"Whitewashing" U.S. History

   On October 6th, 2015 Katie Sing posted an article called "Not Just “Workers”; Texas Textbooks Have Been Whitewashing History For Years" to the Burnt Orange Report. 

   The main point of Sing's article is exactly what is mentioned in the title. Texas has been trying to "whitewash" United States history. The controversy has appeared because Texas textbooks have started to refer to the slaves from the pre-civil war era as "workers" or "immigrants", something they were not. These textbooks fail to mention completely the slave trade that occurred in the United States. Katie also claims that these Texan textbooks fail to mention many other racial occurrences in the US. Things such as the racial group known as the Ku Klux Klan, Jim Crow Laws and renaming slave trade as the "Atlantic Triangular Trade. The biggest mishap being that all textbooks put slavery last when listing the reasons of why the Civil War took place. All of this is due to the people that are in charge at the Texas State Board of Eduacation(SBOE). As a result, Katie Sing emphasizes the importance of voting in Texas, so that we can elect people that are actually capable of giving Texas' youth a good education.

    Katie Sing mainly targets Texans in general as her audience. This matter should be noticed by all people living in Texas; not just people that are directly involved with elementary schools such as teachers or parents. 

   I think Katie Sings argument is very solid and her evidence is supported very well. She does a great job of including details that reinforce her main idea or claim.Her logic is spot on as well. In my opinion the author is very credible, being an author who regularly posts articles to the Burnt Orange Report. 

   The fact that the government constantly tries to hide racial issues throughout history is quite upsetting. Not only Texan children but all American children need to know the origins of this country and how it has changed to become the country that it is today. If we want change then it is up to us to make that change, by simply voting. The future of Texas is in our hands. 

A Battle Against Obesity

     It is no secret that obesity has been a problem in the United States, and it is getting worse. Approximately 1/3 of the adult American population is obese, and how can they not be when fast food and huge portion sizes are so vastly consumed. Obesity affects all of America, due to the high medical expenses of these people. The American nutrition culture has gone from bad to worse.

    On August 23rd, 2015 The Dallas Morning News posted the article "Texas moving wrong direction on school lunches, so it's up to the feds." The main focus of this article  being about school lunch nutrition in Texas.

   The unnamed author's main argument is the importance of renewing the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act before September 31st, 2015. The main motive of the act being to give schools more money and raise nutrition standards for school lunches. The act would promote much healthier options like vegetables, lean meats and whole grains as opposed to fast food such as hamburgers and pizza. It is mentioned in the article that some parts of government are in some form opposed to the act. Such as agriculture commissioner Sid Miller who wants the return of deep fryers to school cafeterias.

   The  author of this article tries to mainly reach out to Texan parents or guardians. However, when the author states "Obesity costs this country almost $200 billion a year" the audience has now expanded to not only Texans but also all Americans. It is a financial concern to all taxpayers in the United States.  According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "The annual medical costs for people who are obese is $1,429 higher than those of normal weight."
 

   In my opinion the author has some good statements but he lacks credibility. I think the author should include more solid statements, facts and statistics in his/her work so that the readers can actually see and consult the sources. I am all for the renewal of this act, but the article needs stronger statements and more in depth research. The argument needs a lot more support and evidence.

   The September 31st deadline has passed and congress did not reauthorize the act. The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act can still be renewed but it will have to wait until the next renewal deadline.