Ray of Hope?

The past week has been a blur for me. Between studying for finals, attempting government homework in vain, and going to work, I heard only vague rumblings about an abortion debate of some kind underway in the Texas Senate. As I sat down to browse the internet before penning a scathing review of congressional priorities in using valuable time and effort to give a woman choices about what she would or would not like to see or hear (as if she didn’t already have the right to see or hear the ultrasound before an abortion) . . . I came across good news. “Under a bill approved by the Texas Senate [on Monday, May 4th,] tuition and fee increases at most of the state’s large universities [may be limited] to no more than 5 percent a year.” This fantastic news is progress towards the State Government once again taking some responsibility for the quality and accessibility of higher education in the state. Since the legislature washed its hands of partially subsidizing colleges and universities in 2003 and allowed them to raise their tuition in compensation, families across the state have been subject to an 86% increase in rates.
The bill now continues on to the House, where hopefully it will be given a nod of approval. In exchange for the capping of tuition increases, as well as some outright freezes, this bill would oversee the re-involvement of the State in contributing to the education of its citizenry. In a legislature and a time period where I often find myself thinking, “Really? These are the topics our leaders and caretakers choose to tackle when people are homeless, dying penniless, or never even having a chance to succeed at anything,” it is refreshing to see that some measures of value are periodically being addressed.