6 Years in Prison Is NOT Enough Time

In 2007, a young girl was hit by a driver that was high on meth.  She was hit in Willow Glen by the Walgreen's where she had just purchased some candy.  The driver hit her in a stolen car and double backed so he could pick her up.  He put the young girl in the car and continued to drive for a little while.  The young girl was smart enough to let herself out of the car while the man was still driving.  She shattered her pelvis in 8 places and continued to run to a nearby house so she could call for help.  Later in court, the young girl also said that the man had tried to sexually molest her.

For committing such an awful crime, you would think that this man would be put away for hard time.  Instead, after all he had done to this poor girl, the man is only sentenced to 6 years in prison.  In court, he claimed that he hadn't tried to molest the young girl, and had only picked her up so he could take her to the hospital.  Even with a story like that, after what he did, he should have to pay a bigger price.  I feel that this sentence isn't fair and the man is getting away easy. To make it even worse, if the man is able to find a job in prison, he can expect to only serve half the time which is 3 years.  This is absolutely not right.  Not only did he commit the crime of stealing a car, but he had a hit and run, and potential kidnap.  On top of all this, he was using an illegal drug.  This should be enough to put him away for at least 20 years.  He has obviously committed more than one crime, that should be taken into consideration.  This man is practically getting away with murder in my eyes. 

http://www.mercurynews.com/crime/ci_11751600

Chapter 13 Opinion

            After reading chapter 13, I realized how little editorials I have read.  I agree with the book when it is saying that writing our opinions brings us together.  If everyone kept to themselves and never shared their opinion, no one would ever know what one another thought about certain issues.  Unfortunately we can’t read minds on planet earth.  Writing editorials and opinion articles or essays teach us more about life and the right and wrong things to do.  By reading other people’s opinions and takes on certain issues in life, we can potentially learn from their mistakes and not make them ourselves.  

Unconditional Love

            The article I read was about a man named Ron Bahr that was born with Down syndrome and a hole in his heart and doesn’t have much longer to live.  Even though he is mentally challenged, it hasn’t stopped him from declaring his love to Lorraine Hatfield, who is also his best friend.  Ron is 47 years old, and doctors didn’t expect him to live past one year old, but he has definitely beaten the odds.  Fearing that his time on earth is coming to an end, the one thing he wanted the most was to marry Lorraine on Valentines Day.

            This article touches me in so many ways.  I am majoring in Occupational therapy so I can work with special needs kids in the future, and just by reading this article, I can understand the type of love Ron has for life and Lorraine.  Many people don’t realize it, but people with special needs are the kindest, sweetest people you will probably ever meet.  They have such big hearts and their love is unconditional.  These people can teach you so much about life and love and those are the best qualities a person can have.  This article and Ron’s story touch me in a way I can’t even explain.  I hope he continues to chase his dreams and do the things he loves most with all the life he has left.

Article Link: http://www.mercurynews.com/topstories/ci_11700048?nclick_check=1

Related Site: http://fcsn.org/index.php

 

Online Essay

The online essay that I read was from an online source called the Oroville Mercury Register.  I chose this essay because it is about the streetlights in San Jose being replaced.  I have always hated the yellow streetlights and I never understood why they were yellow.  It was something small that has always bugged me.  When I have visited other cities growing up, I realized that San Jose is one of the few cities that have these ugly yellow lights.  Having no lights at all may be better than having the yellow lights that seem to just be distracting.

            This essay is about the plans that the city has to replace the yellow streetlights with new bright white lights.  Just because the yellow streetlights are ugly isn’t the reason the city is choosing to replace them.  Pedestrians, cops, and motorists have all often complained about our awful yellow streetlights.  They often make painted curbs harder to see and are often confused with traffic signals and lights.  The yellow streetlights are now not only an inconvenience, but a hazard. A quote from chapter 14 that explains the frustrations residents have been feeling for many years is, “How small changes in repetition call attention to something”.

            The city plans to replace 62,000 streetlights and have the project completed by 2022.  The new streetlights will be an LED version that will not only glow white, but cut energy costs in half.  Another bonus is that the new streetlights will be able to be controlled better when it comes to intensity and timing.

            This is a very interesting essay to me because I have always wondered why the streetlights in San Jose were yellow, and they have always bothered me.  It sounds like a great plan to get new white lights that make driving or walking the streets better for everyone.  The fact that we will be saving energy and eventually money also makes me very happy.  I just wish that the lights had replaced sooner.

(http://www.orovillemr.com/news/ci_11646883)

Print Essay

The printed essay I read is from the San Jose Mercury News.  I chose this article because I was interested to learn more about what the title was referring to.  The title is, “San Jose residents oppose public safety cuts as budget worsens, may accept sales tax hike or reduced library hours”.  This title caught my eye because a sales tax hike would affect my family, friends, and myself.  A quote from chapter 14 that helps me explain why I chose this essay to analyze is, “Smith’s title draws special attention to what otherwise seems like a small part of the overall story”. 

The essay is mainly about how an annual survey is given out to 1,000 randomly selected adults and how most of them were opposed to public safety cuts.  Many residents would rather make cuts when it comes to parks and libraries.  Many residents also would rather just swallow another tax hike than reduce the budget for public safety.  As much as I don’t want public safety to be compromised, increasing sales tax doesn’t sound so good to me either.  

The economy is suffering right now, and raising sales tax wouldn’t help many residents’ situations.  The sales tax increase would be a quarter-cent, but no matter how high or low the increase, it still adds up.  I realize that the city is unsure of what cuts to make first since they were forced on Tuesday to trim $9 million to keep the budget in balance.  The city has even searched for savings in order to keep all or mostly all the programs in action.  I completely understand the situation, but there has to be costs we can cut in other areas to ensure our public safety programs get as much funding as possible.  Who knows what may happen to our tax dollars in the near future.