Texas Politics Today

Front Cover......Page 1
Title Page......Page 2
Copyright......Page 3
Contents......Page 4
New to This Edition......Page 12
Acknowlegements......Page 14
Ch 1: Texas History and Culture......Page 16
Joining the Union......Page 17
POST–CIVIL WAR TEXAS: 1865–1885......Page 18
Farmer Jim: 1914–1918......Page 20
World War I, the Twenties, and the Return of Farmer Jim: 1919–1928......Page 21
The Great Depression: 1929–1939......Page 23
“Pass the Biscuits, Pappy”: 1938–1945......Page 24
Politics and Government since World War II......Page 25
The 1950s......Page 26
The 1970s......Page 27
The 1990s......Page 28
The 2000s......Page 29
Moral, Traditional and Political Culture and Individualistic......Page 32
Political Culture and Political Participation......Page 33
Texas Cultural Regions......Page 34
The Gulf Coast......Page 35
South Texas......Page 36
German Hill Country......Page 38
West Texas......Page 41
Central Texas......Page 42
Cultural Diversity......Page 43
Key Terms......Page 45
Get Active!......Page 46
Appendix: How Texas Compares......Page 51
Ch 2: The Texas Constitution in Perspective......Page 56
Division of Powers......Page 57
Limits on States......Page 58
The Texas Constitution in History......Page 60
The Texas Constitution Today......Page 62
Separation of Powers......Page 64
Legislative Branch......Page 65
Executive Branch......Page 67
Courts......Page 69
Amending and Revising the Texas Constitution......Page 70
The Texas Constitution Compared......Page 72
Conclusion......Page 74
Review Questions......Page 75
Get Active!......Page 76
ESSAY: A Square Peg in a Round Hole: The Regime of Governor Edmund J. Davis Reconsidered by Jeremy Curtoys......Page 80
Ch 3: Voting and Elections......Page 84
Who Votes?......Page 85
The Practice of Voting......Page 87
Voter Turnout in the United States and in Texas......Page 88
Reasons for Low Voter Turnout in Texas......Page 92
Primary Elections......Page 95
General Elections......Page 100
Special Elections......Page 101
The Conduct and Administration of Elections......Page 102
Who Gets Elected......Page 111
The General Election Campaign......Page 112
Money in Political Campaigns......Page 114
Key Terms......Page 117
Get Active!......Page 118
Ch 4: Political Parties......Page 124
Functions of Political Parties......Page 125
Decentralization......Page 126
Two-Party System......Page 127
The One-Party Tradition in Texas......Page 128
Ideological Basis of Factionalism: Conservatives and Liberals......Page 129
Conservative and Liberal Factions in the Democratic Party......Page 130
Rise of the Republican Party......Page 132
Conservative and Moderate Factions Within the Republican Party......Page 133
Temporary-Party Organization......Page 135
Permanent-Party Organization......Page 138
A New Era of Republican Dominance......Page 139
Key Terms......Page 142
Get Active!......Page 143
Ch 5: Interest Groups......Page 148
Constitutional Guarantees......Page 150
What Interest Groups Are......Page 151
What Interest Groups Do......Page 152
Lobbying the Legislative and Executive Branches......Page 153
Organizing Public Demonstrations......Page 154
Socializing......Page 155
Why People Join Interest Groups......Page 156
Mixed Interest Groups......Page 157
Party Competition......Page 158
Law......Page 159
Constituent In.uence......Page 160
Interest Groups as Checks on Interest Groups......Page 161
Campaign Contributions......Page 162
Conclusions About Balance in the Political System......Page 163
Who Must Register and Report Lobbying Costs?......Page 164
What Does a Lobbyist Report?......Page 165
What Is Not Reported as Lobbying That Affects Lobbying?......Page 166
Before the Legislature......Page 167
Before Administrative Agencies......Page 168
Before the Courts......Page 169
Which Interests Are Powerful?......Page 170
Interest Group Dynamics and Power......Page 171
Conclusion......Page 174
Review Questions......Page 176
Get Active!......Page 177
ESSAY: When Powers Collide: School Voucher Politics in Texas by Mitzi Mahoney......Page 178
Ch 6: The Legislature: Organization and Structure......Page 184
Geographic Districts......Page 185
Informal Qualifications......Page 191
Presiding Officers......Page 194
Legislative Committees......Page 196
Legislative Staff......Page 198
Terms......Page 199
The Limited Session......Page 200
Key Terms......Page 202
Logging On......Page 203
Get Active!......Page 204
Ch 7: The Legislative Process......Page 208
Procedural Tools of Leadership......Page 209
Institutional Tools of Leadership......Page 222
The Lobby and Bureaucracy......Page 224
Political Climate......Page 225
Conclusion......Page 226
Logging On......Page 227
Get Active!......Page 228
ESSAY: Lobbying Didn’t Let Up when the CHIP was Down by Gary Scharrer......Page 229
ESSAY: Swarming Capitol Paid Off for SBC by Sanford Nowlin......Page 233
Ch 8: The Governor......Page 236
Formal Qualifications......Page 237
Informal Criteria......Page 238
Compensation......Page 239
Tools of Persuasion......Page 241
Legislative Tools of Persuasion......Page 242
Executive Tools of Persuasion......Page 246
Governor as Party Chief......Page 251
Logging On......Page 252
Get Active!......Page 253
ESSAY: Governors and Texas Agencies by Patricia Caperton Parent......Page 254
Ch 9: The Bureaucracy......Page 258
The Texas Administration......Page 259
Elected Executives......Page 260
Boards and Commissions......Page 264
Characteristics of Bureaucracy......Page 266
Size......Page 267
Neutrality......Page 268
Hierarchy......Page 271
Clientele Groups......Page 272
The Governor......Page 273
The Iron Texas Star......Page 274
Public Support......Page 275
Accountability......Page 276
Key Terms......Page 280
Logging On......Page 281
Get Active!......Page 282
ESSAY: Agencies and Influence: Electricity Deregulation (Last One Out, Turn Off the Light) by Christy Woodward Kaupert......Page 283
Ch 10: The Judiciary......Page 288
Civil and Criminal Cases......Page 290
Original and Appellate Jurisdiction......Page 291
Municipal Courts......Page 292
Justices of the Peace......Page 294
County Courts......Page 296
District Courts......Page 297
Courts of Appeals......Page 298
Court of Criminal Appeals......Page 299
Supreme Court......Page 301
Juries......Page 302
Grand Jury......Page 303
Petit (Trial) Jury......Page 304
Selection of Judges......Page 305
The Politics of Judicial Selection in Texas......Page 306
Conclusion......Page 309
Logging On......Page 310
Get Active!......Page 311
Ch 11: Law and Due Process......Page 320
Types of Civil Law......Page 321
Issues in Civil Law......Page 324
The Crime......Page 325
The Criminal......Page 327
The Victim......Page 328
State Agencies......Page 330
Prevention of Crime......Page 331
Gathering Evidence......Page 332
Detention......Page 333
Pretrial Court Activities......Page 335
Pretrial Hearings......Page 337
The Trial......Page 339
Posttrial Proceedings......Page 341
Rehabilitation and Punishment......Page 342
Texas Department of Criminal Justice......Page 343
Texas Youth Commission......Page 344
Conclusion......Page 345
Key Terms......Page 346
Get Active!......Page 347
Ch 12: Taxing and Budgeting......Page 360
Taxation......Page 362
Issues in Taxation......Page 364
Other Revenues......Page 369
The Budgetary Process......Page 371
Conclusion......Page 373
Logging On......Page 374
Get Active!......Page 375
ESSAY: Is Texas Last? An Examination of Political Culture and Health Insurance for Children by Gary Tschoepe......Page 381
Ch 13: Spending and Services......Page 384
Education in Texas......Page 386
Elementary and Secondary Schools......Page 387
The Politics of Public Education......Page 388
Higher Education......Page 393
The Politics of Higher Education......Page 395
Health Programs......Page 397
The Politics of “Welfare”: Myths and Realities......Page 400
Highway Programs......Page 402
The Politics of Transportation......Page 403
Conclusion......Page 405
Logging On......Page 406
Get Active!......Page 407
ESSAY: Health Care in a Texas County: the Indigent, the Undocumented, the Uninsured & Republican Compassionate Conservatism by Glenn David Garrison......Page 408
Ch 14: Local Government......Page 418
General Law and Home-Rule Cities......Page 420
Forms of Government......Page 421
Municipal Election Systems......Page 424
Revenue Sources and Limitations......Page 425
Issues and Trends......Page 427
Counties......Page 430
Functions of Counties......Page 431
Structure and Organization of Counties......Page 433
Issues and Trends......Page 436
Special-District Governments......Page 437
Issues and Trends......Page 439
Councils of Government......Page 440
Key Terms......Page 441
Get Active!......Page 442
ESSAY: Ethnic Polarization: A Major Factor in Corpus Christi’s At-Large Elections by Robert R. Bezdek and Juan Carlos Huerta......Page 446
Glossary......Page 452
Index......Page 460