Treat this discussion board as if it were a short essay. Your response must be at least 500 words in total. Answer the following three questions.
(1) You are taking Texas Government at a unique time. Texas’ political process, particularly the Texas legislature, is on display and is receiving national media coverage. Texas government is more relevant today than ever. Do you think this increased coverage will help the general Texas public in understanding Texas government and our legislative process more, or do you think it will just lead to more misinformation about Texas government? Explain your answer.
(2) Some scholars in the area of Texas government and politics, including the authors of your textbook, consider Texas to have an “individualistic political culture.” This means that the framers of our Texas government were skeptical of the government and wanted to limit its power. This has led to some confusion and misconceptions about Texas, including the misconception that Texas can secede from the United States (Spoiler: Texas cannot secede). However, it has also brought business to the state because Texas is business-friendly. What are some other pros and cons about Texas’ individualistic political culture? No form of government is perfect, so this is not meant to be a criticism of Texas but a healthy understanding of its political process. Explain your answer.
(3) Should state legislators have a say in the redistricting of boundaries that impact their own reelection prospects? Explain your answer. What are the benefits and costs of this system? If you want to understand the impact of redistricting, research “gerrymandering” to understand its significance.
