Looking Forward

On the night of Rick Perry's victory, he stated, "our citizens are tired of big government raising their taxes and cooking up new ways to micro manage their lives. Our citizens are tired of big government killing jobs with their do gooder policies. In short, the people are fed up." Nice plug Perry! Perry's new book is titled, Fed Up and this just shows that White's campaign was correct in saying that Perry is out for Perry. Perry will spend the upcoming months on his book tour promoting his new book. Some say this is a great way to promote his run for presidency in 2012. Although Perry has not mentioned a run for Presidency, many of his supporters are calling for it. If Rick Perry becomes President in 2012, I will be a very disappointed citizen. Perry claims that big government has raised taxes and citizens are fed up...I was under the impression that "big government" has cut taxes. He also stated that big government is killing jobs with their do gooder policies...I was under the impression that "big government" saved jobs. "do gooder," really? What are your policies, Rick Perry? Do worser? As I have stated before, Perry and the right have no compassion for citizens of this country. They portray the image of everyone for themselves and this is not a government that I support. The Democrats need to speak up and stand by the policies they support. The Dem's need to be as vocal as the Republicans before they not only lose the house, but the Senate and Presidency too.

Election Results

Perry is Governor for an unprecedented third term. This is very disappointing, but expected. According to the New York Times, Perry's campaign spent $14.58 per vote, while White's campaign spent $11.76 per vote. It seems that Perry's money was better well spent. He spent more per vote and it paid off. White had a good run though, he did end up receiving 42% of the votes. Perry took him down with 55% of the votes. I would have loved to have seen White take his place, but he just didn't have the following.
Bill White would have been a great Governor for Texas. He is probably one of the last existing conservative democrats and he would have been perfect for all Texans. He should have appealed to conservatives from both parties, but most people just see an (R) in front of the representative and just cast their vote. I am not going to lie, I do the same thing, but I do give the other candidate a chance by learning about their views on issues. Most of the time, the Republican view does not align with mine and I end up voting for the Democrat or Libertarian. This will be my last year as a Texas resident and I would have liked to have been a part of some Texas change, but unfortunately the majority is happy with the status quo.
My favorite part about elections is the end of it. Each of the losing candidates usually congratulate their former opponent and wish them the very best of luck, although they have just spent the last year ripping each other to shreds. Texas is most likely going to be a red state for many years to come. It was almost naive to think that a democrat could be elected as Governor in this current political environment. Texas will always be a unique state and it will always be the state that encouraged my passion for political science.

Sanctuary City

A sanctuary city can be defined as a city that adopts a policy where they don't require their employees, including law enforcement officers, to report to federal officials aliens who may be illegally present in the country. Some municipalities address the issue of illegal immigration and sanctuary cities through resolutions, executive orders or city ordinances, while many police departments address the issues through special orders, departmental policy and general orders. The movement to provide coverage for unauthorized aliens stems from the belief that the enforcement of immigration law is the responsibility of federal authorities, and that state or local resources should not be used for this purpose.
One of the overriding concerns with state and local police involvement in the enforcement of immigration law is the potential for civil rights violations. A person is afforded certain civil rights under the Fifth Amendment, which guarantees that "no person shall ... be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without the due process of law ...," and the Fourteenth Amendment, which prohibits a state from denying to "any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
Some additional issues regarding local authorities enforcing immigration laws are racial profiling and inmate housing. Both of these complicate the how local government should address the issue of illegal aliens.
(All above information provided by www.ilw.com/immigration)
Rick Perry has released an ad recently about White allowing Houston to be a sanctuary city. From the argument above, I could see why White would have supported Houston as a sanctuary city. It would take way too many of the city's resources to start implementing immigration law. Therefore, White had every right to support Houston's economy and restrict Houston employees to do the federal governments job.
The woman, Sgt. Joslyn Johnson, in Perry's ad states that "Bill White supported sanctuary city policies that made it difficult for officers to safely do their jobs." She also stated that the man who killed her husband had been deported. What she failed to add was that he was deported prior to the shooting and had reentered the United States illegally. This is a federal policy issue, not a Houston policy issue. Anything that Bill White supported did not allow this man to shoot and kill her husband. Perry is Governor of the state and he should have been able to support laws to keep criminals from reentering the United States, not the mayor of a city. There isn't anything a mayor could really do to stop this from happening, it would be the federal governments responsibility.Chief Harold Hurtt said on the day of the shooting that "if the federal government would fulfill their responsibility of protecting the border, we probably would not be standing here today." This was in 2006 during the Bush administration. There was no mention of it being a city issue ever. This ad complains about sanctuary cities, while Perry is Governor of the state that has three cities listed as sanctuary cities and he, as Governor, has not implemented law to oppose these policies. Officer Johnson was not killed because of a sanctuary city policy, he was killed because he didn't properly search the arrested individual and therefore the arrested individual was able to acquire his own hidden 9mm and shoot the officer. This was both unforeseeable and unfortunate for officer Johnson. Perry has not been able to "secure our safety" for the last 10 years, so how can he be trusted to "secure our safety" in the future?

Campaign Finance Reports

Eight days before the election and the finance reports are in. I am pleased to find out that my professor had contributed $50 to the Bill White campaign. It is also nice to see that some of my fellow students are listed as contributors. Bill White totaled $21,351,029 in contributions with over 35,000 contributors. Perry raised $28,305,344 in contributions with a little over 25,000 contributors. White had many more contributors that donated in small amounts. Will Perry win because he raised 7 million dollars more than White? We will have to wait and see. In all likelihood, Perry will take the election for a number of different reasons. Perry is the incumbent and Texas is a Republican state. There are many more Republicans than democrats who are going to get out and vote on November 2nd. Perry probably didn't even have to raise more than White, because of those other factors. When November 2nd comes about, we will be able to see how much each candidate spent per vote. Going through the records, it is typical to see the candidate who spends more per vote will win. So, would it be safe to say that the candidate who raised more money will win? I think so, because that seems to be the trend. That brings me to my next question; Did all their advertising work? Well, it would seem that White has spent a ton of money on advertising, while Perry has not. As the incumbent, Perry doesn't need to advertise nearly as much as White. White is known throughout Houston and San Antonio, but not very well known throughout the rest of the state. Time will tell if Perry's money was better well spent and if White's enormous amount of advertising was a waste.

Why I voted for Bill White

Health care is the top issue for me as a citizen. White is already responsible for the creation of many new health care clinics in Houston and I think that if he were Governor, many more could be created throughout the state. According to the US Census there are 24.6 percent of Texans who are uninsured. This is a very large number in comparison to the rest of the country. The national average of uninsured citizens is 11.6 percent. This is a personal issue for me. A friend of mine was 25 years old and uninsured. He knew something was bothering him with his leg, but he didn't want to seek medical care because he didn't want to put any financial burden on his family. He waited for about six months before it started to become too bothersome. He took a job that would allow him to "fall off a ladder" and claim Workman's comp for his "injury." When he went to the hospital, they found out that he was in the late stages of bone cancer. This cancer took his life less than a year later. If he was able to afford health insurance or was able to still be included with his parents policy, he may be still alive today. I hate that people have to die because they can't afford to get medical treatment. Any politician that takes the steps to stop this from happening, I am going to vote for. White has a plan to create a more affordable health care system in Texas and maybe if he were elected, we could see the number of uninsured drop significantly.

Who is Kathie Glass?

Katherine Youngblood Glass is a Houston lawyer and a libertarian. She is running to keep Texas's sovereignty and to fight against the federal government. She claims the federal government is taking too much power and Texas is at risk of losing all sovereignty. She argues that the United Nations has put forth treaties that are unconstitutional for the U.S.. For example, the Law of the Sea is one that she claims is unconstitutional. It is absolutely absurd to say that this law is not a benefit to the United States. This law has been signed by the United States, but not yet ratified. The preamble of the treaty states:
"The States Parties to this Convention,
Prompted
This is a treaty to promote peace and a solution amongst the participating states. It is hard to see how the ratification of this treaty is "alarming" to Glass.
Glass also states that the Small Arms Disarmament treaty is alarming. The treaty will include a separate document agreed to by Member States on the marking and tracing of small arms. This treaty's sole purpose is to recognize that illicit brokering in small arms and light weapons is a serious problem that the international community should address urgently. After reading through the treaty, I haven't been able to find anything that disallows individual ownership of small arms legally. Therefore, I haven't been able to find how this treaty will be unconstitutional and violate the 2nd amendment.
Individual freedom is what Glass wants to protect, but I don't see any of her examples as impugning any one's individual freedom. She has recently risen from 5% to 8% of support in the polls. My opinion states that this would be a wasted vote! by the desire to settle, in a spirit of mutual understanding and cooperation, all issues relating to the law of the sea and aware of the historic significance of this Convention as an important contribution to the maintenance of peace, justice and progress for all peoples of the world."

"It's the economy, stupid"

When James Carville came up with the phrase, "it's the economy, stupid," he surely wasn't expecting it to become a phrase that would be used during many of the campaigns to follow. This phrase holds true to the governors race here in Texas. The Texas economy is one of the fastest growing throughout the nation and that could be why Governor Perry is doing so well in the polls. If the economy is doing well, than there is not a dire need for change. Perry could be considered as doing a good job and it isn't necessary to replace him. Economic development has been a top priority for the Texas Governor and Legislature. It's too bad for White, he could be closer in the polls if there was an economic crisis in Texas, but there isn't. White was the leader of Texas's largest economic enclave, Houston. He could do well if he highlighted what he did for Houston's economic growth and how he could apply the same strategy to the entire state.
It is unlikely that White come up ahead in the polls this close to election day. The only way he could come forward would be if there was some sort of disaster and if Perry was to handle it poorly. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey shows that Perry is with 51% support and White with 43% support. This lead looks to be too far for White to catch up. Nothing is set in stone and it very well could be a lot closer than some think, only time will tell. If White does not win, it will be an unprecedented election for Perry seeking a third term as Governor.

Why I didn't vote for Rick Perry

Rick Perry has been Governor of Texas for two terms now and it is time for change. Texas is ready for a democratic Governor. The views of a Republican are not aligned with my own. There seems to be no compassion from the right for the citizens who are struggling. Every advertisement from the Republicans acknowledge how well Texans are doing, but no mention of those citizens who are struggling to keep their jobs. There is no mention of what Perry will do to help these Texans. People are struggling to keep their health insurance or just struggling to get health insurance. This health care system is ridiculous and Perry hasn't contributed to fixing it. People are continuing to get sick without an affordable option to treat it. Texas needs to become part of the solution and not a part of the problem. What happened to citizens having the right to "LIFE, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"? Without a proper health care system, people will continue to fight for the "life" part of that quote. This is not what America should be like and as much as Texans love to be Texans, they should not be proud of what system of health care is currently in place. Texas should take the initiative and create something that the rest of the country can follow. Health care is not an issue Perry wants to do anything about and that is why he no longer needs to be Governor.

How They Stand on the Issues

Governor Rick Perry claims:
Economic Development- Texas has aggressive job creation, property tax reductions, and a successful strong economy. Perry takes all credit for these successes.
Fiscal Conservative- Texas overcame budget shortfall, reduced spending, and cut business taxes.
Border Security- Texas has created surge operations, transnational and gang initiative, and ranger recon.
Education- Will have increased enrollment, college prep mandatory in high school, high ranking, teacher pay raises and incentives, public-private venture, road to tier one, and affordable college.
Health Care- Texas is cracking down on frivolous lawsuits, increased access in under-served areas, protecting children, protecting most vulnerable citizens, and tough on fraud.
Environment- Texas is focusing on renewable energy and The Texas Emissions Reduction Plan.
Bill White claims:
Jobs/Economy- White plans to attract jobs with a future, educate and train our workforce, stop the squeeze on savings created by insurance rates, invest in transportation and infrastructure, and use tax dollars for incentives more wisely.
Border Security- White plans to create 1200 new law enforcement positions, obtain federal funding, use state appropriations more effectively, establish partnership with local and federal enforcement, revamp Department of Public Safety, and assist local law enforcement agencies in adopting Secure Communities.
Education- White plans to expand pre-k programs, improve career and technical education, cut dropout rates, let educators teach writing, reasoning, and problem-solving skills, and make college more affordable.
Health Care- White plans to cut health care costs for families, increase the number of covered Texans, and promote stable, community based medical practices and clinics.

Each of the candidates have these and other issues listed on their websites. Perry is working from his record and the record of Texas, while White is working from his record of being Mayor of Houston. With the issues that matter to me, Bill White wins my vote. I think that he could create a better health care system and education system. As a mother and student, I think that Texas has a long way to go for providing an admirable public education system. I had to enroll my daughter in a private school at ages 2-4 because there is not another option. White is the only one who has mentioned the expansion of pre-k programs and that really appeals to me. The one thing they I do like about Perry's stance is his plan to require college prep in high school. Lastly, I would also like to see more affordable colleges.

Democrats Unite

The 2010 census has come and almost gone. The state population totals will be due by December 31st of this year. The Texas population is said to have grown by 19% and the Texas congressional districts are expected to gain 3-4 more seats. This is very important for the redistricting of Texas. Texas is a republican ruled state and if the democrats want to change that, it is time for them to rally together and unite for the upcoming election.
Redistricting is mandatory after a census is submitted and tallied. Texas' recent rise in population is very good news for the democrats, but only if they can get out to vote. The last midterm election was in 2006 and the percentage of voters who came out to vote was only 33.64%. If the democrats could organize in Texas it could change the dynamics in Texas government. Although the majority is not substantial, after the republicans have control of the redistricting, they could easily keep the lead and make it so for future elections.
Following final adoption by both houses, each redistricting bill is presented to the governor for approval. The governor may sign the bill into law, allow it to take effect without a signature, or veto it. If the house or senate redistricting bill is vetoed and the veto cannot be overridden by the legislature, the Legislative Redistricting Board is required to meet. The governor plays a very influential role in deciding what new districts are going to be created. Therefore, it is very important that we elect a democrat as a governor if we want any chance of forming more democratic districts. Although the creation of districts are supposed to remain non-partisan, it happens every time.
If Texas does not gain a democratic governor and more democratic representatives, it will surely be an exciting redistricting year.

Informed Decision

Who is in the lead?
Governor Rick Perry and Bill White are in the race to become Governor in the 2010 Texas election. According the the Houston Chronicle, White is gaining momentum. He is apparently catching up to Perry in two polls released last Tuesday. This is no doubt because of the recent ads released on television by White and the Democratic Back to Basics PAC releasing ads in 24 different newspapers. The ads are calling Perry a coward for not wanting to debate with White and claiming that Perry isn't doing anything about insurance companies raising rates on Texans. White, on the other hand, has just released his plan for home owner insurance reform. Perry hasn't released a plan or progress for insurance reform and he has apparently wrote it off as a non-issue. Perry has not released any television ads, while White seems to be advertising everywhere. Everywhere you look there is an ad running for Bill White. Whether it be Internet, television, or newspapers. Perry advertising consists of sponsoring a Nascar driven by Bobby Labonte. There are some pokes at White on Perry's website, but that is about it. White is trying to take Perry down from all angles. The claim that Perry was a coward even reached national news. Perry is working hard to make it known that White didn't pay taxes in 1995. He seems to think this is the issue that will bring White down. White spokeswoman Katy Bacon said that White had left the energy department in 1995 to start an energy company and because of this investment, White had no taxable income. She claims that Perry is just trying to avoid talking about real issues, such as Texas's 18 billion dollar loss. Another claim supported by Perry is that you shouldn't vote for White because he has spent millions in Houston to expand parks, libraries, and public clinics. I don't really see how this is a bad thing. 1) Parks- Houston is considered one of the most obese cities in America and there is an increasing problem with childhood obesity. Additional parks seems like a good investment for a healthier Houston. 2) Libraries- This is another one I have a real problem with. Reading and research is essential for increasing an intelligent society. Additional libraries would help develop the minds of the growing city. 3) Public Clinics- Houston has one of the highest ratings for uninsured Americans. With that said, it would only make sense to try to accommodate that sector of society. The uninsured are less likely to seek treatment for their illnesses and it would behoove the city to keep all citizens healthy. Opening public clinics would give an affordable option to the uninsured. The upcoming months will test the candidate's campaign strategies. We will have to wait to see if White's strategy will continue to pull him forward or if Perry's strategy will keep him in the lead.