Defund Planned Parenthood

In the article, Texas Should Fund Planned Parenthood, the author discusses the benefits that Planned Parenthood provides for families, children and women. Texas has the highest number of uninsured citizens and I believe that there needs to be organizations that help fund healthcare for patients. The author makes a valid point about the expenses of medical care and the need for organizations like Planned Parenthood to provide assistance.

However, the author failed to mention the recent discussions about Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood is allowing women to abort their babies in order for them to be harvested for their body parts. I am all for research and being an organ donor but to perform a partial birth abortion on a perfectly healthy baby just so you can receive money is not saving lives but rather killing them. An article I read, mentioned that doctors were performing abortions at 24 weeks. Abortions should not be performed after 20 weeks considering several studies have shown that at 5 months the fetus can feel pain. Some people see Planned Parenthood as beneficial to the society but I disagree with this and think that allowing individuals to abort a fetus so their body parts can be harvested is murder. The author mentions that Planned Parenthood protects women’s rights, like the decision of abortion, which is not a choice I think women should be able to make, especially at a certain term of their pregnancy. Although the author made some valid points about Planned Parenthood providing services for low-income citizens, I think they missed the biggest issue that Planned Parenthood is advocating, which is why I disagree with the author and think Texas should not fund Planned Parenthood.

Implement the Death Penalty

Texas is ranked the highest state in the country for the number of death penalty executions. So why has Texas declined to send a convicted killer to the Texas death row this year when it was the number one state in executions? Some attorneys mentioned that the death penalty is no longer a go-to method that prosecutors once regarded it to be. As a matter of fact, statistics show that the death penalty cost almost three times the amount it costs for someone to be imprisoned at the maximum sentence. Also, there have been several wrongful convictions of people that were on death row. If the jury refuses to use the death penalty as a sentence, how will this affect the crime rate, victim’s families and even our society?

The state prisons are becoming more corrupt with employees being lured into relationships with criminals. Employees are also threatened by inmates, leaving them with no choice but to provide assistance to them. For instance, the incident that happened in New York with two convicted killers had a prison worker help them escape. As Americans, especially family of the victim’s, we should not have to worry or fear that a killer will walk the streets again. If this is the case, why would we want to place more convicts in prison for doing a brutal crime, which are overcrowded to begin with. I know the death penalty cost so much more money, but someone who kills another person should not have the option to potentially walk the streets again. People may also be worried that they convicted the wrong person but if there is physical and testimonial evidence there should be no reason why someone shouldn’t get the death penalty if they have committed a first-degree murder. Texas should start implementing the death penalty more often, in order to provide justice for victim’s families, as well as to keep a rigorous judicial system.

Minimum Wage Shouldn't be Raised

In the article, Minimum Wage Raise, the author raises concern about raising the minimum wage in America. Obama and the Democratic Party are trying to pass a bill in order to increase the minimum wage, which several others are fighting for as well. As the author mentions, the congressman and other political groups do not understand what raising the minimum wage will do to the economy. Most people think by raising the minimum wage the economy will prosper and they will receive more income to provide for their family. As a matter of fact, by increasing the wage everyone will increase their prices and everything will end up more expensive than before. Therefore will this bill actually benefit the economy and American citizens?

Raising the minimum wage will especially hurt small businesses because they will be required to pay their employees more, which most small businesses can’t afford. The author makes a good point that “competitive pressures will usually prevent business from boosting prices” which will cause them to either lay off employees or receive less income. Although the author makes a valid point about the minimum wage hurting businesses, the author mentions that big businesses will be affected as well. I disagree with this portion of the article because the larger corporations have several contracts with other companies so if they raise their prices they will most likely still get the business from their loyal customers compared to a smaller business. Another thing the author did not discuss in their article is the impact this bill will have on employees that make more than the average minimum wage right now. I feel like this is an important portion of the topic that needs to be discussed, considering thousands of employees in Texas make more than minimum wage. Will their income increase as well, or will it remain the same? If so, how is it fair for someone that earns a college degree or works hard to be promoted to make close to the same amount as someone who works at a fast food place? If this bill were to pass it would most likely hurt the middle class the most. In all honesty, I see no benefit or positive outcome from increasing the minimum wage and think it is only going to hurt the American economy.