Comment for Colleague

     I do agree with Mr. Nguyen in his post about Austin's population growth. It is true that as austin gets bigger, bussiness will some along with it. Apple is comming to austin and this is one good example of corporations comming to create more jobs. The population growth can be a great thing but also can hurt the city and cause problems like the ones Mr. Nguyen mentioned. I agree that something should be done about Austin's horrible traffic problem. Other means of transportation like by train or bus would ce a good idea to help reduce the traffic. Austin is talking about making the street lights longer to solve the problem. I think doing this will not work at all. It might just make alot rush-hour drivers more angry. I agree that austin also needs to do something about its water problem. The more the population the less water we have. We need to find ways to conserve water by recycling water and creating rules and regulations not to waste it. I am certian that in the future, Austin will become a big and environment friendly place.

Should the drinking age be lowered again?

     In 1984 Texas changed the alcohol drinking age limit from 21 to 18 and then raised back to 21 in 1986. So why the change? Texas raised the drinking age to cut federal highway funds. Many can argue that this act saved many lives, but who can decided what age you are able to take responsibilities of adulthood?

     Even though this may be coming from a person who is still underage to drink, I think the drinking age should be lowered to 18. Is it right for you to be able to join the military, put your life on the line to surve your country and still not to be able to have a right to drink? 18 should be the age where people are old enough to be accountable for their actions. At 18 you are old enough to vote, get married, make your own economic decisions, and even be prosecuted as an adult. This alone should be reason enough that Texas age of majority should be lowered. More reason is that enforcing this law is not helping to stop underage drinking. I am a college student and I know that underage drinking has become more concealed over the years. People tend to work around the Texas law anyway they can. I don't think it is right to hand every underage drinker a ticket. What is needed to be enforced is the abuse of drinking alcohol. At 18 you are considered to be an adult but yet still treated as a minor. I believe nomatter how old you are, you still should be responsisble for your actions. There is no mistake that drinking and driving kills, but people who drink and drive at the age 18 should be prosecuted the same way as if the person was 21. Texas drinking laws should be more focused on the abuse of alcohol rather than punishing underage drinkers.

Comment for Colleague

     Ms. Contreras brought up some great points when it comes to having your full divided attention on the road. I agree with what she wrote for the most part that texting and driving can be dangerous and deadly.

     Mobile devices are very popular in this modern time and we can all agree that they have lead to an increase of car crashes over the years.  Distracted driving is becoming a problem and I do agree that something should be done. This is comming from a person that has recently totaled his car and have had to face the consequences from becoming victim of a dreadful text message. This being said, I am fully aware of how dangerous and fatal it is to not have your full attention on the road. However, I do believe that technology has approved over the years and that there are better safe methods to using the cell phone while driving. Though texting and driving can be still very reckless, I don't think Texas should ban all use of mobile devices. I think that with the simple use of a bluetooth or handsfree headphone device, it will eliminate any reason for anyone to look down at their phone to become destracted. I'm not saying that everyone is great at multitasking, but talking and driving is less dangerous than texting while driving.

     Banning texting should be done in Texas and not just in school zones. Texas should also require the use of a hands-free device when using cell  phones. This I'm sure would reduce accidents and fatal crashes due to distracted driving. Overall I do agree with Ms. Contreras that everyone is responsible for being aware of their surroundings, and that Texas should do something to prevent distracted driving.

Speed Limit Changes Aren't So Bad

   You may have already noticed that speed limit signs have increased in not only Austin but all of Texas.  This is because of the of a recent bill that was passed by the Texas Legislature and Gov. Rick Perry. This bill allows the TxDOT to authorize speeds of up to 85 mph on some Texas highways. Currently each state has the power to regulate its own speed limits. Texas has already changed its law for no longer having separate speed limits for day and night, now they are slowly increasing its speed limits. Nobody knows if these changes will increase or decrease car accidentes on the highway but these changes can't be all bad.

   Some people may arguge that speed certainly kills, but I argue that time is money. Yes certaintly the faster you go the slower reaction time you have therefore the longer it takes for you to stop. I think you should most likely should worry about a car going 20 miles under the speed limit then a car going 5 miles over it. There are many safety concerns for raising the speed limit but why are they continuing to rise? Texas is one of the largest states and has the most roads with 520 miles of interstate highway. Most of these highways are wide and long. 85mph is dangerous but not so life threatening when your the only car on the road and you have over 10 miles in visibility. I think Texas is just trying to make it easier on motorists to get to there destination faster.


   As for raising the speed limit in crowded citys, I think it could help reduce traffic. According to an artical in the austin american statesmen, Austin currently has the third worst traffic in the United States. If Texas contine to raise its speed limits, then people could get to there destination faster and there would be fewer motorist on the road. This will slow down congestion time so it would take longer for traffic to build up.

   Among helping move along traffic, it could possibly decrease the number of tickets given out each year. Comming from a person who is currently paying off a speeding ticket, there is no way that some highways should be 60mph when there is no traffic on the road. I think Texas should continue to raise its speed limits appropriately. It could help reduce time, traffic, and fines which I'm sure could all save us money.

Price tag of a criminal

No one looks at the price tag of a criminal. I came across an editorial in the Austin American Statesmen that stated how much it cost to incarcerate a person. The author believes that due to either age or the harsh lifestyle that most inmates live, Texas is spending way too much on heathcare. Texas Tech and the University of Texas helps provide healthcare systems but they both argue that the cost is too high. To help lessen the load, the Texas prison board made a $46 million agreement with Huntsville Memorial Hospital to help aid some of the inmates. Texas spends on avarage $400 million dollors a year to care for inmates. The author stated that a third of these cost are coming from older inmates above the age of 60. He acknowledges that these statistics are true but he also believes that "No rational person would argue that poor lifestyle choices, illness or age should be a ticket out of prison for dangerous offenders, but neither would a rational person ignore the responsibilities the state assumes when it incarcerates someone." I believe that this is true because every person should be entittled to good heath and atleast 3 meals a day nomatter what crime they may have committed. It is inhuman to make someone starve or suffer from an illness because "they deserve it"? We might pay taxes to take care of these inmates, but I would rather pay a few dollars then to have a serial killer living next to me. I do hope that this action will succeed and be recognized as a both logical and wise decision.

A Limited Supply of Water

Texas has been on the edge of a drought for the past two years. Are we running out of water? I came across an artical in the Austin American Statesman on February 13. 2012. This artical stresses the importance of balancing the Texas hydrological cycle. Durring the during University of Texas forum, water specialists analyzed that the current drought in Texas has greatly effected Power generation, drinking water availability, agriculture, reservoirs and aquifers. The state reservoirs are going to be under the most strain because of the drought. Researchers hope that the drought's impact on water supply would get representatives from all water-related specialties to meet and address the issue together. Specialist feel that rivers and aquifers are connected so they should be addressed as a whole.  Rainfall over the past few months has helped parts of Texas escape the drought but the state is greatly in need of further research and technology to better plan for then next drought.