1.
“AS RANKS OF DRIVERS FALL, MASS TRANSIT NEEDS
SURGE”
The young adult demographic of America has
seen a recent drop off in number of young adults who have a driver’s license. This
is for a plethora of reasons ranging from too busy, all the way to concern for
the environment. Experts fear that if this trend continues and Tampa doesn’t develop
a mass transit system the area will miss out on young adults choosing to live
and work here because of the lack of a mass transit system. The local
government has really dropped the ball on this issue because each county passes
the decision to fund the project to the next county and nothing gets done. The
real losers in this situation are the companies that are headquartered or run
big operations in the region because the young adult demographic will choose to
settle in other cities that will provide their transportation needs.
2.
“FLORIDA SHOULD END DEATH PENALTY”
The writer of this article argues that the
death penalty in Florida should cease to exist. Florida is one of several of
the remaining states that still allows this to occur and needs to be the next
to end this sentence. Some of the problems the writer lists includes the
execution of innocent people on death row, the application of the penalty
(meaning what crimes are more likely to get a death penalty verdict), and the
statement that killing someone is not a psychological necessity for the victim’s
family. This problem primarily affects the families of the victims and the
individuals who are waiting on death row in the state of Florida. However this
problem ultimately lies in the hands of the legislators who must decide what is
right in this matter for the state of Florida and its residents.
3.
“AUTO THEFTS BY TEENS AT CRISIS POINT IN PINELLAS”
Felony arrests for juveniles in the state
of dropped by about 20%, however in Pinellas County the felony crime rate for
teenagers has increased by the same amount. The theft rate in Pinellas by
juveniles is the highest compared to any other county in the state. Many point
the finger at the poverty rate of the county but this theory has been disproven
based on similar counties and their felony crime rate amongst teenagers. The people
this problem directly affects currently is the residents of Pinellas but the people
who need to act are the mayor of the county and the police officers in the
county in order to deter the crime and continue to arrest those who are
committing these crimes. Finding the root of this problem should be the
priority of the county right now.
4.
“MANY VOTERS LEFT WITHOUT A CHOICE”
In a South Tampa voting district a resident
complains that when voting for legislative representative for their county
there was only one option on their ballot. They had no option of writing in
someone to fill the position that had not been nominated which is typically an
option that is given. Since the voter uses voting by mail the voter contacted
the district and they said there was nothing that could be done for this
problem. This leaves the resident with a problem of having to elect someone to
represent their district without an alternative option to select. Furthermore
this leaves many residents with a similar option if they are also affiliated
with the political party that this resident was.
5.
“DON'T STALL IN FIXING MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM”
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA440666202&v=2.1&u=gain40375&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w&asid=66286fbc5c959b952bef794d1253a62a
The state run mental health hospitals are facing the problem of severe understaffing and and underfunding. The article also states that the government has had ample time to address these issues before the meeting that addresses the state budgeting for the next year but has failed to address the problem. Unfortunately the government has really not addressed this issue properly but they aren't the ones that are directly affected by the shortages to both the budget and staff of these hospitals. The real victims are the ones who are need of treatment for mental health issues. Not enough staff or money affects them the most because they are then unable to get the help that they truly need at these state operated hospitals.
The state run mental health hospitals are facing the problem of severe understaffing and and underfunding. The article also states that the government has had ample time to address these issues before the meeting that addresses the state budgeting for the next year but has failed to address the problem. Unfortunately the government has really not addressed this issue properly but they aren't the ones that are directly affected by the shortages to both the budget and staff of these hospitals. The real victims are the ones who are need of treatment for mental health issues. Not enough staff or money affects them the most because they are then unable to get the help that they truly need at these state operated hospitals.
Hi, Skylar. Out of the issues that you listed, the one I had never considered was the concern about the lack of development of local transit. I think you gave some interesting insight about the topic in relation to the article, especially when outlining the possible reasons that the younger generation has for choosing not to drive a personal vehicle.
ReplyDeleteHere is the link to my article:
http://rolononariver.blogspot.com/2016/01/identifying-local-opportunities.html
Hey Skylar! It was interesting to see that we had a few articles in common. The mass transit article was a big shock to me when I read it and I knew that I had to include it on my list. Your last article is also another important one. Mental health is a huge topic that some times goes overlooked.
ReplyDeleteCheck out my list if you get the chance:
http://cthomasuf.blogspot.com/2016/01/hurry-up-and-wait-on-i-275-httpinfoweb.html