State and Local Government of Texas Essay Example for Free

State and Local Government of Texas Essay Introduction We are proud to introduce the next governor of the great State of Texas, Ms. Jane â€Å"Bitzi† Johnson Miller. She is a staunch Conservative Republican whose proud Texan traditions are deep rooted here in the Lone Star State. A native Texan who grew up in West Texas, she comes from a great line of proud Texans including former Governor Joe â€Å"Big Daddy† Johnson. Ms. Miller attended Harvard and earned a Master’s in Business Administration. In this difficult and uncertain time of economic recession, she has been an innovator and business leader. She knows the kinds of policies Texans need in order to free themselves from this recession and emerge with Texas as a global economic leader. In addition to being an accomplished business woman, she knows the value of being a single mother, and has always emphasized the importance of family, raising her two children to become role model in their communities and proud Texas citizens. Everyone knows you â€Å"don’t mess with Texas† and so they will learn not to mess with Bitzi, for she will fight for Texas families and businesses, creating economic growth while retaining the traditional values our great State needs. As you all know our country is facing many problems including lack of healthcare, proper transportation infrastructure, education expenses, unemployment, minority issues, including their education and immigration. It is with these issues that Ms. Jane â€Å"Bitzi† Johnson Miller would like to base her platform. Cultural and Regional Support Because Texas is geographically large and diverse, it is made up of numerous distinct regions, each of which is characterized by diverse levels of wealth, types of economic activity, density of settlement, racial and ethnic  mix, and political culture. East Texas and West Texas have a different feel from each other. And both of these are different from South Texas. Urban Texas, which is where a majority of the states population resides, is remarkably different richer and with greater economic and cultural diversity from the rural areas of the state. For that matter, the cities are different from each other. Austin and Dallas are almost two different worlds, but even neighbors Fort Worth and Dallas are quite distinct. Meanwhile, the rural border area is certainly different from the agricultural rural areas of East Texas. South Texas is the one place she is going to face problems because of more liberal voters, however her agenda addresses minority problems, as well as her appeal to the single mother gives her common ground with some of the more middle of the road democrats. At the same time her agenda reflects her desire to work for minorities. Houston has a lot of minority voters. Because she is a Republican and comes from a business and conservative family heritage Western and Eastern Texas where much of the population is wealthy and white will relate to her and therefore vote for her. Texas has a historic and varied political culture. The traditionalistic culture believes in a hand off approach to government. Maintain the status quo and no distribution of wealth. She will relate to this group because of her traditional conservative values which encourage limited government participation and virtually no beaurocracy. The moralistic culture looks at society as a whole with government involvement in social and economic issues. She will do well with this group because as a single mother she understands the need of the state’s citizens who struggle to raise children and make ends meet under a one parent household. Many of these single parent families require assistance from their government on economic, educational and healthcare issues. Then there is the individualistic culture who is self-sufficient and suspicious of government. She will relate to this group because of her ability to rise above the difficulty of being a single mother and become an affluent and influential economic power creating a multi-million dollar business all on her own. Demographic Support Political culture is complex even in a place like Texas where there is a broad consensus about core values and ideals. Despite numerous constitutions  and national flags, the changing fortunes of political parties, and the almost complete transformation of the economy, the states political culture displays a remarkable continuity. The dominant political cultures particular combination of economic liberalism (faith in the free market economy), social conservatism (favoring traditional values and moralism), and populism (promoting the rights and worthiness of ordinary people) has proven quite resilient over many decades and even centuries. These ideological tendencies are expressed in a dominant political culture that tends to favor low taxes, low government services, and pro-business policies, while at the same time reserving a significant respect (at least in the abstract) for popular control of government. But will our political culture and ideological tendencies continue to experience the stability they have enjoyed in the past? Despite the resilience of our political culture, it may currently be entering a period of more fundamental change. The low-taxes, low-services ideology may be losing its hold on society. A couple of recent developments may be eroding the foundation of this orientation, including rapid growth of the population of working class immigrants and their first-generation offspring, as well as generally heightened concern over adequate funding of public grade schools throughout the state. Over the past two decades, the immigrant population in Texas has swelled. By 2004 the Lone Star State became the fourth so-called majority-minority state in which the populations of all minority groups added together account for more than half the total population. Recent immigrants and their children tend to be socially conservative, but they also tend to have pressing needs for government services. While annual rates of growth of the immigrant and minority populations in Texas may have peaked in the early 2000s, these rates still remain high. And as the state becomes home to ever greater numbers of immigrants and minorities, it could experience a dramatic shift in its dominant low-taxes, low services ideology. Regional variety in Texas is a commonly recognized source of difference in culture and society in the state. The income disparity also reflects the strong economic regionalism in Texas, which in turn reflects both the racial/ethnic distribution across the state as well as the distinct geographic character of the states regions. The Texas Politics feature Where Jobs Are And Good Wages shows that the south Texas border and El Paso areas, which have the highest concentration  of Latinos, also have the lowest per capita incomes in the state. The highest per capita incomes are found in the state’s largest and rapidly growing metropolitan areas like Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, and San Antonio. Over the past few decades Texas cities have experienced phenomenal population growth. These fast growing metropolitan areas are more likely to vote for her due to her success in business and her familial roots. Her high family values are also something that appeals to this more traditionally conservative area. The Texas border and El Paso areas, are the least likely to vote for her due to their high concentration of minorities and democrats. There may be some appeal due to the fact she is a single mother, however this may not be enough to bring out the voters on her behalf. Historically white upper middle class groups were the largest voting group. This includes the religious right, the business sector and older adults. With the economic downturn affecting the nation, the voting groups have expanded to young adults, minorities and lower economic households. It has been made evident since 2008 that all citizens are now going to the polls, reflecting an increase in voter participation. Candidate Bitzi’s campaign platform includes the needs of all Texas, however the diverse and distinct regions of the state will require a focus on regional needs. The border towns will require a focus on immigration issues as well as deficiency of education for many of the minority children. The larger metropolitan areas with their increasingly growing population will require a focus on helping existing business grow, employment for many of these new arrivals and improving infrastructure in order to accommodate the growth. Campaign Themes In this campaign, we are identifying three important problems that are facing Texas. Those are minority issues, importance of proper education and access to healthcare. Minority issues to include their health insurance, education and employment are very crucial to her agenda. Especially when we have lots of people who are unable to carry insurance. It is important to implement a similar program to that of Harris County’s Gold Protection Plan in order to provide health services to the poor. Also minority children are facing language problems in the schools. Insufficient numbers of ESOL teachers, learning materials and classrooms. Employment is very important for their  financial stability. Her suggestion is to incentivize businesses in order to encourage the employment of these minority groups. In Texas education is unequally distributed throughout the school districts. It is very important to make sure each child is considered equal in our school system. Women, the poor, and minorities historically have demonstrated low levels of political participation and therefore representation in government has been low in relation to their numbers in the population. Although these groups have made great progress in being heard and putting their own in office over the past three decades, they still face significant obstacles caused by the relative lack of economic resources, lower education levels, and for immigrants, language barriers. Many women face the additional challenge of fulfilling traditional responsibilities as primary caregivers to their children, while trying to manage and maintain a household. Win or Lose? A candidates theme and platform are equally as important as their strength of character. Politics for centuries has been riddled with backstabbing, treachery and character assassination. Candidate Bitzi is proud to say that her campaign is based on issues important to the everyday Texan, may they be working class, blue collar or white collar. Rumors run rampant during campaigns, however she feels that a strong candidate can win an election based on the issues and not by spreading rumors. It is the job of the media to determine what is news and what is â€Å"fit to print†. If a hurtful rumor about her opposing candidate is brought to her, she definitely will not consider fueling the fire. It is the duty of the people of Texas to vote for the best candidate to meet their needs. The media can do their part. Candidate Bitzi’s main agenda is to find out her opponents political weaknesses not to personally destroy them. Candidate Bitzi is elected Governor of Texas. She is viewed by conservatives to maintain her traditional conservative values reaching as far back as her grandfather, a former governor of Texas. She is also a successful business leader with strong economic ideals that will strengthen Texas and its growing working population. As a single mother and independent business woman she is an attractive candidate to the middle of the road democrat. She is a woman and sensitive to the needs of the state’s minorities. References Texas Election Results 2010 The New York Times elections.nytimes.com/2010/results/texas‎ 2010 Texas Governors Race Maps | The Texas Tribune www.texastribune.org/texaselection/2010-texas-governors-rac Texas Politics Voting, Campaigns and Elections texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu/6_1_0.html‎ Texas Governor Race: Can Bill White Beat Rick Perry? TIME www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1972070,00.html‎ PolitiFact Texas | Rick Perry says Bill White refuses to debate www.politifact.com/texas//2010//rick-perry/rick-perry-says-bill-white