Perry's Race to Mediocrity

Your points are well taken. It's disappointing that our state has a chance to finally make some incredible strides in improving all multiple areas of our educational system, but due to our current governor's attitude, public education, once again, could be falling short of true accountability. Federal standards of public education would mean that dismal rankings of low-achieving schools would be front and center, possibly bloodying the nose of the political leadership that espouses serious resolutions to education issues in our state. When one ponders the idea of "Texas exceptionalism", Perry's statement reiterating his opposition to the federal funds for the "Race To The Top " program says it all. It's difficult to see any stellar progress this leadership has made in the area of education and while I appreciate the desire to handle this situation on a state level, it seems entirely appropriate that the time has come to add more accountability to the fixing the problem. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/education/stories/DN-perryed_25met.ART.State.Edition1.4b932bf.html

Tis the Season for Mudslinging and Political Ads

So as we approach Thanksgiving, the one thing I will be grateful for is not having television. Why? Well, this week marks the kick-off of the political ads candidates will be running for their govenorship campaigns. Not only will the public be spoon-fed highly calculated images of said political candidates, we will also be forced to try to figure out candidates positions on issues, that will no doubt, be hidden among all the mudslinging. While research has shown that the use of mass media, specifically television, is a requirement for any candidate to have a viable chance at winning his or her race, I personally feel that there is little, if any, truth in the ads. Regardless of party, there is so much glossing over and "airbrushing" of the candidate that no-one can really know if this is the 'real" person that will be making gubenatorial decisions. The mudslinging and taking down of the opponent usually is derived from an offensive position that points out all flaws. If an ad is really picked apart, most viewers gain absolutely no definite information about the politician or his or views on specific issues. Once the campaign begins to come to a close, say within the last two to three weeks, the public is forced to view an on-slot of these ads that truly just take up air time and costs millions of dollars in campaign funds. Instead of ads, the citizens of Texas would be far greater served by using all airtime to broadcast more televised debates, highlighting various issues important to the public at large. Those issues could include healthcare and education in our state. And who knows, if there were some actual campaign finance reform, additional funds not used for useless television ads could be funneled back through to some kind of voter education program. Until big changes happen in political ads, Texans will encounter the status quo for campaign ads and forced to watch televised "slick-imagery". For all the things I miss about television, they pale in comparison to the annoyance political ads cause me and for that I am truly grateful to be TV-free this govenor's race.



http://www.kvue.com/home/Hutchison-Perry-air-first-campaign-TV-ads-70699237.html

HB 873....Lights, Camera, Action?

Pretty much the only information I have had about the film industry in our city is the "glamour' part of it. I spotted Sandra Bullock running on Town lake several years ago, recommended a novel to Micheal Caine in Book People a couple of years back and did an overnight nanny gig for the folks who own a multi-million dollar mansion that is one of the location shoots for the television series Friday Night Lights. Reading the "Take Three" article by Richard Whittaker in the Austin Chronicle educated me on the enormous amounts of money that the industry can potentially bring into our city. Though film garners most of the attention, the real cash cow it seems could be the video gaming companies, another lucrative industry that if lured to the city with the right incentives could provide serious full-time jobs for qualified developers. The article highlights the incentive programs beginnings and what challenges have been brought about due to lack of funds actually being made available for grants. It's an interesting article, worth reading for its valuable information about one of the city's more high-profile, interesting industries.