Texas Independence and Secession
The core issue of the Declaration of Texas Independence is the proclamation of independence itself and the definition of responsibilities and functions of the new Government (“Texas Declaration of Independence”). One of the peculiarities is that the Declaration is similar to that of the United States but was signed more than half a century earlier.
For Texas of that period, secession from the Union was probably a sound economic decision. Since the Republican party which came to power did not support slavery which was crucial for the state, secession became a valid concern (“Confederate States of America”).
Collin County, Dallas TX: An Overview
Dallas, the city I live in, is the main city in Texas. It is a charter or home rule city. The city has a council-manager government. At present, Michael S. Rawlings is the 61st Mayor of Dallas (City of Dallas). The city manager is T.C. Broadnax, and Dallas Council consists of fourteen members each representing a district (City of Dallas).
One of the districts near the center of Dallas is the “historic neighborhood” Vickery place (Vickery Place par.1). it is a residential district with locations for entertainment including shopping districts and restaurants. Since it is a residential district, there is no big industry or business centers. Thus, its sources of revenue include real estate and entertainment.
Local Control
The article under discussion is dedicated to the debate over the issue of the controversial “bathroom bill” (Walters). The author provides the ideas of House Speaker Joe Straus on the law. The idea of the bill is to “regulate bathroom use in public schools and government buildings on the basis of “biological sex,” prohibiting most transgender people from using bathrooms that align with their gender identity” (Walters par. 5). The legislation is also expected to ban anti-discrimination laws at the local level which did not let transgender individuals to visit public bathrooms in accordance with their identity. The bill caused controversy among different parties including advocates, lawmakers, and business owners. It also attracted much public attention. The community was in debate and in the expectation of the solution.
In this case, the local governments which support anti-discrimination regulations are in opposition to the state government which is supposed to prevent discrimination on any basis and protect different rights of citizens. Thus, local governments insist on their right to regulate such issues while the state government tries to prevent discrimination on a gender basis. The bill itself seemed “manufactured and unnecessary” for Straus (Walters par. 2).
To my mind, in the case human rights are involved, the final say should be for the state government. In case the local government is not able to control the situation or if citizens’ rights are violated, the state government should take control of the situation. However, the issue of the “bathroom bill” is so controversial that it is difficult to suggest a proper solution. On the one hand, the state government has to control the local ones. On the other hand, the local governments have the power to provide local control over many issues connected with every district. On the whole, I do not consider the case of the “bathroom bill” to be the concern of the state government since there are many more important issues that need a solution. Thus, in this situation, it is more suitable to leave the problem to the local control.
Balance of Power
Texas State Government is similar to the National one since it also has three branches: the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. This division is accepted since the adoption of the Texas Constitution in 1876 (Janice par. 7). The Legislative branch consists of two chambers which are the Senate with 31 members and the House of Representatives with 150 members. The major task of this branch is the provision of the law-making process. It is the dominant branch of the Texas government.
The executive branch consists of six elected officers. They are Governor, Lieutenant Governor, the Attorney General, the Comptroller of Public Accounts, the Commissioner of Agriculture, the Commissioner of the General Land Office, and one unelected officer, i.e. Secretary of State. The Governor’s task is to execute the laws, provide justice, be in charge of the state’s military forces, assign various state officials, manage special elections in case of necessity, suggest a budget to the Legislative branch, etc. However, the power of the Governor is limited due to the plural character of the executive branch.
The power of those two branches is difficult to compare because they are responsible for different aspects of the state’s political life. thus, the executive branch can veto the laws suggested by the legislative one or gather additional special sessions of the Legislature. I suppose that the Legislative branch is closer to the people and thus has more influence. Their function is more obvious for people is compared to that of the executive branch. Since Texas follows the principle of representative democracy, it can be concluded that people’s representation in the state’s power is adequate. Nevertheless, the interaction between citizens and government does not always produce a just outcome. In a broader sense, the government does not consider the interests of every single citizen. Of course, it is impossible to meet the needs of every person and the government manages more global issues. Their task is to provide legislation, control, and safety for the general well-being of the citizens. For more efficient work, there are many state agencies. Each of them has specific tasks and purposes. Such division allows the executive branch to provide better control over diverse spheres of life. As for justice in its narrower meaning (concerning courts for example), I believe the Government copes with its functions. The laws are followed and those who break the laws are punished.
Representation
Recently, Texas politics has been much criticized due to the involvement of special interests in shaping state politics which have a significant role. The political system lacks transparency and the idea of the necessity of ethics reform became the issue for discussion (Montgomery par. 2). The participation of special interests in political life increases the suspiciousness of Texans more than ever before (Montgomery par. 3). According to the State Integrity Investigation, the Texas state government has one of the weakest positions in public access to information, electoral oversite, executive and judicial accountability, lobbying disclosure, and state civil service management (Montgomery par. 7). Despite the leading position in internal auditing and transparent procurement and State Pension Fund management, Texas got only 39th position in the general rank.
Apart from the official branches of state power, political life is greatly influenced by interest groups. They have a significant impact on the government and its democratic systems. Texas is one of the dominant/complimentary states where interest groups have a substantial impact still limited by other participants in the political arena. Some of them have barrow focuses, the others embrace broad areas of interest. They are not always concentrated on the activity of the Government but are often aimed at the interaction with the public to establish their influence on the population. One of the interest groups which have the most influence in Texas is Texans for Lawsuit Reform. Its purpose is to return to the tradition of litigation in the court system. it includes some parties and is considered the digest organization concerned with the reform of the justice system.
As a student, I am interested in the issues connected with education and its representation. The two Texas special interest groups connected with education are Texas Parent PAC and Texas State Teachers Association. The first one is a pro-public while the second is a pro-school political action committee. Texas Parent PAC is guided by several principles some of which include speaking for children, local control of public education, academic and financial accountability in public education, sufficient funding, etc. (“Guiding Principles”). It supports the election candidates who promote the educational issues in the Government. Texas State Teachers Association takes care of the issues of community schools, school funding, testing and teacher evaluations, health insurance, etc. (“Top Education Issues”). It supports members of both the Texas House and Senate.
To my mind, the major issues which need careful consideration from the Government in the field of education are as follows. first of all, it is the problem of school finance. The funding is not satisfactory and does not cover all needs. Schools should get more independence in their actions and proper funding is one of the ways to achieve it. The second aspect which demands consideration is testing. It provokes much discussion and negative reactions. At present, there is too much testing that distracts attention from learning itself. The legislation is expected to study the issue and take measures on reducing the number of tests. Finally, the issue of the date to start school needs a solution. The legislation is expected to allow districts to select the state individually.
Bring it Together
The political system of Texas is similar to that of the country on the whole. The state power comprises three branches that interact to provide the efficient governance of the state of Texas. Legislative, executive, and judicial branches have a structure similar to those of the USA.
The power belongs to the legislative branch. However, it is restricted by the executive one which is empowered to veto legislation. Recently, more attention is focused on the local governments. A lot of cities are quite autonomous. The issue of local control of the issues typical to this or that community is also gaining popularity and support from the public. The involvement of special interests is also a factor that shapes the political system of the state. The parties and organizations lobby the issues which are in priority for them and support candidates who promote the same ideas. The Texas governor has a standard structure that is proper for the state and the country on the whole. However, the current system cannot meet the goal of “government of the people, by the people, and for the people.” The Texas Government and the political system, in general, have many problems one of which is corruption. There are also problems with public access to information, electoral oversite, executive and judicial accountability, lobbying disclosure, and other issues which determine the efficiency of the Government.
The course, of course, influenced my perception of state power. I have had a general knowledge before but it was not so specific. The activities and projects during the course shaped my views on the political system. the history of Texas independence gave me a deeper understanding of contemporary government processes. Before the course, I was not aware of the peculiarities of local governments and the issue of local control. The discovery of such a practice will, probably, determine the direction of my further research. After the review of the state power and other stakeholders in the political process, I came to the conclusion that the community should take more active steps to influence the authorities. The “government of the people, by the people, and for the people” should not be a historical quotation but a real happening.
Fighting Goliath
The film is a unique example of cooperation for a common goal. Small town farmers, big-city mayors, and environmental lobbyists joined to struggle for fresh air against the coal-fired power plants. I suppose that the mayors of cities involved were the leaders in that initiative. They managed to unite the citizens and take action to raise money and attract interested parties. However, the moving power, in this case, was the community that participated in raising money and supported the project.
Works Cited
City of Dallas. Web.
“Confederate States of America – A Declaration of the Causes Which Impel the State of Texas to Secede from the Federal Union.” The Avalon Project. Web.
“Guiding Principles for Pro-Public Education Legislators and Candidates.” Texas Parent PAC. Web.
May, Janice C. “Texas Legislature.”Texas State Historical Association. Web.
Montgomery, David. “Texas Gets a D- in 2015 State Integrity Investigation.”The Texas Tribune. Web.
“Texas Declaration of Independence.”The Avalon Project. Web.
“Top Education Issues of the 84th Legislature.” Texas State Teachers Association. Web.
Vickery Place. Web.
Walters, Edgar. “Straus Condemns “Bathroom Bill,” Talks Local Control.”The Texas Tribune. Web.