Millions of dollars have also been promised to secure safety needs at chemical plants and ports across the nation but, these areas that hold potentially great risks of terrorist attacks have not received their promised amounts. This ends up being very harmful, especially in Texas because of our massive sea ports. Shipping comes through Houston's harbors everyday which leaves it open for possible terrorist actions. Many Texans are uncertain of terrorists attacking our home-soil but the truth of the matter is we stand a great chance of encountering terrorists in our mega state. Though this program seems flawed and harmful, it has some good aspects and eventually will show some potential good.
The addition of the Homeland Security Act has changed the daily lives of Texans in a substantial number of ways. First of all, it has reduced resources that could be used to purchase other types of public safety, such as cleaner water or safer highways, for example. This takes our state money away from building better and safer highways and uses it for security. This can affect us greatly, especially for commuters and people who drive heavy traffic areas to and from work everyday. Businesses, mostly privately owned, have a means to take on expenditures to protect their property and reduce liabilities that are a factor of homeland security. Owners of buildings have an incentive in ensuring that their buildings are safe, properly maintained, and well sound. However, meeting these requirements can greatly affect their customers. More money spent means higher prices on products. This is seen mostly through larger cities such as Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. As I stated earlier, the new act has also affected airline travel. One relatively nice feature about this is that checking baggage has become less of a hassle than it had used to be. This comes from the fact that fewer people are using flight as a means for travel because of the incident on September 11th.