Essay About Committees In Texas Government
For all Assessments, the following general requirements hold:
(1) Assignments should be 2-3 double-spaced pages, with reasonable (12 pt.) font and reasonable (1 inch) margins.
(2) Citations to the material and in-text citations are required(MLA style).
(3) Assignments should be turned into eCampus (for the collection of artifacts for scoring).
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Assignment Three:
When You Win…SLO #3
1. Research the committees of the House ( http://www.house.state.tx.us/committees/ ) and state senate (http://www.senate.state.tx.us/committees.php )
2. Choose at least three (3) committees on which you’d serve, if elected.
a. Explain each committee’s functions.
b. Explain why your placement on these committees is justified. How does it serve your district’s needs? How does it emphasize your experiences/interests?
3. What kind of constituent service would you be likely to do? What kind of “home style” would you create (and how?) Most Texans do not know who their legislators are. How do you seek to solve that problem?
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Assignment Two:
The Campaign: SLO #2
How much does it cost to run for office in Texas?
https://www.texastribune.org/2017/03/01/heres-how-much-texas-candidates-spent-vote-general-election/
How will you raise money? (read this handy info from the Texas Democratic Party before you violate any campaign finance laws: https://www.txdemocrats.org/act/run-for-office )
Name interest groups that will support/oppose you? Go to https://votesmart.org/interest-groups/TX/#.WXjT4ojyuUk and identify two (2) interest groups that you think will support your campaign, and two (2) who will oppose your campaign. Explain why? (referring to your platform).
What’s your SLOGAN?
Design a campaign sign
How do you get out the vote? Given your issue stands, what voter groups do you need to target? (refer back to the district analyses documents on your current legislator’s homepage
Assignment One:
Why not you? Why not now?
For this project, you will hypothetically be running for office. Choose whether you would like to run for the Texas House of Representatives OR the Texas State Senate. We will be doing the project in chunks, as we cover the material in class, so tasks may be assigned out of sequence.
Preparing to run: SLO #1
1. Know your district. Go to: http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/Home.aspx , and discover the district number, and who represents you in the Texas house or state senate. Which political party is your state house/state senate representative affiliated with? (if you choose to run as a House or Senate representative, check the district that you want to run for.)
2. Go to your current representative’s page, and look at the district analysis documents.
1. What does your district look like (in terms of population, age, education, employment, election results)?
2. What issues arise based on the district’s demographics (this will help you think about your platform)
3. Is your district gerrymandered? http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/Info.aspx?rpts=maps
Essay 1
Vying for Dallas District 16 on the Republican Platform
Based on my understanding of life, the concept of governance and the state of affairs in Texas I choose to run for Dallas, district number 16, Senate sit using the Republican platform as it is the best suited for the current problems in the district. My campaign will be mainly based on four issues- Social cohesions and integration of the people of Dallas, health, security and education.
Statistical data reveals that Dallas is one of the most cosmopolitan district in Texas with 34% speaking more than the English language, an indicator of diverse cultural, racial and religious backgrounds (Farkas p.57). Cognizant of this I will, through the legislative agenda, push and advocate for integrative policies and shun discriminative policies such as the one of more scrutiny on Muslim citizens to curb terrorism. To enhance this, through my oversight role, I will ensure that economic opportunities are accessible to all citizens in the district and even elsewhere in the state.
Dallas district number 16 has more than 60% of the entire population within the productive ages with regards to employment (Thompson p.12). However, it is only 68% of citizens in this bracket have secured employment in both the private and the public sector with the rest missing the opportunities mainly due to lack of quality education and therefore high skill capacity. I will strictly ensure that all citizens of have access to education by enhancing a merit-based enrollment in the learning institution locally in the district and collectively in the entire state.
The Republican party in Texas is always committed to ensuring a healthy population has access to basics health is enshrined in the federal constitution. However, the vastness of our state, poor policies and poverty have continually put our people vulnerable to diseases and infections. Dallas district 16 has a poverty rate of 17.7% with this population unable to meet basic health needs (Landgrave et al., 42). I will advocate and ensure that our local health centers are equipped with adequate drugs, diagnostic machines and work with stakeholders in the department of health to lobby for more professionals especially in rural Dallas.
Finally, in my political career, I will commit to supporting security officers in their bid to promote security for our people. This, I will push through supporting activities aimed at giving opportunities to youth employment and rehabilitative services in the district and to an extension, the state. I will, however, promote the course of my political platform in checking the government against any moves to promote government surveillance of its law-abiding citizen under the pretext of ensuring a secure nation (Eoyang, p.259). I will also work with the relevant agencies in curbing intensified search of Muslim citizens to allegedly crack down Muslim sponsored terrorism but advocate for other measures.
As mentioned above, the issues facing our people in Dallas 16 can only be addressed using the Republican party principles. As such, I generally agree with the party concerning the basic guidelines on education, security and social integration. However, I strongly disagree with the party’s position on the termination of the Obamacare medical scheme because, despite its unconstitutionality, it has served the rural population with affordable healthcare. Additionally, I differ with the party’s stand that sexual education should not be offered to schooling teens. I believe sexual awareness will lower cases of sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies and even abortion.
It is based on the above subscription to the Republican party’s ideals that the survey polls term my political leanings as those of the Republicans. However, my two liberal principles are responsible for the surveys placement of my political ideology as that of a new era enterprise or moderate Republican.
Essay 2
Dallas Texas Campaign
The Dallas Texas senate sit is one of the most competitive sits in the United States elections and therefore as a Republican candidate of the same sit I have to prepare a comprehensive campaign budget. However, I promise my voters that no single cent of this budget will be used to buy any vote in terms of corruption but even coin that will solicit will be used for the good of Dallas Texas residents (Hassell and Hans, 75-87). For this reason, I bring to the public the excepted expenditure for my candidature.
According to the last election statistics, it has been revealed that some candidates paid heavily on their outcome either in their win or loss. For example, the details show that Republican candidate Donald Trump spend half of what democrat candidate spent on their campaigns in Texas and still won his way to Whitehouse. This shows that in Texas no amount of money can win someone’s victory but the general agendas of the candidate. Additionally, the campaign cost depends on three variables in Texas; the amount the candidate fundraises, the expenditure on the campaign and the number of votes received. The cost of the campaign at Texas is based on a cost-per-vote. For example, in the last election, the Republican Senate candidate spent $29.12 per vote and won the race compared to the democrat how to spend $15.75 per vote. This estimated to be $10,476,451 in the overall campaign (Lewis-Beck et al., 661-663).
Again, it is good to note that it is not about the money spent that suggest the outcome but a good name recognition and the right party affiliation like the republican. Most of my complain finance will come from the party’s fundraising and other donations (Martínez and Valerie, 113-130)