Texas Political Culture & Constitution PDF

8/26/2024 Texas Political Culture GOVT 2306 1 How is Texas Different?  The People of Texas  The Economy  Some Statisti...

8/26/2024 Texas Political Culture GOVT 2306 1 How is Texas Different?  The People of Texas  The Economy  Some Statistics  Political Culture 2 The People of Texas  Texas is constantly growing  16% increase from 2010 to 2020  What is the impact of this massive growth?  We now have 38 Congressional seats  Federal funding is often based on population. As Texas grows, so does financial aid from the federal government  Roads, Schools, etc. 3 1  8/26/2024 4 Population Size and Growth  Natural born population accounts for 55% of state growth  2nd highest number of births in the country  Young population includes high number of women of childbearing age  Birth rate for Mexican Americans is highest of all demographics  Hispanic median age is 27 vs 40 for white  Nearly 40.2% of population is Latinx vs. 39.8% white non-Hispanic  There is migration both in and out of the state. More people are moving in, but that isn’t the majority of population growth. 5 Undocumented Immigration  ~1.6 million undocumented residents live in Texas  Good or Bad for Texas economy?: The Extremes  One Study: annual cost to Texas = $5 billion  Another: Texas would lose $220 million per year if all were deported  Balanced  Boost economy by $17 billion  Taxed: $1.5 billion  Cost: $1.16 billion  State vs. Local  Smaller level of government = smaller tax revenue  May be heavier burden for local governments 6 2  8/26/2024 Population Diversity  Nearly 60% of Texans are not white, non-Hispanics  39.8% white, 40% Latinx, 13% African American, 5% Asian  90% live in metropolitan areas  Population Density  90% urban living  30% have at least a Bachelor’s Degree  14% live in poverty  Religious Belief and Practice  More religious as a whole than the US  77% “absolutely certain” of God  What is the effect policy? 7 Texas Economy  Historically based on agriculture and raw materials  Cattle and cotton  Texas lagged behind US in manufacturing  1901 Oil Discovered  Nations leading producer of oil and gas  Population shifted to urban centers  Until recently top companies were in the energy field  Exxon Mobil, Conoco Phillips, Valero, Marathon Oil  Modern Economy  Much more diverse  Most rapidly growing sectors are healthcare and tech  McKesson, Dell, AT&T, Sysco 8 Wealth, Poverty, and Healthcare  Gross State Product  $1.9 Trillion9th largest economy in the world  Greater than GDP of Canada  Second only to California  Texas economy routinely outperforms national economy  Texas is still a poor state  Median income middle of the pack  How??  A lot of people are working at minimum wage or slightly higher  Healthcare  #1 in adults lacking health coverage (18%)  4th lowest immunized children  9th highest teen birthrate, Highest repeat teen birthrate 9 3  8/26/2024 What Do You Think?  Are these problems?  How do we change them?  Government intervention vs. Market Economics  Sex education? 10 Political Culture  Broadly shared values, beliefs, and attitudes about how the government should function and politics should operate  American political culture emphasizes the values of liberty, equality, and democracy. 11 Theories of Govt and Its Role  Individualistic  Private initiative with a minimum of governmental interference  Role of government should be limited to protecting rights  Moralistic  Government is expected to intervene in social and economic affairs  Role of government should be limited to protecting rights  Traditionalistic  Government is to preserve traditions of existing social order  Texas is a mix of Individualistic and Traditionalistic 12 4  8/26/2024 Other Texas Characteristics  One Party Dominance  100 years of Democrats  Shifted late-1970s to 1990s  Now solidly Republican  Shifting?  Urban-Rural Differences  Cities are liberal, rural is conservative, suburban and exurban shifting  Provincialism  Narrow view of the world often associated with rural values and belief in limited government…racism, xenophobia, homophobia  Importance of Business 13 Civic Culture  Necessary to develop and efficient, effective government  Civic engagement  Political Equality  Solidarity, trust, and tolerance  Social structure of cooperation  Based on this measure, Texas is 43rd of 50 14 Looking Ahead  Monday, August 26  Chapter 1 Textbook Questions  Texas Demographic Assignment  Wednesday, August 28  In Person  Texas Constitution 15 5  8/26/2024 Texas Constitution PSCI 2306 16 Looking Back  Last time: What makes Texas different?  Population Growth  Demographic Mix  Economy 17 Why Do We Have Constitutions?  Social Contract  Enshrine Rights  Set Up Government (rules matter!) 18 6  8/26/2024 Texas’s Constitution  We’re on our sixth constitution  We have amendments for (it seems like) EVERYTHING. 19 20 Weird Things in the Texas Constitution  Article 3, Section 56.a.3: “The Legislature shall not, except as otherwise provided in this Constitution, pass any local or special law, authorizing… changing the names of persons or places.”  Article 1, Section 4 Directly goes against the US Constitution’s prohibition on religious tests for office holders  “No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office, or public trust, in this State; nor shall anyone be excluded from holding office on account of his religious sentiments, provided he acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being.”  TX Attorney General signed court agreement voiding this in the 1980s 21 7  8/26/2024 Weird Things in the Texas Constitution  Article 1, Section 34.b: “Hunting and fishing are preferred methods of managing and controlling wildlife.”  Article 3, Section 47.b: No for-profit Bingo games in Texas.  2nd longest state constitution. Only Alabama’s is longer  Now Maybe longest? 22 To Compare  The US Constitution is 7,591 words.  The average state constitution is 39,000 words.  The Texas Constitution is around 100,000 words.  Next chart from Spring 2022 23 24 8  8/26/2024 Length of State Constitutions 25 TX Constitution Background pt 1  Constitutions of 1845, 1850, 1861, 1866, 1869, 1875  Texas Becomes a state in 1845  Broad constitution of loosely guiding, general principles  Suffrage extended to non-property owners  Homestead Law  Property rights for married women  Jacksonian Democracy  The “common man’s” democracy  Elitism was to blame for slow growth 26 Constitution of 1845 27 9  8/26/2024 TX Constitution Background pt 2  1850 Constitution  Direct election of more officials  1861 Constitution  Succession Constitution  Protected Slavery  More power to state  1866 and 1869 Reconstruction Constitutions  1866—Federal requirements for former Confederate states  Radical Republicans  State was forced to adopt a constitution and government that it did not want 28 Constitutional Convention of 1875  Restrict size and scope of state government  Long explicit constitution  Executive  Long Ballot weakened the power of the executive branch  Legislature  Limited salaries, balanced budget, and open sessions  Detailed constitution makes laws difficult to pass without amendment  Judicial  Limited the types of cases the courts could hear  Election of judges 29 Constitutional Convention of 1875  Local Government  No provision for Local governments in US Constitution  Restricted abilities to tax, provide services, and debt  Individual  Castle Doctrine  Homestead Law 30 10  8/26/2024 Overview of the Texas Constitution  Principles of the Texas Constitution  Popular Sovereignty  Limited Government  Plural Executive  Separation of Powers  Personal Rights and Liberties 31 Overview of the Texas Constitution:  Similarities to the US Constitution  Three Branches of Government  Legislative, Executive, and Judicial  Checks and Balances/Separation of Powers  Bill of Rights (14th Amendment)  Equal Protection Clause 32 33 11  8/26/2024 Judicial Interpretation  National Level  Texas Level  Very important  Mitigated  State constitution is extremely specific  Election of Judges 34 Constitutional Change: Amendments  National Process  Texas Process  Proposal 2/3 of Congress.  2/3 legislature  simple Ratification: ¾ of state voter majority legislatures or ¾ of state  Amendments over much conventions smaller issues  OR National convention called by state legislatures  Amendments are powerful and important 35 Criticisms of the Texas Constitution  Too long and complex  Modern government requires more freedom with the economy and budget 36 12  8/26/2024 Texas Constitution  Texas Constitution Video 37 League of Women Voters  LWV Vote411 38 Voter Turnout 39 13  8/26/2024 2021 Amendments 40 Constitution Activity  3 of the 14 proposed amendments from Nov 2023 election Which proposition are you choosing? What would the amendment do if put in place? Why do you think are reasons this proposal could be a good idea? Why do you think are reasons this proposal could be a bad idea? Who would support this proposition? (all sorts of groups might be an answer: teachers, homeowners, Democrats, Republicans, younger voters, retired voters, etc... basically ask yourself which interests does this appeal to?) Did the proposal pass? What percentage of the voters were for the proposal? Against it? 41 Constitution Activity 42 14  8/26/2024 Looking Ahead  Monday 9/2: Labor Day  Chapter 2: The Texas Constitution  Texas Constitution Activity  Wednesday 9/4  In Person  The Texas Legislature 43 15