Live And Let Die

Fact: Texas has executed 405 criminals since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. On average, Texas executes around 60 criminals per year.
Fact: More executions have taken place in Texas than any other state in the entire country. The 3 states that follow Texas in the highest amount of death penalties to date are Virginia, Oklahoma, and Missouri. Together the 3 states still do not reach the number Texas has accumulated.
Fact: It is cheaper for a state to give the life sentence to a criminal than it is to execute them. The cost of a trial that ends in an execution is around $470,000, while the cost of a trial that is resolved with a life sentence is between $47,000 and $70,000.
So why do we still do it? Why is Texas so gung-ho about the death penalty? In one year alone Texas could save around $20,220,000 by issuing the life sentence over the death penalty. The death penalty is a barbaric method of justice. I believe that in some rare cases it is necessary, but it should be for only the most heinous of crimes. We as Texans should stop seeing the death penalty as the highest form of punishment. I think living out the rest of my life in a small cell surrounded by other criminals is much worse than being painlessly executed in front of a small number of my peers. The death penalty should be a last resort, if even considered at all. It’s the most logical course of action. Why are Texans so blind to this issue? Why don’t we simply phase the death penalty out? Courts could slowly start issuing life sentences more and more over time until at last the death penalty was no longer even considered as an acceptable form of punishment. It could work, but it would require cooperation from many of Texas’ government officials. Maybe that’s the problem. Maybe Texans are just afraid of change.

Gun Control At Its Best

I couldn’t agree more that guns should not be allowed in classrooms, and not just because of the stupidity of the wielders.
One problem is that today’s young adults are looking up to gangsters more and more. Merchandise for Al Capone and Scarface are very popular at various retailers. Chances are if you held up a picture Thomas Jefferson and a picture of Al Pachino as Scarface in front of a typical high school student, they would only be able to name one of them. And which would that be? I work at 2 different businesses where items carrying any gangster related logos or symbols are the hot sellers. Would I trust any of the customers there with a gun? Not a chance.
Another problem is that illnesses such as depression, bipolar disorder, and Attention Deficit Disorder have become increasingly prevalent. If one of them happened to be that “one” that managed to obtain a license, trouble would most definitely ensue. I don’t put too much faith in these tests because they can’t guarantee the licensee is completely sane or “right” in the head. I think the entire nation would deeply regret allowing students to carry guns into classrooms.


College Students Allowed to Carry Guns to Class

The Tao Of Tolls

The new toll roads in Texas were supposedly built to help fund the repair and creation of roads throughout state, but lately the only repairs I’ve seen are on roads that seemed fine before and the only new roads I’ve seen are the toll roads. Yes, they’re faster. Yes, they’re more convenient. But where is our money going?
Well, for the first few years the tolls being paid will go towards the funding of the already built toll roads. So, in other words, our money isn’t helping the state of Texas yet, and won’t be until the new toll roads have been completely funded.
For the first few months after being built, the roads were free to use at your leisure, and not because they wanted people to see the convenience and genius of the new freeways. The brief deterrent of tolls was a way lure drivers in and grow accustomed to the new faster route. I left my house everyday 35 minutes before work for over a year before the freeways were constructed, and continued to do so afterwards as well. I was already used to leaving my house early, so why would I need to change anything?
Why aren’t more people fighting this? Officials supporting the toll roads know that after a while people will just learn to accept it and move on with their lives. That’s what’s wrong. We should not just take this sitting down. Here’s a fun fact for you: did you know that the toll roads were built months ahead of schedule and they were millions of dollars under budget afterwards? So, where is our money going again?