Hmm...non-tax revenue?

I came across a post titled “ Your money now belongs to the state, but don’t worry- it’s not a tax”. The title caught my attention being that it has something to do with my money. Harold Cook states that a subcommittee will take a look at “non-tax revenue” to help balance the budget. I had no idea what non-tax revenue was until he defines it. So, non- tax revenue as defined by Mr. Cook is money or other assets the state has stashed away in various places. Basically the state tells a little lie and creates a tax for a specific purpose. The public then pays the tax year after year, then the money being collected grows in numbers and results in special funds. All this money that the citizens of Texas have paid over the years is now called “non-tax revenue”. Wow, so I would like to make the state of Texas pay me a tax for the purpose of being able to pay my kids college tuition and later just call it non-tax savings or whatever. So Mr. Cook actually agrees with what this subcommittee is set to do. Instead of cutting teachers from public schools or kicking grandma out of a nursing home, the state should just dip into the special funds. I agree with Mr. Cook, why not use the money we have already handed over and put it where it is most needed instead of just letting it sit there, laughing at us. I think that the author of this blog did a good job of making me understand a little more on how sneaky our state is. To read more check out Letters from Texas.

Turn drug money into tool used against cartels

In the article under the opinion section of the Austin American Stateman, titled, Turn drug money into tool used against cartels, gave interesting information on the money seized from narcotic traffickers. State Senator Steve Ogden mentioned a great idea on how to use the money seized towards paying for additional border security checkpoints. Steve McCraw, director of the Department of Public Safety states that $140 million has been seized since 2006 with most of it coming from vehicles bound for Mexico. Wow with all this money the government could really increase the number of seizures reducing narcotic trafficking along the border between Texas and Mexico. I think that the audience this article is geared towards is the Senate. I think that using the money that these cartels bring in is a great way to improve our border checkpoints and reduce the intimidation inflicted upon individuals by cartels in Mexico. As the unsigned author states, "An aggressive and accelerated effort to keep that cash from reaching the narcos in the first place would not only support the Mexican battle against them but also steer more money into state coffer". I think that Senator Odgen's idea is one to keep in mind and possibly follow through with. I don’t think we would really be loosing out on much but rather gaining a good source of income to place in areas needed for the state. The points made in the article are good enough to give it a shot at least in my opinion. To read more about article click on the highlighted text.

Eliminating abortion, 'moment that life begins'

Texas lawmakers are trying to pass what is known as the Bill Burch Act to eliminate abortion. The Act which was filed by state Representative Wayne Christian (R), specifies that human life begins at the moment the initial splitting of a human cell occurs during fertilization. If this is the case then we know that having an abortion at any stage during pregnancy is not allowed. This act is giving an unborn fetus the rights and protection that any other living person would recieve. The idea is to define an embryo as a living individual and to allow an abortion is the same as allowing a murder to happen. I absolutely agree with everything that the article has introduced in regards to abortion. An embryo does no magically develop on its own. Therefore the adults responsible for causing the embryo to develop should take full responsibility for their own actions and a fetus should not be eliminated by means of abortion. I found the article very interesting and if you would like to read more about it you should check it out.