Commentary #2

I agree with you on this subject "More for less". Some Illegal immigrants may harm the economy by working here and sending their money to other countries perhapse to help their families which i'll admit is a noble cause but others are working, playing, shopping, and just trying to make a living here in effect stimulating our economy. Those that work jobs under fake Social Security cards are contributing taxes (taken out of pay) while never benefiting from those taxes personally. As an example my friend Carlos Herrera (an illegal immigrant with forged SS card) worked many jobs others would turn down including "household" work helping the mentally and physically handicapped. He is a good guy with a good work ethic and I have a lot of respect for him. I heard a piece of stand-up comedy by Wanda Sykes recently that put it in perspective for me. Would you be mad if someone broke into your house and vacuumed? I wouldn't.

Blue Texas

Texas water availability is quickly becoming a critical issue that must be dealt with soon. Even with quick response  there is still chance for economic damage. As a resident I hope that clever/hasty(but not rushed) planning can help to reduce harm. I am a fan of conservation and recycling but I don't believe it is going to be enough to quench the needs of texans at the rate the population is growing. The population is projected to grow to 46 million in the next 50 years. Not to mention the current severe drought that plagues the state. Some Texas cities are estimated in 6 months to run out of water. Trucking water in will only be a quick fix. I believe that education/awareness of Texas' water status is important and punishments for water wasting should be more severe.


I'm not sure of the scale of job or the time required but I think that the benefits of building a water pipeline and reservoirs in Texas will outweigh possible harm. I believe it could help reduce stress put on some ecosystems as a result of over water consumption.  It will help to maintain water prices at reasonable and affordable levels as well as allow agriculture and commerce to continue unhindered on a large scale. It will be hard to avoid some inconveniences associated with the placement of the pipeline/reservoirs. A state draft plan estimates that an inadequate water supply would harm the economy, reducing employment by 546,000 people and income by more than $61 billion. Thats only in part of the state! The employment of welders, inspectors, project managers, engineers and many others could really help to stimulate the state's economy.     

Commentary

I'd like to start with a compliment on the catchy title "Gone Up in Smoke" and the use of the picture/comic also cleverly relavent to the article it's incorperated in as well as other posts of yours. Its a nice change from the typical bland paragraph format of most blogs of which I myself am guilty. It makes the read more pleasant in general and in this specific case adds some well placed humor. I thought it was a good informative read.

I myself dont smoke and would prefer not to run to class "chocking on clounds of smoke". I agree it would be nice if they would have surveyed the students before making the decision, but i believe the statement "they're taking our rights away" is exaggerated. Forcing smokers to smoke/harm themselves and only themselves (reguarding second-hand smoke) away from others seems a good decision I believe.