Now a’days, everyone is concerned with unemployment levels, and it is as if one cannot turn on the television without hearing the unemployment percentage being thrown around on the news, but after reading Melanie’s Blog Shake Up the System on minimum wage, I have to agree with her that it is a real issue. People don’t normally consider this an issue, because these days if you have a job, you are considered to be ahead of the game. The way she breaks down the numbers of the average income of a family dancing around the minimum wage mark, inspired an empathy that I don’t share too often.

I believe that Melanie’s audience consisted of those in their 20’s who make minimum wage and have become accustomed to the amount of money they bring home each week. It is when people get comfortable that advancements in situations begin to deteriorate. Look at the way roads were invented. People were tired of walking all over the place and couldn’t stand it anymore, thus through their uncomforts, humans have created endless networks and solutions to transportation problems. She couldn’t be more correct when she says, “We have to get out of hum-drum lives”. Repeat with me everybody, “COMFORT KILLS CHANGE”
The only thing that I might argue with in this article, was that the financial breakdown was for a family with a daughter and both parents on minimum wage. Personally, and I know it happens, but if a man and woman are married and thinking of having children, they should take their financial status into consideration. I’ve been in a relationship for 4 years, but I won’t be having any children until I’m off minimum wage.
All in all it is a well written article, expressing a concern that we don’t normally hear about. What particularly earned Ms. Melanie points with me is that she pointed out solutions in her argument. I am so sick of hearing people complain without doing anything about it.

With another college campus shooting happening within the last month, the debate on whether or not students and faculty with concealed weapon permits should be allowed to carry on campus is being sparked yet again. Ironically, according to Star Telegram, the shooting occurred the same week that Students for Concealed Carry were protesting with empty holsters to symbolize how defenseless they are. Is it a good idea for Texas' legislatures to pass a bill allowing students and professors to carry concealed handguns on college campuses?

First off, lets take a look at the facts. In the past 12 years there have been 27 shootings on college campuses across the nation. That's a little less than 2 a year. No one knows exactly what to attribute the rise in school shootings to, yet the most popular things to blame are video games and poor parenting. The solution is just as obscure as the problem itself. Many anti-gun advocates like to go after the second amendment, claiming that without gun's there would be no shootings. Unfortunately, this assessment of the issue at hand is flawed. There are simply too many guns in this country to just start taking them away from people, and I can assure you that with as many gun "lovers" there are, that wouldn't turn out good for anybody. So if we can't take them away, are Texas' legislatures doing the right thing by allowing them on campuses?

Well, it depends on how you look at it. For those worried that everyone around them in the classroom would have a gun, this couldn't be farther from the truth. Getting a concealed carry permit is not easy, trust me, and putting your name on a state list of concealed carry holders usually wards away the ill willed. Most criminals that have concealed weapons don't get permits, because, well.... they are criminals. Also, knowing that campuses are no longer gun free zones may deter murderers from even pulling the gun in the first place. This opinion can be seen from statistics from Just Facts.


Since 1995, when the Texas right to carry law came into effect, homicides declined by 30%. Could this have the same effect on campus shootings? The main problem is that, because campuses are gun free zones, armed gunmen are met with no resistance when they decide to do their massacre. Campus police SOP for dealing with an armed individual on school grounds is to 1. Fall back, 2. Establish a perimeter, and 3. Wait for backup. This leaves the gunman with opportunity to lay waste to the hundreds of unarmed students at his leisure.

The argument that the whole school would turn into a shootout has many holes. The first thing a CHL holder understands is that one is to not respond with force unless they feel that their life is directly in danger. This means that a CHL holder has been instructed that if he hears gunshots on the other side of the campus, he is to get as far away from the situation as possible, not charge in with guns blazing.

On the other side, I know that firing a gun in a life and death situation is far from shooting at targets in a controlled environment, and the concealed carry holder may be a threat to more than just the gunman while responding to the threat. One thing that I feel video games have done, is misconstrue what being in a firefight is really like. People that think they would "pwn" like they do in "Call of Duty" are in for a real surprise. Only after the adrenaline dump and wetting themselves will they realize this and they may place shots that harm others rather than hitting the intended target.

The issue is not a black and white one, and the Legislature will have their hands full figuring out this one. No matter what they decide, just remember not to live in fear.

If we do that, the bad guys win.