Texas Government Discussion

PART ONE As stated in the Powerpoint, Texas's political culture can be described as traditionalistic and individualistic. This definition can seem a bit vague to those not heavily involved in political sciences. According to an article published in Criminal Justice Policy Review, "Traditionalistic political cultures featured rule by an elite and minimal involvement of the people. Individualistic political cultures featured politics oriented toward personal gain" (Bowers). In short, this means that Texans believe the people should have more freedoms and control, whereas the government's control should be rather limited. The political culture of Texas stems from several different areas: business, one-party dominance, and provincialism. Business runs Texas. For example, the state dominates the oil field industry in the United States. Therefore, a majority of politics is run through evaluating what will benefit the oil field and other dominant businesses in the state. More often than not, this means less government control and regulations. Another reason for Texas having the political culture that it does is because of the presence of a one-party dominance. This has been going on for as long as Texas has been around, and Texas is currently dominated by the Republican party, which is a party that aligns with the economic freedoms that the state strives for. Lastly, provincialism has played a role in the establishment of the political culture of Texas. According to the Powerpoint and text, provincialism is a narrow-minded way of looking at things and is rooted in rural values. Because of these rural values, there is a push for limited government. Texas was founded on farmland, being referred to by outsiders as "The Wild West". People tended to do what was best for their individualistic gains, and this carried forwards to today. Because of these reasons, Professor Elazar identification of the dominant political culture in Texas can be widely accepted by both Texans and non-Texans. Texas has a large Latino population, with the Powerpoint graphic predicting that Latinos be the clear majority by 2050. However, even today, there does not seem to be race issues with Latino individuals in the state of Texas. This is because the population has slowly been increasing, and many Texans are accustomed to them. However, one recent event, the BLM Movement, had a bit of backlash from Texans because of the dominant political culture established. In regards to economic government control, there has been quite a bit of pushback from Texans towards US President Joe Biden. Since his election, the oilfield industry has been struggling, simply due to economic and environmental regulations the Biden Administration has implemented. In 2018, the Texas oilfield was one of the largest employers and manufacturers. However, with COVID-19 and the recent switch from Republican President to Democratic President, there has been a steady decline in the oilfield's success. In 2020, there was a low point for oil, which many employers did not believe they would recover from. PART TWO While these obesity rates are alarming, it is not the Texas government's place to step in and stop this. Texas thrives as a free-market economy, meaning there is the right to do business and not have businesses unreasonably regulated. This intervention from the Texas government would violate both the "traditionalistic" and the "individualistic" aspects of Texas's deep political culture. Individualism means that the individuals, themselves, have the freedom to choose how they go about living their life. That means a majority of Texans make the choose, which they are allowed to make, to eat Whataburger, Bucee's Glazed Cashews, or Raising Cane's every day. While it may not be the wisest choice for overall health, the government is not the proper party to step in to do something. A potential friend, family member, or doctor may speak up regarding obesity concerns, but the government doing so would violate the individualistic aspect of the political culture of the state. It would also be violating the traditionalistic aspect, as this is solely based on having LIMITED government control. QUESTIONS ARE: Part 1: Discuss the political culture of Texas. From where did it come? If you had to explain it to someone who knew nothing about government, how would you describe it? Do you accept what Professor Elazar has identified as the dominant political culture in Texas? Then, apply TX’s political culture to the issues of race relations and government regulation of the economy, what will likely happen to these issues? Part 2 Texas is fat. In terms of adult obesity we rank 37/50 and even worse (46/50) for childhood obesity. People eat a lot of junk in Texas and fast food makes a lot of money. Should the Texas government do something to stop this? If so, would this violate our political culture?