A Sad Day for Education in Texas

              Education in Texas has faced some turmoil in recent years and, as a college student, I feel that I must pay close attention to this issue.  State lawmakers have slashed funding from education yearly at great cost to local public schools and to the students who attend these schools.  Last year many public schools were closed because we did not have the funding to keep them open.  Rick Perry and Texas lawmakers refused to take money from the Texas Rainy Day Fund even though it could have saved hundreds of jobs for these teachers. “The Associated Press reported that up to 100,000 of the state's 330,000 teachers might lose their positions (Tan, Thanh).”

                Educating children is the future of our world.  We cannot afford to have children jammed into overcrowded classrooms to be taught by overworked teachers and expect good results for our future. Student to teacher ratios in the state of Texas are already high but now you are adding extra students to a class. This does not benefit these children in any way.  The teachers, who do well to make it around a normal sized class, will now have to struggle to find the time to actually teach their students.  In a state that regularly scores low in the national testing scores, it is a wonder that our lawmakers would approve such budget cuts.

                According to Nsenga Burton of “The Root” what is even more shameful is that Texas lawmakers, while agreeing to cut funding from public schools, have also agreed to “pay $25 million per year through 2022 to Formula One auto racing.”  This project is project to add 1,300 hundred temporary jobs to the Texas economy, which in no way offsets the more than 100,000 teachers scheduled to be laid off.  “A total of 100,000 teachers are being laid off while millions are invested in a sport enjoyed by extremely wealthy people (Burton, Nsenga).”

                Our legislature’s priorities are obviously misplaced as far as education in Texas is concerned. We cannot sellout future generations for the sake of entertainment.  In order to ensure the survival of our great state and country, education has to shift to one of our primary focuses.  Our children deserve better that the lot they have been given and I sincerely hope our lawmakers will consider them during the next legislative session.

What does the Keystone Pipeline mean for Texas?

       The Keystone Pipeline extension has been debated since its proposal in 2008.  As Many politicians argue that it would promote job growth and boost the economy while others, including environmental scientist, argue that it would desecrate our natural resources and pollute “vital water sources” (Dave Montgomery).  In order to make an educated decision on any topic one must examine all of the facts so I started with job growth.

            Would the Keystone Pipeline actually promote job growth?  Well, initially the answer is yes but once the pipeline is built, these jobs will disappear.  This, paired with the fact that they want to build the pipeline so quickly, ignoring the environmental impact, means that these jobs would not be sustained for a long period leaving us much in the same situation we are currently in.  “According to TransCanada’s own data ,  just 11% of the construction jobs on the Keystone I pipeline in South Dakota were filled by South Dakotans–most of them for temporary, low-paying manual labor (Tar Sands Action).”

            Another argument for the Keystone Pipeline is that it would reduce America’s independence on foreign oil.  In all reality, the oil that comes through the pipeline from Canada is slated to be sold in the foreign oil market. In some areas like the Midwest this could actually raise the price of gasoline. “Canadian companies backing the Keystone XL…. actually expect it to supply more lucrative Gulf Coast export  markets as well as raise Midwest oil prices by reducing “oversupply” in that region”(Clayton, Mark).  The president of TransCanada, Alex Pourbaix,  was asked by Democratic senator Ed Marky if TransCanada would consider selling only to the United States “so that this country realizes all of the energy security benefits your company and others have promised.”  Mr. Pourbaix said he would not. There is also evidence that the Keystone Pipeline would not significantly increase the amount of oil transported to the United States from Canada.

            The environment is also an important part of this debate.  Not only will the pipeline have a negative impact in many fragile eco systems, such as the Nebraska Sandhills, the Missouri and Niobrara Rivers and the Ogallala aquifer as it is being built but greenhouse gases emit by the refining process are also considered harmful(Tar Sands Action).

            This Pipeline is dangerous to our economy and our environment.  The way land is being taken through Imminent domain to use for the pipeline also makes it dangerous to our freedom.  In his article Texas becomes a battleground in Keystone XL pipeline controversy, Dave Montgomery does a good job of presenting facts and opinions from both sides of the argument.  I believe this article was written for people seeking honest information given from both sides.  While I personally believe that promises of job and economic growth are grossly overstated and that the pipeline will damage our environment, I appreciate that the author took no personal liberties of his own and tried to provide an unbiased report.