Lakeside residents, your days of free water are over.

In an editorial published February 14, 2012 by the Austin American Statesman, the issue of water being siphoned from the Highland Lakes is discussed.   Resident of the lake area are pumping water from the lakes for their own personal use.  The water being used is not being paid for by the majority of the residents and is becoming an issue for the Lower Colorado River Authority, as taking the water for free is illegal.  The LCRA is urging residents to sign a contract stating that they will pay for the amount of water which they siphon from the lake.  For those who fail to pay for the water which they use, the LCRA is ready to issue fines of up to $875.


I agree with the author's statement, "Its time they pay for the water they take."  Siphoning water from the lake is illegal and should be punishable by law.  Fines should be enforced and not withheld no matter what the excuse.  Many cities are drought stricken and nobody should be taking water for free.  There are certainly preventative measures that can be taken to avoid unnecessary water usage, especially in time of drought.  Landscaping should be done with drought tolerant plants that are native to the area.  Grass should be there naturally and should grow from rainfall, not hoses.


Although weather conditions have improved since last summer, the drought in central Texas remains. There is potential for heavy rain this upcoming summer, however, with the rate of the rainfall this year, it will take years to build the lakes back up to the level it was recently at. With the lakes at a historically low level, residents should refrain from using water directly from the lakes. Even with the amount of rain expected this upcoming Spring and Summer, we are dangerously close to the lowest water levels seen since the 10-year drought of the 1940's and 50's. (www.lcra.org/water/drought/index.html)


Overall, the author's approach to inform Texas residents of the illegal usage of water makes it easily an agreeable argument.  Most residents of the surrounding area should be more conscientious about water usage after reading this editorial.  Likewise it should be agreed that those taking water directly from our lakes should make a better effort to conserve water usage if payment their source of the issue.

They're Not Pro-Life

On Friday, February 3, 2012 the Austin Chronicle published an article about funding cuts for women's health care in the Capital Area.

Many Texas Planned Parenthood clinics are closing due to lack of funding.  Why? Because Texas government officials have cut funding for women’s health care services.  Planned Parenthood has lost funding due to a campaign enforcing 'Pro-Life'. Millions of dollars from the state budget for family planning have been cut in Texas, leaving women across the Capitol Area without proper well-woman care.  By cutting funding for abortions, the Government is also cutting funding for crucial health care services.  In fact, many of the clinics forced to close their doors did not even provide abortion services.  Without those doors open, women are unable to receive necessary preventative health screenings for Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Breast and Cervical Cancer.  Without routine services for family planning and well-woman care we can expect to see a rise in health problems in pregnant women as well as their children, causing the state even more money to treat what could have been prevented. Rep. Donna Howard emphasized that " We've already seen that there's an association between unintended pregnancies and lack of prenatal care, with problems that may occur with premature deliveries, with low-birth-weight infants, with subsequent issues of health for the child as the child develops, as well as impacts with the woman being able to get a job, and be able to provide child care. The list goes on and on. There's a real multiplier here and the impacts of the cost on society – just by virtue of not giving this woman a couple of hundred dollars in preventive care."  Not everyone is fortunate enough to have health insurance and many rely solely on Government funding at clinics such as Planned Parenthood.  By cutting these funds, the Government is hurting the population and putting many citizens at danger that shouldn't have to be. If adjustments are going to be made regarding the funding for such clinics, there should be some sort of guideline differentiating between the types of services received.  If abortion is the root of all of these budget cuts, then there should be some sort of regulation specifically against abortion services that does not affect other necessary health care services.  It seems to be agreed that 'Pro-Life' is 'anti-women and anti-family'.