Introduction
Texas, being one of the largest states in the U.S., is notorious for many positive aspects that define the nature of the country itself. However, it is not without issues specific to its freedom-loving people. I have selected five of these problems due to their detrimental impact on the progress of the United States as a whole and Texas in particular. I will focus primarily on law, financing, and public policies to explain how their lack of modernization harms the state and the future of my generation. I believe that I could have been exposed to much more opportunities in life if these problems had been fixed. In this essay, five issues related to different political spheres in Texas will be analyzed.
Different Political Issues in Texas
There are many arguments that the Texas judiciary system is tough and highly rigid. It does not provide a sufficient representation of minorities, and the process of selection of judges remains barely visible to the public (Casellas et al., 2019). Moreover, the judges are accountable not only directly to voters but to interest groups as well, which makes money a questionable factor in the rule of law (Casellas et al., 2019). Stemming from this rigidity of the lawmaking apparatus, Texas continues to accept legislatures that appear outdated and counterproductive in the long run, to the point of being detrimental to some individuals (“2021 Texas legislature: What changed for Texans?” n.d.). With a continuous push from outside forces, there were many changes to the state’s constitution, yet Texas remains highly resistant to modern laws that are otherwise widely accepted in the U.S. (Casellas et al., 2019). It might be necessary for Texas to learn how to adapt to a new environment or be at risk of social turmoil.
The issues outlined above add strain on law enforcement and prisons within Texas. Criminal justice suffers a dire fate due to these issues, as punishments in Texas are more severe than in other states (Casellas et al., 2019). The specific problems with the criminal justice system include unreasonable bail sums, high fees, and fines, and a preference for jail time instead of corrective facilities (Connelly, 2019). This rigidity is detrimental to society as it strangles individuals from being integrated into society and, specifically, politics.
State financing is troublesome for Texas due to controversial decisions made to ensure its relative independence. Federal funds constitute approximately 33% of the state’s budget and continue to decrease, while their majority is directed solely on programs such as Medicaid (Casellas et al., 2019). State expenditures on social support programs and welfare remain highly limited, which causes issues for low-income families (Casellas et al., 2019). Overall, the state is highly conservative in its spending, preferring to limit and balance all possible sources of expenditure.
The last issue lies in public policies, although it stems from legislation. While some may call lax gun laws problematic, there are real issues with welfare policies. For example, the federal poverty guidelines that define eligibility for support programs are used in place of one’s adjusted to regional levels of income (Casellas et al., 2019). Texas takes eleventh place among states in terms of poverty, which makes it necessary to take drastic measures against this issue aside from federally enforced ones (Casellas et al., 2019). People must be efficiently lifted from their downtrodden state to become contributing members of society.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are long-standing issues within the state that are detrimental to younger generations due to their outdated views of society. There is a significant rigidity in the state’s backbone – the lawmaking apparatus. Many issues stem from policies that are too old to be efficiently applied nowadays, causing Texas to remain stagnant throughout the past decades. I believe that these issues genuinely slow the progress of our society, as I know people who struggle against the system that does not cooperate with them.
References
2021 Texas legislature: What changed for Texans? (n.d.). ACLU of Texas. Web.
Casellas, J. P., Champagne, A., & Harpham, E. J. (2019). Governing Texas. W. W. Norton.
Connelly, C. (2019). 5 criminal justice issues Texas lawmakers are expected to consider. KERA News. Web.