For discussion in class:
- What topics to write about for the 1000 word essay?
- How do the concepts and principles discussed in our Texas government lectures apply to real-world political situations and policymaking in Texas today?
- Can you elaborate on any recent developments or controversies in Texas government that relate to the topics covered in our lectures?
- What are some of the worst punishments for criminals in Texas?
- Is there a timeline or deadline for legislation to sign bills?
- How much power does a Mayor really have?
- How much influence to people actually have over policies? Or does the power come from the right of people to go against the policy?
- Of people disagree with the actions of the city and make major protests against the city (even as far as rioting)- would that issue still have to go through the state before reaching the federal level?
- Do you think the two major parties will, eventually, die out like other parties in the past? What would that mean for parties that are more known on a local scale?
- Comparing local government and federal government, does the local government have stricter laws against crime? Or does the national since they deal with larger laws that could be broken?
- Which do you think is more effective- the city or state government? Are they basically the same or is the state more of a 'representative' of the federal government? Regarding the topics we have discussed recently.
- Why does Texas have a plural executive and has it always had one?
- Why does Texas vest so much power in the lieutenant governor when other states do not?
- How are the qualifications that a person has to have to hold an office decided and can they be changed?
- How can you contact the Texas government to express your concerns with something, and will it make a difference?
- Which one of the branches is the most powerful in Texas government?
- Does the Texas government have more power than other states do?
- One question I have about this class is how governor Abbot gained more power than the usual Texas Governor. There's been a couple times these past weeks where Governor Abbot's higher degree of power has come up. While I understand that he now has the power, thus allowing him to have more influence, I don't know how he obtained this position. Who helped him? Why is no one opposing him? And what does this mean for the next governor.
- My next question is what happened in Eagle Pass? There was obviously this huge standoff, and people started talking about civil war and secession, then it just stopped. What happened? I read all up on the actual conflict, but the resolution has never been talked about. I just seems curious that the whole country was freaking out, then in a blink of an eye, everyone forgot about it. Who won? Did Texas get the power it wanted, or did the federal government win?
- My final question is why the two party system still exists. In modern day, there is simply too many controversial issues to group everyone into 2 parties. Furthermore, this 1 on 1 competition has inflamed political divides, and caused downright hateful relations between both politicians and citizens. Why is this still the practice? Why can't we establish more parties that correctly display a more appropriate set of views for an individual, rather than attempting to say you're this or that.
1. When there is a difference between federal and state laws, how do they understand which laws apply at the federal level and which are specific to individual states? How do they distinguish the reasons and importance to know when a legal issue falls under federal jurisdiction or when it's governed by state laws?
2. When trying to understand the court system hierarchy, and how that came about, why did they choose to make it a multi-tired court system? I understand why the federal courts and state courts operate on different levels. How do they navigate the hierarchy and understand which court jurisdiction is over a particular case?
3. How did the legal terminology within the court system come to be? Since the legal system has it's own unique language and jargon, which makes it very difficult for non-lawyers to understand. There are 3 phrases that are still not clear to me, which are "due process", "burden of proof", and "precedent". How can I remember the key terms, when not every case is the same, but still uses the same vocabulary?
1. What would earn an A on the 1000 word paper?
2. What is the most important part of this class in the real world? All of it? What should we retain?
3. What criminal charges could Ricky be charged with?
1. What is Jeremiah's middle name?
2. What is your opinion on a monarchy and how do you think this would affect our country. if it were implemented.
3. What about parliament in the same context of the previous question.
- What role does the Texas Railroad Commission play in regulating industries, and how does it impact the state's economy and environment?
- How does the Texas judicial system handle cases differently from the federal system?
- How does the essay have to be formatted, what exactly are we writing about?
1. I'm still extremely confused as to why not many people vote in Texas elections. Are they optional?
2. What is a deferred disposition in a trial?
3. When has the Texas supreme court ever been used?
1: One thing I am interested in, and one thing that I do not understand very well is interest groups. How do they influence others? What is the point of them? Why are they important? And what is the point of specialized interest groups? What do they support?
2: Another thing I do not fully understand is polarization. What are the factors that influence party polarization? And why is the right moving more right while the left is not moving as left? And is there a pattern here that has been evident throughout history? Why is it important, and what does that mean?
3: One more thing that I'm not super clear in is the implementation of amendments. How are they established, and how are they enforced to make sure everything is fair? And why do there seem to be loopholes in the constitution that allows people to be seemingly unconstitutional?
1) How does the size of Texas affect it's government, especially compared to the other states?
2) What does the Railroad commission do if we don't really use railroads anymore?
3) Has the whole speaker issue in the House been solved?
1 How has the teaching of Texas Government affect you?
2 Do I truly need this class, and do other states learn their own government class?
3 Are juries chosen at random or do they go through who has been chosen in a long time?
- How does the Texas governor address issues related to energy, given the state's significant role in oil and gas production?
- How does the governor handle budgetary matters and fiscal policy in Texas?
- How does the governor approach issues related to gun rights and gun control legislation in Texas?
Question 1: Why is federalism going to continue to be a problem/ controversy in the united states.
Question 2: What are two parts of the congress and how are they separated?
Question 3: i feel like there's nothing else that I'm so confused about.
