Blog Stage 7: The (Education) Plot Thickens

Over recent weeks, I have been following Texas Senate Bill Three, which, if you recall, proposed to create a Student Savings Account that would be generated from our taxes to provide coverage for expenses for parents wanting to place their children in private or religious schools. 

As stated previously as well, I discussed the major concerns for the passing of this bill - how it would only benefit the wealthy in covering expenses for private school, and how the money provided wouldn't even come close to covering the entire cost of putting one's child through private schooling. 

Yet, as of March 30, 2017 (if you would like, you can track the progress of SB3 here), the proposed Bill was passed in the Senate and has now moved on to be voted on in the House of Representatives. However, in between that time going through the senate, there has been some reworking of the bill to make it more favorable to everyone. Following along with the article "Private school choice bill likely to get makeover on the Senate floor" by Aliyya Swaby from the Texas Tribune, the bill has been considered for changes that make it much different than when it was originally proposed.

One of the major changes to SB3 is that it would provide businesses with a 'Tax Credit Scholarship Program' - which lets business 'credit their insurance premium taxes in exchange for donations to approved scholarship organizations'.  Along with that, these revisions also seem to exclude rural Texas districts and have constrained the bills to make it less universal, restricting the number of people who can use it. For example, a family of three who makes $75,000 a year would be ineligible to participate. 

The new version of this bill would also require that 75% of the funding be used to pay exclusively for tuition for the private school, while the remainder would be used for other education expenses. 

Now, while I am overall still opposed to this bill, I do believe that these revisions are a step in the proper direction to making it a bill that is fair for all students. Firstly, I do appreciate the specifications that were added to this bill that would state specifically how much of the money would be used for what - rather than seeing it as a large sum that is vaguely labeled "Education Expenses". 

Lastly, but most importantly, I believe that the restriction on those who are allowed access to these Education Savings account is a vital component to this bill - No longer does it make it available to everyone - in this case, those who are are more privileged and wealthy, who by no means struggle with paying a private school tuition - rather, it places a set income that cannot be exceeded if they wish to be a part of this program, which allows lower class families to benefit more from this bill. 

Overall, SB3 may not be completely ideal, but from the looks of it, it sure seems to be shaping up to being that way. Yet, to truly know if this bill will become a beneficial one to those who need it most - only time will tell. 

Blog Stage 6 - Commentary on the Ban on Single-Use Bags

Every year, on average, the United States goes through about 100 billion plastic shopping bags. Between America and Europe, we use up about 80% of the world total of plastic bags produced every year, which estimates to around 4 to 5 trillion. This commentary article, "Why Austin  Should Repeal Its Ban on Single-Use Bags", argues for a repeal of this ban, claiming it is not as beneficial as most would believe - I am here to argue that it is very much useful.

First, while personal experience is always valid to an extent, the problem of favoring plastic bags over reusable bags simply because of forgetfulness seems to be an irrelevant argument - especially when you do consider that this law was implemented four years ago. Rather than to see these reusable totes as a way for businesses to overprice their reusable bags, it should be seen as an attempt to stop using plastic bags that are threatening to the environment, especially with how easily they can be discarded without a second thought. 

It takes about 1000 years for plastic to break down naturally in compounds - so even if they decay in the body of one animal, it will only continue to enter the environment. Not only that but in the ocean, plastic bags act as a sponge, absorbing and holding toxins in them, making them lethal to marine life. Over 100,000 marine animals are killed each year because of plastic bags. 

While plastic bags are inherently more convenient than reusable totes (to some), the reality is that it seems like a small price to have to know that you are helping the environment rather than getting plastic bags that offer no environmental benefit.