Minor Tweaks

Why do you pander to me if my vote means nothing out of Texas? We choose our council men, our district attorneys, our judges, our town sheriffs, even the Representative, Senators, and even the Governor! Presidential victories are not won by popular vote though; they are won by electoral vote. Why vote than? Why even pander to fellow voters? Why should President Obama be making speeches in front of crowds when it is a known fact that the popular vote does not matter? (And if you didn’t know, well now you do)

It’s simple. Americans have power, our power is slow, but we have it nonetheless. From archives.gov “Is my vote for President and Vice President meaningful in the Electoral College system?” the answer “…Yes, within your state, your vote has a great deal of significance….We select electors, who pledge their electoral vote to a specific candidate.” Basically a republican or democratic elector will vote for their perspective party ticket. Now with that in mind there are, what are called, faithless electors. These people choose for whatever reason chooses to not vote for the person they pledged to vote for. They usually don’t last next election. This is how we the people have power. We choose the electors, when they don’t vote our way, we can remove them from office. That is easier said than done. Removing a person from office requires us, Americans, to get out and follow up on our promise. I voted for Senator X, who then voted for President A, after he pledged a vote to President B. Next election, Senator X, has to be removed. Here is the problem though; I could not find any results on how our elected Representatives and Senators voted.

There are many citizens who believe their vote does not matter. It really does though, but there needs to be a clear list on who voted for whom in the Electoral College. With this list it makes it easier to decide which candidates to keep or remove. The list can be released January 1 of the following year after the Presidential Election. Citizens deserve to know which way their elected officials voted in Presidential Elections. We need to be able to put in candidates that will serve the people best. To do so we also need information on how each candidate voted so we the people can make better decisions. Information will not be enough we also need to act. I voted for Senator X, because I knew he would vote for President B. Well he didn’t and now I need to make good and try to remove him with the help of other people who were duped.

This is how the system works people. It takes a very long time. It is a very slow process. But it is the only process we have. It only works when we stand up and do something about it. For those calling for a new voting process, realize that the Electoral College will never go away. Instead of completely changing let’s ask for a minor tweak.

Indeed Voting ID laws are long overdue

(Orginal Blog Post found Here Haley Callaway)

Thank you Ms. (Mrs? Miss?) Callaway for also saying what I believe. When citizens go out to vote they should carry there identification. I remember the first time I went to vote in 2008, I was so eager to vote that I carried both social security card, Texas ID, Voter Registration card and I had my father bring a utility bill to also prove we lived in Travis County. I did not want to be told I could not vote because of insufficient identification.  In 2010 when it was time to elect state Governor, I again carried my SS card, Texas ID, voter registration card, and school ID. For me I bring extra identification just in case. I do not see the argument to NOT have an ID. It is not that big of a deal to be asked to carry extra identification other than the voter registration card in order to vote. Any citizen driving to the voting booths already carries a driver’s license, which is, extra identification. No one is trying to turn away people at the voting booths because of their race, sex, or religion.

On the flip side there is an agreement that citizens should not have to carry extra ID because the State of Texas says the voter registration card is sufficient enough. This argument I’ve heard comes mostly from my parents. When they (my parents) go into cash a paycheck the Banks requite a photo ID. That is there standard. For years, apparently, the standard at the voting booths was only a voter registration card here in Texas. Texas now wants to change this and require an actual photo ID. You and I don’t see the big deal. And I barely see the case my parents have. This law is not requiring anything abnormal. However I believe my parents think this may be the first of many changes. If a photo ID is required, than what’s next, a SS card? After that, what, a birth certificate? Today you ask for a photo ID, tomorrow, what is going to be asked in order to vote. I believe this snowball effect argument is a miniscule probability of coming true but I would not put it past the government to think this was a great idea.

Overall I’m stands on the same side of this issue I do. Voters should carry and provide extra identification at the voting booths if they are asked to

Rated "M" for Mature

(My issue that I bring today is violence in video games. Before we begin it should be noted that my issue does not receive much press time. In addition the only press time it gets is never truly balanced. Proponents against my issue will bring up violence in video game is hiding behind the first amendment. While the first amendment does protect violence in video game I will not be using it as my arguing point. Instead I will give you the other side of the story. The side of the gamer. Too many times have, what I believe, bad parents or helicopter parents used video games to blame how people act aggressively. And with that let’s begin!)

           

Around 1994 the video game industry pressured from Government gave birth to the ESRB. The ESRB to put it simply is the equivalent of the MPAA for video games. Similar to the MPAA the ESRB has categories to rate games, but unlike the MPAA, the ESRB gives a letter rating, and an age range rating. For example Super Mario Galaxy received an “E” (everyone can play) with “Mild Cartoon Violence”. Final Fantasy XIII received a “T” (appropriate for anyone over the age of 13) with “mild language, suggestive themes, fantasy violence”.  And lastly Borderlands received an “M” (mature audiences, only those who are 17 and above can play) with “blood and gore, intense violence, mature humor, and strong language”. These ratings by the ESRB are not only detailed but also appear on the front of the box on video games. Some publishers like Capcom (makers of Resident Evil and Street Fighter) even go so far as to show the rating before the game loads up. All current consoles (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii) even have a parental lock that can be activated and if a mature game is placed in the console with the lock on a password is required to play the game. There are enough precautions TODAY taken by the video game industry to keep violent video games away from minors. For the state of California this precautions are still not good enough!

            

Earlier this year the Supreme Court heard a case (Brown vs EMA) on violence in video games. California signed into law that retailers should not sell violent video games to minors, to which the Supreme Court stated that denying access to the violent video games would violate the right to free speech. Like I said before I won’t be using the first amendment for my argument. What I will do is show how wrong California is. First, good for California for passing a law that bans the sale of violent video games to minors. Unnecessary and unfair it may be, why unnecessary? Well in addition to the first paragraph add this, GameStop and EB Games, themselves will not sell “M” rated games to minors. They will sell to parents or anyone older than 17 and yes they do ask for a license. What that parent does with the game after is not GameStop’s or EB Games’ fault. Unfair? Unfair in the sense that movies are more violent than video games and will be rated softer. Remember Final Fantasy XII’s rating and one of the actual categories it fell under? Now compare that to the reboot Transformers series. I own FF 13 and can say the mild language was added because of the word “damn”. Transformers on the other hand has language such as “*hit, pu**y, b*tch,” several occurrences of sexual innuendo, several sexual situations, and robot violence oh and this was PG-13! The Dark Knight featured an antagonist (The Joker) slam a man’s face on a sharp pencil. Let’s not forget the first scene in a bank robbery by the Joker in which his men killed each other or the end of the movie where Joker wants prisoners and innocent citizens to blow each other up! The absence of blood does not make the movie any less violent. FF 13 had violence but they too did not have blood and defeated enemies would dissolve. Yet video game violence is still treated as though it is worse than violence on TV or in movies because of the interaction between the product and the consumer.

            

When we sit down to look at a movie or television our interaction is minimal. When playing a video game more interaction is involved. Gamers take control of their virtual characters in their virtual worlds. And that is just it, it is virtual, it is not real. Yet prolonged hours may bring out aggressiveness in young adolescents. You know what else brings out aggressiveness in everyone, the fact humans are naturally aggressive. Even from a very early age (below 4 years) we know how to hit and kick. Being aggressive comes naturally. If playing violent video games makes minors aggressive than so does reading, watching tv and movies, or listening to music. Video games are a new form of entertainment (around since 1970’s) and like all new forms of entertainment they go through phases. Video games are now at the phase of being blamed all the time. Before video games, it was horror movies that caused young people to behave aggressively. Exposure to Halloween, or Friday the 13^th, Psycho, those caused teenagers to be aggressive. Before movies it was television causing young kids to act violently.  (Sorry I wasn’t alive when TV dominated so I have no clues about which TV shows were rumored to cause kids to behave violently. Most likely the old westerns. ) And before television, comic books were thought to make kids behave violently and also might entice kids to act homosexually. Yep, Freddic Wertham, a psychologist stated Batman comics may entice kids to behave homosexually. His campaign even got the attention of a Senator and the Government pressured the comic book industry to make the “Comic Code”.

            

All forms of entertainment will be brought to the courts for the public to decide if they cause our children to act abnormal. We should not take it to the courts to decide. Instead citizens should come together and figure out the truths of entertainment. There is no doubt that there is violence in video games. But does it cause more aggressiveness in children. Not even close! 

Immigration: You don’t have a heart!

I’ve read, and re-read Immigrationrhetoric disconnected from reality, and its counter article Amnesties reward law-breaking and have to say both are disappointing. If this is the best or popular editorial writers you have than USA Today needs to clean house starting with these two. My Primary article for discussion for this week is the first article, Immigration rhetoric disconnected from reality, in which the unknown author writes about more about defending Gov. Perry than actual illegal immigration.  The article first starts off as Gov. Perry knowing what “real-world immigration” issues are, because Texas shares a border with Mexico. Our unknown author states “Perry… runs a state with a 1,200-mile border with Mexico… he has to wrestle with real-world immigration issues, so when he says building a fence along the entire border is a dumb idea, it's worth listening” than uses this to jump to an issue, of rather illegal immigrants should pay “in-state” or “out-of-state” tuition.  Illegal Immigration is a hot button topic in this country and what better time to discuss it than now. Aside from defending our Governor, let’s look at what is reported here. On the subject of the border-fence this opinion piece says “focus heavily on areas where crossers actually go” an idea I can get behind if a fence is what our State wants. Why spend money on areas where there are no crossings? A fence where heavy traffic of immigrants enter the US makes more sense. On to the second point, this brings up college tuition. Should immigrants pay in-state tuition? Gov. Perry would like for illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition if they make it to higher education levels. Even the unknown author states “Texas, and the nation, are better off if they're educated and productive members of society.” I do agree that educated citizens would leave this nation better off. As for in-state tuition, for immigrants, I’m against. Purely from the standpoint that Gov. Perry, to me, assumes that Texas Universities are the place to be. UT Austin charges $30,000 for out-of-state and $8000 for in-state tuition. My former school, Concordia, charges both in-state and out-of-state near $20,000. My friend Ashleigh, who attends Baylor, is charged, $28,000, the same as out-of-state tuition. Another friend of mine, Marcos, attends Texas State, his tuition is $6000, half of out-of-state tuition. Basically in-state tuition, only effects those who attend public universities, for private universities, tuition is nearly the same.  I know I live in Austin, but Austin, you need to realize that UT is not the only University in town, you just happen to be the biggest. For immigrants wanting to attend a private university this issue of tuition becomes a non-factor. Furthermore taken from Hispanic Magazine.com, the number one school for Hispanics was Princeton University. From Hispanic Outlook.com the number one university was, Florida International University.(I'm aware that Outlook cited Texas schools are schools for Hispanics) With that information in-State tuition for immigrants, illegal or legal, is not relevant on the basis that Texas Schools are the only schools Hispanics attend. 

*College Tuition Here (In the search bar type in a university, click the tab under "Cost")

America is not broken; its voters are just stupid

Read the title of this blog post or this CNN article (Stupid Voters enable broken Government) and I hope you can assume what this is all about. Yes, I’m a dumb voter, so are you, and that guy over there across the room. According to LZ Granderson voters are dumb. Americans like Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann, Donald Trump, and Newt Gingrich are allowed into the political arena only because we as voters will always fall for their simple minded rhetoric. Initially the title of the article caught my eye, but as I read his opinion, and watched his CNN interview I got to thinking, am I a dumb voter? 2008 was my first time and I remember around eighty-five percent of my high school classmates were praising, than, Senator Obama. We wanted him to win, our teachers never said a word, another ten percent wished they were old enough to vote and the remaining five percent of high school kids wanted McCain to win. After reading this I recall never knowing why I voted for Barack Obama, all I can remember is his slogan “Yes we can!”, I remember Will.I.Am of Black-eyed-Peas fame turning that slogan into a song. I never read up on anything he stood for, never questioned his reasoning, I was riding the Obama wave and never thought twice about it. For those of you who think you’re a dumb voter, give this a read, first watch the interview, then read the article, after come back here and let me know what you think in the comments section down below. Can’t wait to hear from you. 

Quick Test Blog

Was it just me or was anyone else having problems. I first clicked on the link provided by Pro. Scott and Google replied back with page that said "Google will NOT ALLOW your e-mail id '@g.asutincc.edu' to access or use blogger." I used my regular gmail to gain access and again "Google will NOT ALLOW your e-mail '@gmail.com" access or use blogger". After threatening my computer with a magnet I was allowed access. However when I went to edit my profile I received a "br-x..." error. (Sorry I don't remember all the numbers associated with the error) Was it just my computer or is anyone else seeing or having these problems?