Friday, October 19, 2007

Agree to Dissagree

Consider the source and audience.

The article "Governor's endorsement of Giuliani draws criticism" was published in the Fort Worth Star Telegram. The article was published by staff writer John Moritz. I think that Moritz brought to every ones attention that Governor Perry is supporting Rudy Giuliani to show everyone how politicians basically tell people what they want to hear but when it comes down to it they do what they think is in the best interest for themselves. Moritz is doing a good job and is going to keep his audiences interested because people want to hear controversial stories.

Lay out the argument and the underlying values and assumptions.

The basic argument of the article is that Governor Perry is supporting someone who does not share the same beliefs as him. An assumption that the article does present is that Governor Perry is setting himself up to move up the political rankings. I believe that if you elect a person because you share the beliefs as them, no matter what they may be, they should uphold those beliefs and support other people who have the same.

Uncover the evidence.

The article is supported with facts and evidence the Governor Perry supports presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani. Governor Perry "appeared with Giuliani in Washington , D.C. and in Iowa after endorsing him on Wednesday morning. It goes with out saying that if you travel with someone to show your support you obviously want to them to win whatever election they are in.
Evaluate the conclusion.

I do believe that the argument is successful because it shows that Governor Perry is supporting someone who disagrees with him on a lot of major political issues. The article doesn't change my mind about any previous beliefs because I have always thought that politicians are always going to tell you what you want to hear and once they win they will do whatever they want.

Sort out the political implications.

The political significance of the article is that if Governor Perry has a lot of loyal supporters who trust his judgement they to could support Giuliani which in result could help him win Texas in the presidential election. The political world depends strongly on who has the support of who and if a democrat can get a large portion of republicans to support them they have a great chance of winning the election.

The article commented on above can be found by clicking here.

Friday, October 5, 2007

The rich get richer while the poor get poorer.

Consider the source and audience.

The article titled "Older black communities hurt by family issues, appraisal hike" is written by Leslie Casimir. Casimir is a immigration reporter that concentrates on black immigration in the United States. This article was published in the Houston Chronicle which I was intended to educate the general public.

Lay out the argument and the underlying values and assumptions.

The basic argument of the article is that African Americans in Houston are losing houses that they inherited because of taxes that they can not afford because of appraisal increases. The assumption that the article relies on is that there are several families and individuals that are being affected by the taxes because they simply do not have the money to afford it. In the article Casimir never comes out and says what she thinks the government should do but from the article I think that she believes that the government needs to lower the taxes or create some type of payment system that is easier for them to afford.

Uncover the evidence.

I think that Casimir has made a good argument and has supported it well with facts. She stated in her article that the number of houses being foreclosed has gone up considerably in the past three months. Her article stated that "328 (houses) in August, 389 in September, and 447 this month. That is a drastic increase especially considering we are only five days into October. Casimir also backs up her article by introducing the dollar amount owed by the residents in the third ward, were most of the house foreclosures are taking place. the third ward alone owes the county 17 million in tax dollars because of the resent appraisal hike.

Evaluate the conclusion.

I believe that Casimir's argument is successful in two different ways. She convinced me and brought to my attention that there is a serious problem in Houston. I think they have to find an alternate way for the county to get their money but also for the residents to also get to keep their houses. Casimir was successful in changing my mind because she simply introduced me to a problem that is effecting several people. I used to believe that everyone should pay their taxes with no questions asked. Now I believe that when someone buys a house that they should get to pay the original tax for the property for the extent of them owning that property. Once the house is sold then i think it is okay for the property tax to go up to what it should be. If that were to happen the buyer would know what is to be expected from them financially instead of a long time owner get hit with tax raise after tax raise.

Sort out the political implications.

This article is very important because it shows that you never truly own your land. You will always be making some form of payment on it. The government just like everybody else is dependent on money because it helps them continue to be successful. It is a shame because people who have had houses in their families for close to 100 years are losing them. This is another perfect example showing that wealthy people are going to get the better thing in life.

The article written about in this blog can be found by clicking here.