Commentary

Today I read Madison Galvan's Blog post, Blog Stage 7 where she criticizes the power of our government. She made some valid points in that President Trump was acting childish to get his way in our most recent government shutdown. I agree that there need to be more limitations since this can really hurt our country. I would like to see more information on previous presidents that have also used their power for their own goals. It is important for our president to have power but where have we seen that they have too much freedom and how this has impacted us.

The Magic Plant

Marijuana is my topic for today, and specifically what is happening in Texas regarding this plant.
I live in Austin, Tx where the famous pot movie Dazed and Confused was filmed, so there is no
doubt that I support the use of marijuana. Many states in the US have already legalized this
plant and are actually profiting greatly from its earnings.

I read an article on the Austin Statesman regarding the legalization of this plant. In the article,
they talk about HB 63 and HB 1365 which both in regard to marijuana. HB 63 would reduce the
criminal offense of the possession of an ounce of marijuana from a Class B misdemeanor to a
civil offense, which was immediately declared dead by Dan Patrick. Hb 1365 passed Housed
approval 144-0, which would allow Texas farmers to grow hemp and enable hemp products to
be manufactured in the state.

I think it is important to understand these small steps that are happening in our state. In the

article, they talk about how there is enough support for the legalization and decriminalization
of this plant but yet our lawmakers believe something else. I understand many are skeptical
about this plant but there is not enough research that proves what many of these conservatives
believe. I think it is important for our government to begin to move forward with the legalization
of this plant so that many people can benefit. I also think that our national government has a
big role that they need to play. They need to decide whether they see this plant as a drug or as
medicine that many can benefit from. This way we won’t have this debate between states and
people. Our country is changing and so are the views of its people it is time for our government
to take the time to address this plant like they have before. Our government needs to begin
scientific studies to really understand this plant so that they can help its citizen.

Commentary

In Kali Mellor’s blog United We Blog, she shows us another issue that Americans have to deal with. She offers a solution to this problem and some problems that we actually see. What I’d like to see in this blog is more testimonies and facts from both sides and even giving us her side and why she believes this. This can help some people understand the problem more and even try to choose a side themselves. I do like how she explains a possible solution to finding a middle ground on this problem. She also expresses well how the government has taken a role and what more they can do.

ICE Raid

Earlier this week I saw a post where they talked about how 280 undocumented immigrants were detained in Texas and how their
families would come home just to hear that their parents were no longer there. I think that this is an important topic to
talk about because many Americans are either against illegal immigration, for regulating illegal immigration or completely support it.
I decide to do some more research just so I could have certain facts clear.

The raid was in Texas at the CVE Technology Group and it took place on Wednesday, April 03, 2019. In the NY Times article, Immigration Authorities Arrest More Than 280 in Texas in Largest Workplace Raid in a Decade, by Sarah Mervosh she affirms how most of these people were women, CVE Technology Group and many other companies claim to have no idea that their workers are illegal and  how many companies purposefully hire illegal immigrants for cheaper labor. She also then stated that this is the largest “single workplace sweep since 2008” and that this type of raid actually deters illegal workers to come into work and even some to change their living patterns.
Living in a border state and even in a once sanctuary city, you learn that many of your neighbors and friends are actually illegal immigrants. Hearing how a government agency treats illegals and how they really do not have a choice but to oblige to these agencies is something that enrages me and breaks my heart. Many of us do not think that by going to work and actually making something out of ourselves could mean that we are sent back to a place we left out or fear or just for a better opportunity. I think that my opinion is biased because of my background, but many people do not really understand the fear and drive that many illegal Americans possess. They are the reason many children pursue something great so their parents can be proud. ICE on many occasions has not done what's right by the law and our government chooses to let this slide. Many articles and even court hearing show how Kirstjen Nielsen, Homeland Security Secretary actually does not understand what really is happening at the border. This makes me believe that the government really does not have any knowledge or command on what ICE does at the border. Then you hear the stories and the reports of the illegal things that happen to many of the people that are detained by ICE. This makes me question whether or not ICE is doing anything morally correct. It is important for us to understand illegal immigration and all of its working parts. We need to help these citizens not scare them from coming into work or even moving cities. It is important for our Government to change the way they deal with illegal immigration both in our country and at the borders.

Disclaimer: It is important to also state that this only a part of the story, there is much more
information and facts about what happens at our border and in the country regarding illegal
immigration.

Trump's 2020 Budget

On Monday, March 11, 2019, CNN writer David Love wrote an interesting article titled The real national emergency is not at the border, where he explains different issues happening in our country and then shows what the President plans to do to fix/help the problems. Love’s intended audience for his writing is every American, he wants us to know what is happening and what needs to happen for us to succeed. I believe Love is credible, his writings show that he is knowledgeable about what he is talking about. When he presents his opinion he does a good job at backing it up with evidence and facts.  
The issue here is that in Trump’s new budget he wants $8.6 billion for his wall and plans to cut 5% from all federal agencies except defense. Love argues that this is a problem because many people actually rely on these agencies for many different reasons. Medicaid helps children with healthcare, SNAP helps families not go hungry, affordable housing helps people have a home and afford it, and Social Security protects families from economic uncertainty by having this benefit it helps many Americans feel safe. Love also talks about how Trump’s children also believe that Americans will be fine with this 5% cut since “most Americans, in their heart, [don’t] want to be given something”, said Ivanka Trump. He continues to explain how important these federal agencies are to most Americans since most live paycheck by paycheck. He also points out that Trump’s cabinet is actually made up of billionaires that profit from everyday people. Steven Mnuchin profited from 16,000 foreclosures and Alex Azar who is in charge of Health and Human Services. Love wants us to understand that President Trump makes his policies to benefit only a certain percentage of the population and those who don’t will suffer the consequences of his decisions.  He also gives information about new more progressive policies like the Green New Deal that addresses climate change and inequality, 70% marginal tax rate for the rich, and even a living wage. Love’s main argument is that many Americans need certain services and many people can benefit from this, by allowing for more government help this will allow for more people to be successful in their lives.
Love uses enough logos for us to understand his arguments, he states certain percentages on how many people use SNAP and he also uses other statistics that help us understand the number of people that need certain services. His arguments overall are good certain ones make him sound like he is just attacking Trump rather than justifying what in his budget is not necessary. I would give David Love an A-, his main argument does make sense and I do believe that there are bigger problems we can solve with the $8.6 billion he wants for the wall, but I think he needs to persuade his audience a bit more with more hard evidence on why we do not need the wall.

The Golden Ticket

Today I decide to read an editorial from USA Today, “Michael Cohen testimony was a WWE body slam against Trump. Here's why it's credible.” written by Michale J. Stren. In his writing his intended audience is Americans, he suggests that “In the end, people will have to look at all the facts surrounding Cohen’s testimony today to make their own conclusions about whether he is being truthful”. He is encouraging his audience to make their own opinion based on the opinions he has stated. I do believe that Stren is credible he assures of his credibility by stating that he was also a litigator for the Department of Justice. This gives him some sort of insight on how the prosecutors see this trial. He also uses his prior knowledge to suggest that Cohen is telling the truth despite lying before and being a criminal.  His main argument is that we should believe Cohen and what he said about President Trump, that he is a liar and has committed a crime. He argues that some will believe the tweets and statements said by the Government of the President and not trust Cohen’s testimony. Stern says it is important to understand that normal citizen will not commit a crime and will need to be prosecuted. He believes that Cohen’s testimony is credible and that he is throwing Trump under the bus so he can have a more lenient sentence when he is convicted.

False Alarm: Trump's Newest National Crisis

The National Review posted an article on February 15, 2019, titled Trump’s Emergency Declaration Is Contemptuous of the Rule of Law. In this
article David Fench discuss Pres. Trump’s newest declaration of a National Emergency. In his National Emergency, he states that it is necessary
for his wall to be built and he states that he will be using the funds from the military to make his wall happen. He also declares that it is necessary
for the military to be involved because it is a national security issue. French argues that it is not necessary for President Trump to use the military’s
money and the military for this wall. The issues/crimes that President Trump argues are a national threat are just crimes that should be handled by
civilian law, not the national army. He also discusses how this declaration was written out very uncomplicated, but the problem he sees with this is
that Trump does not say why the military is needed just that it is. This is not really giving a good reason to take $3.6 Billion from the army. Lastly
French says that he believes Congress will not let Trump get away with this declaration for the use of the army at the border. He believes that Trump
does not justify his reasoning that the courts will also agree that his saying is not enough to use the army and focus on these crimes that can be handled
by civilian law.