Reference no: EM132295738

Paper/TX Government

PLEASE REVIEW ALL COMPONENTS OF THIS PAPER PROMPT

Throughout the semester, it has been asserted that the principle of federalism has played and continues to play an important role In Texas government and politics. The idea behind American federalism is to divide power between a national government and state governments, giving to each a certain amount of power that it may use to make decisions for itself.

As we have seen, and as the Supreme Court announced in Barron v. Baltimore (1833), this gives each State a tremendous amount of discretion in establishing their own constitutions, structuring their own governments, and in establishing their own policies within their territorial and political jurisdiction. As the Supreme Court stated in the aforementioned case, federalism allows for each State to use its "political judgement" for itself.This, of course has led to differences in, and within, States constitutions, governments, and policies.

Your task will be to show how federalism has influenced Texas government and politics.You must write your paper on one (1) of the following topics:

A.) First, by using sources from your course packet show how the American Founders understood or defined the idea of federalism. Next, show how federalism has played a role in how Texas has structured and organized its branches of government. In particular look at chapters 3-5 of your textbook.

You may want to consider the following questions:

-How do various political officials get their positions in the Texas government?

-What are the major similarities and differences in how political officials get their jobs in Texas compared to other States?

-What are the major features of political offices in Texas (qualifications, term lengths/limits, salaries, number of offices, etc.)?

-What are the major similarities and differences between these features and the features of other State governments?

-What powers are given to each branch and what powers are withheld from certain branches or political officials?

-How does the power given to each branch of government compare to other State governments?

-What advantages or disadvantages are there to the amount of power given to political officials in Texas?

-How does the arrangement/organization of the three main branches of government in Texas help or hinder the government's ability to function efficiently?

-What advantages or disadvantages can you see in how Texas arranges its branches of government?

You are not bound to answer any or all of these questions or answer them in any particular order. You may combine questions or subdivide a question into smaller topics. And you are free to add additional questions to consider.

Remember, your overall goal, again, is to show your understanding of how federalism allows Texas to determine certain political matters for itself. You are free to use outside sources to enhance your argument so long as they pertain to the prompt and you cite your sources.

B.) First, by using sources from your course packet show how the American Founders understood or defined the idea of federalism.Next, show how federalism has played a role in how Texas has established certain laws and policies that affect political activity in Texas. In particular look at chapters 7-9 of your textbook.

You may want to consider the following questions:

-What qualifications are needed to be an eligible voter in Texas?

-How do these qualifications compare with those in other States?

-What advantages and disadvantages can you see in Texas's voter eligibility standards?

-What type of ballot access/primary system does Texas use?

-How does Texas's primary system relate to other States' primary systems?

-What advantages or disadvantages can you see in how Texas structures its primary system?

-What control does Texas have over campaign finance/campaign contributions?

-How do campaign finance laws in Texas relate to campaign finance laws on the National level?

-How does federalism influence the political parties in Texas?

-How are political parties in Texas similar or different to political parties in other States?

You are not bound to answer any or all of these questions or answer them in any particular order.You may combine questions or subdivide a question into smaller topicsAnd you are free to add additional questions to consider.

Remember, your overall goal, again, is to show your understanding of how federalism allows Texas to determine certain political matters for itself. You are free to use outside sources to enhance your argument so long as they pertain to the prompt and you cite your sources.

C.) First, by using sources from your course packet show how the American Founders understood or defined the idea of federalism.Next, show how federalism has played a role in how Texas has established certain aspects of its lobbying, public policy, and public financing. In particular look at chapters 10, 11, & 13 of your textbook.

You may want to consider the following things:

-What restrictions and limitations has Texas put on lobbying and interest groups in the State?

-Are there any peculiar features of Texas government/politics that could help or hinder lobbying?

-How do Texas's interest groups compare to other States?

-How are Texas's political and social values reflected in many of its public policy decisions?

-What are the similarities and differences in public policy decisions between Texas and other States?

-What advantages and disadvantages are there to Texas's public policy decisions?

-How does Texas's system of public finance reflect its political and social values?

-How does Texas's system of public finance compare to other State's decisions?

-What advantages and disadvantages are there to the way Texas has establish its public finance system?

You are not bound to answer any or all of these questions or answer them in any particular order.You may combine questions or subdivide a question into smaller topicsAnd you are free to add additional questions to consider.

Remember, your overall goal, again, is to show your understanding of how federalism allows Texas to determine certain political matters for itself.You are free to use outside sources to enhance your argument so long as they pertain to the prompt and you cite your sources.

PAPER FORMAT AND CITATIONS

*Your paper must be between 1,400 and 1,600 words (not including footnotes/endnotes)

*Your paper must be typed, double-spaced, in Times New Roman, 12-point font with 1-inch margins

*You must cite at least 3 different documents from the Course Packet

*You must cite the textbook

*No quotation may exceed four lines of your paper

*You must use footnotes (no in-text citations or Works Cited page)

-Information about how to create footnotes and citation format can be found in the document "Citation Guide"

*Please review the plagiarism policy outline in the Course FAQ (available on eCampus)

MISCELLENAEOUS:

*You must indicate the topic you have chosen at the top of your paper

*You must underline your thesis statement

*You must use college level grammar, vocabulary, and style

Writing a successful paper will require you to do these things:

1.) Clearly and quickly explain the important facts, features, statistics, etc. related to your topic

2.) Explain how Texas's Constitution, government, and policies relate to other States (when applicable)

3.) Describe and analyze the apparent or potential advantages and disadvantages of Texas's Constitution, government, and policies (when applicable)

-Note: This is not a formula for how to write your paper but a broad statement about the objectives of this assignment. Further details about how to write a successful paper are provided in the document "What is the Meaning of a Grade?"

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, you must remember that this is an analysis paper. Although you are asked to weigh the potential advantages and disadvantages of Texas government and politics you must support your arguments with facts and logical arguments.

In other words, you are being asked to seriously evaluate (or analyze) the way in which Texas has used its "political judgement" to organize its Constitution, establish its government, and adopt certain policies.