The Decentralization Of Texas

During the early days of the Texas government system, many districts were divided into counties and cities. In those two entities, there are general-purpose local governments and special-purpose governments, each with their own regions and responsibilities. Because of the size of Texas, many rural areas rely on the local county government to conduct political business. Texas has the largest number of counties compared to all the other states; 254 in total.

When most people think of Texas, they immediately think of how big the state is, and sometimes the misconception is that it is the biggest state when it actually is not. However, there is more to the state than its size. Texas is populated with a majority of racial minorities, governed by the most limited government that follows a very minimalist model. In Erica Grieder’s Big, Hot, Cheap, and Right: What American Can Learn from the Strange Genius of Texas, she points out that the genius behind Texas is the model it lives which calls for low taxes and minimal services, a limited government constructed from prior disdain of the federal government, and the creation of a business friendly state that helps stimulate the growth in economy and in population; and though each carry their own disadvantages, Texas seems to find a way to teach America something.

In my analysis of the Texas Constitution I will assess the three branches of our State Government, the Legislative Branch, Executive Branch and finally the Judicial Branch. Our State Government resembles our National Government in various ways but also in very different ways which we will review in this essay. I will identify a handful of criticisms and problems associated with the provisions in each of these branches of our State Government and identify suggested reforms that many feel are needed.

Texas is a unique place with a colorful history of legendary cowboys and tall tales. The state stretches over the middle section of the southern United States. Texas has experienced shifts in governmental control within the United States. French, Spanish, Mexican, and Confederacy, and all having once been in charge, not to mention the time Texas spent as an independent republic. Texas has had many battles and wars within its borders, resulting in seven different constitutions within a span of fifty years between each document.

Although this may be true, the reality may not be so easy. Due to difficulty with agreements on the role of government or a good public policy, they’ve moved on to political cultures in which they affect how Texas lives with sharing attitudes, habits, and other general behavior patterns. These political cultures have been moved into three groups: moralistic, individualistic, and traditionalistic. Texas has historically two dominant political cultures, individualistic and traditionalistic culture. In short, individualistic cultures are people who have a strong opinion in opposition to a big government, such as having the government stay away from people lives as much as possible, and having their own individual work, such as businesses or farming. Traditionalistic

This constitution of United Mexican States provided for a very weak national government and the powers of the government and its states are not defined which caused increasing tension between each state.

The most common Governmental figure in Texas is the Governor. This power is nothing more than that of a celebrity status. Although the Governor has the power to appoint independent boards and commissions, the senate has to confirm these appointments. This is called senatorial courtesy What is meant when this job is more like a celebrity is because of the Governor‘s ceremonial roles as acting as Chief of State. This increases the Governor‘s popularity and prestige, and broadens the image of the office. One important power or role that the Governor is responsible for is coordinating relations between Texas and other states. This can definitely be an important factor. For example, the need of federal aid during the time of an emergency can require the help of other states. The Governor also acts as the Chief Budget officer of the state. Even though the presiding officer presides over this office, the Governor does have some control. This is a very effective example of a good trustworthy system.

Shishir Acharya Professor Sharifian GOVT 2306-71003 December 1, 2017 Texas House and State Committee Texas is one of the states forming United States of America and it is one of the largest state in terms of its population and the total geographical area. The local government has been divided into county government, municipal government and special districts. Texas has been divided into house districts and senate districts. The house of representatives and the house of senate plays a crucial role in deliberating on issues specific to a given department.

Texas has had a history of suing the government. Since 2008 Texas has sued the government 40 times, winning 7 times, losing 10 and 16 still being decided.

The most common Governmental figure in Texas is the Governor. This power is nothing more than that of a celebrity status. Although the Governor has the power to appoint independent boards and commissions, the senate has to confirm these appointments. This is called senatorial courtesy What is meant when this job is more like a celebrity is because of the Governor‘s ceremonial roles as acting as Chief of State. This increases the Governor‘s popularity and prestige, and broadens the image of the office. One important power or role that the Governor is responsible for is coordinating relations between Texas and other states. This can definitely be an important factor. For example, the need of federal aid during the time of an emergency can require the help of other states. The Governor also acts as the Chief Budget officer of the state. Even though the presiding officer presides over this office, the Governor does have some control.

From March 2, 1836 to February 19, 1846, Texas as its own independent country in North America. Those who resided in this independent country were referred to as Texians. Texas declared its independence from Mexico in 1836 during the Texas revolution which ended on April 21 of that same exact year. However, Mexico did not want to give the Republic of Texas its independence which resulted in conflicts between that of Texas and Mexico that went on into the 1840s. As a result, The United States of America recognized the Republic of Texas as an independent country in 1837 but failed to append their land. Later receiving its independence, Texas elected a Congress of fourteen senators and twenty-nine representatives in the month of September and year of 1836. However, within the Republic, citizenship was not a privileged for everybody living in Texas. Not everybody had legal rights to reside within the limits of the Republic without Congress permission. The Constitution of the Republic of Texas created differences for each and every ethnicity for each individual person. Meaning, whoever was there on the day the Republic of Texas won their independence had to be classified as a citizen of the Republic including Africans, those with African descent, and Native Americans. For Caucasian immigrants to become citizens they would have to had lived in the Republic for six months or less and take an oath. Those who were brought to Texas as a slave had to stay a

Local control is an important principle that should guide lawmakers in their consideration of bills that affect local government. The Texas Legislature has decided that the people of Laredo, Dallas, Houston, College Station Nacogdoches, Southlake, Harlingen, Sherman, Port Aransas, Fort Stockton and so many other cities across the State of Texas shouldn’t have the right to protect the communities they live in from the very real dangers that fracking and other oil and gas industry activities pose. This is an unprecedented retreat from Texas’ long tradition of local control. You have one that believes it is all about the money. As to where the other believe that it is more of a safety caring thing. Local governments are far superior

I really enjoyed and learned new things about the Texas government. This class was not a usual class for me, usually I take in-class sessions, so it was little challenging for me the way I learn things. Through this class I understand my weakness and strong side of my learning style and the good and bad of my style. The online session taught me how I can learn by myself, manage the time and get a good grade. Usually I just read over the notes and study the material for the tests, but for this class I have to create my own notes and understand what does it mean. All of the assignments especially the focus free writing, helped me to understand about the Texas government and how does it works. The reading assignments were so interesting, usually

The aspect of federalism has significantly influenced the structure and organization of the branches of the government of Texas. The constitution of the state of Texas was initially impacted by the Anglo-American traditions before the annexation of Texas by the United States in 1845. After the annexation, Texas was compelled to meet the constitutional policies similar to the ones provided by the American Constitution. Some of the principles entailed in the Texas constitution included the aspect of people’s authority or popular sovereignty, individual liberty rights and most importantly the idea of federalism as evidenced in the separation of powers. Notably, federalism influenced the separation of powers in Texas government under the three top branches of legislative, judiciary and executive. Besides, the state of Texas adopted a republican form of government. Significantly, the structure of the government of Texas State was subdivided into several branches. For instance, the legislative sector of the government had such powers as initiating revenue and governing taxation among others, and members of the House

Federalism has evolved throughout American history. At different points in time, the balance and boundaries between the national and state government have changed substantially (resulting in the dual federalism, cooperative federalism etc.). Dual federalism which can also be referred to as divided sovereignty draws a clear distinction between federal and state governments, with the state government exercising the powers given to them without the influence of the federal government. It can further be supported by the Tenth Amendment which states, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States, respectively, or to the people.” Cooperative Federalism is defined as the cooperative functioning of the state, national and local governments. The American ensemble functions according to the New Dual Cooperative Federalism.