Is Texas Following California's Footsteps?

   According to the Lower Colorado River Authority, the Colorado River is currently facing it's driest conditions in history. 87 percent of the state is considered to be in drought.These dry conditions started to emerge in 2008 and have not gotten any better. Even with all of the rainfall in 2015, the lake reservoirs are still not near full capacity. The water shortage has forced Texas to go to other states in search for water. Texas has recently been in a dispute with Oklahoma over the water rights of the Red River which can be found in both Texas and Oklahoma territory. Even though Texas is not as dry as it used to be four years ago back in 2011, the drought is still something to be concerned about. 

   Many people don't notice the severity of the drought that is upon Texas. Texas has been dealing with a water scarcity for a while now. The current Texas drought is considered to be the worst one in the history of Texas. All of these problems exist because the government has failed to impose water saving policies and laws.


   In Texas the surface water belongs to the state and is intended for the public's use. The other type of water is the underground water. Basically if you own a piece of land and you happen to find an aquifer or any other body of water, then it's yours to keep. I think all water in Texas should be regulated the same, regardless of it being surface or underground water.

   In response to the ongoing drought, a constitutional amendment was approved in 2013. This amendment being the Texas Rainy Day Fund Amendment or also known as proposition 6. This amendment is intended to take $2 billion dollars from Texas' rainy day funds and invest it in water planning projects. This amendment was passed while Rick Perry was in office as governor.

   An example of precautions that have been taken because of the low water levels, are those of Austin. Austin is currently implementing what is called stage 2 water restriction. These stage 2 water restrictions limit the hours of household irrigation, prohibit washing your car at home and prohibits restaurants from serving water to customers unless it is requested. Another interesting thing is that charity car washes are prohibited in the city of Austin. All of these restrictions can be found at the Austin Water Department website.

   Sure we have gotten huge amounts of rain in recent months but that is no reason to lessen water restrictions in Texas. Livestock and agriculture is also affected by the water shortage. Texans have to be aware of the potential danger of extreme drought, such as what California is experiencing. We have to be conscious of how much water we waste year round and try to cut down, even if it is a minimal cut back.

An Outlook on "The Land of Opportunity"

     On Monday November 2nd, 2015 Grand State Texas posted an article titled "The Land of Opportunity". Min Kim discusses the difficulties an international student encounters when coming to the United States to receive a higher education.

     Min starts off the article by mentioning that proper education is not offered in many countries around the world; and due to this many international students pick the US as their destination for a college education. The author states that their was approximately 800,000 international students in the US and that number is increasing each year. As the article mentions, even though their is a large amount of foreign students, many of them are forced to return to their home countries due to the fact that they can no longer afford it. Min makes a good point by stating that college tuition for an international student is a lot more expensive when compared to how much an in-state resident pays. Another important factor that is mentioned is the fact that foreigners can not work unless they have a work permit. So these international students can not have jobs that could potentially help them pay for some expenses. The author points out that it is possible to acquire a work permit but it is a long and tedious process. So it makes it even more difficult to pay for college or at least other expenses such as rent, transportation and food.

     This article is very well elaborated and provides many statements and facts that support the main idea. The structure is very well planned and all of the ideas transition very effectively. All of the facts and statements that are mentioned in the article come from credible sources. I completely agree with Min Kim, I believe the United States should make it easier for international students when seeking a higher education. I strongly believe that more work permits should be provided to these international students. The United States should not see these students as a burden but as an investment for the future of this country. This article caught my attention not because I am directly influenced by it, but because I have many friends that have to deal with this issue.

Expanding Transportation Alternatives

   Something that is guaranteed in Austin is traffic everywhere in between MLK Jr. Blvd and Oltorf St, especially during the morning and afternoon rush hours. It is just absolutely insane that it takes 30 minutes to drive 6 miles. Austin traffic has has increased throughout the years and it doesn't look like its going to stop anytime now. The ridiculous amount of traffic is due to the fact that the government has not been able to amplify the transportation infrastructure in Austin and it's surrounding areas. According to USA Today Austin is ranked fourth place in the most congested cities in the United States. Austin continues to be the city with the fastest growing population in the US, coming in at a 3% population growth in 2014.

Implementing new alternatives of transportation is something that is very much needed for our city. Other Texan cities such as Houston, Dallas and San Antonio also have this problem but those are cities that have a lot more territory and places to expand. Austin is growing at a rapid rate, but it is growing in only one spot, which is the downtown area. The lack of expandable territory has become a huge problem and who knows what will happen in the future.

    Local government should definitely consider investing in the expansion of the Metro Rail System. Riding the train is just so much more convenient compared to other transportation methods. Say you want to go to downtown but you don't want to deal with traffic and parking, your best option is to take the train.The Austin Metro Rail system currently has 9 stations across the Austin area. The route starts at downtown near the Austin Convention Center and goes north all the way up to Lakeline and Leander. The Austin Metro Rail system has been operating for 5 years now and each year the number of riders increases. I can say from personal experience that riding the rail is a very pleasing experience when compared to taking the bus or driving your own car during rush hour. The crowd that is mostly interested in this subject is probably people who work in or near downtown, such as myself.  The only factor that might not appeal to many people is the slightly higher price of a ticket when compared to the price of a regular bus ticket. A one ride pass is $3.50 and a "Day Pass" comes out to $7.00. More lines should be built, for example another route that goes north and south in another part of town. Also another line that goes east and west perhaps. There are plans of expanding but they are not yet near execution. Maybe if there is more support from Austinites, the process might be accelerated.

Austin Metro Rail Route