Govt 2306-054 Chapters 1-3

individualistic traditionalistic

The political culture of Texas is both ______ and __________. The... culture is rooted in the state's frontier experience and includes economic and social conservatism, strong support of personal politics, distrust of political parties, and minimization of political parties' imp. The ...culture grew out of the Old South, where a one-party system developed, policies were designed to preserve the social order, and the poor and minorities were often disenfranchised.

True or false: Texas ranks second in size among the 50 states.

True

true

True or false: Today, Texas is a highly industrialized state in which high-tech products are of increasing importance.

Anglos, Latinos, and African Americans

What are the 3 largest ethnic groups?

Politics

Involves conflict b/w political parties and other groups that seek to elect gov't officials or to influence those officials when they make public policy, such as enacting and interpreting Texas laws.

Government

A public institution with authority to allocate values in a society.

Public Policy

Government action designed to meet a public need

Alien

A person who is neither a national nor a citizen of te country where he or she is living.

Political Culture

Attitudes, habits, and general behavior patterns that develop over time and affect he political life of a state or region.

Moralistic culture

This culture influences people to view political participation as their duty and to expect that gov't will be used to advance the public good and create a just society. Citizens play an important role in politics in the _____ ______.

Individualistic Culture

This culture looks to gov't to maintain a stable society but with minimum intervention in the lives of the people. Many business owners viewed gov't as an adversary that taxed and regulated them.

Traditionalistic Culture

A product of the Old South, this culture uses gov't as a means of preserving the status quo and its leadership.

Political Inefficacy

The inability to influence the nomination and election of candidates and the decision making of gov't bodies. In TX, this has been a major problem for minorities and low-income groups.

Frontier experience

Coping with danger, physical hardships, and economic challenges tested the endurance of 19th-century Texans and contribute to the development of individualism.

patron system

A type of boss rule that has dominated areas of South Texas

false

True or false: Texas's population of more that 25 million ranks it third among the 50 states, behind California and New York.

individualistic and traditionalistic

What two types of political culture are commonly found in Texas? Texas has elements of the individualistic culture and the traditionalistic culture.

Physical Region

An area identified by unique geographic features, such as the Gulf Costal Plans and the Great Plains.

Gulf Coastal Plains

Stretching from the Louisiana border to the Rio Grande, this area is an extension of the Gulf Coastal Plains of the US.

Interior Lowlands

This region covers the North Central Plains of Texas, extending from the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex westward to the Abilene area and northward to the Wichita Falls area.

Great Plains

A large area in W. Texas extending from Oklahoma to Mexico, this region is an extension of the Great High Plains of the US.

Basin and Range Province

An arid region in W. Texas that includes the Davis Mountains, Big Bend, and El Paso.

Major economic pursuits of Texas

Cattle, Cotton, Timber, Oil

Spindletop Field

Located near Beamont, this oil field sparked a boom in 1901 that made Texas a leading petroleum producer.

Railroad Commission of Texas

A popularly elected, three member commission primarily engaged in regulating natural gas and petroleum production.

Gulf Costal Plains, the Interior Lowlands, the Great Plains, and the Basin and Range Province

are the four principal physical regions located in Texas?

In 1901, which oil field ushered in the oil industry that would dominate Texas's economy for nearly a century.

Spindletop Field

Population Shift

Within TX, changes in population density have featured demographic movements from rural to urban areas and from large cities to the suburbs and back.

Urbanization

Migration of people from rural areas to cities

Suburbanization

Growth of relatively small towns and cities, usually incorporated but outside the corporate limits of a central city.

Metropolitanization

Concentration of people in urban centers that become linked.

Micropolitan statistical area

An area that has at leas one urban cluster with a population of a least 10,000, but less than 50,000.

Combined Statistical Area

A geographical entity consisting of two or more adjacent core-based statistical areas.

Metropolitan Division

County or group of counties within a core based statistical area that contains a core with a population of at least 2.5 million.`

Harris, Dallas, Bexar, and Tarrant

Which four counties have a combined population of more than 40 percent of the state's population?Harris, Dallas, Bexar, and Tarrant

true

True or false: The fastest-growing ethnic group in TX is Latinos

High Technology

Technology that applies to research, development, manufacturing and marketing of computers and other electronic products.

Maquiladora

An assembly plant that uses cheap labor and is located on the Mexican side of the US-Mexican border.

Undocumented Alien

A person who enters the US in violation of federal immigration laws.

Texas Water Development Board

A board that conducts statewide water planning as mandated by state law.

True or false: More than one-third of Texas workers are earning below the federal poverty level.

True

Policymaking

A proposal from a governor, another gov't official, a nongovernmental organization, or from any interested person would be incorporated into a bill and submitted to the Texas legislature by a state senator or representative favoring a new policy. Then the committee hearings and on the floor of the Senate and the House of Representatives, the bill would be discussed and debated in the presence of lobbyists rep. interest groups, etc...When the bill is passed by the legislature and signed by the governor, the proposal becomes a law. Yay...

Tenth Amendment

Declares that "the powers not delegated by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the states/people.

National Supremacy Clause

Article VI of the Constitution states "This Constitution, and the laws of the US which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the US shall be the supreme law of the land."

Delegated Powers

Specific powers entrusted to the national gov't by article 1 sect. 8 of the US Constitution(reg. interstate commerce, borrow money, and declare war).

Implied Powers

Powers inferred by the Constitution authority of the US Congress "to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the forgoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the gov't of the US.....

Constitutional Guarantees

Included among the US ______ _______ to members of the Union are protect against invasion and domestic uprisings, territorial integrity, a republican for of gov't, representation by two senators and at least one representative in the US Congress, and equitable participation in the constitutional amendment process.

Privileges and Immunities

Article IV of the U.S. Constitution: Protection by gov't, enjoyment of life and liberty, right to acquire and possess property, right to leave and enter any state, and right to the use of courts

Full Faith and Credit Clause

Most gov't actions of another that must be officially recognized by public officials in TX.

Reserved Powers

Derived from the 10th amendment of the US Constitution. Although not spelled out in the US Constitution, these reserved powers to he states include police power, taxing power, proprietary power, and power of eminent domain.

Eleventh Amendment ad Sovereign Immunity

It provides that "The Judicial power of the US shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against on o the US by citizens of another state."

Federal Grants-in-aid

Money appropriated by the US Congress to help states and local gov't provide needs facilities and services.

Block Grant

Congressional grant of money that allows the state considerable flexibility in spending for a program, such as providing welfare services.

True or false: The Tenth amendment specifically identifies states' powers.

False. The tenth amendment does not specifically identify the powers of the states.

more

Does devolution give states more or less freedom to make decisions?

Constitutional history of TX

TX's constitutional history began with promulgation of the constitution of Coahuila y Tejas within the Mexican federal system in 1827 and the Const. of the TX Republic in 1836. TX has since been governed under it's state const. of 1845, 1861, 1866, 1869, and 1876.

TX Grange

Known as the Patrons of Husbandry, this farmers' organization was well represented in the const. convention that produced the Cont. of1876.

1876

TX's lengthy, much-amended const. is a product of the post-Reconstruction era.

7

How many different Constitutions has TX had throughout its history?

False: our present day TX const. has been amended more than 400 times.

True or false: TX's present day const. has been amended just under 100 times.

amendment

Article XVII, Sect. 1, of the TX Constitution stipulates that an ________ must be proposed by a two-thirds vote of members in each chamber of the legislature and approved by a simple majority of voters in a general or special election.

Constitutional Amendment Election

Takes place in a regular election in even-numbered years or in a special election. Voter must approve proposed constitutional amendments with a simple majority.

Initiative

A citizen-drafted measure proposed by a specific number or percentage of qualified voters, which becomes law if approved by popular vote. In TX, this process occurs only at the local level, not at the state level.

Constitutional revision

Extensive or complete rewriting of a constitution.

Constitution Revision Convention

A body of delegates who meet to make extensive changes in a constitution or to draft a new one.

November 1975; recent attempts have failed.

When was the last time voters were presented with a wholesale const. revision proposal from the state legislature?

two-thirds, majority

Amending the TX const. requires _____ of the members of each chamber of the state legislature to vote for a proposed amendment, and only a simple ______ of the voters to approve it in a const. amendment election.

Bill of Rights

composed of 30 sections in Article 1 of the TX const., it guarantees protections for people and their property against arbitrary actions by the state and local gov't. Including among these rights are freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly, and petition. The TX Bill of Rights is similar to the one found in the US const.

Texas Equal Legal Rights Amendment(ELRA)

It guarantees that "equality under the law shall not be denied or abridged because of sex, color, creed, or national origin.

Separation of Powers

The assignment o lawmaking, law-enforcing, and law-interpreting functions to separate branches of gov't.

Suffrage

The right to vote.

Local government

The TX const. authorizes these units of local gov't: counties, municipalities, school districts, and other special districts. These "grassroots gov'ts" provide a range of services that include rural roads, protection of persons and property, city streets, and public education.

True. The TX const. does contain additional const. rights, such as the Equal Legal Rights Amendment

T or F? The Texas constitution contains additional constitutional rights not found in the U.S. constitution.

Article II of the TX const. assigns powers to which branches of the gov't?

The Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches

local

Grassroots means:

Dillon's Rule

A legal principle that local gov't have only those powers granted by their state gov't. Still followed in the majority of states including TX.

Intergovernmental Relations

Relationships between and among different gov't that are on the same or different levels.

Municipal(city) gov't

A local gov't for an incorporated community est. by law as a city.

General law city

A municipality with a charter prescribed by the legislature

Home rue city

A municipality with a locally drafted charter.

Ordinance

A local law enacted by a city council or approved by popular vote in a referendum election.

Recall

A process for removing elected officials through a popular vote. In TX, this power is available only at the local level, not at the state level.

Initiative

A citizen-drafted measure proposed by a specific number or percentage of qualified voters, which becomes law if approved by popular vote. In TX, this process occurs only at the local level, not at the state level.

Referendum

A process by which issues are referred to the voters to accept reject. Voters may also petition for a vote to repeal an existing ordinance In TX, this process occur at the local level in home rule cities. At the state level, bonds secured by taxes and state const. amendments must be approved by the voters.

Strong Mayor council form

A type of municipal gov't with a separately elected legislative body and an executive head elected in a citywide election with veto, appointment, and removal powers.

Weak mayor council form

A type of municipal gov't with a separately elected mayor and council, but the mayor shares appointive and removal powers with the council, which can override the mayor's veto.

Council manager form

A system of municipal gov't in which an elected city council hires a manager to coordinate budgetary matters and supervise administrative departments.

Middle class

the middle class as those people with white-collar occupations.

Working class

Those people with blue-collar occupations.

Commission form

Type of municipal gov't in which each elected commissioner is a member of the city's policymaking body, but also heads on administrative department.

Nonpartisan election

An election in which candidates are not identified on the ballot by party label.

Redistricting

Redrawing of boundaries after the federal decennial census to create districts with approximately equal population.

At-large election

Members of a policymaking body, such as some city councils, are elected on a citywide basis rather than from single-member districts.

Single member districts

Voters in the geographically area of the voters have to be the same. They can only vote for that people in their district.

Single-member district election

Voters in an area elect one representative to serve on a policymaking body...

Citywide election

A larger geographical area (district) can vote for their specific counsel member.

Cumulative voting

When multiple seats are contested in an a-large election, voters cast one or more of the specified number of votes for one or more candidates in any combination. It is designed to increase representation of historically underrepresented ethnic minority groups.

Term Limit

Restriction on the number of terms officials can serve in a public office.

Property tax

Tax that property owners pay according to the value of their homes and businesses. At the local level, property owners pay this tax to the city, the county, the school district, and often other special districts.

Municipal bond

A mechanism by which cities borrow money. General obligation bonds and revenue bonds are authorized under TX law.