Opinion of Texas State and Local Government

Standing back and surveying the effects that government has on it's citizens, it is notable that all states function in (essentially) the same manner in terms of their Constitutions and three branches of government. Obviously this is due to the Constitution based republic style of government that our country functions as.  So, in order to give the best critique of our state's government I will attempt to narrow down this broad concept and focus on political party control.

What distinguishes us from other states is the vast spectrum of diversity among our people.  There is so much variation among our population's ethnicity, backgrounds, ideology, socioeconomic status... the list could go on for days.  And all these distinctions become more noticeable as you travel from region to region.  You could almost say that Texas stands as a nation all it's own.

Along with these differences among our state's citizens comes choosing sides.  When forming opinions about the government, most people establish their political party preference, giving them something to fall back on because they can relate to a particular party's stance.  The results in determining ones political ideology and affiliating oneself with that chosen political party is directly linked to which party will become the dominant one in mandating how all citizens will be governed.  I can relate it all to a big puzzle, one piece links to another until they are all strategically placed in to completion.  Political parties are the basis of each candidate's platform running for office, individuals select their preferred party based on the development of their ideology, this preference comes from their background and the culture that they are a part of that was created by their environment, which in turn leads them to vote or not vote for our future leaders accordingly.  It's a given that Texas is a Republican dominant state, but this stems as a result in the shift of principles among the Democrats' ideology during the Civil Rights movement and completed with the rezoning battles.  However, as years progress and ethnic minorities become increasingly more and more the majority (as patterns have shown), the possibility exists that the Democratic party will regain its throne and rise as the dominant party once again. 

As it stands, Texas government hasn't faced much more problems than any other state given the nation's current economic condition.  Overall, we are facing the same tough decisions necessary to improve our situation.  It is tremendously unfortunate that our debt is so great that we are having to dip into our funds for education and it is something that I completely disagree with, but there doesn't seem to be any way around it.  But this is just one of many pieces of legislature that is made as a result of the Republican party establishing their dominance in this state.  I can not say whether things would be different if the Democratic party were in power and making decision based on their more liberal inclinations.  As I said initially, the choices we make, whether it be which political party we agree with or vote for or if we even  choose to vote at all, directly influences how we will be affected in our daily lives.