Critique: Texas Homeowners and Proposition 1

Sam Craft writes in his new editorial "why Texas homeowners looking to save money should vote yes on proposition 1". Proposition 1, should it be passed, states that it will increase the homestead exemption for school district property taxes from $15,000 to $25,000 for most homeowners in Texas.

As obviously stated in the editorial, Craft targets everyone who owns a home in the state of Texas. This article should appeal to people anyone who is looking to save a few dollars on tax paying and people who live in school district property, but only for people who feel like the current law on the exemption cap on school district property taxes needs to be changed to a higher value.

The author may receive the attention and the acceptance of his authority to make the claims he does because the editorial is written very organized. He provides the reader with information about the voting dates should the viewer choose to vote. Craft also includes statistics and numbers to greater increase his credibility as a provider of information to a large quantity of people and to appeal to the viewers' logical side that the proposition will indeed do what it states.

Finally, the author's claim is simply that homeowners should vote "yes" on Proposition 1 because it will increase the exemption value to a higher number in terms of dollars, thus, more Texas homeowners will be exempt from having to pay taxes for living on school district property. As stated previously, Craft supports his claim by asserting that "changes would save Texas homeowners about $1.2 billion in the first biennium.." He also gives individuals who suspect school budget cuts some piece of mind by saying, "The state will send $1.2 billion to districts to cover the revenue those districts would have given up..."

In conclusion, Sam Craft creates an organized editorial to convince Texas homeowners to vote "yes" on Proposition 1. Personally, I agree with Craft because it is a logical proposition that "frees" many people with low income from having to pay school district property taxes.

Protecting the Protectors

Dan Patrick argues in an article published by Christopher Hooks on The Texas Observer titled, "Dan Patrick: Cops' Lives Matter Most of All", that the lives of the people who serve law enforcement matters most of all, just as the title points out. Patrick mentions in his article about the Shooting of Darren Goforth that occurred in Cypress, Texas in August 28th of this year. He argues that all lives matter to him and that he feels empathy for the cops that have died in shootings but he says, "All lives do matter and particularly law enforcement."

Patrick begins to contradict himself when he says that he cares for everyone's lives but that those who serve in law enforcement, their lives are even more important. I don't agree with Patrick wholeheartedly but I do understand his empathy for the cops' lives. The job of a law enforcer is not an easy one, specially because peoples' lives may sometimes rest in their hands and security completely and this can cause a great deal of pressure and stress. Although this is acknowledged, Patrick should understand that the law enforcers knew what they were signing up for when they chose to be a police officer as a career. This does not mean we should disregard their lives, but we can't treat theirs like the most important because everyone's lives mean something.

The publisher asks the audience in the first sentence of the article, "Who will protect the protectors?" To respond to that, I believe that it is the duty of the law enforcers to protect us and not have them being protected by some other entity, but if they can't protect themselves how will they protect others. Patrick is obviously upset that some people don't "understand that it's the bad guys who are the bad guys, not the good guys", as many people have come to criticize cops but he is making an assumption that a lot of people think this way with generalization, which makes it an invalid argument.