Response to Now in Texas

After reading the classmate’s viewpoint, I feel that the government should fully support AVID program which will benefit all students with difficulties on their studies especially minorities.

The program supports 5 to 12 grades students, it is important for students at those ages to get some academic supports. If they lose interests on studies or depressed to learn, they would have great chances to drop out of schools. Once they drop out, they would have slightly chance to get higher education. In the end, they may not find better well paid jobs and cause economic burden to their families. Also, it would cause social problems and increase crime rate. If Texas government wants to eliminate the big gap between rich and poor people, it should take action to have AVID program available for all Texas high schools.

When I came to the U.S, I had the language problem and had hard time on studies in community college. Fortunately, the school offers tutoring program which have tutors available for different subjects and it offers flexible schedule for all students. Additionally, those tutors are free of charge and very helpful for my studies. I cannot imagine what would happen if there is no such a program. So, I greatly support AVID, I believe that there are many kids especially immigrants who have language issue and want to learn, but they cannot afford high tutoring fees and get depressed to their studies. They worry about their future just because they are not taken care of by the government. Minorities who from poor and unsupported families deserve to have good education; it is the time to make their dreams come true.

Now in Texas: AVID, one step closer to college dreams

B-On-Time Project

Following the increasing tuition, student loans became popular and essential in Texas. Some students need to work to cover expenses while they study at the same time. “B-On-Time” program was innovated and introduced in 2003 to relieve students’ economic burden. It is free interest and forgivable if students graduate in four years with a B average which is a great solution for both students and government. For students, this program can encourage them to succeed in their education and relieve economic stress at the same time. For government, “B-On-Time” program can allow students graduate faster to relieve the shortage space and resources at college or university.

However, in order to support this program, the government spent $ 49 million last year for 12,800 students and this year the government declared that they do not have enough budgets to cover so many students. Thus, they cut $ 8 million of the budget this year which can only support 9,900 students in the state not included new students. The number of money that government needs to spend on this project is variable each year which I believe government funding should be fixed and universities should find some alternative ways to recover those amounts such as scholarships or other loans. But, there is no other loans that have better benefits than “B-On-Time” which offers no interest and forgivable.

I think “B-On-Time” program has its benefits that cannot be replaced. It forces students to work hard to get through school and take seriously on studies. They make such great efforts in four years, they should get some awards. Also, it is good for schools, too. It can keep schools rating high and encourage students to study harder. On the other hand, it may has the drawback which is students may do whatever it takes to get higher grades. They may cheat in exams or take the shortcut to have better grades result instead of learning something down to earth. But, in general, the program can bring most benefits to students.

High tuition fees and high interest rate on loans bring more concerns to students in recent years when they choose a college or university to study. They do not want to pay huge debts when they graduate. So, it is essential for government and schools to find some ways to relieve their stress. I believe “B-On-Time” program can solve students’ financial problems and cannot be eliminated. Government should maximum its budget to finance students and schools should get more scholarships and funds for students who achieve better academic results.

Will Illegal Immigrants Benefit the State?

Immigration is a big issue in Texas. Due to the geography of Texas which makes illegal immigrants can access to Texas easily. Nowadays, there are an estimated 1.4 million illegal immigrants live in Texas. They hold American dreams to take the dangerous risks and encounter the hardships in their lives.


Illegal immigrants have some advantages and drawbacks to Texas. They may benefit our economy, for example, they hold some jobs which take a lot of hard works as labors which is good for the state GOP. But, the illegal immigrants may have some disadvantages to us, such as they may use governmental resources, insurances, benefits and job opportunities from Texas citizens. Also, most of them are low income workers; they may cause social problems, such as crimes. On the other hand, illegal immigrants would unbalance Texas populations; the idea of the children born to illegal immigrants in the U.S is automatically U.S. citizens. Can you imagine what would happen decades later? Would half of Texans are Hispanic-Americans?


I think Texas government should think of better solutions to decrease the numbers of illegal immigrants. There are some ways that I believe can reduce the population. For example, driver’s license bill should be vetoed by the government, this way can make polices to catch illegal immigrants easier. Also, the government should restrict illegal immigrants' access to health services and education. By this way, they would find out that life is too difficult for them to survive and consider going back to their countries. Moreover, all the citizenship should get occupational permits for legal working including food handlers' permits. These methods can efficiently avoid illegal immigrants coming to the U.S. But, Governor Perry do not want to provoke immigration issues, he would rather to keep with his middle-of-the-road approach. I think if he really takes immigration issues seriously and wants to control the problems, he should start taking some actions.


Fact: An estimated 1.4 million illegal immigrants live in Texas.



The article is from following link. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stories

Increase Penalties for Drunken Drivers

Since 2002, there are nine law enforcement officers have been killed by drunken drivers. The widows of the dead officers enforce the law to enhance penalties for drunken drivers, for example extend the years of penalties in jail. If the drunken drivers killed first responders, they may serve in prison for the rest of their lives. Governor Perry signed the Medlin-Freeto Act to make people take this issue seriously and avoid drinking and driving. The drunken drivers not only kill people, but destroy the whole families. It is necessary to let violators take more responsibility for their misbehavior.


Article Link:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stories