5A Identifying Local Opportunities
Editorial: State should consider taxing plastic bags
This story talks about the negative effect that plastic bags have in our community and ecosystem. It offers up the idea to tax plastic bags to encourage consumers to stop utilizing plastic bags as often. The writer also shows cases where other well established cities have taken similar steps to end plastic pollution and the positive impact it had. In some instances, governments used the tax money to clean up the city even more whether it was local waterways or just more eco friendly services.
The problem is that consumers dispose of the plastic bags improperly and leave the city looking messy and unwelcoming.
All residents of Gainesville have this issue. Most people don't care about the plastic pollution but it is hurting the environment we live in and making our city less appealing.
Big Florida highway expansion continues to generate big concerns
This story is addressing the concern of major toll roads that are planned on being built through long stretches of rural land. According to legislatures the roadway would be used as a major hurricane evacuation route but would also bring new development to Central Florida and North Florida counties. However most democrats and environmental activists are not on board as it would tamper with clean rural environments and destroy natural resources.
The problem is these major roadways would destroy parts of the environment and pollute rather clean environments. It would wipe out natural resources in the road ways paths hurting animals living freely in the areas.
Most democrats in the state and environmental activists have been fighting this roadway plan since the beginning and are the biggest opponents of these roadways.
Opposition grows to Ginnie Springs water bottling
The Florida government owns all the water in the state, however that means they can do whatever they want with it. They've been allowing company after company to build plants along historic waterways and pump out ridiculous amounts of water at a time. Nestle, who is known for destroying natural waterways like ginnie springs are being allowed to pump water from Ginnie Springs among many other great springs that are some of Florida's treasures.
The problem is that the Florida government is granting large companies access to the water we love and slowly but surely ruining them and the ecosystem that thrives along them.
Most environmental activists have an issue with this but as do a lot of Florida residents that regularly attend these springs to indulge in Florida's beautiful wildlife.
Editorial: Stop denying health care to the uninsured
Florida lawmakers continue to change health care funding and have given the uninsured people the short end of the stick. The republicans are changing the numbers frequently to better serve their budgetary needs while forgetting that healthcare is a right and not a privilege.
The problem is that uninsured people are denied health care and will have to pay for treatments out of pocket. However most uninsured people are that way due to a lack of money and paying for medical treatments out of pocket is beyond expensive.
This problem affects the uninsured the most.
Study: New law drastically undercuts felon voting rights restoration
Felons typically would be able to vote eventually thanks to the 4th amendment but recent Florida laws have changed that. Now most felons, regardless of what crime, are denied the right to vote in their home state.
The problem is that the majority of felons are felons for small crimes that don't need to take their voting rights away. However Florida is an odd state when it comes to politics and they don't want their votes to be swayed by "criminals" votes.
Felons suffer from this as they're stripped of their basic rights / duties as a citizen even after dealing with the court ordered punishment for their crime. This law suggests the idea "once a criminal, always a criminal". Which is wrong and inhumane as we all know people can and will change.
Gavin,
ReplyDeleteI like the diversity of articles that you found. Each article is about a different issue. However, I'm not sure about your decision to use editorials for a few of your articles. Editorials can provide news, but often times are clouded by opinion journalism instead of purely facts. Aside from your use of editorials, I enjoyed reading your blog. It seems like you chose articles that are important to many local people.
Gavin, I enjoyed all the articles you found, but particularly found in interest in the one surrounding Ginnie Springs. I've known about this issue as well and agree with the environmental activists against the large corporations. I actually saw an article on this as well while I was researching for my post, and I regret not having it as a part of my post because I believe it's an important problem we can't ignore.
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