Editorial Discussing Texas' Dysfunctional CPS- Worth the Read

The Dallas Morning News' editorial “Texas’ Supposed Safety Net Bounces Underage Girls Into Pimps’ Clutches” discusses the faults of Child Protective Services and the reasons the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services needs to make changes in the system.  The targeted audience seems to be child-welfare advocates or anyone who is willing to get involved with the matter at hand.  A list of ways to contact local lawmakers about the issues with the current CPS system is provided at the end of the editorial, showing the author not only wants to inform the public but immediately get them involved.  The author uses a couple CPS cases that are very disheartening and will probably result in some readers actually getting in contact with lawmakers; that's how upsetting some of these examples are.  These examples provide insight to how poorly CPS is functioning in Texas.  Not only is it not providing protection for children (especially young women), but according to the author and some research done by the University of Texas, CPS should be at blame for a number of sex-trafficking victims.  The unnamed author is calling for a system that better cares for and protects children who rely on social services.  The emotional appeal throughout the editorial will directly impact parents due to the severity of these sex-trafficking cases.  The author claims many young women end up in the hands of pimps as a result of the lacking CPS resources.  Since the author isn't provided, and does not include and background information, it's difficult to tell how credible the author really is.  Through facts and examples you can tell this is a very involved person who wrote this article, and someone who is truly concerned with the well being of these children.  I agree with the urgentness of this matter and am now also concerned with the changes that need to be made with these government services.  Children who have no one, or live in an abusive environment have already endured enough and should never have to turn to pimps to sustain themselves after the government failed to provide them with the necessary resources. Hopefully this current Legislation session takes concern for (and tries to improve) these failing social services in Texas.

Stay Informed Locally and Nationally

An important part to being knowledgeable about politics is to understand how certain policies and orders will directly affect your state and county.  Keeping up with Trumps executive orders and what all they encompass is confusing enough as it is- but we still need to be aware of how they are effecting us at home.  This article, titled “The State of Texas: Abbott Implements Hiring Freeze, Promises Sanctuary City Ban in Speech” already gives away much of how this is impacting us just in the title alone.  This specific article is one of the more recent published from “The Daily Post” found on The Texas Monthly politics page.  I found the points discussed in the article easy to relate to, especially with the proposed Sanctuary City Ban- which would affect Austin and Travis County directly.  Continue reading the article to become up to speed with Governor Abbotts response to some of Trumps executive orders.