I responded to the post Mr.Bainter made on  the article "Government Education vs. Actual Participation". This Article is very sad in the sense of how many people do not vote for elections. I strongly agree with the point that you made about someone not wanting to vote because they think that some other person will just make up the vote for them. I believe that many people just dont care about politics and the government the way that they used to. I remember learning in American Government that as an American voting in the Presidential election, we have more of a chance to win the lotto than we do for our vote to matter. As a citizen wouldn't that make you feel like voting would just be a waste of time? I feel that in any election we are always just voting for the less of the two evils. I wish that us American's where able to matter more, and our votes really count. The sad part is that in local elections we are able to have more of a voice and play a bigger part in the outcome, but I feel that people are just so tired of the way that big national elections go that they have just given up on voting all together.
As far as the percentage of registered voters not voting is not suprising. I feel that registering to vote is made so convenient that there is no reason for anyone not to register. I mean the people literally come to your school,work, neighborhood, paper in hand registering voters. I believe that if they made this much of an effort to actually get "the vote" the percentage of people who voted would be dramatically higher.

Today I read “Nuclear weapons plant cited for safety concerns” by the Associated Press from the Austin American Statesman. This article is about how “experts have recommended improving operating and training after inspectors raised concerns about explosives safety at the nation’s only nuclear weapons assembly and dismantling plant.” The main argument is that there have been six incidents since 2012 that have caused a major concern. The plant being northeast of Amarillo has had incidents such as improperly packaging explosives, special nuclear materials, and improper shipping of incompatible explosives.

The concern that the Associated Press has is the harm it can do to innocent people. I agree that this company Pantex needs to do something to be more strict on the way that they handle these explosive materials. You would think that if this is the only company in the country that handles explosives like this would do everything possible to be as safe as possible. I feel that the Associated press did a great job presenting their argument and backs up their concerns with evidence of mishandling. I feel that the Texas and U.S. government should do everything possible to ensure that Pantex is very strict on how their employees handle these dangerous explosives to make sure that no other person is put into danger.

I Posted a comment on Our Dynamic State blog. I didnt necessarily agree with her opinion but i do think that Austing getting a sober up center for the drunk would over all be a good idea. I do believe that there will be certain people who will take the fact that they will not be going to jail for public intoxication for their benefit. But on the other hand it would save the jails and police so much time and money. I feel that this would allow police officers to be on the streets looking for more serious offenses.

Katrina Gilbert

After watching the documentary about Katrina Gilbert it is hard to believe that people live with such little money. to be honest I don’t know what there would be to do to solve this epidemic. you have financial assistance programs such as Snap, Wic, Medicare and Medicaid. There are also numerous Programs out there that help with day car, schools, and even food pantries. I guess the real question is, if there is so much help out there why is there still such a huge problem with single mothers in poverty. What is especially sad is that the child did not ask to be in that situation. For example in the documentary Katrina states how she was not able to give any of her three children a birthday party or a present that year.

one thing that really stood out to me is that Katrina was not always super poor. Before her husband and herself got divorced they seemed to live a pretty comfortable life. This makes me wonder how many couples live below the poverty line compared to the number of single mothers. There is a part in the documentary where Katrina says that she doesn’t even care if she gets the full amount of child support, that 60 dollars or even a tank of gas would be more than enough. This is sad to see because she has gotten into such a bad place that literally anything will help.

I feel that when it really comes down to it, there is really no quick fix to the problem. I feel that first the country could start offering free birth control. This might be a huge help to women who are not able to afford a contraceptive to help them wait to have kids until the time is right or are more financially stable.

Today I read “For too many Texans, poverty erodes opportunity” by Editorial Board for the Austin American Statesman. What the article is talking about is basically that the gross income of central Austin doesn’t reflect on what the economy really is in Central Texas. The article states “ according to the Census Bureau…in Austin, 1 in 5 residents lived in poverty in 2012.” To me I feel that this is a huge problem in Texas that just gets brushed under the rug. I feel that politicians choose not to see the people out there who have to live pay check to paycheck until the day that they die and are never really able to get ahead because they are always trying to play catch up. I feel that the poverty in Texas is a huge issue that needs to get more attention.

I see this poverty first hand working at HEB. I can already name four people that work in my department that I know work to barely get by each month. For example this past week one of the lady’s Alicia needed to buy insurance for herself and husband because it is now a law. When she got done with her meeting to discuss possible options she came back and told me that she didn’t know how she was going to be able to afford insurance because it was going to be about 600 dollars a month and this is roughly about what her monthly income is. Another woman the same thing she is working 40 hours a week to turn around and have enough money to pay for her kids insurance and buy them groceries. Another lady barely gets by to make her rent each month. There has got to be some kind of assistance that is able to help the people who aren’t quite poor enough to qualify for things such and food stamps or Medicaid, but who are also incapable of being able to buy anything else. The state needs to raise the number of what is considered to be poverty level because the people who are above that are doing just as bad.

This is where I feel that the state should jump in and save it’s people. Texans are known for their pride and I feel that people who always have their state’s back should live in a state where the support is returned and Texas has a Texan’s back.

Today I read “Local Debt: Few Vote, Everyone Pays” by Ross Kecseg. Ross runs the DFW office for Empower Texans and Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, active in both grassroots organizing and as a volunteer in many local, state and national campaigns. I believe that Ross is trying to reach out to the people of Texas who don’t vote to inform them that what is getting voted on can possibly affect them. Ross is also reaching out to the people who are concerned about Texas debt and all the new proposals that will be on the ballot.

Ross starts the article with a very scary fact that only 8% of our largest counties actually went out to vote in the primaries and it is projected that an even smaller percentage will vote in May. Ross makes the reader very aware that Texas is growing rapidly and depends on local taxing a lot. In the last paragraph he explains how the elections are not only about electing candidates but the election will also include more costly debt proposals. With this he is basically telling the reader that their vote does matter. He list seven new proposals that will be on the ballot and tries to make it clear that everyone plays a huge role.

I agree with what Ross is saying and feel that he has a valid argument. I am one of those people who is unaware of anything that has to do with Texas Politics, so to see some of these statistics and read these facts it makes me more interested to see what else is trying to get passed. I guess as citizens we never realize that there are actually other important things to vote for other than just who is going to be the next governor.

I feel that Ross does a good job with the information he provides by backing up what he says with facts. He really wants the reader to Realize how much money is getting proposed and how it will ultimately affect more as a state. I feel that Ross does a great job of making people realize that their vote really does mean something and going out to vote can really make a difference at the polls.

Today I read “Wendy Davis is throwing the Hail Mary in February” written By Rick Perry. Rick Perry is the current governor of Texas. The article talks about how Wendy Davis decision to support open-carry is something that is very random and contradicts what she has thought about gun control in the past. Open-carry is the fact of being able to legally carry firearms openly in Texas. Perry goes on to explain how in 2000 Davis proposed banning gun shows in the Fort Worth Convention Center, and how she has also voted against campus carry. There is an example given by a Ex Davis follower with a post on twitter that because she is now supporting open-carry she now wants her money back that she had donated to the Davis campaign. Perry goes on to say that open- carry isn’t something Davis really believes, but is something she is doing to gain more votes. 
Rick Perry's blog is very Republican and against anything Democratic.Perry's post is something that I am indecisive on whether I agree or not. I believe that this is just another example of one party putting down a candidate. I mean isn’t that what an election is, when a candidate will say whatever to get the vote. That is something that both parties are guilty of, feeding the public a bunch of nonsense doing whatever they have to do to get into office.