Reflective Essay of House Bill 271

I chose House Bill 271 Funding for Education to track throughout the course of this class because it pertains to me and it is important to me. Not only have the low education standards here in Utah affected me personally but now also my two children. Getting a glimpse of what goes into the process and the life of the bill is very discouraging for me in the reliability of the Utah State Legislature. The House voted in favor of this bill when it was introduced and then it was all downhill from there. When talking in class about the Bill process, my professor said the Senators and Representatives might respond to our letters, but I still have yet to see anything from them. I imagine they made up their minds without any research, and definitely not reading the opinion of a liberal, low-income, community college student. Growing up in Fresno, California I didnt have what you would call an ideal childhood and very few reinforcers to feel good about myself. I did however have the opportunity to participate in free sports activities offered by my public elementary school. This included traveling to games, playing on a team, and winning awards. I took the chance to play in every sport, winning first place in track and swimming, as well as scoring the winning basket for my basketball team. These positive reinforcers were removed from my life when I moved to

Utah with my grandma and older sister at the age of 12. I came to Utah thinking it would be more advanced than California, where Utah probably puts more of their efforts into the essential needs of the people, rather than their own personal self gain. I realized my ignorance when I was in my late teens, when my step-grandpa told me the Utah Legislature decided to build a new garage for all their cars, instead of using the funds for Medicaid to cover dental care. As a child, I recited

the pledge of allegiance countless times and admired the President of the United States. I looked forward to celebrating freedom on July 4th and felt lucky to have been born here. That has since changed, leaving me feeling embarrassed to be a citizen of the U.S. and no longer taking part in the pledge of allegiance. Now that Im aware of the 80% of Utahns that are Republican and that my vote as a Democrat is null and void, I feel as though I need to move out of state before voting will make sense again. I wanted to find out if taking funds from the Liquor Control Fund and putting them into education has worked for any other state in the U.S.. I found that Washington saw amazing

results in the first year. This article from Washingtons Liquor Control Board states; The Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) returned $425.7 million in Fiscal Year 2011 to fund state and local

services. In Fiscal Year 2011, $345 million was sent to the General Fund, $71 million to cities and counties, $8.2 million to education and prevention, and $1.5 million to research. The WSLCB sends distributions at the end of each quarter of the fiscal year. The WSLCB distributed $75.6 million in the first quarter that ended September 30, 2010, $104.8 million in the second quarter that ended December 31, 2010, and $104.7 million in the third quarter that ended March 31. Washington is more densely populated than Utah, and probably has higher liquor sales, but with even half that amount, Utah would be able to do more than just fund education, but also mental health care for the homeless population, preventative care for teens, and maybe even extracurricular activities in school. If the education standards were higher in Utah, than people might make smarter choices down the road, and the jails wouldnt be so overcrowded with people that just didnt know any better. Another concern I have is for my childrens welfare, over anything else really. They have both been through alot in their short lives. Their father was kind and childlike in nature and extremely close to his daughters. Unfortunately he had a predisposition for schizophrenia and was an abuser of drugs. He changed drastically one day and was so unstable in his actions and words that the girls no longer were able to see him. He hasnt been present in their lives since 2011 and this has been

a huge blow to their self esteem and trust. Even though I provide them with a stable, loving environment, they still need more. They need to learn to follow instructions, play as a team, learning to trust and to be really good at something. All of

this will help them to forget about their troubles, learn to take control and how to cope with what is out of their control. I was under the impression all these years that the U.S. was a Democracy and that I had a say in the decisions that affect my life. Now I know that the United States is a Constitutional Republic, and the people have no obligation to the government; instead, the government is a servant of the people. I believe many politicians have lost sight of that fact as well as our governing Constitution of the United States as a whole. This American Government and Politics class has taught me that if I want my voice to be heard, I just need to be the President of the U.S.. And since I wouldnt need any education or training, I would just need to wait until Im 35 and I could say things like, "I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee that says, 'Fool me once, shame on ... shame on you. Fool me... You can't get fooled again!" -President Goerge W. Bush