Introduction to Texas

By Loren Miller

Political Culture:Political Culture:

A people’s shared framework of values,beliefs, and habits of behavior related togovernment and politics.

It refers to how we view the:-- relationship between the government and the people-- rights and responsibilities of the people-- obligations of government-- limits on government authority

Political Culture:Political Culture:

American political culture is a mix of threedistinct subcultures:

-- moralistic-- individualistic-- traditionalistic

The political culture of a state can changeover time and a state as large and diverse as Texas may contain different cultures in different areas of the state.

How do Texans feel about government and politics?

Moralistic Political Subculture:Moralistic Political Subculture:

Rooted in Puritan New England.

Concerned with “right and wrong” in politics.

Politics revolves around issues and politiciansrun for office to advance issues.

Belief that government can be a positiveforce; one that values the individual but functions for the benefit of the general public.

Moralistic Political Subculture:Moralistic Political Subculture:

Citizen participation is encouraged andpoliticians should not profit from their public service.

-- corruption is not tolerated becausegovernment service is seen as publicservice.

Bureaucracy is viewed favorably as a way to achieve public good.

Does this sound like Texas?

Individualistic Political Subculture:Individualistic Political Subculture:

Rooted in the Middle Atlantic states and in thesouthern part of the Midwest.

The primary objective of government should beto further private enterprise, while interventioninto people’s lives should be limited (rugged self-reliance).

Does this sound like Texas?“What’s good for the business community is good for Texas.”


Government’s role is to ensure stability so that individuals can pursue their own interests.

Business and politics are appropriate avenuesby which an individual can advance theirinterests.

-- conflicts of interest are commonplace.-- a degree of political corruption is viewedas inevitable.-- bureaucracy is viewed negatively asit hinders patronage.


Politicians’ motives for running for office are based on material self-interests and to advance themselves professionally.

Elections are oriented toward gaining office anddo not deal with issues.

Politics is a matter for professionals rather thanfor everyone.

-- Government should not get in the way

Traditionalistic Political Subculture:Traditionalistic Political Subculture:

Predominant in the southern states and rooted intheir plantation culture and the patron system ofnorthern Mexico.

Government has an active role, but it primarilyserves to maintain dominant social andreligious values (maintain the status quo).

Government is also expected to support traditional class distinctions and to encouragethe beliefs of the dominant religion.


Politics is the special preserve of the social andeconomic elite.

Participation in politics is a privilege:-- social pressure and restrictive election laws that limit participation are legitimate.

-- Texas was one of the last states toeliminate the poll tax and the whiteprimary and recently enacted a restrictive voter ID law.


This subculture supports personal rather thanpublic solutions to problems and makes it easy toignore human needs.

-- Texas ranks at or near the top in dubioussocial policy areas such as high schooldropout rates, incidence of teen pregnancy,and number of children living in poverty.-- These data mirror the reluctance of Texansto accept change of almost any kind.

-- One of the last states to introducelegalized gambling and abolish the“blue laws.”

Political Culture

Texas Political Culture:Texas Political Culture:

No single unified Texas political culture has emerged. Texas has a mix of traditionalistic and individualistic subcultures.

-- traditionalistic overrides theindividualistic in East Texas which was initially settled from the upper South andfrom the Mexican border area.

-- individualistic overrides the traditionalistic in the rest of the state


The traditionalistic aspect of state politics areexemplified by:

-- the long history of one-party dominance in state politics-- the low level of voter turnout-- social and economic conservatism

The individualistic aspect of state politics areexemplified by:

-- support for private business-- opposition to big government-- faith in individual initiative


Factors accounting for the diversity of cultures include:

1)Migration Patterns – Texas has always been a diverse society and many groups have not been assimilated

-- German Hill Country-- Rio Grande Valley


2) Legacy of Political Independence – an independent nation; confident of own abilities; pride in the state

-- Conservative: self-reliant; opposed to outside help

3) Influence of the Old South – particularly in East Texas

-- Southern fundamentalism: conservative; Bible Belt; race as an issue; friendliness and hospitality


4) Influence of the Frontier – isolation; economic distress; physical hardship

-- self-reliance: don’t rely on government; Judge Roy Bean-- attachment to boots, guns, horses and beer (horse stealing v. wife killing)

5) Religious Fundamentalism -- moral legislation: blue laws and

prohibition-- belief in hard work and self-help and opposition to labor unions

Political SocializationPolitical Socialization

Political socialization reflect some of the values of a political culture.

The people and institutions that are responsible for teaching us the dominant values of the society in which we are raised are agents of socialization.


Home Life:

We begin to pick up social and political attitudes at an early age.

Children tend to pick up their parents’ views with relatively little questioning.

“Those crooks in Congress”

“The liberal media”

As we mature we expand our circle of influencers.


Grade School:

Public schools are conservative in that their job is to conserve and reproduce the

dominant values in society.

Good citizenship

Patriotism

Permissible forms of political participation


Higher Education:

We begin to be exposed to conflicting and controversial views.


Religion:

How does religion impact socialization?

Registered Voters

Political IdeologyPolitical Ideology

A political ideology is a consistent set of values and beliefs about the proper purpose and scope of government

Are people consistent in their political ideology?-- no; people can be liberal in some areas and

conservative in others-- e.g., liberal in domestic affairs

and conservative in international politics

LiberalismLiberalism

Principles of Liberalism:

-- a broad political principle centered on the rights of the individual

-- belief in government action to achieve equal opportunity and equality for all

-- it is the duty of the government to alleviate social ills and protect civil liberties and human rights

-- the role of the government is to see that no person is in need

-- tend to be optimistic in that they believe that society is progressively getting better

LiberalismLiberalism

”If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few

who are rich.”

John F. Kennedy

Liberalism in the United States

The darker the blue, the more liberal the state

2011

ConservatismConservatism

Principles of Conservatism:

-- a broad political principle centered on learning from past solutions for answers that we need today

-- want to return to traditional religious and ethical absolutes; distrust of reform or change

-- defend the status quo-- emphasis on personal responsibility (self-reliance)-- belief that the role of government should be to

provide the freedom necessary to pursue their own goals

ConservatismConservatism

”Government is not thesolution to our problem;

government is theproblem.”

Ronald Reagan

Conservatism in the United States

The darker the red, the more conservative the state

2011Liberal/Conservative

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d777eIByIlM

American Political Spectrum


Voter ID laws and voter turnout

Social welfare spending (Texas is a low tax, low service state)

Prayer in school

Gay marriage

Sex education

Abortion rights

Subsidies for businesses

Union membership

A Shift ??

Percentage of Texas Registered Voters Who Support Extending Domestic Partnership Benefits to Government/Public University Employees

2010 62.3%2013 65.7%

Texas Voters Who Support Recognizing Same Sex Marriage if Wed in Another State

2010 48.4%2013 52.0%

A Shift ??

Texas Voters Who Support Allowing Civil Unions for Gays and Lesbians

2010 63.1%2013 64.7%

Texas Voters Who Support allowing Gays and Lesbians to Marry in Texas

2010 42.7%2013 47.9%

The Economy of Texas:The Economy of Texas:

The economy of the state has been and still isin transition:

-- cattle-- cotton-- timber-- oil-- high tech

Cattle:Cattle:

The earliest explorers brought cattle into Texas:-- Coronado (1530s)-- cattle from Mexico interbred with cattlebrought by Anglo settlers to produce “Texas longhorns” (hearty cattle that could thrive on the open range)

Plentiful land and minimal government interference encouraged huge cattle empires.

-- King Ranch (1,300 square miles)

Texas leads the nation in cattle production (2010).

Cattle RanchingCattle Ranching

Cotton:Cotton:

Before the Spanish brought cattle into Texas, cotton was already growing wild in the region.

The soil was fertile and rich and led to easy cultivation.

Before the Civil War cotton production spread and during the war the sale of cotton to European markets aided the Confederacy.

It is estimated that 50% of U.S. cotton and 10% of the world’s cotton comes from Texas (2012).

Timber:Timber:

The Piney Woods of East Texas and the Big Thicket was largely uninhabited until the 1800s.

Following Texas’ independence waves of immigrants built new communities and a construction industry was created in which timber was needed.

The laying of track for new railroads also brought increased demand for timber.

As the population of Texas grew so did the impact of timber on the Texas economy.

Timber:Timber:

The impact of timber on the Texas economy declined by the 1920s.

-- clear cutting had depleted the availability of timber in many parts of East Texas

The discovery of oil in the region required the elimination of more timber.

By 2000, Texas was the nation’s 10th largest timber producer.

Draught and fires in 2011 and 2012 resulted in the loss of many acres of trees.

Oil:Oil:

Long before Europeans arrived, Native Americans used oil seeping from the Texas soil for medicinal purposes.

By the late 19th century many barrels of oil had been produced from crudely dug wells in different area of the state.

In 1901, Spindletop ushered in the industry that dominated the state’s economy for the next century.

OilOil

Oil:Oil:

During the next 50 years Texas evolved from a primarily agricultural culture into an industrial society.

Oil brought industrial employment on a large scale to rural Texas and offered rural Texans an alternative to life down on the farm or ranch.

-- oil spawned huge processing industries including pipelines and refineries

Oil:Oil:

Texas oil production is on the rise.

New production is coming from shale formations:-- Eagle Ford shale formation running from South Texas near Laredo to East Texas.

Production is also rising in the Permian Basin fields of West Texas:

-- impact of hydraulic fracturing techniques

Texas Oil Production(Millions of Barrels)

Oil production has risen 60% since 2007 (2013)


Having an economy built on agriculture and oil had a major impact on the state’s development.

In the 19th century, Texas’s economic health depended on the prices of cotton and cattle.

For much of the 20th century, the state’s economy rose and fell in line with oil prices.

Because commodity prices tend to fluctuate, Texas’s economic history was one of booms and busts.


The nature of the state’s economy has contributed to a relatively lopsided distribution of income.

-- even though Texas has been a rich state, most Texans have not been wealthy-- agricultural workers and oil roughnecks were poorly organized and poorly paid

1940s:1940s:

World War II is the point of departure for change in Texas

-- change from rural to urban

Why do people come to Texas? -- Jobs

Why would industries move to Texas?-- cheap labor (weak labor unions)-- energy resources-- favorable tax rate-- local encouragements-- cheap land-- favorable regulatory climate (weak pollution laws, etc.)

1980s:1980s:

The 1980s were an economic disaster for Texas.

-- the oil industry collapsed-- oil went as low as $10/barrel

-- there were severe cuts in defense spending

-- the Cold War ended

1990s:1990s:

By the end of the 20th century the state’s economy had picked up.

-- the fastest growing segment was the service sector

-- lower paying jobs -- Mississippi and Texas have the largest number of minimum wage workers in the nation (9.5% in 2010)

In addition, a booming entertainment industry, an increasingly important film community, as well as expanding tourism contributed to this trend.

The 21The 21stst Century: Century:

The first decade of the new century did not begin well for Texas or for the United States’ economy.

-- terrorist attacks-- corporate misdeeds (Enron)-- stock market collapse-- subprime mortgage crisis

In Texas there was a push towards deregulation (fewer government regulations) which has had mixed results.


The most rapidly growing segment of the state’s economy involve healthcare and high-technology industries.

-- telecommunications and robotics

High-tech companies employ larger percentages of professional, technical, and managerial personnel.

-- wages and salaries are nearly twice as much as the average for other private-sector positions.


The key to future economic growth in Texas will lie in developing an educational infrastructure that can meet the demands of an evolving 21st century economy.

Texas Misconceptions??:Texas Misconceptions??:

We ride horses to school . . . .

If we don’t ride horses to school, we drive pick-up trucks with gun racks on the back . . . .

Texas is a rural state.

All the women look like Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders.

We mangle the language (e.g., George Bush).

We’re all dumb (e.g., Rick Perry)

We’re rude and crude (e.g., Lyndon Johnson)

We’re all rich!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEbZqvMu2cQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uvmKnFY4uk

LBJLBJ

Texas MisconceptionsTexas Misconceptions

2010

Texas MisconceptionsTexas MisconceptionsWe are all Wealthy?

Wealthiest States

1.Maryland $71,1002.New Jersey $69,7003.Alaska $67,7004.Connecticut $67,3005.Hawaii $66,3006.Massachusetts $65,3007.New Hampshire $63,3008.Virginia $61,7009.Minnesota $58,90010.Delaware $58,400

Poorest States

1.Mississippi $37,0002.Arkansas $41,1003.W. Virginia $40,2004.Alabama $41,6005.Kentucky $41,7006.New Mexico $42,6007.Tennessee $42,8008.Louisiana $42,9009.South Carolina $43,10010.Oklahoma$44,300

Texas $50,700

Texas MisconceptionsTexas MisconceptionsPoverty Rate for 10 Poorest StatesPoverty Rate for 10 Poorest States

2012

Mississippi 24.2%New Mexico 20.8%Louisiana 19.9%Arkansas 19.8%Kentucky 19.4%Georgia 19.2%Alabama 19.0%Arizona 18.7%South Carolina 18.3%Texas 17.9%

Texas MisconceptionsTexas MisconceptionsPoverty Rate for U.S. by RacePoverty Rate for U.S. by Race

2012

The Rich Get Richer andThe Rich Get Richer andThe Poor Get Poorer in TexasThe Poor Get Poorer in Texas

2011

Tax Filers earning at least $116,500

Tax Filers earning at least $414,000

What’s This Mean?What’s This Mean?

The top 10 percent accounted for almost half of state income in 2011. (48.0%)

The top 1 percent brought in the largest share ofstate income in at least a century. (20.8%)

Income inequality is increasing and this is seenas a threat to the middle class and the economy.

Texas MisconceptionsTexas MisconceptionsPoverty Rate for 10 Poorest CountiesPoverty Rate for 10 Poorest Counties

2010

Cameron, TX 34.7%Hidalgo, TX 34.3%El Paso, TX 28.7%Bronx, NY 27.1%Philadelphia, PA 23.8%Tulare, CA 23.7%Caddo Parish, LA 23.5%St. Louis, MO 22.4%Kings, NY 21.9%Mobile, AL 21.1%

The People of Texas:The People of Texas:

95% of the people lived in rural areas in 1850.

85% of the people live in urban areas today.-- three of the ten most populated cities in the United States are in Texas.-- today many rural areas are experiencing rapid population growth due to the

resurgence in oil and natural gas production.

Urban Texas

1900 17%

191024%

192032%

193041%

194045%

195063%

196075%

197080%

198080%

199080%

200083%

201085%

WHO ARE TEXANS?

Geography

SOURCES: Texas State Data Center; Office of State Demographer.

2020 2040

< 25%

26 – 45%

46 – 65%

66 – 85%

86% +

Projected Population Growth from the year 2000 by Metropolitan Area

Growth Since 2010

Texas +1.203m +5.18%

Greatest Increases:DFW and Northern SuburbsHouston (Montgomery and Fort Bend Co.)Rio Grande ValleyAustin San AntonioEl Paso

Greatest Declines:Almost 100 counties in Panhandle and

East Texas lost population


Micropolitan Statistical Area:-- urban cluster with a population between 10K and 49K

-- 581 in U.S.; 42 in Texas (Huntsville)

Metropolitan Statistical Area:-- freestanding urban area with a total population of at least 50K

-- 374 in U.S.; 44 in Texas (Amarillo)


Combined Statistical Area:-- two or more adjacent statistical areas

-- 128 in U.S.; 9 in Texas(Midland-Odessa)

Metropolitan Division:-- county or group of counties within a core based statistical are that contains a population of at least 2.5 million

-- 29 in U.S.; 2 in Texas(Dallas-Ft. Worth-Arlington)


Cities are eager to obtain the highest possible statistical designation because many congressional appropriations are based on this designation.

-- e.g., to qualify for mass transit funds an area must be a Metropolitan Statistical Area

Of Texas’ 254 counties, only 48 are metropolitan-- these counties account for more than 80% of the votes cast in elections

Population ProjectionsPopulation Projections(in Millions)(in Millions)

Steve Murdock on Demographic Change in Texas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGcAcPYGkeM

The People of Texas: The People of Texas:

Anglos: (all whites except Latinos)

By the Civil War, more than one-half of the state’s Anglo residents had migrated from the Southern states.

-- most remained in the Eastern half of the state as farmers

Many German immigrants established settlements in the Hill Country before the Civil War.

Anglo Population in Anglo Population in Texas Counties, 2010Texas Counties, 2010


Latinos:

Until 1836, Texas was a part of Spain and then Mexico and Latinos were, and still are, concentrated in South and Central Texas.

Latinos remained mostly an agrarian people until after World War II when increasing numbers of Latinos moved to urban areas to work in manufacturing, sales and clerical positions.


Since the 1950s, the Texas Latino population has been enlarged by a relatively high birth rate and a surge of both legal and illegal immigration from Mexico.

By the 1980s, the Latino population in Texas had become very diverse following increased immigrants from Central America, South America and the islands of the Caribbean.

-- however, today more than 80% of the Latino population are of Mexican origin.

Hispanic Population in Hispanic Population in Texas Counties, 2010Texas Counties, 2010


Latino political influence is increasing:-- in 2010, Texas had more than 2,300

Latino elected officials (the largest number of any state and 40% of all Latino elected officials in the U.S.)

-- League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)-- Southwest Voter Education Project


African Americans:

The first African Americans entered Texas as slaves of Spanish explorers in the 16th century.

Slavery was abolished in Mexico in 1831, but a larger number of slaves were brought to Texas from the United States.

By the 1860s, almost 25% of the population of Texas was African American.


Blacks began to congregate in “freedmantowns” (communities on the outskirts of cities)

-- Black labor contributed to the economic development of Texas cities and helped to transform Texas from an agrarian society to an industrialized one.

Today, while the Black population continues to grow, it is moving at a much slower rate than other ethnic groups.

African American Population African American Population in Texas Counties, 2010in Texas Counties, 2010


Asian Americans:

Asian Americans are relative newcomers to Texas.

Most of Texas’s Asian American families immigrated to the United States from Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam) but a growing number are native born.


Most Asian Americans live in the state’s largest urban centers and many have college degrees. This is a reflection of the intensity with which the state’s young Asian Americans focus on education.

-- while Asian Americans account for less than 4% of the total population of the

state, they comprise 18% of the undergraduate enrollment at the University of Texas at Austin.

A Changing TexasA Changing TexasRace/Ethnicity 2000 2010 % Change % of Pop. % of Pop

2000 2010

Anglo 10.9m 11.4m 4% 52% 45%

Hispanic 6.7m 9.5m 42% 32% 38%

Black 2.4m 2.9m 22% 11% 12%

Am. Indian 68.8k 80.5k 17% .3% .3%

Asian 554k 948k 71% 3% 4%

Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 10.7k 17.9k 67% .1% .1%

Other Races 19.9k 33.9k 70% .1% .1%

Two or MoreRaces 230k 320k 39% 1% 1%

A Changing TexasA Changing Texas

Economic and Political Issues:Economic and Political Issues:

Immigration

Water

Environmental Protection (Public Health)

Education

Poverty

Introduction to Texas

Documents

Transcript of Introduction to Texas