Texas Government Discussion Federalism
Texas Government
Discussion Federalism
The complex system of American federalism is on display during the covid-19 pandemic. Understanding how federal, state, and local governments relate–or don’t relate–will help you better understand the positive and negative aspects of such a complex structuring of government. Please read this article for information about federalism in the age of covid-19:
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/04/united-states-leads-coronavirus-cases-not-pandemic-response (Links to an external site.)
How do the responses to the covid-19 pandemic reflect the federal system? Can state and local governments address the crisis alone? On what basis should the federal government provide aid to the states? Discuss.
GOVT2306 Texas Government
Discussion Voting Rights
Is voter fraud a real problem in Texas elections? In other elections in the United States? Despite hard evidence that voter fraud is not a threat to elections in Texas or elsewhere, states have enacted restrictions on voters. Read this article and check out the state-by-state information:
https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/voter-id.aspx (Links to an external site.)
In conflicts over voting rights, is the state of Texas justified in increased restrictions, such as requiring voter identification, or should the federal government step in to protect voting rights? Discuss.
GOVT2306 Texas Government
Discussion Interest Groups
Do you feel it is beneficial that we have countless interest groups and that they have an enormous influence in our political system? Do interest groups end up helping the powerful segments of society at the expense of the collective good or not? Should lobbyists need a stricter form of regulation when conducting business with legislature? Give a description of a Texas interest group. Be sure to tell the class the name of the interest group, why was the interest group founded, where it was founded, and three issues that the group supports and three issues the group opposes.
You may use the link below to research an interest group for your response.
https://votesmart.org/interest-groups/TX/#.Xnp0KIi6M2x (Links to an external site.)
Jack Abramoff Video-Jack Abramoff: The lobbyist’s playbook (Links to an external site.)Jack Abramoff: The lobbyist’s playbook
Please take the time to read the interest groups chapter, review the power point for clarification (if needed) and view the video of lobbyist Jack Abramoff to answer the following questions. Your Discussion response must be composed of a minimum of 250 relevant, responsive, and complete words in order to receive full points (this is a little more than one half a page, double-spaced, 12 point font with one-inch margins). You must also respond to two of your classmates posts for full points.
GOVT2306 Texas Government
Discussion Texas Legislature
Texas is big, and Texas is important. Big in the sense of size (second only to Alaska) and population (second only to California). And our problems are big: public education, public health, pollution, and more. So why does Texas have a part-time legislature that meets for only about 5 months every other year? For more information, read this article:
https://www.texastribune.org/2017/12/08/hey-texplainer-why-does-texas-have-part-time-legislature/ (Links to an external site.)
Some people argue that Texas should have a full-time legislature that meets annually to deal with the state’s issues. What is your take on this? Give some advantages and disadvantages of your position.
GOVT2306 Texas Government
Discussion Local Government
The state of Texas is experiencing the ravages of the covid-19 pandemic and the collapse of the oil industry simultaneously. The stresses on local budgets are growing. Please read this article to learn more:
https://www.texastribune.org/2020/05/27/rising-property-values-taxes-economy/ (Links to an external site.)
Now, consider yourself a local government official in your city. The city needs to raise more revenue to address a major increase in homelessness. What would be your approach to this challenge? Discuss.
GOVT2306 Texas Government
Discussion Criminal Justice/Treatment of Texas Prisoners
Read the listed article and watch the short documentary to answer the following questions. Do you believe Texas prisoners deserve to have A/C? Do you believe that all prisoners should have their basic needs met regardless of them serving a sentence? Why do you think the state has ignored prisoner’s request to recieve A/C? Does the examples listed in the documentary fall under “cruel and unusual punishment?” What needs to be done in order to ensure the rights of prisoners are not infringed upon?
Your Discussion response must be composed of a minimum of 250 relevant, responsive, and complete words in order to receive full points (this is a little more than one half a page, double-spaced, 12 point font with one-inch margins). You must also respond to two of your classmates posts to receive full credit.
A judge told Texas to put some inmates in air conditioning. Lawyers say prison officials are violating that order.In a motion Thursday, the prisoners’ lawyers asked the judge to hold prison officials in contempt and issue fines. They also accused the agency of hiding multiple instances of noncompliance with the court order.Jolie McCulloughThe Texas Tribune
GOVT2306 Texas Government
Current Event Essays
During this course, I hope that you will become more aware of the current political events going on in Texas and establish a better base of knowledge for understanding the politics of Texas. This assignment requires you to write a brief one-page double-spaced reaction paper to a particular current event dealing with Texas politics and government. You are free to choose any current event that interests you personally, just with the requirement that it must be clearly related to Texas government. You should find these current event articles through any reputable news source that you choose. If you have a concern or question on whether a particular article satisfies this requirement as a valid source, please feel free to ask. A few reputable news sources that you can consider (but certainly not the only ones) are:
The Texas Observer (texasobserver.org)
• The Texas Tribune (texastribune.org)
• The Houston Chronicle (chron.com)
• Texas Monthly (texasmonthly.com)
• New York Times (nytimes.com/topic/destination/texas)
• Huffington Post – Texas Politics (huffingtonpost.com/news/texas-politics)
• National News organizations (CNN, NBC, CBS, Fox) also regularly cover Texas political news. *This syllabus provides a general plan for the course, deviations may occur. The paper will require more than simply re-describing the article, I want you to critically think about the information in the article and discuss the importance or significance it has for Texas government and politics. You are certainly allowed, in fact encouraged, to provide active voice, and include your own personal perspective on the current event, but I will require you to incorporate information that we have covered in this class into your reaction paper, where applicable. This is not intended to be a one-page political rant about a current event. You will need to do three major things in these papers. The first part of the paper will be a brief summary of the current event in your own words. Over reliance on direct quotes from the article will result in deduction. The second part of the paper will be your reaction, this can be a critique of the piece or event, or the significance of the event, simply your perspective on such. This is intended to be your thoughts, thus please use first person. The third component of your papers will be relating the current event to course material in some manner (i.e. where does this article fit into the course material – textbook chapter, discussion, film, etc.). Each of these are required in both papers. The format for the paper can be any writing style that you are familiar with (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.), however there are a few things that I will require. Papers will be written double-spaced in 12-pt Times New Roman font with 1” margins on all sides. Please note that these may not be the default settings on your word processor, but you will still be expected to change the formatting to these conditions. I will warn you, do not try to adjust these to make your paper longer, as it is obvious when the margins and font sizes are not correct. Also, papers do not need to have a massive header that takes up half a page, this does not count toward the length of the paper, so don’t try. Your name at the top will do just fine. Also, you will need to attach or provide a working link to the original article with your paper. You can put the link in your paper as a works cited or post the link into the comments box on the submission page. If you do not include a working URL link, a 10pt penalty will be assessed. These papers will be turned in through Blackboard under the ‘Assignments’ tab through ‘Dropbox’. I will note again, each of these will be screened through turnitin, and instances of plagiarism will be dealt with swiftly. You will see the two submission pages listed under Dropbox. These papers will account for 10% (5% each) of your final semester grade.
GOVT2306 Texas Government
Political Party Presentation
Your objective for the assignment is to create a political party which will involve you informing the class about your organization and persuade them to vote for your party. You will understand how a political party/ party platform is created and a political party’s role in the election process. The following information should be included in your presentation:
1. Party Name: Example- Republican Party
2. Party Symbol: – A logo of your party
3. Party Slogan: Example- Libertarian Party: Minimum Government, Maximum Freedom
4. Party Mission Statement: Example- Democrats believe that we’re greater together than we are on our own—that this country succeeds when everyone gets a fair shot, when everyone does their fair share, when everyone plays by the same rules. Our party is focused on building an economy that lasts—an economy that lifts all Americans.
5. Party Platform: Issues: Where does your party stand? Pick 5-7 of the issues on the next slide to include in your platform. Explain your party’s beliefs in on each of the issues. I gave you some specific points under each issue to get you thinking. You may need to do some research first before commenting on them.
What is your Party’s Platform?
Foreign Policy- ISIS, U.S. involvement in Middle East, global war on terror.
Energy- Natural gas (Fracking), alternate sources of energy.
Health Care- Affordable Health Care Act (Obamacare). Should the government provide healthcare to its citizens?
Environment- Should the Federal government be involved in protecting the environment? Should there be penalties for companies who pollute? Setting more land aside to be protected.
Immigration/ Border Security- Amnesty for illegal immigrants, punishment for companies who hire illegal immigrants. Building a wall on America’s border with Mexico.
Taxes- Tax increases or cuts for wealthy/ middle class/ poor, raising income tax %, or going with a flat tax (%) rate.
Gun Control: 2nd Amendment Rights – Stronger or more lenient gun laws.
Equal pay for women- Should companies be forced to pay women the exact same wages for the same job that a man does? Is this a decision for state governments, federal government, or private companies?
Raising the Minimum Wage- Should the current federal minimum wage of 7.25 an hour be raised? To what amount? Is this a decision for state governments, federal government, or private companies?
Education- School vouchers, common core standards- should federal government be involved in public education?
National Security- How will your party’s policies protect the country. Balancing citizens’ individual freedoms with national security.
You will create the project individually using PowerPoint. Please understand that you are creating your own political party. You are not giving me information on parties that already exist. This is your chance to be as creative as possible.
GOVT2306 Texas Government
Criminal Reform Research Paper
The Adequacy of the Criminal Justice System (Signature Assignment)
One of the more interesting aspects of studying political science is examining public policies to learn how and whether they work to achieve the goals that gave rise to them. Public interests are not well-served if public policies fail to respond adequately.
Relevant to the study of Texas government and politics are policies that address crime and punishment given that a sizable chunk of the state’s budget is allocated Page 8 in this policy area. With an annual budget in excess of $3 billion, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice oversees a vast network of correctional facilities and expenses. Chapter 12 of the textbook describes criminal justice in Texas, and this information will help you understand the importance of this policy area.
Criminal justice reform has been a hot topic nationally and in Texas for several years, as you are learning. Disparities in sentencing, and overcrowded and violent jails and prisons prompted reforms here in Texas in the early 2000s. Recently, however, bail procedures, death penalty laws, and drug policies have placed criminal justice reform back on Texas’s policy agenda. For more information about the backdrop of criminal justice reform generally, please review:
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/criminal-justice-reformstate-level (Links to an external site.)
Among the topics covered in the Brennan Center report, you learn that prosecutors enjoy considerable discretion over criminal cases. What do you know about the role of prosecutors? What assumptions do you have about them?
Watch this TED Talk presented by prosecutor, Adam Foss. Jot down a few notes and consider the importance of the prosecutor in the criminal justice system.
Adam Foss: A prosecutor’s vision for a better justice system
http://www.ted.com/talks/adam_foss_a_prosecutor_s_vision_for_a_better_justice_system (Links to an external site.)
After listening to this TED Talk and considering the Brennan Center and textbook information, you will prepare an essay in which you:
• Describe the general theme of criminal justice reform, as explained in your textbook, the Brennan Center, and Adam Foss’s TED Talk. Why do you think criminal justice reform continues to be part of the public policy agenda in Texas? (Worth up to 25 points)
• Identify and describe three distinct significant points about criminal justice reform that resonate with you. Why do you find them important? (Worth up to 25 points)
• Discuss how you believe elected officials in Texas can address each point of significance you identified. (Worth up to 25 points)
• What role, if any, can you play in criminal justice reform, say as in the selection of prosecutors in your community? (Worth up to 25 points)
Requirements: This assignment is worth up to 100 points (25 points per section).
Make sure you address the prompts in each section with sufficient information to earn maximum points.
Page 9
The minimum word count is 550 (that’s two pages, double-spaced, and 12-point font). Your response must be written in academic English. You will use your voice and write in your own words, but
GOVT2306 Texas Government
Exam 1
After the previous presidential election, do you believe that the voting rights of Americans are infringed upon? Do you think the requirements for voter identification creates discrimination? What are the Texas Voter ID Law requirement? How has political campaigns and elections in Texas affected voter turnout in the presidential election?
GOVT2306 Texas Government
Exam 2
Many people are not aware of who represents them at the state or federal level. The people who represent you in legislature speaks for you. It is imperative that you know who these people are and where they stand when it comes to policy making. For this assignment you will research your local legislator that serves your area. You search for the individual that serves in the House of Representatives. To answer the questions below, use the following website: https://house.texas.gov/members/find-your-representative/
1.What is their party affiliation?
2.Which district does your representative represent?
3.When did they serving in the House? How many terms have they served?
4.Name and explain three bills they’ve authored, and one bill they’ve sponsored.
5.What committee does he or she currently serve on and what is the purpose of the committee?
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