Blog 8: Semester Finals and Stress Management Review

I agree with the blog: "Semester Finals and Stress Management",  written by Luis Ruelas. As college students, the amount of stress towards the last week of class is high. Many try to achieve many long hours of studying and cramming before the test date arrives. Some suggestions listed on the article such as taking breaks and having a place open later than 10 p.m., would benefit many having late night reviews. Including parents, those that work full-time and students that only study later during the day due to other circumstances in their life. I can personally relate to this article. There has been times during this semester that I think I only slept 3 or 4 hours before a test because of late night studying. The body feels drained the next day, that by the time the test is over you tend to crash or feel very low energy for other activities. Improving awareness and teaching students new ways to cope with this amount stress would be of great help!

Is a Bachelor of Science in Nursing enough?

For many students going to the healthcare field, it seems like the salaries are insufficient. Comparing the salaries for many careers and the amount of education required, makes obtaining a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN), almost a minimum option. I'm focusing in just the salaries here in Texas since this is closer to home. 

I remember when I started school, obtaining an Associate’s Degree in Nursing seemed as a very well paid job. Don't get me wrong, it definitely has a higher paid salary than other careers (it's still my current career goal).  The amount of time you spend in school though, wait lists, financial aid, loans and other administration concepts seems to be a higher burden for many students at this point of age. This limits the amount of students that could actually pursue this career. Many are unable to obtain the funds to even apply to the program due to various circumstances. Brings a question to mind: Will the amount paid in the job exceed the investments put into the career path?

According to BSN Salary in Texas, the salaries differ between cities and regions of Texas. One example that I came across was with South Texas. The average experienced Registered Nurse (RN), averages to $56,717. This is only after they have obtained an Associate’s Degree and have been in the field for a while. This moves to the next category of when these individuals become BSN- educated. The average according to their table is $67,975. 

In my perspective, these figures just show a pocket-sized increment after obtaining a BSN. Of course, the pay salaries will change according to place and position. The demographics of Texas is changing and the population as mentioned in our Texas State and Local Government class: "good ol' boys" is not the only population category that should benefit from higher paying jobs. Just because everything was handed over to them on a silver platter, this should not diminish the salary options for those not part of their "world" benefits. 

Blog Stage 6: The STAAR Test 

I have to agree with the topic discussed in The Lone Star Blog, written by Jennifer- one of my classmates. She mentioned issues of replacing a level exit test, formerly known as TAKS, with what is now known as STAAR. I remember when I was in high school, I took the TAKS test before graduation. Instead of learning any new material, we only covered study guides to pass this test. I understand the academic concern of wanting the graduating class to pass it. In the other hand, a simple test does not fully incorporate the capacity of a student. Many score poorly in tests but are excellent on hands on projects. Its a broad topic to analyze and write about the pros and cons of the issue. So the article was a good starting point on this ongoing education dilemma.

How Much Is Too Much Force

Citizens tend to put their trust in officers of the law. The state allows these individuals to take care of their community and provide safety. We feel secure when walking into a place surrounded by police members, thinking the right actions will be done if necessary. They are trained to defend the public and make sure laws are being obeyed. On the other hand, it’s the state giving too much power and decreasing the voice of the regular citizen?

A recent case broadcasted on the Fox 7 news explains the concern of a mother. This happened in San Antonio, Texas. There is a video posted on YouTube that shows the dishonorable actions of an officer, who with extreme force placed a 12-year-old girl down to the ground. The floor was cement and injuries could of have been possible. This could of cause the child to have lost her life, get a head concussion, or other mental illness.

It’s understandable when the officer is using their power to defend themselves and the victims. Sometimes older adults put the lives of these officers in danger and enforcement is applied as the only source possible. In opposition to those extreme scenarios, violence from these public officials can be prevented, in my opinion more than 60% of the time.

To be a simple argument from two middle school girls, the way the officer responded can just be seen as unnecessary brutal force towards a young child. Despite the fact, the mother has all the rights to be upset. Even if her daughter was not severely hurt, seeing her child unconscious and defenseless was disturbing. It’s an image that has no answers yet. I put myself in this mother’s shoes and realized that I would have made exactly the same choice. Parents have the right to request answers and justice for these alarming displays of excessive force and expect legal action to prevent future incidents like this to occur again. These concerns go worldwide.

The 2013 Global Corruption Barometer, published by Transparency International, reported that people worldwide have the perception that the five most corrupt institutions are political parties, the police, public officials, the legislature, and the judiciary. Is the government doing anything to prevent these issues that go unspoken? How much force is too much for these public officials? As citizens, our voice should matter. This could decrease many fatalities that go unreported around the country. 

Obamacare’s Tax-Time Torment

The published Texas Insider editorial, Obamacare’s Tax-Time Torment, defends the voice of many citizens dealing with taxing and new insurance policies. The conservative blogger, Michelle Malkin, defends the side of  “hard-working Americans” who are struggling to meet the “April 18 IRS filing deadline.” Throughout her article, Malkin interviews different citizens who are concerned with this issue and gives statements of local authorities, making her story credible.

Media has increased as a communication method. Twitter, even though informal, can lead to the findings of what people actually think about issues in their lives. An example she listed, was how one “poor citizen” lamented how they were trying to get their tax records in order. One common thread mentioned as the problem was the “bumbling Obama care bureaucracy.” No names were given to protect the identity of the witnesses. Malkin gives several examples that support her side of the story. 

For instance, in Minnesota, an estimated “18,000 people” that were switch to the new Obamacare health insurance policy have not “received their 1095-A form”. As for this backed up method, city officials, blame “technical difficulties” and as mentioned in her editorial, promised to send out more documents soon. Another example that makes a valid point, is how the “Aloha State” is currently “digging out the mess” of this new state exchange policy. Many taxpayers where affected, and after trying to figure out the quantity, the IRS told them they “have not been able to provide error rates for 2014.” It’s kind of intimidating and stressful to see the lack of organization and leadership to correct fundamental issues for each citizen regardless of where they live.

In this day and age, new databases and technology improvements should be by now implemented by the government to provide precise information to tax payers. As explained in this editorial, is not just the common human mistakes that can occur ,which are understandable, but of thousands of people being misinformed and waiting long periods of time to fix this issue. Malkin ends her editorial strongly by mentioning a quote of a small-business owner (a handy man). He mentioned “no one on the Hill cares about what people like us are thinking”. Making the reader think if "we"- the taxpayers- are actually being heard. 

Why Poverty Puts All Texans At Risk 

The editorial, Why poverty puts all Texans at risk, argues against the poverty effects to neighborhoods in Houston’s Fourth Ward. The journalist, as a part of The Dallas Morning News, claims that poverty is “the grim reality” affecting all of us –Texans. The poverty line low-income families have to face, in the writer’s point of view, has not been just about a “moral” issue, but a healthcare and educational cost matter. Not much support is given to the argument. Basically, the writer just states the footnotes of Dr. Seema Yasmin, another staff journalist of The Dallas Morning News. This makes the journalist lose some credibility since no effort was placed in researching the article titled Poverty could boost tropical diseases’ toll in Texas.

The writer neglects to include more factual statistics of the effects poverty has on the kids and families. Only a few examples are given such as the “38 percentage rate of Dallas children” living in poverty, making Dallas the “highest rate” in the nation. This is just a general statement. A case study closer to home would be a perfect attention grabber. The reader needs more specific ways explaining how the local government would decrease the poverty lines from its streets for the future generations, giving hope to families reading this article. Mentioning how “90 percent of the kids” are on “free or reduced” lunch plays a minor part of the argument for education. Another broadly generalized idea of how too much “processed food” causes “heart disease or diabetes” for these families unable to pay for higher quality food, just seems very blunt and uncalled for.  There were no supporting facts by a health professional or doctor to back up these claims.

Overall, I agree partially with the argument of how low- income families have to face a hard decision when it comes to their well-being. However, the writer was unable to keep the audience’s attention since no deeper research was done for this area of Houston. The editorial finishes with loose ends, by just giving a weak finish to the article: “The city has too much to lose to let these issues languish.”  Nothing to resolve the issue, just as if all the effects of poverty were being pushed aside and no one had a claim to resolve them anytime in the near future.  

Dallas School District Makes Recess Mandatory

On Friday, February 5, the Texas Monthly, published an article titled Dallas ISD Made Recess Mandatory, And Here’s Why That’s Important. It explained an approved policy for the Dallas Independent School District, requiring all students from prekindergarten to fifth grade to obtain mandatory recess. Rhea, the founder of the LiiNK (Let’s Inspire Innovation ‘N Kids) Project, investigated the multiple connections between a set recess time and academic achievement improvements. In her research, Rhea found multiple benefits for the kids that obtained this time off during the day. For example, in one of the studies, adding “four fifteen-minute recesses” during the day allowed the students to be “more focused" and  "have less behavioral problems". This article makes the reader think outside the box regarding small adjustments that can be made in our current school system’s requirements. Regardless if this policy goes into effect for other school districts, always finding ways to improve our current education policies should be a priority, especially since I am a college student. It is necessary to think about changes to improve education methods for the upcoming generations.