In your syllabus I asked you to put together a 1000 word report on current conflicts between the Texas and US governments. These have kicked in recent years, especially since the conservative wing of the Republican Party has asserted itself more in state government. The state and national governments have different views about various aspects of public policy and who is responsible for what. The Supreme Court will be hearing some of these cases, if not now, in the near future.
This week I asked that you give me a topic, a specific policy area where there is conflict between the two levels of government. I want you to outline it fully and take a stand. You can change this at some point if necessary, but I want you to get going on it now. You'll thank me - I promise.
To get a general sense of the nature of the conflict, start off by looking at some of my previous posts on federalism.
Here are a few further links to help you out. These links take you to the topics pages in the Texas Tribune, which I highly recommend as a place to begin your search. But please surf around on your own.
- Health Reform and Texas.
- Education.
- Redistricting.
- Energy.
- Death Penalty.
- Immigration.
Again, sift through these and find places where tension is high between state and national power.
