50 adults with families and 80 children.
According to the shelter's Web site, the numbers for women and children have been increasing over the past two years and the staff expects that trend to continue.
The Bridge primarily serves the Brazos Valley, but is known for accepting those in need from elsewhere. The estimated cost of the new facility is $5.5 million and $2 million is still needed or the project will be completed in phases, as the shelter's deadline to move is June 1. For more information, visit twincitymission.org or call Director of Community Relations Ron Crozier at 979-822-7511.
The BVCH meets once a quarter to partner with local non-profits, municipalities, schools, churches and the general public, to provide a consistent continuum of care for homeless within a defined geographical area. Inquiries should be made to Hoelscher at 979-822-1492.
Published on Wednesday, February 11, 2009
By Rosemary Smith, Examiner editor
From the Navasota Examiner
Just as the results of a local Homeless Coalition Point-in-Time survey Jan. 21 were released documenting the number of homeless in Brazos Valley and suggesting Grimes County numbers have tripled since 2007, the Brazos Valley's Twin City Mission shelter is awaiting a new place to call home as the demand for shelter services rises.
The count, which is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for any coalitions that apply for and receive HUD's continuum of care funding, showed the Grimes County unsheltered count rose from 9 to 30 individuals and families.
According to Twin City Mission Case Manager Sandra Hoelscher, the increases were discovered in Navasota, Plantersville and Todd Mission.
Totals for the Brazos Valley included 183 individuals living in shelters, 15 of which were children, and 85 unsheltered that included one youth. Since the last count in January 2007, sheltered individuals and families increased 66 percent, from 86 to 197, and unsheltered increased 40 percent.
Since the count is restricted to the findings over a one-day period, coalition member Alsie Bond said the count is not completely accurate and that at any given time, there could be an estimated 1,000-plus homeless individuals in the Brazos Valley.
Hoelscher said factors that contribute to a homeless situation include substance abuse, mental illness, domestic violence and lack of affordable housing.
A tour of The Bridge shelter in Bryan confirms that the facilities have outlasted their lifespan over the past 46 years and are overdue for replacement. Homeless and Housing Services Director Steven Bethea agrees, and says the new shelter will not only provide a more comfortable living environment, but also extra room as numbers continue to grow and the shelter becomes overcrowded at times.
The new facility will increase the number of beds for men from 48 to 60 and from 12 to 26 for women. Six family rooms will be added, complete with their own bathrooms, and will provide more than enough space for cribs and extra beds when needed. The 16.288 acres of land on which the new shelter will be constructed will also offer a more suitable play area for children than the current downtown area.
A new long-term wing will also be added for shelter residents such as Tim, 55, who has been living at the shelter for nearly five years. Tim, who has been sober for 19 months thanks to the help of case manager Sandra Hoelscher, now serves as a desk monitor and is taking his steps to full recovery one day at a time.
Tim currently shares an old office space with several other residents that was not intended to serve as living quarters.
Fortunately, Bethea said the shelter has a 90 percent turnaround rate. He attributes The Bridge's success to the fact that there are two case managers on staff that assist intakes with needs assessments and are equipped to make referrals for housing, employment and healthcare needs. Family service plans are also completed to help the homeless determine goals.
“This is just a temporary shelter. We are trying to make them self-sufficient. That's our goal,” said the shelter director.
In 2008, 90 households that included 29 children participated in the housing program, which includes up to two years of rental assistance and monitoring by case managers. By the end of the year, 56 were still using the program.
“It's not a 100 percent success rate because of mental health issues,” said the director, who explained that some of the shelter residents have to be instructed in basic self care.
One of the program's success stories came from a family that sought shelter because of domestic violence.
“Within four years, this woman in her 40s, who was a victim of domestic violence, had her own home thanks to our help and Habitat for Humanity. We're really proud of her because she worked really hard,” said Bethea.
“All she came in with was the clothes on her back and now she's an assistant manager where she works.”
The shelter also provides help for those who are on the brink of becoming homeless. The shelter director said those who live paycheck to paycheck are just one illness or lost paycheck away from that possibility.
According to Bethea, the shelter received a $16,000 grant from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs as part of an Emergency Shelter Grant Program in October 2008.
“It's for families who has someone lose a job and they get an eviction notice or have their electricity turned off. They have to show that they can pay the next month's because it's only a one-time help,” explained Bethea.
In fiscal year 2007, the Mission provided shelter for 1,036 people and assisted 50 adults with families and 80 children.
According to the shelter's Web site, the numbers for women and children have been increasing over the past two years and the staff expects that trend to continue.
The Bridge primarily serves the Brazos Valley, but is known for accepting those in need from elsewhere. The estimated cost of the new facility is $5.5 million and $2 million is still needed or the project will be completed in phases, as the shelter's deadline to move is June 1. For more information, visit twincitymission.org or call Director of Community Relations Ron Crozier at 979-822-7511.
The BVCH meets once a quarter to partner with local non-profits, municipalities, schools, churches and the general public, to provide a consistent continuum of care for homeless within a defined geographical area. Inquiries should be made to Hoelscher at 979-822-1492.
Published on Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Video Lunch: Rethink Afghanistan Debate #1: Tom Hayden vs. Michael O'Hanlon
Tom Hayden faces off against Michael O'Hanlon in our first Afghanistan debate!
We must rethink our policy toward Afghanistan. Congressional oversight hearings on Afghanistan would facilitate a substantial public debate on this war. Learn more at Rethink Afghanistan.com
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Local News: Candidates for Council and School Board Announce
10 File for Bryan, College Station Posts
By Janet Phelps and Cassie Smith
From the Bryan-College Station Eagle
Ten Bryan and College Station residents announced their intent to run for city council or school board by filing election paperwork Monday.
Two seats on the Bryan City Council and two in College Station will be up for grabs in May. Two seats on the Bryan school board and two in the College Station district are up for re-election.
Filing began Monday and continues through March 9.
City Councils
As of late Monday, two people had applied for seats on the Bryan City Council.
Elected in 2006, incumbent Mike Southerland, 62, filed to run again for the At-Large seat, city officials said.
Art Hughes filed for the Single Member District 5 seat.
Hughes, 65, is a project manager for Madison Construction. He ran an unsuccessful bid for the same position in 2003.
That seat currently is held by Ben Hardeman, who can't seek re-election due to the city's policy on term limits. Hardeman has held the position since 2003 and served from 1984-91.
Bryan City Council members serve three-year terms and are paid $10 per month.
The College Station City Council also has two seats on the May ballot.
Place 6 Councilman Dave Ruesink and Mayor Pro Tem Lynn McIlhaney, who is in Place 4, both filed for re-election.
Ruesink, 75, is the program director for Rural Social Science Education and is retired from the Texas Agriculture Extension Service. McIlhaney, 60, is a housewife with four married children.
College Station council members serve three-year terms and are not paid.
School Boards
Six people filed Monday for four seats on the Bryan and College Station school boards.
In Bryan, three people filed for Single Member District Place 4, a seat held by Bema Johnson, who has not said whether she will seek re-election.
James Edge, a 44-year-old self-employed real estate agent, filed for Place 4.
Jeff Goehl, 46, filed Monday for the same seat. Goehl owns Bryan Outboard Inc. and was defeated in his first bid for school board last year.
Kelli Levey also filed for Place 4. Levey, 46, is a writer with Texas A&M University's marketing and communications department.
This is first time for Levey and Edge to run for public office.
Paul Dorsett filed for College Station Place 1, a seat currently held by Marc Chaloupka, who has not said whether he plans to seek re-election.
Joel Mitchell, 46, and Carol Barrett, 45, both filed for Place 2 on the College Station school board. That seat is held by Tim Jones, who has said he will not seek re-election.
Dorsett, 34, owns Expressions Dance and Music with his wife, Lynsey. Mitchell is an engineer with Mitchell & Morgan.
This is the first time any of the three have run for public office.
Published Tuesday, February 10, 2009
By Janet Phelps and Cassie Smith
From the Bryan-College Station Eagle
Ten Bryan and College Station residents announced their intent to run for city council or school board by filing election paperwork Monday.
Two seats on the Bryan City Council and two in College Station will be up for grabs in May. Two seats on the Bryan school board and two in the College Station district are up for re-election.
Filing began Monday and continues through March 9.
City Councils
As of late Monday, two people had applied for seats on the Bryan City Council.
Elected in 2006, incumbent Mike Southerland, 62, filed to run again for the At-Large seat, city officials said.
Art Hughes filed for the Single Member District 5 seat.
Hughes, 65, is a project manager for Madison Construction. He ran an unsuccessful bid for the same position in 2003.
That seat currently is held by Ben Hardeman, who can't seek re-election due to the city's policy on term limits. Hardeman has held the position since 2003 and served from 1984-91.
Bryan City Council members serve three-year terms and are paid $10 per month.
The College Station City Council also has two seats on the May ballot.
Place 6 Councilman Dave Ruesink and Mayor Pro Tem Lynn McIlhaney, who is in Place 4, both filed for re-election.
Ruesink, 75, is the program director for Rural Social Science Education and is retired from the Texas Agriculture Extension Service. McIlhaney, 60, is a housewife with four married children.
College Station council members serve three-year terms and are not paid.
School Boards
Six people filed Monday for four seats on the Bryan and College Station school boards.
In Bryan, three people filed for Single Member District Place 4, a seat held by Bema Johnson, who has not said whether she will seek re-election.
James Edge, a 44-year-old self-employed real estate agent, filed for Place 4.
Jeff Goehl, 46, filed Monday for the same seat. Goehl owns Bryan Outboard Inc. and was defeated in his first bid for school board last year.
Kelli Levey also filed for Place 4. Levey, 46, is a writer with Texas A&M University's marketing and communications department.
This is first time for Levey and Edge to run for public office.
Paul Dorsett filed for College Station Place 1, a seat currently held by Marc Chaloupka, who has not said whether he plans to seek re-election.
Joel Mitchell, 46, and Carol Barrett, 45, both filed for Place 2 on the College Station school board. That seat is held by Tim Jones, who has said he will not seek re-election.
Dorsett, 34, owns Expressions Dance and Music with his wife, Lynsey. Mitchell is an engineer with Mitchell & Morgan.
This is the first time any of the three have run for public office.
Published Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Stimulating Texas Politics…
Even though the Texas Republican primary is still about a year away, the race for Governor is already well underway.
Last week former Vice Presidential candidate and current Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin endorsed Governor Rick Perry; this rings as strangely ironic since only a few months ago during the Presidential campaign Palin misquote former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to suggest why women should support her candidacy for Vice President.
“There's a place in Hell reserved for women who don't support other women.”
Whether or not Palin’s endorsement of Governor Perry will help his campaign remains to be seen, although primary voters in Texas Republican primaries tend to be dominated by the conservative base of the Republican Party.
Vince from Capitol Annex breaks down Palin’s affect on the GOP primary:
"Hutchison’s only chance to win the GOP Primary–typically dominated by Christian conservatives–is to attract new voters to the primary. That means she’ll be doing her best to get Democrats, liberal Republicans who don’t vote in the GOP Primary, and independents into the primary. For Democrats who may cross over, Palin is poison, and it will turn both Democrats and independents away from Perry. It will, however, probably a wash for liberal Republicans who aren’t typical GOP Primary voters."
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison had some sharp criticism for both Governor Perry and Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst; according to an article in the Austin American-Statesmen Hutchison said that Perry and Dewhurst showed bad judgment.
“The letter that was written the night before the hearing was not well thought out. And I think that it might have spurred some insensitive remarks that were made. And I think it was kind of a set up, and I think it was wrong.”
Then there is the story line for what could be the possible narrative for the primary: Austin vs. Washington.
While Hutchison has been critical of and will probably not vote for the economic stimulus and recovery bill that is currently in the United States Senate, Hutchison has stated in the same Austin American-Statesmen article that Texas should accept money from the bill:
“If Texas makes the decision to turn it down even if it passes, it would be a huge mistake. It would not be right when we have so many needs for transportation in Texas.”
Although Governor Perry is opposed to the economic stimulus and recovery bill he has said through a spokesperson that “Texans deserve their fair share.” However, even if Governor Perry did not accept or request money from the stimulus and recovery bill there are previsions that would allow the Texas State Legislature to bypass the Governor. According to an article in the Dallas Morning News:
U.S. House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., added the gubernatorial-bypass language, which says that if a governor doesn't request the money within 45 days, a legislature can accept it by passing a resolution.
Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, likes that arrangement.
"My understanding is that the Congress worked with members of the House here to make sure that language in the stimulus bill and what we're doing here are consistent," Straus said last week. "I don't see a problem with it at all."
The Austin vs. Washington narrative is going to be formed over the next year, and the direction of the story is going to be largely created by external factors and how Perry and Hutchison react to them.
Perry does not appear to posses the political expediency that some Republican governors seem to have; Florida Republican Governor Charlie Crist will introduce President Barack Obama in Fort Myers, Florida tomorrow. Embracing the economic stimulus and recovery package seems like a smarter and easier route to take, as opposed to being opposed to the bill with the right hand while accepting the check with the left. Although with Texas possibly receiving nearly $40 billion dollars I think I would have both hands extended.
Last week former Vice Presidential candidate and current Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin endorsed Governor Rick Perry; this rings as strangely ironic since only a few months ago during the Presidential campaign Palin misquote former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to suggest why women should support her candidacy for Vice President.
“There's a place in Hell reserved for women who don't support other women.”
Whether or not Palin’s endorsement of Governor Perry will help his campaign remains to be seen, although primary voters in Texas Republican primaries tend to be dominated by the conservative base of the Republican Party.
Vince from Capitol Annex breaks down Palin’s affect on the GOP primary:
"Hutchison’s only chance to win the GOP Primary–typically dominated by Christian conservatives–is to attract new voters to the primary. That means she’ll be doing her best to get Democrats, liberal Republicans who don’t vote in the GOP Primary, and independents into the primary. For Democrats who may cross over, Palin is poison, and it will turn both Democrats and independents away from Perry. It will, however, probably a wash for liberal Republicans who aren’t typical GOP Primary voters."
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison had some sharp criticism for both Governor Perry and Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst; according to an article in the Austin American-Statesmen Hutchison said that Perry and Dewhurst showed bad judgment.
“The letter that was written the night before the hearing was not well thought out. And I think that it might have spurred some insensitive remarks that were made. And I think it was kind of a set up, and I think it was wrong.”
Then there is the story line for what could be the possible narrative for the primary: Austin vs. Washington.
While Hutchison has been critical of and will probably not vote for the economic stimulus and recovery bill that is currently in the United States Senate, Hutchison has stated in the same Austin American-Statesmen article that Texas should accept money from the bill:
“If Texas makes the decision to turn it down even if it passes, it would be a huge mistake. It would not be right when we have so many needs for transportation in Texas.”
Although Governor Perry is opposed to the economic stimulus and recovery bill he has said through a spokesperson that “Texans deserve their fair share.” However, even if Governor Perry did not accept or request money from the stimulus and recovery bill there are previsions that would allow the Texas State Legislature to bypass the Governor. According to an article in the Dallas Morning News:
U.S. House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., added the gubernatorial-bypass language, which says that if a governor doesn't request the money within 45 days, a legislature can accept it by passing a resolution.
Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, likes that arrangement.
"My understanding is that the Congress worked with members of the House here to make sure that language in the stimulus bill and what we're doing here are consistent," Straus said last week. "I don't see a problem with it at all."
The Austin vs. Washington narrative is going to be formed over the next year, and the direction of the story is going to be largely created by external factors and how Perry and Hutchison react to them.
Perry does not appear to posses the political expediency that some Republican governors seem to have; Florida Republican Governor Charlie Crist will introduce President Barack Obama in Fort Myers, Florida tomorrow. Embracing the economic stimulus and recovery package seems like a smarter and easier route to take, as opposed to being opposed to the bill with the right hand while accepting the check with the left. Although with Texas possibly receiving nearly $40 billion dollars I think I would have both hands extended.
Local News: Landlords in College Station Must Register Properties
Landlords in CS Must Register
By Cassie Smith
From the Bryan-College Station Eagle
College Station landlords will soon be required to register with the city or face a fine.
City officials say the registration will be used to establish a database of the city's many landlords. The database will allow a better understanding of how many homes in the city are rented and provide officials with contact information for emergencies.
The goal, city officials say, is to preserve neighborhood integrity.
As part of the ordinance, owners of all single-family and duplex rental units must register annually. The ordinance does not apply to apartment owners. Each out-of-area landlord will have to a local contact person. The registration deadline is March 1.
The city of Bryan has reviewed College Station's program but hasn't adopted the idea.
Lance Simms, College Station's assistant director of planning and development services, said the landlord registry would help maintain quality neighborhoods by adding a level of accountability for landlords.
"It's all about protecting and sustaining the neighborhood," Simms said.
Cindy Dillard, the city's code enforcement supervisor, said the ordinance would aid emergency officials because contact information will be readily available for health and safety issues.
"Any time there's a major fire or criminal activity, the Police Department and the Fire Department are tied to the scene until someone comes to the building," Dillard said. Knowing whom to contact will help free officials to do other things, she said.
The ordinance will ease some of College Station's challenges as a university town in which as many as half of the homes are estimated to be rentals, Simms said.
The registry will help officials locate owners when students are not in town and homes are vacant for long periods.
"There could be an incident, like a busted water pipe, and no one would be home and we don't even know where to start to get ahold of anybody," Simms said.
The ordinance is also meant to serve as an incentive for landlords to enforce the city's occupancy limit, maintain sanitary conditions and ensure that pets are properly cared for and under control.
"If we're able to be proactive in code enforcement issues ... we'll help be able to maintain a level of integrity and, in turn, maintain property values," Dillard said. "This is not set up to target renters at all."
Susan Irza, spokeswoman for the SummerGlen Neighborhood Association, said she liked the idea of landlords registering with the city because it gives property owners a stake in ensuring the quality of the neighborhoods.
"It gives a point of contact in the event of continued noisy parties, parking problems or ineffective maintenance of houses or yards," Irza said. "These have a detrimental effect on property values in a neighborhood, not to speak of the quality of life of homeowner-occupants."
College Station Community Relations Manager Peggy Calliham said city officials spent a lot of time evaluating the worthiness of the registration program and studied college towns across the country that had successfully implemented similar requirements.
"We're not unique in this," Calliham said.
The program's $15 registration fee will pay for the database software, which has mapping capabilities to allow people to see which homes in their neighborhood are rentals.
Dillard said the mapping aspect of the program, which would be available through the city's Web site, could encourage residents to report unruly renters and motivate renters to be better neighbors.
"They will rat you out if there's a problem," she said.
In Short
College Station landlords must register with the city by March 1. Landlords will be required to provide their contact information and the number of tenants in each home. Tenants will not be held responsible for the registration.
*Cost: $15 per year
*How to register: Visit the City of College Station Rental Registration web site or the Planning and Development Office at 1101 Texas Ave. Residents may also print a registration form at the city's Web site and mail it to College Station Planning and Development Office, P.O. Box 9960, College Station, Texas 77842.
*If you don't register: Violation of the city code is misdemeanor that carries a fine from $25 to $2,000.
*For more information: Call 764-3570, e-mail rentalregistration@cstx.gov or visit City of College Station Neighborhood Integrity.
Published Sunday, February 08, 2009
By Cassie Smith
From the Bryan-College Station Eagle
College Station landlords will soon be required to register with the city or face a fine.
City officials say the registration will be used to establish a database of the city's many landlords. The database will allow a better understanding of how many homes in the city are rented and provide officials with contact information for emergencies.
The goal, city officials say, is to preserve neighborhood integrity.
As part of the ordinance, owners of all single-family and duplex rental units must register annually. The ordinance does not apply to apartment owners. Each out-of-area landlord will have to a local contact person. The registration deadline is March 1.
The city of Bryan has reviewed College Station's program but hasn't adopted the idea.
Lance Simms, College Station's assistant director of planning and development services, said the landlord registry would help maintain quality neighborhoods by adding a level of accountability for landlords.
"It's all about protecting and sustaining the neighborhood," Simms said.
Cindy Dillard, the city's code enforcement supervisor, said the ordinance would aid emergency officials because contact information will be readily available for health and safety issues.
"Any time there's a major fire or criminal activity, the Police Department and the Fire Department are tied to the scene until someone comes to the building," Dillard said. Knowing whom to contact will help free officials to do other things, she said.
The ordinance will ease some of College Station's challenges as a university town in which as many as half of the homes are estimated to be rentals, Simms said.
The registry will help officials locate owners when students are not in town and homes are vacant for long periods.
"There could be an incident, like a busted water pipe, and no one would be home and we don't even know where to start to get ahold of anybody," Simms said.
The ordinance is also meant to serve as an incentive for landlords to enforce the city's occupancy limit, maintain sanitary conditions and ensure that pets are properly cared for and under control.
"If we're able to be proactive in code enforcement issues ... we'll help be able to maintain a level of integrity and, in turn, maintain property values," Dillard said. "This is not set up to target renters at all."
Susan Irza, spokeswoman for the SummerGlen Neighborhood Association, said she liked the idea of landlords registering with the city because it gives property owners a stake in ensuring the quality of the neighborhoods.
"It gives a point of contact in the event of continued noisy parties, parking problems or ineffective maintenance of houses or yards," Irza said. "These have a detrimental effect on property values in a neighborhood, not to speak of the quality of life of homeowner-occupants."
College Station Community Relations Manager Peggy Calliham said city officials spent a lot of time evaluating the worthiness of the registration program and studied college towns across the country that had successfully implemented similar requirements.
"We're not unique in this," Calliham said.
The program's $15 registration fee will pay for the database software, which has mapping capabilities to allow people to see which homes in their neighborhood are rentals.
Dillard said the mapping aspect of the program, which would be available through the city's Web site, could encourage residents to report unruly renters and motivate renters to be better neighbors.
"They will rat you out if there's a problem," she said.
In Short
College Station landlords must register with the city by March 1. Landlords will be required to provide their contact information and the number of tenants in each home. Tenants will not be held responsible for the registration.
*Cost: $15 per year
*How to register: Visit the City of College Station Rental Registration web site or the Planning and Development Office at 1101 Texas Ave. Residents may also print a registration form at the city's Web site and mail it to College Station Planning and Development Office, P.O. Box 9960, College Station, Texas 77842.
*If you don't register: Violation of the city code is misdemeanor that carries a fine from $25 to $2,000.
*For more information: Call 764-3570, e-mail rentalregistration@cstx.gov or visit City of College Station Neighborhood Integrity.
Published Sunday, February 08, 2009
Video Lunch: Headlines Democracy Now! February 9, 2009
* Senate Nears Stimulus Vote After Cutting Education Spending * Nearly 600,000 Jobs Lost in January * Loopholes Could Bypass Bailout Pay Caps * Lawyer: Gitmo Conditions Deteriorating * Appeal in Boeing Rendition Case to Test Obama on Torture, Secrecy * Biden: US Will Continue Bush Missile Program, But Open to Compromise * 15,000 Flee Sri Lanka Fighting * Iraqi Girl Killed in US Attack * Trial Date Set for Shoe-Throwing Iraqi Journalist * UN Halts Gaza Aid Delivery in Hamas Dispute * Bolivia Enacts New Consitution * Australia Wildfire Toll at 131 * Haiti Pleads for Aid, Urges End to Indirect U.S. Funding * Ex-Police Officer in Oakland Transit Shooting Freed on $3M Bail
Friday, February 6, 2009
Local News: Black History Month Events
A&M, Blinn to Mark Black History Month
From the Bryan-College Station Eagle
Black History Month will be celebrated at Texas A&M University and Blinn College with several planned events.
At Texas A&M:
* John F. Singer will present a lecture titled "The African American Male as a Primary Stakeholder of Big-Time College Sport" at noon Friday in Room 111 of the Koldus Building.
* Ruben Studdard and Frenchie Davis will star in Ain't Misbehavin': The Fats Waller Musical at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday in Rudder Auditorium.
* A debate on social issues facing minorities will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday.
* The movie Miracle at St. Anna -- which tells the story of four black soldiers stationed in Italy during World War II -- will be shown at 7 p.m. on Feb. 19 in Room 292 of the Memorial Student Center.
At Blinn, events include:
* A "fireside chat" on black fraternal groups' contributions to the U.S., along with a pizza lunch, at noon Thursday in Student Center Room E-120.
* A poetry reading at 3 p.m. Feb. 13 in the Student Center Banquet Room.
* "A Taste of Soul" dinner at noon Feb. 27 in the Student Center Banquet Room.
Published Friday, February 06, 2009
From the Bryan-College Station Eagle
Black History Month will be celebrated at Texas A&M University and Blinn College with several planned events.
At Texas A&M:
* John F. Singer will present a lecture titled "The African American Male as a Primary Stakeholder of Big-Time College Sport" at noon Friday in Room 111 of the Koldus Building.
* Ruben Studdard and Frenchie Davis will star in Ain't Misbehavin': The Fats Waller Musical at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday in Rudder Auditorium.
* A debate on social issues facing minorities will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday.
* The movie Miracle at St. Anna -- which tells the story of four black soldiers stationed in Italy during World War II -- will be shown at 7 p.m. on Feb. 19 in Room 292 of the Memorial Student Center.
At Blinn, events include:
* A "fireside chat" on black fraternal groups' contributions to the U.S., along with a pizza lunch, at noon Thursday in Student Center Room E-120.
* A poetry reading at 3 p.m. Feb. 13 in the Student Center Banquet Room.
* "A Taste of Soul" dinner at noon Feb. 27 in the Student Center Banquet Room.
Published Friday, February 06, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Local News: V-Day on the Texas A&M Campus
V-Day Features Monologues, Recognizes Women Empowerment
Actors in the show discuss sexual and domestic abuse.
By: Teri Ruland
From the Texas A&M University Battalion
TAMU V-Day, which stands for victory, Valentine and vagina, will feature the performance The Vagina Monologues, showcasing issues women are faced with as part of the National V-Day campaign.
"The Vagina Monologues is a collection of monologues put together by Eve Ensler to showcase women's experiences with different topics," said co-director Vanessa Delgado, a senior psychology major. "Eve interviewed a large number of women and compiled all of their stories into The Vagina Monologues. It is a way to empower women and give them an outlet to share their feelings about love, relationships, friendships [and] sexual violence."
Though the show uses humor to reach the audience, it deals with a much broader sense of womanhood.
"While the show is funny it also has a very serious side, as TAMU V-Day's mission is to stop the violence against women and girls, many of the monologues are dramatic and moving," Vanessa said.
The importance of the show is to discuss abuse against women, such as domestic and sexual. Vanessa said TAMU V-Day will continue to produce the show until violence is put to an end.
There are 19 women in the show, ranging in classification and majors.
"The group is very energetic, passionate and dedicated to the mission of V-Day: to end violence against women. They have all been working very hard to make this performance a great experience for the audience. I'm very proud of all the work they have been doing and am very excited to see how the audience reacts to their performances," said co-director Carissa Delgado, a senior sociology major.
As with any show, the actors have their own connections to their parts.
"One of my greatest memories from last year's show is sitting backstage and literally hearing the audience react to every monologue. The show is at times hilarious and touching, so I expect to hear a lot of laughter and see a lot of understanding faces," said speaker Lindsey Welch, a junior English major.
Different actors perform different monologues dealing with feelings, emotions and special times in the people's lives that they represent, including coming to terms with sexuality.
"I was in the Vagina Monologues when I was a sophomore at Bowdoin College in Maine. My monologue gave me such a positive emotional outlet. The show really is amazing in the way that it lets you truly embrace the fact that you are a woman. Every part of being a woman is something to be thankful for," said actress Astrid Rodriguez, a geology graduate student.
According to the different actors, the aspects that make the show a 'must-see' are the different monologues each person speaks.
"The whole experience is worth attending the show. However, there are two readings that always stick in my head and make me smile. You will have to go to understand," said speaker Brandis Keller, a junior biomedical engineering major.
Ticket Information
The show will be in Memorial Student Center Room 201 Feb. 5-7. Tickets are available at the MSC box office for $10. All proceeds benefit the sexual assault resource center.
Published on Thursday, February 5, 2009
Actors in the show discuss sexual and domestic abuse.
By: Teri Ruland
From the Texas A&M University Battalion
TAMU V-Day, which stands for victory, Valentine and vagina, will feature the performance The Vagina Monologues, showcasing issues women are faced with as part of the National V-Day campaign.
"The Vagina Monologues is a collection of monologues put together by Eve Ensler to showcase women's experiences with different topics," said co-director Vanessa Delgado, a senior psychology major. "Eve interviewed a large number of women and compiled all of their stories into The Vagina Monologues. It is a way to empower women and give them an outlet to share their feelings about love, relationships, friendships [and] sexual violence."
Though the show uses humor to reach the audience, it deals with a much broader sense of womanhood.
"While the show is funny it also has a very serious side, as TAMU V-Day's mission is to stop the violence against women and girls, many of the monologues are dramatic and moving," Vanessa said.
The importance of the show is to discuss abuse against women, such as domestic and sexual. Vanessa said TAMU V-Day will continue to produce the show until violence is put to an end.
There are 19 women in the show, ranging in classification and majors.
"The group is very energetic, passionate and dedicated to the mission of V-Day: to end violence against women. They have all been working very hard to make this performance a great experience for the audience. I'm very proud of all the work they have been doing and am very excited to see how the audience reacts to their performances," said co-director Carissa Delgado, a senior sociology major.
As with any show, the actors have their own connections to their parts.
"One of my greatest memories from last year's show is sitting backstage and literally hearing the audience react to every monologue. The show is at times hilarious and touching, so I expect to hear a lot of laughter and see a lot of understanding faces," said speaker Lindsey Welch, a junior English major.
Different actors perform different monologues dealing with feelings, emotions and special times in the people's lives that they represent, including coming to terms with sexuality.
"I was in the Vagina Monologues when I was a sophomore at Bowdoin College in Maine. My monologue gave me such a positive emotional outlet. The show really is amazing in the way that it lets you truly embrace the fact that you are a woman. Every part of being a woman is something to be thankful for," said actress Astrid Rodriguez, a geology graduate student.
According to the different actors, the aspects that make the show a 'must-see' are the different monologues each person speaks.
"The whole experience is worth attending the show. However, there are two readings that always stick in my head and make me smile. You will have to go to understand," said speaker Brandis Keller, a junior biomedical engineering major.
Ticket Information
The show will be in Memorial Student Center Room 201 Feb. 5-7. Tickets are available at the MSC box office for $10. All proceeds benefit the sexual assault resource center.
Published on Thursday, February 5, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Voices of the Pro-Choice Movement...
Three weeks from today the anti-choice movement will hold protest in 125 cities in 44 states around the nation. This will not go unanswered. Through counter protest, through volunteer client escorting, and through the collective voices of the pro-choice movement we will not allow the anti-choice voices to dominate the discussion.
The Coalition for “Life” will be holding a fundraising event on February 19th at the Brazos Valley Exposition Complex; former Arkansas Governor, presidential candidate, and current Fox News contributor Mike Huckabee will be the keynote speaker.
Everyone who is pro-choice in Bryan-College Station should show their support for a woman’s right to choose and protest outside the Expo Complex. There will be more information about protesting this event in the coming week.
The 40 Days for “Life” protest begins nation-wide on Wednesday, February 25th; there will be a counter protest and there will be more information about the counter protest as the date nears.
“Be the change you want to see in the world.”
-Mohandas Gandhi
For more information on the pro-choice movement visit 40 Days for Choice, or join 40 Days for Choice on Facebook.
The Coalition for “Life” will be holding a fundraising event on February 19th at the Brazos Valley Exposition Complex; former Arkansas Governor, presidential candidate, and current Fox News contributor Mike Huckabee will be the keynote speaker.
Everyone who is pro-choice in Bryan-College Station should show their support for a woman’s right to choose and protest outside the Expo Complex. There will be more information about protesting this event in the coming week.
The 40 Days for “Life” protest begins nation-wide on Wednesday, February 25th; there will be a counter protest and there will be more information about the counter protest as the date nears.
“Be the change you want to see in the world.”
-Mohandas Gandhi
For more information on the pro-choice movement visit 40 Days for Choice, or join 40 Days for Choice on Facebook.
Local News: Feminism, Raunch Culture Spark Discourse
Feminism, Raunch Culture Spark Discourse
By: Matt Woolbright
From the Texas A&M University Battalion
The topics of feminism and raunch culture were featured Tuesday as part of Texas A&M's Social Justice Week. The event focused on the rising trends of openness, marketability and offensiveness of the sexual human, particularly the effect it has on women.
"I hope [the event] gets students to think about how we consume images, how we consume behaviors and what it does to us as individuals and to us as a society and culture, and be able to be more culturally literate of these issues," said speaker Theresa Survillion, diversity education specialist for the multicultural services. "This is the reality of our generation, so it's time that we talked about it and address these issues."
Some professors have offered extra credit for students who attend the week's events. Such is the case for Peter Munnerlyn, junior international studies major, and his African studies 302 classmates.
"[The extra credit] was the initial reason [I came,] but I really liked how [Amy Roloff] opened up many eyes to how people struggle with disability, but they still live an everyday life. So I decided to come here tonight and see another aspect," Munnerlyn said.
The fact that raunch culture is reaching lower into the age bracket, displaying lack of maturity were all raised by the speaker.
"These issues aren't going to go away, so we have to be able to navigate and think about these things in a different way to process it and change them in the future," Survillion said.
Much of the talk centered on the debate of how the media causes raunch culture.
Steven Orji, a sophomore industrial engineering major, thought the topic was well covered, and agrees that there really is not a singular answer to the central question.
"I thought it was a great way to show people what they see every day in a deeper context," he said. "I really appreciate them for putting this on and helping people realize that this is a common thing in our society for young people."
Orji said blame could be placed on the media, but also on consumers because they ultimately choose to support and buy from the companies that advertise with raunch culture.
The crowd seemed optimistic about the manner in which the topic was presented and many talked about attending other events throughout the week.
"After it was all over, I talked with a few of the guys and really liked discussing these topics with them, so I think we're gonna go to some of the other talks together," said David Joya, freshman general studies major.
The leadership and service center in the Department of Student Activities is in charge of Social Justice Week. The center planned an event promoting social justice awareness for each day of the week.
"The goal was to just find a variety of events that would resonate with different people because if the same crowd came each time, we're not reaching as many as we could," said graduate student and Social Justice Week official Ruthi Burns. "By having different topics, hopefully we're reaching different parts of the community here on campus."
Remaining events for the week will include a lecture and discussion on "White Students and Backstage Racism" at 7 p.m. Wednesday in MSC 206, a movie showing and discussion on "The Great Debaters" at 4 p.m. Thursday in Koldus 144 and a hunger banquet and free lunch on "Classism" at 12:30 p.m. Friday at Sbisa.
Published on Wednesday, February 04, 2009
By: Matt Woolbright
From the Texas A&M University Battalion
The topics of feminism and raunch culture were featured Tuesday as part of Texas A&M's Social Justice Week. The event focused on the rising trends of openness, marketability and offensiveness of the sexual human, particularly the effect it has on women.
"I hope [the event] gets students to think about how we consume images, how we consume behaviors and what it does to us as individuals and to us as a society and culture, and be able to be more culturally literate of these issues," said speaker Theresa Survillion, diversity education specialist for the multicultural services. "This is the reality of our generation, so it's time that we talked about it and address these issues."
Some professors have offered extra credit for students who attend the week's events. Such is the case for Peter Munnerlyn, junior international studies major, and his African studies 302 classmates.
"[The extra credit] was the initial reason [I came,] but I really liked how [Amy Roloff] opened up many eyes to how people struggle with disability, but they still live an everyday life. So I decided to come here tonight and see another aspect," Munnerlyn said.
The fact that raunch culture is reaching lower into the age bracket, displaying lack of maturity were all raised by the speaker.
"These issues aren't going to go away, so we have to be able to navigate and think about these things in a different way to process it and change them in the future," Survillion said.
Much of the talk centered on the debate of how the media causes raunch culture.
Steven Orji, a sophomore industrial engineering major, thought the topic was well covered, and agrees that there really is not a singular answer to the central question.
"I thought it was a great way to show people what they see every day in a deeper context," he said. "I really appreciate them for putting this on and helping people realize that this is a common thing in our society for young people."
Orji said blame could be placed on the media, but also on consumers because they ultimately choose to support and buy from the companies that advertise with raunch culture.
The crowd seemed optimistic about the manner in which the topic was presented and many talked about attending other events throughout the week.
"After it was all over, I talked with a few of the guys and really liked discussing these topics with them, so I think we're gonna go to some of the other talks together," said David Joya, freshman general studies major.
The leadership and service center in the Department of Student Activities is in charge of Social Justice Week. The center planned an event promoting social justice awareness for each day of the week.
"The goal was to just find a variety of events that would resonate with different people because if the same crowd came each time, we're not reaching as many as we could," said graduate student and Social Justice Week official Ruthi Burns. "By having different topics, hopefully we're reaching different parts of the community here on campus."
Remaining events for the week will include a lecture and discussion on "White Students and Backstage Racism" at 7 p.m. Wednesday in MSC 206, a movie showing and discussion on "The Great Debaters" at 4 p.m. Thursday in Koldus 144 and a hunger banquet and free lunch on "Classism" at 12:30 p.m. Friday at Sbisa.
Published on Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Texas Legislative Watch: Limiting Choice to Limit Unintended Pregnancies
Today the Representatives from the Texas House of Representatives released a press release that promotes a bill to “prevent teen and unintended pregnancies” with no hope of actually preventing teen and unintended pregnancies.
Press Release from the Texas House of Representatives:
VILLARREAL AND VAN DE PUTTE TEAM UP TO PREVENT TEEN AND UNINTENDED PREGNANCIES
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
(SAN ANTONIO, TX) -- Representative Mike Villarreal (San Antonio) and Senator Leticia Van de Putte (San Antonio) jointly filed legislation aimed at reducing the teen birth rate in Bexar County and across Texas. According to the Centers for Disease Control, Texas has the third highest teen birth rate in the nation, with 63 births for every 1,000 female teens ages 15-19. This is more than 50 percent higher than the national average.
"This is one list where being near the top is not good for Texas; the teen birth rate in this state is shameful. We cannot shy away from addressing this difficult topic and implementing policies aimed at combating these disturbing statistics," said Van de Putte.
SB 592 and HB 891 would allow 16 and 17 year-olds who have already had one child to have access to family planning counseling and services, except related to abortion or emergency contraception.
SB 593 and HB 893 expand CHIP to provide comprehensive family planning services, except related to abortion or emergency contraception, to teens ages 16 and 17 years who have at least one child.
In addition to the rising number of teen pregnancies, more than 45% of Texas births result from unplanned pregnancies, with 58% of those births among uninsured women.
SB 594 and HB 892 are designed to increase the effectiveness of the Women's Health Program (WHP) by ensuring a smooth transition for women who have given birth through the Medicaid program into the WHP without a gap in services.
"A healthy pregnancy and baby start with a healthy mother. When mothers have access to family planning counseling and services, they are better prepared to raise healthy families. Our state's first priority must be to help our mom's plan healthy pregnancies," said Villarreal.
Expanding access to health care is important and a noble idea; lowering the teen birthrate and unintended pregnancies are important goals. However, you cannot just provide health care without providing reproductive health care including access to abortion and emergency contraception.
Senator Van de Putte said in the press release, “We cannot shy away from addressing this difficult topic and implementing policies aimed at combating these disturbing statistics.” An essential part of implementing policies aimed at combating those disturbing statistics would be to improve access to reproductive health care, including abortion and emergency contraception.
Representative Mike Villarreal (D-123) and Senator Leticia Van de Putte (D-26) both have exemplary pro-choice records. Senator Van De Putte has received an average rating from NARAL Pro-Choice Texas of 86.75% and Representative Villarreal has received an average rating of 96.75%. The same organization has promoted common sense solutions to prevent unintended pregnancies, and reducing the need for abortion without reducing access to abortion.
The values of freedom and personal responsibility are the basis of our Prevention First initiative. Through Prevention First, NARAL Pro-Choice America and our network of state affiliates are promoting the following commonsense policies to prevent unintended pregnancy and reduce the need for abortion:
Insurance coverage for birth control
Family-planning services
Stopping pharmacists from refusing to fill birth control prescriptions
Improving access to the "morning-after" pill (also called emergency contraception)
Honest, comprehensive, age-appropriate sex education
Teen-pregnancy prevention
Preventing teen and unintended pregnancy begins with education, and Senator Van de Putte is the co-author of a bill filled by Senator Rodney Ellis (D-13) which would introduce comprehensive and age appropriate sex education into Texas public schools. SB 515 would “present medically accurate and age-appropriate information” and no longer focus on an abstinence only sex education program.
Senator Van de Putte should focus on providing better comprehensive sex education and improving access to reproductive health care; pro-choice means that there always should be a choice, not just for those who can afford it.
Press Release from the Texas House of Representatives:
VILLARREAL AND VAN DE PUTTE TEAM UP TO PREVENT TEEN AND UNINTENDED PREGNANCIES
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
(SAN ANTONIO, TX) -- Representative Mike Villarreal (San Antonio) and Senator Leticia Van de Putte (San Antonio) jointly filed legislation aimed at reducing the teen birth rate in Bexar County and across Texas. According to the Centers for Disease Control, Texas has the third highest teen birth rate in the nation, with 63 births for every 1,000 female teens ages 15-19. This is more than 50 percent higher than the national average.
"This is one list where being near the top is not good for Texas; the teen birth rate in this state is shameful. We cannot shy away from addressing this difficult topic and implementing policies aimed at combating these disturbing statistics," said Van de Putte.
SB 592 and HB 891 would allow 16 and 17 year-olds who have already had one child to have access to family planning counseling and services, except related to abortion or emergency contraception.
SB 593 and HB 893 expand CHIP to provide comprehensive family planning services, except related to abortion or emergency contraception, to teens ages 16 and 17 years who have at least one child.
In addition to the rising number of teen pregnancies, more than 45% of Texas births result from unplanned pregnancies, with 58% of those births among uninsured women.
SB 594 and HB 892 are designed to increase the effectiveness of the Women's Health Program (WHP) by ensuring a smooth transition for women who have given birth through the Medicaid program into the WHP without a gap in services.
"A healthy pregnancy and baby start with a healthy mother. When mothers have access to family planning counseling and services, they are better prepared to raise healthy families. Our state's first priority must be to help our mom's plan healthy pregnancies," said Villarreal.
Expanding access to health care is important and a noble idea; lowering the teen birthrate and unintended pregnancies are important goals. However, you cannot just provide health care without providing reproductive health care including access to abortion and emergency contraception.
Senator Van de Putte said in the press release, “We cannot shy away from addressing this difficult topic and implementing policies aimed at combating these disturbing statistics.” An essential part of implementing policies aimed at combating those disturbing statistics would be to improve access to reproductive health care, including abortion and emergency contraception.
Representative Mike Villarreal (D-123) and Senator Leticia Van de Putte (D-26) both have exemplary pro-choice records. Senator Van De Putte has received an average rating from NARAL Pro-Choice Texas of 86.75% and Representative Villarreal has received an average rating of 96.75%. The same organization has promoted common sense solutions to prevent unintended pregnancies, and reducing the need for abortion without reducing access to abortion.
The values of freedom and personal responsibility are the basis of our Prevention First initiative. Through Prevention First, NARAL Pro-Choice America and our network of state affiliates are promoting the following commonsense policies to prevent unintended pregnancy and reduce the need for abortion:
Insurance coverage for birth control
Family-planning services
Stopping pharmacists from refusing to fill birth control prescriptions
Improving access to the "morning-after" pill (also called emergency contraception)
Honest, comprehensive, age-appropriate sex education
Teen-pregnancy prevention
Preventing teen and unintended pregnancy begins with education, and Senator Van de Putte is the co-author of a bill filled by Senator Rodney Ellis (D-13) which would introduce comprehensive and age appropriate sex education into Texas public schools. SB 515 would “present medically accurate and age-appropriate information” and no longer focus on an abstinence only sex education program.
Senator Van de Putte should focus on providing better comprehensive sex education and improving access to reproductive health care; pro-choice means that there always should be a choice, not just for those who can afford it.
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