Current Events #2.3

1. Why is Austin police chief Art Acevedo threatening to fire certain police supervisors?
Austin police chief, Art Acevedo, is threatening to fire certain police supervisors who fail to report their complaints and issues to the department's Internal Affairs unit.

2. Why are some individuals who are being required to buy federally mandated health insurance choosing to pay a fine instead of pay for the insurance? 
Some individuals who are being required to buy federally mandated health insurance are choosing to pay a fine instead of pay for the insurance because it can sometimes be less expensive to pay the Internal Revenue Service than an insurance company.

3. How could a future Bowie student earn a "micromajor?"
A future Bowie student could earn a "micromajor" because a new program called TEXAS MicroMajor is being launched that allows high school students to take college courses developed by UT faculty.

4. Who won the Formula 1 race at COTA last weekend and who was the headline performer at the concert that night?
Lewis Hamilton won the F1 race, and Taylor Swift was the headline performer. 

5. Which of The Long Weekend five things to do would you like to go to if you could this weekend?
If I could do one of these activities, I would chose to go to the BBQ Fest.

6. Long Response
I think Texas has "turned purple." The gap of "blue vs red" voters has significantly shrunk in the past few elections. At this point in the presidential race Clinton and Trump are very close because so many likely voters don't have a strong opinion on who they want to vote for. I think the poll didn't include Jill Stein because the race is basically between Clinton and Trump. The Green Party is practically irrelevant and the poll was mainly about Clinton and Trump. I think the biggest contribution to the shift towards blue is the generation gap. Most of the voters on the younger side of the spectrum support Clinton. Many voters in the generation above them, like their parents, are siding with Trump. The poll was conducted online and over the phone, and I think it is fairly accurate. The biggest issues that concerned those who were polled were immigration, the economy, education, and taxes. I definitely think those are all very important issues to consider when picking a president. To me, the most important issue is probably the economy and taxes.