Reflection on Burt

When I found out that Burt was going to come and talk to us, I wasn't sure what to expect necessarily...but I was definitely excited. I think there is a lot of mystery to what the lives of the homeless community is like and it was interesting to get an opinion and story from someone who is living it. Listening to Burt's story made me realize that it's easier to become homeless than I thought. Tragedy could strike at any moment and put you and even your family in a difficult position, maybe leave you homeless. The health care system and the lack of affordable housing is definitely an issue that has directly impacted Burt and is just one of the many areas of our government that lacks attention.
Burt's story is similar to many other stories in the homeless community and is an issue that could be avoided, especially because it could impact several Americans who lack health insurance (including me). There is a stigma attached to the people of the homeless community and most people just see them in the street and are even somewhat immune to looking at the homeless in even the worst situations. Burt mentioned this sense of distrust and even fear between the homeless and not homeless, which many people, including myself are guilty of. We are sometimes so caught up in our own lives that we overlook the daily struggles people in our own community have to go through.

Hearing from Burt

I was pleasantly surprised by the class in which Burt came to speak to us. Not that I didn't think it would go well but I really did not know what to expect. I feel that it was important for all of us to get the opportunity to hear from him because it kind of humanizes homelessness. So many of us see a homeless person on the street as we pass by in our cars and think nothing about it. We all get so wrapped up in our small worlds of class, homework, and free time spent in this little college town that we often forget that there are others living here that are not students and may not be doing so well. They too have a story, have overcome obstacles, perhaps have made the same mistakes many of us have made, and have many more obstacles than we typically see. Burt really made two big impacts on me and how I view not only homeless individuals, but just everyone in general. First, his description of how other homeless people live, how others treat them, and their day to day struggles is something that seems obvious after he told us about them, but I just haven't put much thought into. At times, I am quick to become frustrated with people and lose my patients when they are less than friendly. Sometimes I just need to remember that they're allowed to have a bad day too, and I don't know what they have been going through that day. I can either make their day worse and let it also negatively effect my own mood that day, or I can try to be that bright moment in their dark day and hopefully leave both of us feeling a little better. The second think that really made me think was seeing Burt's reaction to thinking back to his days returning from Vietnam. Something that happened so long ago can still have such a deep and painful effect on someone years later. That applies not only to those suffering from PTSD in times of conflict, but also kids in school that are bullied. My girlfriend and I were just talking yesterday about a classmate she had that got picked on because he was nearly blind and carried a fanny pack. She got to know him and found that he carried things he really needed to help him see better while in class and he was embarrassed to have to search around for everything in his backpack so he carried a fanny pack. He then told her how he asked his parents for a cooler fanny pack because the kids at school made fun of him for it. If I was a parent in that situation it would break my heart to hear that and just talking about it makes me feel bad for the guy. I feel that schools everywhere should get an opportunity to hear people like Burt speak so that they can get a better appreciation for being sensitive to those around them.

Burt

I am very glad that Burt took the time out of his day to come and speak to us and allow us to learn about a very rough time in his life. When people think of homeless people they feel like they are less than a person and they are quick to turn their heads or run from them. Sadly, I was one of those people until my senior year in high school. We read a book titled 'Same Kind of Different As Me.' That book changed my whole outlook on homelessness. It was about a homeless black man and a rich white man that were united and they became really good friends. It was based in Fort Worth, Texas at the Union Gospel Mission. When we finished the book, I was in tears. It was a great book and it changed my whole outlook. Our class ended up going to the Union Gospel Mission to volunteer and the writers were there. It was an amazing experience. So when Burt came to speak it brought me back to reading that book and volunteering. It is sad that he has to pick from a place to sleep and necessities for the month. People always look down on homeless people because they do not realize with this economy they could be in the same place as Burt, or even worse. We should help one another in the country. The less people we help, the less we are United. They want to plaster 'United we stand' everywhere but "divided we fall." We are divided. I do like that he helps other homeless people and that he has dreams to pursue down the road with counseling and such. I just hope he gets where he wants because no one deserves to be hungry and homeless.

Obama apologizes to people losing health coverage

Jordan Brewer Article 3

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/politics/article/Obama-apologizes-to-people-losing-health-coverage-4966463.php

Julie Pace, San Antonio Express News, November 8, 2013.

Category: Health Care

Level: National

Who does this affect: The entire American population

How does this article affect families or individuals?
Obama put this health care act into effect to "help" all the individuals and families in the United States, but failed to come through on some of his promises so we shall see what happens.

My opinion on the article:
I really like the idea of having a health care system that fully supports the needs of the American population.  Unfortunately I do not think Obama did the best job of putting this creation together though.  That can be seen pretty easily right now as of last month he even lower approval ratings than George Bush which is one of the lowest of any presidents in history.  I wish President Obama would be more honest with us when he says what he says.  He did not put a good budget plan together before he enacted this Obamacare so our national budget is still in crisis and is only looking to get worse.  This particular article talks about how Obama is apologizing to the citizens of the US because he promised once again that if anyone was happy with the insurance plan they previously had, they could stay on it.  That is not the case as of right now though.  Hopefully we can pull together and get this situation figured out to where it actually does help our nation as a whole while not putting us even further into debt.  On a more positive note, one of the things I do like about the design of this Obamacare is that it places less stress on families as they do not have to worry so much about their children or themselves getting sick or hurt and not getting the proper care they need to heal. 

Boy suspended for purse

Website: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/07/boy-suspended-wearing-purse-vera-bradley_n_4235249.html?utm_hp_ref=education&ir=Education Level: State Concerning: Whether a school was suspending a kid for wearing a purse or for cursing. I remember being in middle school and wearing some interesting outfits that got me in trouble. I think it is important at this time in a child’s life to be able to express themselves and their style. It seems like this is more of a homophobic issue rather then a “disturbance”. I don’t understand how high heels or a purse could really create that much of a distraction. It could help other children learn to accept others and how they choose to dress. If this child really was suspended for cursing then why would he bring up anything about the purse? I think that this got so much publicity that the school wanted to cover their tracks. I am glad that our society is becoming more accepting of things like this but saddened that people are still living with such close-mindedness. Hopefully as people evolve we will not have issues like this and kids will not feel scared to express themselves. I also hope that a boy wearing a purse or heels does not cause a distraction for others in the future. One day I believe we will have a lot less hate and more acceptance.

Protesters call for justice after porch killing

http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Protesters-call-for-justice-after-porch-killing-4966870.php?cmpid=usworldhcat

Week 10 Article 3

1.    (2013 November, 8). Protesters call for justice after porch killing. The Houston Chronicle. Retrieved from http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Protesters-call-for-justice-after-porch-killing-4966870.php?cmpid=usworldhcat

2.    Category of Problem: Criminal

3.    Level of Problem: State

4.    Article Concerns: Whether or not a man should be charged with killing a girl that knocked on his door for help.

5.    Affects families/individuals: This highly affects the family of the girl that was shot because they lost someone that was very special to them. This also affects the man that shot her because depending on the results of the investigation determines what happens to him.

6.    My concerns: This was a very tragic event that happened. It has to be extremely hard to determine whether or not this was truly an accident. It is hard to believe that a man could just shoot someone that knocked on his door without determining whether or not she was actually a threat first. I understand someone having the right to shoot someone if they feel like their life is being threatened but to just shoot someone without knowing is kind of hard to imagine. I think that this investigation should be very through in order to find out the truth behind this horrific accident.

Former Harris deputy charged with child sex assault

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Former-Harris-deputy-charged-with-child-sex-4969207.php?cmpid=hpbn

Week 10 Article 2

1.    Glenn, M. (2013 November, 8). Former Harris deputy charged with child sex assault. The Houston Chronicle. Retrieved from http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Former-Harris-deputy-charged-with-child-sex-4969207.php?cmpid=hpbn

2.    Category of Problem: Sexual assault

3.    Level of Problem: Local

4.    Article concerns: Houston police officer was accused of sexually assaulting his girlfriend’s daughter.

5.    Affects families/individuals: This highly affects the child that it happened to as well as the mother of that child, they trusted this man and he abused that child.

6.    My concerns: How could a man that worked as a police officer for thirty years do something like this? It makes me wonder if that was the only girl that this happened to or if there were others. Police officers are supposed to be people that we trust to keep us safe but when they break the law themselves how are we supposed to trust them anymore. It makes me wonder about how easy it is for people to become police officers. I think more background checks need to be done and that it should become more difficult for people to become police officers. If we cannot even trust the people that protect us then who are we supposed to trust?