2011 Proposed Texas Constitutional Amendments

With the upcoming November 8 ballot fast approaching it is imperative Texans familiarize themselves with the ten proposed amendments. This post will focus on three of the ten amendments to the Texas constitution. While the process is tedious, the Texas constitution requires all amendments be submitted to the public for approval or rejection. While special elections usually result in poor voter turnout and thus, a low ratification rate for new constitutional amendments, today's economy and state of politics requires Texans be more active in the political process this November. The following summarize Propositions 1, 3 and 6:

Proposition 1: Exemption from property taxation, all or in part, for spouses of 100 percent or totally disabled veterans.  

This amendment recognizes the sacrifices veterans and their spouses make by preventing them from being taxed out of their homes. Thus, supporters say this amendment will provide peace of mind to veterans. Tax exemption does not apply to spouses who remarry. 

Verdict: This blogger proposes voting for Proposition 1.

Proposition 3: Issuance of general obligation bonds of the State of Texas to finance student loans.

Recently, the availability of federally subsidized student loans has diminished. The Hinson-Hazelwood program provides low-interest, fixed-rate student loans and has a history of low-default. The state has never had to contribute funds to support this student loan program due to its self-supporting nature. As the adage goes, knowledge is power. Moreover, U.S. Census Bureau statistics highlight the financial importance of obtaining a post-secondary education. Financial stability and solvency is near and dear to citizens’ hearts and concerns at this time.

Verdict: This blogger proposes voting for Proposition 3.

Proposition 6: Empowerment of the General Land Office to distribute revenue from the permanent school fund to the available school fund.

This amendment would allow the General Land Office to essentially liquidate permanent assets that would otherwise be invested to generate ongoing growth. Traditionally, interest from the permanent school fund's investments help financially support the available school fund. Proponents to this amendment emphasis the short-term benefit and shortsightedness of the amendment. Supports say the amendment will infuse the available school fund with revenue, which will have a direct impact on public schools. However, today's property taxes, which help finance public schools, are one-third of what they were in 2005. Does the public want the General Land Office's hands in the permanent investments that help finance public schools and their growth?

Verdict: This blogger votes against Proposition 6.

The more informed the public is the more likely they will be politically involved and potentially vote on the November 8 ballot. This is particularly important in Texas where citizens often become apathetic with the onerous constitutional amendment process, which in part results in low voter turnout. Texans need to do their homework and further research the proposed constitutional amendments to gain a more accurate and encompassing working knowledge of what the future of public education and the economy will look like in Texas. 

For further information on the November 8 ballot constitutional amendments or related topics refer to the following:

The Star-Telegram's article "Water propositions deserve voter support" and "Changing the Texas Constitution (again)."

The Texas Legislative Council’s “Analyses of Proposed Constitutional Amendments."

The UPROAR's "Budget Cuts on Texas Education."

Hispanics' Influence in the 2010 Presidential Race

            The commentary “Willful ignorance: the GOP’s Hispanic problem” discusses the Republican Party’s barrier to the Hispanic vote in the upcoming presidential election. The commentary’s author, Paul Burka, cites the Public Policy Polling’s findings, which indicate despite President Obama’s decreased support by Hispanic constituents, he is still likely to lead two of the GOP’s potential candidates, Mitt Romney and Rick Perry. Burka goes on to highlight the key reasons Perry is likely to remain unsupported by the Texas Hispanic population: 1) budget cuts which impact CHIP, Medicaid and education 2) support for Voter I.D. policy and 3) support for sanctuary cities policy.

            The commentary’s audience is the readership of the Texas Monthly, which is the main outlet for the blog. Additionally, the BurkaBlog tends to be more left-leaning. Thus, the audience is likely to be more liberal politically. 

The article is credible in that Texas Monthly is considered “one of the nation’s premier regional magazines” per Lee Nichols with The Austin Chronicle. Additionally, Burka is the Senior Executive Editor of the blog, which illustrates legitimacy by way of professional expertise. Burka’s expertise and thus, credibility, is further exhibited by his presence as a panelist on “Legislative Blogrolling” at the College of Liberal Arts of The University of Texas at Austin.

Burka’s logic seems sound. Evidence indicates the Hispanic population in Texas will be the majority in 2020 (Keith & Haag, 2011). Therefore, elected officials are likely to reflect the changing demographics, whether as increased Hispanic elected officials or increased elected Democrats, which Hispanics tend to support more than Republicans. However, the Pew Hispanic Center conducted a national survey following the 2008 presidential election indicating the economy is the most important issue facing the Obama administration (Keith & Haag, 2011). This indicates Obama may have a run for his money in the upcoming presidential election despite Burka’s claims, especially since other demographic populations will be influential. Nonetheless, Burka points out Perry has failed to meet the expectations of Hispanics in regards to health care and education, and the aforementioned survey indicates these issues closely follow the importance of the economy.

             One thing I disagree with, is the preposition the Republican party is willfully ignoring demographics because there are other factors at play. First, while minorities are likely to be the majority when considered in combination, Anglos remain the predominant race when considered alone. Therefore, while it is unfair to ignore any race simply because they are a minority, it is strategic to focus on the majority for electorate purposes. Additionally, business interests are the most prevalent among the legislative agenda and most corporations are owned and run by Anglo Americans. Therefore, I would argue politicians are just playing politics when it comes to what policies they support in an effort to garner the most votes. In contrast, I agree with Burka on the importance of diversifying political campaigns and policies in order to parallel a growing diverse population. Additionally, while Hispanics tend to be more left-leaning, a number of Hispanics are non-partisan or have no affiliation with a specific party. This is important because political strategy indicates it is most efficient to persuade non-affiliated voters than those who are steadfast in their political affiliation. Thus, it would behoove the Republican presidential nominees, specifically Perry, to strengthen their appeal to the Hispanic population.