Author Jim Malewitz of the Texas Tribune, who has an undergraduate degree from Grinnell College in Iowa as well as a master’s degree from the University of Iowa describes how strict Texas laws are harming Tesla's (electric car manufacturer) sales. Malewitz's intended audience is Texas citizens interested in the development of electric car companies. Texas has a reputaion for its relatively minimal amounts of government regulations on businesses. However, officials from Tesla argue that restrictions that prevent car manufacturers to sell directly to customers is stunting their company's ability to expand. You can go check out their vehicles in Austin and Houston, but can't discuss anything about the price, purchase or delivery of the vehicles. Also, you must order the car from Tesla’s headquarters in Palo Alto, California. The company hopes to open a lithium battery plant here in Texas in 2017 that would cost 5 billion dollars and would create 6,500 jobs. This legal issue that was described by Tesla as "incredibly inconvenient" will be a stumbling block for achieving said goal. I agree with Malewitz that the way the auto industry is set up puts electric car companies at a disadvantage. Jim Malewitz conveyed his message by quoting Tesla officials and well known politicians like Rick Perry. This article brings to mind the government destruction of an earlier up and coming electric car company that was quickly gaining popularity.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
"Regulations Could Harm Texas' Bid for Tesla Plant" by Jim Malewitz
Author Jim Malewitz of the Texas Tribune, who has an undergraduate degree from Grinnell College in Iowa as well as a master’s degree from the University of Iowa describes how strict Texas laws are harming Tesla's (electric car manufacturer) sales. Malewitz's intended audience is Texas citizens interested in the development of electric car companies. Texas has a reputaion for its relatively minimal amounts of government regulations on businesses. However, officials from Tesla argue that restrictions that prevent car manufacturers to sell directly to customers is stunting their company's ability to expand. You can go check out their vehicles in Austin and Houston, but can't discuss anything about the price, purchase or delivery of the vehicles. Also, you must order the car from Tesla’s headquarters in Palo Alto, California. The company hopes to open a lithium battery plant here in Texas in 2017 that would cost 5 billion dollars and would create 6,500 jobs. This legal issue that was described by Tesla as "incredibly inconvenient" will be a stumbling block for achieving said goal. I agree with Malewitz that the way the auto industry is set up puts electric car companies at a disadvantage. Jim Malewitz conveyed his message by quoting Tesla officials and well known politicians like Rick Perry. This article brings to mind the government destruction of an earlier up and coming electric car company that was quickly gaining popularity.
Monday, February 24, 2014
Chief of Police Responds to Controversial Arrest with Hostility
The
Daily Texan Editorial board published an article criticizing Austin
Police chief, Art Acevedo. When confronted by the press about an
arrest made last Thursday morning, Acevedo responded in an
“alarmingly aggressive” manner. The incident involved a jogger,
24 year old Amanda Jo Stephen. Her initial violation was “failure
to obey a pedestrian control device.”
At the time, Stephen was wearing headphones and did not hear the
officer approach. Unable to verbally gain the assailant's attention,
the APD officer grabbed Stephen by the arm and arrested her.
According to an eye witness, she refused to identify herself and was
yelling at the cops that were pinning her to the ground. A video
taken by an onlooker quickly went viral and evoked a “swift,
negative and complex” public reaction.
In a press conference Art commented this: “In
other cities there’s cops who are actually committing sexual
assaults on duty, so I thank God that this is what passes for a
controversy in Austin, Texas.”
This hurt the situation and negatively affected the trustworthiness
of the Chief of Police. The
author explains that “officers
should have the discretion to enforce the spirit of the law, not just
the strict text of it.”
In their opinion, the arrest was unnecessary as was the hostility of
Acevedo's response to it. I agree that he absolutely could have handled the
situation more maturely.
Monday, February 10, 2014
New Degree Available for Around $10K, Books Included
Since Rick Perry called for a new program in which a bachelor's degree could be attained for only about $10,000 back in 2011, several have been announced. Only recently, however, has a degree been released- by Texas A&M-Commerce and South Texas College- in this price range, that includes the price of textbooks. Their "bachelor’s of applied science in organizational leadership" degrees which is completed online, costs students around $13,000-15,000 (cheaper if students already possess some college credit) and will take around three years to attain. Dan Jones, president of A&M-Commerce commented that “accreditation and innovation are not always aligned. But SACS worked with us and recognized that this is a legitimate form of instruction and something we’re going to see more of, not less of, in the coming years.”
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