On the ballot this November 6th is Proposition 15, a proposal to allocate $3 billion from the General Fund to Cancer Research here in Texas. Of course it’s been strongly backed by our own Lance Armstrong, 7 time Tour de France winner and cancer survivor.
This really could be a great thing for Texas. The plan is to establish the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. They would research causes and cures of all forms of cancer in humans and develop therapies, protocols and medications for the purpose of curing cancer. The sheer number of peoples lives this could effect is phenomenal, not just in Texas, but nationally and beyond. Our good will could be the difference between life and death.
The money for this is a 10 year proposal of $300 million annually, $3 billion total with no indication that there would be a proposed tax increase, now or in the future. The money is already available in the General Fund, but there is a consideration to sell bonds to be used for this project instead.
So why spend our tax dollars on this? It’s a good thing! Think of all the things we spend our tax dollars on ($10,000 a month for rent sound familiar?) Yes, there are lots of other worthy causes, but we have to start somewhere and this is the proposal that came to the table. I wish we could spend more on education and healthcare, but this is a really awesome place to begin.
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Proposition 15 was one of the most debated propositions and is discussed on October 31, 2007 by one of my classmates on her Fattutu website. She gives us an idea of what the money is going to be used for when she states “The plan is to establish the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.” She describes simply what an opportunity proposition 15 is and supports her arguments by stating it may save lives and how it will affect us not only on a state, but a national level. I was not aware of the proposition or what it could do until I read the article. It provided me with the information, data and a positive opinion necessary for making a logical decision. I do not understand what she meant by ($10,000 a month for rent). She may have meant the price it costs to pay for rent of the governor’s mansion or something, but it is not very specific in this area. I know I do not pay that much a month for rent. She also states that there was “no indication that there would be a proposed tax increase, now or in the future.” This indicates that the new bond proposal may not raise our taxes. Although this is possible it is not probable because the 3 Billion has to come from somewhere (either by reducing other funding or new taxes) and it is definitely not a small amount of money. Not that I would not want to raise my taxes to pay for cancer research it is a worthy and justified cause considering most people die from cancer. Overall her paper was effective, informative, and well written.
Proposition 15 was one of the most debated propositions and is discussed on October 31, 2007 by one of my classmates on her Fattutu website. She gives us an idea of what the money is going to be used for when she states “The plan is to establish the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.” She describes simply what an opportunity proposition 15 is and supports her arguments by stating it may save lives and how it will affect us not only on a state, but a national level. I was not aware of the proposition or what it could do until I read the article. It provided me with the information, data and a positive opinion necessary for making a logical decision. I do not understand what she meant by ($10,000 a month for rent). She may have meant the price it costs to pay for rent of the governor’s mansion or something, but it is not very specific in this area. I know I do not pay that much a month for rent. She also states that there was “no indication that there would be a proposed tax increase, now or in the future.” This indicates that the new bond proposal may not raise our taxes. Although this is possible it is not probable because the 3 Billion has to come from somewhere (either by reducing other funding or new taxes) and it is definitely not a small amount of money. Not that I would not want to raise my taxes to pay for cancer research it is a worthy and justified cause considering most people die from cancer. Overall her paper was effective, informative, and well written.
Let me just say that I will not forget Fat Tutu’s bright pink blog! I feel that the layout of the blog page is great; overall it is organized and easy to read. However, I feel that Fat Tutu thoughts aren’t structurally organized as well as they could be. She does great when stating the facts, but her reasons for feeling a certain way aren’t supported. Nor do I feel persuaded either way. I had a family member with cancer and I am all for cancer research. Your blog didn’t make me feel that cancer research was a top priority.
You stated: “Yes, there are lots of other worthy causes, but we have to start somewhere and this is the proposal that came to the table. I wish we could spend more on education and healthcare, but this is a really awesome place to begin.”
I read this statement over and over and the feeling that I get is that cancer research isn’t a worthy enough cause. This maybe your opinion, but you blog post states that this proposition 15 would be good for Texas; so I am left with mixed feelings. I was unable to determine what you truly meant to say.
As far as supporting evident to lead the reader to thinking one way or another, it could have been better and more focused on the topic presented. The overall blog page structure was excellent. Try to focus on the topic you are presenting and project it to the reader so that they might learn something and take action.
This proposition is a magnet for controversy. I understand the need for cancer research and I understand the need for funding for this research. My grandma had colon cancer and they caught it JUST in time before it would have become incurable. However, I do not understand why Texas is going to pour 3 Billion dollars into this over the next ten years. Why not take some of surplus we already have and apply it to the federal cancer research, pooling the resources of our state with that of the federal government. For that matter, why not put money towards research to cure crohns disease (auto-immune disease that attacks the digestive system, rotting it form the inside out), rheumatoid arthritis, AIDS (though I believe there is a great deal of funding already in this) and many other painful and deadly diseases. Cancer is not the only big bad wolf of a disease out there to put money towards. Furthermore, It is inevitable that the Texas Government will eventually tax us for this money in some shape or form. It will probably appear on some bill a couple of years from now obscured in political lingo proposing a new tax for such and such to pay for the money going to the new cancer development. I mean, for God’s sake, we complained about the roads and they built us new roads. Toll roads, to be exact. One way or the other we WILL pay for this money and not all of us are spending 10 grand a month in rent. Now that I think about it, I am not sure that the majority of people out there make 10 grand a month. I know I don’t.
my response to "proposition 15"
The author of this article did a good job stating her opinion, but it would help her article if she mentioned some of the negative things about the proposal. It would give the reader a better understanding of the issue and could compare the "good" and "bad" of the proposal, which they could then decide whether to agree with the authors opinion or take one of their own. I tend to disagree with the author about the subject. Yes, no one likes paying taxes, like rent, but adding 3 billion on top of the taxes we already pay is a lot worse. Having family and friends who have suffered from cancer makes me want a cure to be found soon, and I know it takes a lot of money to research to find one. I still feel like the money is too much to ask of tax payers and should try to be found another way. I also think that they don't try everything to find a cure. I know there have been very promising results from alternative medicines but because that doesn't bring money to the pharmaceutical companies and hospitals, they don't pursue that path. The are things they could to to find a cure without having to raise 3 billion dollars in tax money, they just don't want to.
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