Response to "Flusing Money Down the Toilet"

A recent post from "Keeping Texas History Weird" caught my attention as one of the most interesting so far. The article is about funding for public schools in Texas and I completely agree with this point. The academic decline in the Texas public school system is not a direct result of it being poorly funded. In fact, Texas spends most of it's money on funding schools. In large, I think that the problem lies with the standards set for students. I'm hopeful for new school improvement bills passed last week that will eliminate tedious requirements placed on students and teachers that don't prepare them to succeed on the SAT or in college, i.e. the TAKS test. Students are not performing at such low rates solely because of money, but because they are ill prepared. I found an interesting quote on this topic from House Public Education Committee Chairman Rob Eissler, saying, "The current system did not help our kids as much as we thought it would, we have serious, serious achievement gaps in terms of preparing students for college." He continued to say that while scores on the TAKS test jumped substantially over the years, Texas scores on the ACT and SAT have remained low. So its not so much that we need more money, but that we should put the money we have to better use before "flushing" more funds down the toilet. 

On a side note, I also was greatly entertained by the facts given in this post concerning highly funded schools who perform the worst in the nation.  I don't understand why on earth Obama would cut the No Child Left Behind program that provided vouchers for students who could not afford private school. I recently read a story on the news about a teenager in Washington DC who was going to school on the voucher program and talked about how her single mother was willing to get a second job in order to keep her in private school for her junior and senior year. It honestly makes me angry. He himself would NEVER let his kids step foot in a public school in DC.  

Uninsured Children

There is a pull in the House and Senate to work together on partisan lines and find solutions for uninsured children in Texas. Being that 22% of 1.5 million children are uninsured, the issue needs to be addressed with long-term solutions. Texas ranks number one in the nation with uninsured children and also ranks high in teen birth rates. I am on the fence for a new bill that will allow working parents to buy into the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) if they (a family of four) do not qualify because they make more than $44,100. I think this is a great idea because it will cost families who make under $66,150 premiums from $88 to $120 a month. This would add 80,000 children to CHIP costing the state about $38 million over two years. As a strong Republican I sometimes wonder when enough is enough and if throwing money at an issue can really create a long-term solution, but this seems fair and will keep primary care needs out of the emergency room and therefore save local taxpayers from paying the bill. Then again, emergency rooms cannot turn away any patient so it may not actually change anything. I am all for promoting personal responsibility and I know that some families will not take advantage of this plan because they would rather have free health care in the emergency room and a flat screen TV than a low premium for their children's health insurance.  I do not want to support irresponsible parents of large families who are unwilling to do what it takes to earn their own way before going to the State. Where is the line drawn between the responsibility of parents and the responsibility of the State? I think that health insurance should be the priority and responsibility first for families.  Those in crisis can depend on the government and have something to fall back on, but a lazy and materialistic culture is no excuse for uninsured children. In light of that, the 22% of uninsured children in Texas are without a doubt not responsible for being in this predicament and deserve quality healthcare.