Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Commentary: A Drought We Cannot Ignore

In Matthew Young’s blog post, “Doing What it Takes to Pretend You’re Not in Texas,” Young brings light to the current drought in Texas that is worsening over time, and people are the main problem. His take on water conservation has reminded me of the vast majority of people who actually are not aware of how they are wasting water and even more importantly, how they can save water.

I do not believe that water restrictions alone are enough to conserve a sufficient amount of water for the upcoming years, however, but that the citizens of this state must also be willing to comply and do more conserving on their own part.

Certain methods of saving water at home include: keeping the shower time to five minutes or under – which could save up to 1,000 gallons per month, watering the lawns once every three days in the summer and once every five days in the winter, inspecting the landscape irrigation system regularly for leaks or broken sprinkler heads, teaching children to turn off the faucet after each use, and many more simple methods inside and outside of the house. There are numerous resources available for informing the public about preservation methods as well.

The epitome of water conservation is to use our water wisely and care for it properly, and it is crucial so for the future generations to be ensured of a sufficient amount of clean water and reduced use of electricity for waste water services. With a finite resource of water available – seven percent of the whole Earth’s saltwater is not available for drinking, and only one percent is available for drinking water – people, wildlife, and nature are at risk of endangerment, as water is essential for food and sustaining life. Not only that, water helps us in our daily activities, such as cooking and cleaning.

I appreciate Young’s post because this topic should be brought up for the public’s attention; the water drought is having a more prevailing effect on our lives and should not be stored in the back of our minds with lesser priority. I agree with Young that water is only becoming more of a scarce resource, increasing its importance in our lives that we need to do our best to preserve. Not only should we conserve water, but we should protect it from pollution and waste, for the importance of nourishing all life dependent of water.

People cannot continue to disregard this upcoming disaster, and many are oblivious of even the impact that the minute changes in their water usage can have on water conservation. If we encourage more citizens to follow these procedures, a whole lot of people doing them will add up in the long-run, but it takes the first step of changing our lifestyle. Each of us depends on water for life, so the responsibility of conserving water should not rest only on the government, but should be a job for the everyday person.

Friday, August 9, 2013

Capital Punishment: Retribution for the Righteous

People naturally respond to incentives. As for the case of punishment, people are inclined to steer away from it, which is why capital punishment continues to exist in Texas. However, the reason capital punishment is still a case debated today is because of differing opinions towards the level of justice that should be permitted.

Settling how far capital punishment should go has been an issue floating in the air for a while, and my take on it is that Texas should continue using only lethal injections on those who committed severe cases, but also, giving them an extra choice of whether they would prefer to be detained for a life-time, rather than facing the needle against their will.

For many people, capital punishment confronts their religious stance on murder. My question is, would it be as wrong to take their life if it was their choice? The space allotted for prisons is shrinking, yet there is not a decreasing amount of people disobeying the law. This leaves Texas to take major action against severely punishing those who have committed the worse crimes for the benefit of the community.

I see capital punishment as saving lives by ridding of the ones who hindered the lives of others from subsisting. This type of punishment does not seem so outrageous, as well, in comparison to the atrocious crime that the person probably willingly committed. The method of lethal injection is as subtle as I can imagine putting someone to death can be, and behind the science of it, the chemicals of the injection are strong enough to knock out a person’s conscience in up to five seconds.

Capital punishment is necessary to deter murder by putting the fear of death into future, would-be criminals. Society has a moral obligation to protect the safety and welfare of citizens, even if it means punishing those who have proven to be detrimental to society. My only addition to the law is that justice can be given in the hands of the criminals if Texas gives them the choice of death or permanent isolation, to mark the middle-ground between what might be justifiable or unfair. 

Friday, August 2, 2013

"Bag Ban" Benefits

After reading Wes Davis’ take on the “Bag Ban” in Austin, I commend his lengthy opinions on both the pros and cons of ridding plastic bags.

Disadvantages of ridding these non-biodegradable bags include the convenience to the consumers, such as being able to wad them up into small amounts and store them in packed tight spaces, requiring less space and composed of less weight than paper bags, and convenience to retailers, as plastic bags are very cost-effective at a fraction of a cent per piece, in comparison to five cents or more per paper bag. As for me personally, I enjoy using plastic bags as my trash bags for the tiny trash cans that are easily transportable. I agree that even going to the grocery store, while forgetting my bags to take with me, is a pain at times.

Some of the advantages that Davis had not mentioned include the durability and strength of paper bags over plastic ones, as I am able to transport a variety of belongings without the paper bag ripping on me. Also, I agree with Davis that the economic benefits for the store must be greater now that people are obligated to buy bags at the checkout.

As far as convenience and costs goes, plastic bags conquer paper bags; however, the cost on the environment definitely does not compare to these overhead benefits that might come with the ban.

Davis states that discontinuing the use of plastic bags is obviously good for the environment, but he does not delve into how exactly the environment benefits or is harmed. This leads me to take an expanded view on the effect of this ban towards the environment.

Plastic bags are detrimental to the environment through the way they degrade -- in fact, these bags take an enormous length of time to degrade, and end up breaking down into contaminating particles that pollute the soil and nearby water sources. This means damage to the marine life; many aquatic animals mistake the bags for food, resulting in the death of around 100,000 marine animals a year. Thousands of birds also die from swallowing and choking on the discarded particles. Even more, the non-renewable source of petroleum that is used to make plastic bags could be used for transportation or heating.

Though very few, the advantages that plastic bags have on the environment include its smaller weight, which reduces to less solid waste in the landfill. According to EPA, the manufacturing of paper bags requires 40 percent more energy to produce them, contributes 70 percent more air pollution, and adds 50 percent more to water pollution.

My only other contention, or added opinion, is that I do not believe ridding of the plastic bags will help the nation’s garbage management, which is crucial for a solution concerning our situation now. We are in need of a cost-effective process for collecting and recycling the remaining plastic bags that still circulate, or at least to find a way for these bags to degrade safely so to not clog waterways and spoil the landscape.

I agree with Davis in that the benefits of the ban exceed the disadvantages, especially since the condition of our environment is what we should be taking care of the most. The condition of the earth is what will sustain the life that inhabits it; therefore, I place much higher priority in supporting the legislation that helps preserve marine and human life. I also find reusable bags to be very handy and effective, and the economic benefits reign towards the ban on plastic bags.

In all, the environment and economy is greatly aided through this bag ban; we are able to contribute to the collecting, disposing, and street-cleaning costs, and also reduce the numerous bags that are being wastefully thrown away. I believe that this ban should be upheld in other states for the betterment of our environment and economy.