My Last Post

Hello Everyone, This is my last post for my Public Affairs Reporting class. I just wanted to take a moment and reflect on the class and what I learned. To be honest, Public Affairs was more interesting that I thought it was going to be. I remember last semester when Prof. Dawers was trying to explain the class to us, he said the class would focus on policy. And I think anyone who hears policy automatic thinks a time to sleep. I think what turns people away from policy is that a lot of policies are written in a way that the average person does not understand. So if the average person does not understand policy, then they will not want to learn anything about. I really liked how the class broke down different policy issues and the many class discussions. The topic that really interested me the most was when we talked about education. Whether is was the HOPE Scholarship or No Child Left Behind or Chatham County School's low graduation rate. Until this class, I didn't realize education was such a passion of mine, but it is. Which is why I want to work in the University System under student services. Anyway, I really enjoyed this class and the journalism track. The journalism track allowed me to update myself about issues going on in the world around me. I have always paid attention to the news, but sometimes when school work and jobs take over your life, you tend to forget the issues that other Americans face based off the policies being put into place by our representatives. I also enjoyed informing my friend, Brittany, who is a Biology major and usually has no clue about the different issues taking place. So it was nice updating her about what was going on. Overall, it was a good class and a good four years, yes I do graduate next Saturday, and I am excited about what is in store for the future.

Deal Ok's drug test bill

On Monday, Gov. Nathan Deal signed legislation to require some people applying for for welfare in Georgia to pass a drug test before receiving the benefits.

Bill Details: "Under the bill, anyone who tests positive for drug use could not apply for welfare for one month and until they test clean. A third violation could prevent someone from applying for benefits for a year. They would also have to pass another drug test before reapplying," (My Fox Atlanta)

While I can understand they are trying to prevent anyone from using the system, I feel this could be problematic in that this will give welfare officials the right to target certain. The article did not go into parameters in how they would know if someone uses drugs. I am unsure of the welfare process, so do they background check you?

And I understand there are people who abuse the welfare system, but is it really that bad? Or is this just a preventative measure? I don't have enough information to decide, but if someone in the blog world knows more about this, please let me know.

Also, how much will drug testing cost? And where will the money come from? Will taxpayers pay the bill? I mean our money already goes to welfare recipients anyway? And I am okay with that, there are people out there who are in need. I just need more information.

So let me know your thoughts on this issue.

Savannah Food Ratings

Last semester, The Galley and the MCC Food Court received a food rating of an 82. And then this semester, it went from an 82 to a 77. Now most people would like at that drop and be disgusted, as they should be. But Armstrong is not the only place in Savannah with a low food rating.

Now I know, no city is perfect. But I can't help but notice, the low food ratings throughout the city of Savannah. A few weeks ago, I ate at American Deli in Oglethorpe Mall and right after I purchased my food, I saw that they had a rating of a 71. I told my friends I wouldn't have ate there, if I saw the rating beforehand.

I also notice the Subway at Savannah Mall had a rating of a C. It just amazes me the amount of low ratings at these food places. I think Jalapenos down the street, also was rated a C.

I did ask my friends why the ratings are so low here, and they told me that they are not use to having nice places, so is just expected. My thing is, when is enough, enough? It is gross. I just don't understand from a business standpoint, why you want to serve people in an environment people could possibly get sick from?

I understand that health inspections are picky, but they are suppose to be. We are talking about people's lives here.

I tried looking online, but I didn't see any articles addressing this issue, just articles promoting the city of Savannah.

I think the people of Savannah have the right to go to restaurants, even if they are chains, that are clean and have a high health rating. But I guess if no one complains, then no one will do anything.

If anyone has any answers, please let me know.

Savannah Crime

During class next week, we will discuss crime in Savannah. We are swinging around from national issues to discuss more local issues. But I have noticed something. Whenever I am reading Savannah Morning News, in this case I am referring to the website. I noticed that whenever the newspaper publishes a crime story, they like to put the mugshot of the person they arrest.

This happens in just about all crime stories and could be problematic for a number of reasons. In my Editing and Markup class, we talk about potentially libelous stories. And I think by continuously posting the mug shot of the suspect could cause more harm than good.

The reason being that most mugshots are printed so the suspect looks guilty for a trial. What happened to being innocent until proven guilty. Just because police have made an arrest, does not mean the people who are arrested are guilty. Police make arrest usually off of suspicion and sometimes they are wrong.

I understand that readers want to know who police arrest and that is fine. But if the public already suspects that your guilty, then it will take a long time before they recognize you as innocent.

Take the O.J. Simpson case for example. When a main news magazine posted his mugshot on the cover of the issue. Not only did they post his mugshot, they darkened his skin, which implies guilt. One can also look at the Trayvon Martin case and how the only picture that the public has of Zimmerman is his mugshot. All these instances imply guilt, which can be problematic if you are innocent.

Let me know your thoughts on the issue. Also, let me know if you have any solutions in the comment box below. Thanks!

Lottery

Earlier this semester, we talked about the Georgia Lottery and its impact on the HOPE scholarship. We talked about how the majority of people who buy the tickets are from lower income communities. Well a few days ago, Mega Millions swept the nation or at least Facebook. Everybody I knew was buying a lottery ticket. Even my mom told me to go to the gas station to purchase one. I did not, for a few reasons. One, because I knew there was a catch. 2, the taxes are to high. And boy was I right, instead of one winner there were I think six winners all out of St. Louis and each received 250, 000 each, probably before taxes. I knew the lottery was not going to allow more than one person to win. So all this talk about what people would do if they won millions, was completely insane. Anyway, I wanted to share this video with you. Let me know your thoughts about winning the lottery as a whole.

Trayvon Martin

I am sure most of you heard about the Trayvon Martin case. The young African-American male who was shot by George Zimmerman, a "neighborhood watch captain" who thought Trayvon looked suspicious. Zimmerman is hoping he can escape prosecution from this case because of Florida's Stand Your Ground law, where you can shoot someone if you feel threatened.

My thing is, if you feel threatened, then why follow that person and not wait for the police, who told you to back off. If you felt threatened, why did you even approach Trayvon? Why would to claim self defense, when the young boy was armed with skittles
and an ice tea?

The whole point of a neighbor hood watch person is to WATCH the neighborhood and report any activity to the police. Once reported, you let the police step in, because you have done your job. This story truly sickens me. And to add fuel to the fire, people are claiming that Zimmerman is Hispanic as if him being Hispanic no longer makes it racist.

Hispanic is not a race, because you have black and white Hispanics. And if you look at a lot of Hispanic countries, they have racial problems as well.

What I don't understand is when police came to the scene, and the dispatcher told Zimmerman not to shoot, the police took his side, saying he acted out of self-defense and that was that. Why did it take the protest of people, and the young man's upset parents for the police to look further into this case? This is just absolutely awful.

I found a video that explains the Stand Your Ground Law a bit further. Let me know what you think.

Plans to shutdown 13 schools

I am a huge education person and wanted to blog a little about this. Atlanta Public Schools plans to shut down 13 schools. That is huge. I screamed when my county of Dekalb had plans to shut down eight. And I am sure many of you know where these schools are located--in urban communities. After the cheating scandal in Atlanta, I am sure the close of schools does not help.

I found an article from The Atlanta Voice and want your opinion on this issue. Atlanta Public Schools stated the reason for the closing is due to budget. Anyway, read the article and let me know what you think.

Staff and Wire Report
ATLANTA – Public hearings are scheduled to start next week over recommendations to shut down 13 Atlanta public schools – most of them on the city’s south side – as part of a cost-cutting initiative proposed by school superintendent Erroll B. Davis Jr.
Community hearings on the controversial proposals will take place March 12, March 13 next week and March 21 and March 22 at various high schools across the city. The district then will finalize its proposal and school board members will approve the final plan at their April 10 meeting. That plan will take effect next school year.
Davis introduced his redistricting plan to the Atlanta school board Monday, telling board members that closing 10 elementary schools and three middle schools would boost efficiency and save the cash-strapped district about $6.5 million in operational expenses – freeing up resources to support and teach students.
“Although APS traditional schools serve 47,000 students, we have seats for 60,000 students,” Davis said in a letter released this week. “Heating, cool and lighting 13,000 empty seats is expensive.”
“Our proposal will eliminate approximately 7,200 of the 13,000-seat excess and generate substantial savings,” he added. “As a result, we will be able to allocate more funds in direct support of students – that is, to provide more counselors, assistant principals, paraprofessionals and special education resources.”
The plan, which would displace about 2,500 students, is the most recent version of a redistricting plan that has been debated since late last year and generated heated public outcry in many circles – including at Monday night’s school board meeting.
Board members debated the plan for hours, including some who expressed concerns about closing schools – especially in communities where several vacant school buildings already exist. Many of the vacant seats are on the district’s south side, while many schools in north Atlanta are overcrowded.
“In doing closures, you decrease morale, you decrease parent involvement, which feeds into decreased student achievement,” said board member LaChandra Butler Burks. “We’re adding more distress onto already distressed communities. Is all that worth a couple hundred thousand dollars?”
Davis said the expected cost savings justify the closures.
“Our driving force is a commitment to children, not to buildings,” he said. “We are heating, cooling, lighting 13,000 empty seats. The money spent [there] can go to counselors, social workers, assistant principals, the kind of robust support the children in the needy communities are not getting.”
Davis said school redistricting, while uncomfortable for some, is needed to adjust for shifts in population throughout the city.
“Redistricting is never an easy or painless process, but it is something most urban school districts must periodically undertake to effectively manage educational resources and ensure continued student academic achievement,” he said in a recent column in The Atlanta Voice.
“Today, the district has critically overcrowded schools in some areas and severely under-enrolled schools in others. This situation wastes resources and adversely impacts efficient operations and potentially student academic achievement.”
The last time APS approved a full redistricting plan was in 2003, he said.
The plan released Monday also calls for schools to be reorganized into clusters, meaning students would stay together as they move to middle and high school. It also calls for renovations and expansions at many schools and support services to be added at others.
Elementary schools slated for closure include: Boyd, Capitol View, Cook, East Lake, Fain, Herndon, Humphries, F.L. Stanton, Thomasville, and White. The middle schools proposed for closure are
Coan, Kennedy and Park.
Buckhead is the only area that won’t be affected by the boundary changes.
Community meetings on the closures will be held March 12 at Douglass High School, March 13 at North Atlanta High School, March 21 at Maynard Jackson High School, and March 22 at Carver High School.