"Cop Copters Are No Loss"

The following letter was retrieved from http://www.gazette.com/opinion/memorial-91899-page-editorial.html on 28 Jan. 2010

Cop copters are no loss

It is so great to see police helicopters finally grounded and we taxpayers begin to enjoy some savings from this needless waste. As a city with a robbery and murder rate one half the national average, we need to scale back the size of our police force sharply. Taxpayers should demand the police force be reduced by 50 percent from its current level so the police force size is in line with the crime rate in our city. The reality is that with Colorado’s concealed handgun law, bad guys are afraid to commit violent crimes in Colorado Springs because they know there is a good chance they will be killed by an armed citizen.

Armed citizens, and not police, make our city a safe place. We taxpayers should take advantage of this and reduce our police force now and we might see there are opportunities to also reduce tax rates that would lead to economic growth and more jobs for all.

Rick Supplee

Colorado Springs

The issue under debate in this letter is that the police force in Colorado Springs needs to be reduced to fit the crime rate and save taxpayers money. I believe that the stasis of the argument is one of policy. I say this because Supplee suggests reducing the police force because we really don't need such a large force in when "armed citizens, and not police, make our city a safe place." The position that is being argued against is anyone in favor of the current size of the police force or making the police force larger. Supplee really has no support to achieve stasis with his opponents on this issue because of his lack support. He states that Colorado Springs's crime rate is half that of the national average, but he does not give specific information on the ratio of the police force to the crime rate. Simply stating that our crime rate is lower than the national average is not enough evidence to support his argument for a smaller police force. Supplee really loses all hope of achieving stasis when he writes that armed citizens keep the peace in the city. Why don't we just do away with the police force altogether and rely on armed citizens to maintain a safe city. We will save boatloads of money!

Progymnasmata #1

"The root of education is bitter, but sweet are its fruits."
Praise for the Author: Isocrates was very wise in saying this. It seems like common sense, but sometimes it just needs to be said. He most likely came up with this from his own experiences. I bet his educational experiences were very bitter considering the amount of information that he learned and the style in which it was taught to him.
Paraphrase: Earning a degree is challenging. It involves long hours and stressful assignments. It demands your full attention and requires you to balance all of your activities. However, once you graduate and are able to secure a high paying job in a field that you love, it will be worth it all. That’s the hope anyway. You have to struggle through the rigors of being a student in order to enjoy the benefits of a career you love.
Cause or Reasoning for Saying: Every student will struggle with the demands of school sometime during their career as a student. It is best to come to terms with it early on.
A Contrast: Some students decide that the stress and hard work are not worth it. Some give up and drop out. My sister did this, and now she is working a job that she really isn’t too fond of. There are many stories just like this. If you turn on the TV, you can watch numerous commercials of people trying to go back to school because they did drop out or not even go to begin with, and now they wish they had.
A Comparison: It’s like when I completed the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in 2008. I had to raise $1800.00 and walk 40 miles. At times it was really hard and stressful. Some days I wanted to give up and just forget about it. However, I stuck through it, raised the money, and completed all forty miles. At the end of the walk, survivors of breast cancer greeted all of the walkers. Having them tell me how much they appreciated my efforts to raise awareness and help find a cure made all the hard work worth it.
An Example: I'm dealing with this right now. It's rough learning all you have to in order to get where you want to. Right now, I'm struggling with balancing all my school work, work-work, and other commitments-work. It's a lot of freaking work!
Testimony: I continue my education because I know that when it's all over, I'll come out stronger, educated, well-rounded, and ready for a good paying job—hopefully!
Epilogue: At the end of the day, no matter how much I want to give up, I realize that I am blessed to be able to attend college. I know a lot of people who are not able to earn an education. (Or so they think). I acknowledge that I have a brain, financial aid, a flexible job to work around my schedule, and a supportive family. I will not waste it!

Rhetorical Activity #4

Imagine that you have just finished proof reading your very important paper that was due in fifteen minutes. You have worked hard on this paper, but you notice a few errors that you would like to fix before turning it in. You head to the nearest computer lab knowing that it will only take a few minutes to correct your paper.

Upon arrival to the lab, you try to log on. You become impatient as the computer stays frozen on the dialog box that reads that the computer is logging on. Your heart starts beating a little faster as you feel the adrenaline kick in. You begin to stress a little bit about making it to class on time.

Finally, the computer is up, and you are able to make the revisions. You save your paper, then proceed to print it. Uh oh! The gray dialog box pops up that says there is an error and your paper can not be printed. What do you do now? You don't have a printer at home. Even if you did, class will be starting in five minutes. Then you think to yourself, "Aren't I paying money for access to these printers? What good are they if they don't work when I need them most?" By now, you're really stressing. You feel almost defeated as you walk to class empty handed. Too bad this paper is worth twenty percent of your grade. Too bad your professor will take away some points for it being late if they even accept it at all.

Aren't you tired of dealing with slow computers and broken printers? Don't you deserve better quality for the money you pay? Wouldn't you feel less stressed if the technology at the school actually benefited you when you needed it most?

Introducing the One and Only Mrs. Amanda Starr!

Hello World!

I have no idea where to begin telling you about myself, so I will start with my edumacation. I am double majoring in English and Psychology and minoring in Professional Writing. I want to be a clinical psychologist and specialize in abnormal psych. This is my third year at CSU-Pueblo. I am active in the sorority on campus--Alpha Sigma Alpha. I love my girls!

After this semester in English 304, I would like to be a better writer and a better arguer. Yep. That's my new word :)

Also after this semester, I am looking forward to welcoming my husband back home from Afghanistan. He is due back by mid-may. My engagement ring was a car, love love love my Chrysler 300!, but I am excited for an actual ring when he gets home lol.

Right after that, me and my best friend will head to Vegas to celebrate her bachelorette party. I'm really looking forward to that! Then, I will visit Germany on a literary tour with Dr. Souder. I am so excited to see another country! As soon as I return from Germany, I will head to Keystone and walk forty miles to raise awareness for breast cancer. This will be my second year participating in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. I must raise $1800.00 to walk, so if you would like to support me you can visit my personal page at www.tinyurl.com/ybactyq. I would really love to tell you more about this, so shoot me an email if you would like more information.

I enjoy helping others, working on campus in the Writing Room as a tutor, being a mother to a beautiful Husky and a very hyper German Shepherd mix (Yes, I treat them like I would my own children), going to school, and living this wonderful life of mine!

I love pink (As if you hadn't noticed), my friends and family, music, reading, and writing. I hate spiders, peanut butter, math, bad drivers (although this is a bit hypocritical of me because I'm not too great myself), waiting, and heavy metal.

I look forward to having a great semester and getting to know some new people! :)