MetroRapid

Recently, I read a fascinating blog post from Texas State and Local Government about the new additions the city of Austin if planning to add to its public transportation system. I believe the new MetroRapid system will be an excellent service to the population of the city. The increase in travel time on a bus as opposed to driving is one of the biggest reasons more people do not take public transportation. The new technology will cut down the transit time and therefore, eliminating that complaint. The new GPS will also allow users of public transportation to gauge traffic situations and alter travel plans accordingly. This makes Austin's public transportation system that much more appealing. The advantages of taking public transportation to individuals are obvious as people are able to save on fuel and do not have to deal with the chore of driving. On top of all that, this new plan makes Austin a greener city: one that cuts down on traffic pollutants and benefits the entire area.

Why Bother Voting?

"I'm not going to vote. Texas is going to be a Republican state anyways; my vote won't make a difference" Variations of this phrase resounds through the state of Texas during voting season in present times. In general, Texas has always had very low political participation by its citizens, but now, it's the lowest in the United States. Why?

Texas citizens typically see no change in their everyday lives through active participation int he political realm. For example, the working poor never see any changes in the conditions of their lives even if they did vote, so they save themselves the trouble of making the trip to go vote. Political candidates spend time traveling to these poorer areas in order to win their votes, but political promises made to the poor are often unfulfilled. As Saul Elbein states, "No shows: why so few Texans bother to vote," the way to get people to participate in voting is to get them to start participating in smaller political services such as the school board, where their votes will have an impact. However, this is not a viable solution in and of itself because of the situations of the lower class. Many of the less well-off citizens in Texas must work long hours in order to make earn enough money to feed their families. Therefore, participating in local government such as school and community boards just isn't an option for these men and women. The change must come in how information is spread. When Wendy Davis performed her famous filibuster to stop the abortion bill in Texas, many Texans rallied up to go to the capitol and support her. Knowing and being passionate about government policies is a crucial in achieving higher voter participation. To do this,  politicians cannot simply visit poor areas just before elections; there must be a constant effort by the government to inform the public of what happens within the government and create constant interaction with the public to spark interest. Whether this is achieved through weekly papers or widespread politician interaction, something has to be done.

The Republican Party's Stance on Hispanics

As the Lone Star Gazer touches on, the Republican Party has a slight dilemma. After such a long period of dominance among the political scene of Texas, it might come to an end in the near future. The threat? The rising population of Hispanics. The majority of Hispanics align themselves with the Democratic Party due to their support of better education systems and health services. Phyllis Schlafly believes the Republican Party should reach out to Caucasians rather than Hispanics. While I feel like Schlafly is not ignoring Hispanics altogether but rather spending less campaign capital and time on the Hispanics than on Caucasians, I do agree with the Lone Star Gazer in that the Republican Party should invest in Hispanic support.

For starters, the Republican Party already caters to mostly Caucasians. Investing their time and money on people that already support the Republican Party seems like a waste to me. With the Hispanic population growing so large, communicating effectively and gaining the support of Hispanics can easily swing the balance of power in Texas politics. Even by gaining the support of all Caucasians would not be enough to win elections if Hispanics grew to be more than 50% of the Texan population.

One thing I do disagree with the Lone Star Gazer on is how the Republican Party can gain support within the Hispanic community. The Lone Star Gazer thinks the Republican Party should cater to Hispanic desires like education and health care. However, I feel like that goes against what the conservative nature that the Republican Party stand for. Instead, a more effective way could be to find some Hispanic politicians to run for office that side with the Republicans. This way, a portion of Hispanic population could vote for the Republican candidates as a means of ethnic support.

Just Looking at the Voting Numbers...

Texas has the second highest population of all states in America. Yet, if you look at the people that consistently vote, you would think that Texas has a tiny population. The proportion of voters in Texas is much lower than most of the other states in the United States. For some reason, this is not an issue to most people. However, the apathy towards government in a majority of the population is quite alarming.

When people choose not to vote, they break the American system. America's government is predicated on the idea of the government powers receiving feedback from the population through popular sovereignty. When Texans neglect their duty as citizens to vote, they choose to let higher powers go unchecked. Not only that, but the small minority that participate heavily in Texas politics have a very large influence with no responsibilities to the public whatsoever.

One argument that many Texans make is that Republican values are too entrenched for voters to feel like their votes to make a difference. What they forget is that the population of Texas is constantly changing due to migration from other states as well as other countries. This should shift the balance of power between the two parties. Voting in primaries is another way to influence the political scene, as the primaries decide important aspects of the political parties.

There are so many different obstacles to hurdle when it comes to apathy about the government. There is no quick fix. Making people care about something is never easy. While emphasizing government in public education systems is a good start, results have not been too favorable. While definitely not an ideal situation, maybe the only way to jolt the public awake from their deep sleep of apathy is for the government to something so unpopular and controversial that a major public backlash would ensue, sparking an interest in local and state government as a defense mechanism towards the government. While that may never happen, a recovery from political apathy may be nonexistent as well.

Who Says Politics Doesn't Have Spunk?

Eileen Smith's post on Wendy Davis discusses the recent abortion in a light that no major media source would even consider publishing. Smith attacks the subject in a heavily satirical fashion, greatly exaggerating her heroism. This is a huge contrast to the serious, stone-cold facts of most news sources. This blogger has no issues with being formal in her language, opting to write her post in the tone of a gossiping teenager. Eileen Smith makes references to mainstream media that are far from political, such as the hashtags on Twitter and a reference to the E! entertainment network. This light-hearted tone appeals to an audience of casual readers that are most likely not heavily involved with the political scene. While Smith satirically worships Wendy Davis, she does make the point that her situation is a little hypocritical, for her own life began in an unideal situation and could have easily been aborted in the present-day world. At the end, Smith does ridicule Governor Rick Perry, casting him as a wimp.

While Smith's tone and blogging style does take away from the professionalism of her article, her views generally describe the general public's views, albeit a little overemphasized. Yes, social media has turned Wendy Davis into a symbol, a hero. And yes, most Texans have quite a laugh making fun of Governor Rick Perry. However entertaining this article was, I personally do not agree with her writing style towards a serious topic like this. I understand that Smith's style is purposefully satirical and that I am buzzkill for disagreeing with a fun post like this, but I feel like this article gives off too much of an immature vibe to such a serious topic.

Execution 500 and Counting

Texas has always been known for high numbers of capital punishment cases. That much is known by most of the United States. What is not known is just how much of an understatement that is. While Texas is at execution #500, the next highest state is Virginia at 110. Texas has executed more people than the next 6 leading death penalty states. Yes, Texas has a very high population in the first place and a southern attitude for justice that calls for the "eye and eye" policy, but obviously, it seems like Texas is calling for the death penalty far more often than the rest of the United States. First of all, the statistics have shown that both geographical and racial factors play a role in whether or not a convicted felon is given the death sentence. Only 22 counties of Texas' 254 counties have sent convicted persons to death row. With the higher populations in Texas' large urban centers, counties in the area are more likely to send high number of people to death row. It has also been shown that in cases with white victims and/or black killers the proportion for death sentences is much higher than normal.

As mentioned in this editorial of the Dallas Morning News,  if Texas is insistent on keeping the death penalty around, then steps must be taken that ensures fairness. Texas must strive for a more consistent, colorblind system. While I acknowledge this practice that has been around since the Hammurabi's code of the Babylonians and has withstood the test of time, I argue that in today's society, the death penalty may be counterproductive. There is a reason more and more states have abolished the death sentence. For one, the death penalty is so much more costly. The costs to execute a convict is significantly greater than that to keep him/her there for a life sentence. There is also the case of innocent people being executed. While this may be a rare occasion, scenarios like this are what stay in the minds of the public, causing more distrust of the government. By abolishing the death penalty, the state of Texas would be better off financially as well as fend off unnecessary blemishes to its public image.

The Beauty Within the Arguments

Yes, it is all old news now. According to the Dallas Morning News, the Texas legislature has passed dramatic abortion restrictions in the midst of heavy controversy. The filibuster, the protests, and now the courts... the drama continues. The bill calls for four major changes: a requirement that abortion physicians decide who to admit at local hospitals, a ban of abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, restrictions on abortion medication, and a requirement that abortion facilities meet surgical center standards. The abortion battlegrounds spread far beyond Texas borders, as other states have proposed similar provisions, all of which have been met by similar backlash by members of the general public.

In the middle of all the social quarrel, people have been missing out on our government at work. The legislature passed the bill, the governor is waiting in the wings to sign the bill, and the courts will be next to make judgement. We are seeing the system of checks and balances at work here, multiple chances to correct any wrongs if necessary. Amidst all the turmoil, we are seeing the beauty of our government system, one that would make our Founding Fathers proud.