Stage Five: Original editorial or commentary #1 | The Lack of Knowledge Behind Texas State and Local Government

Blog Stage Five

Stage Five: Original editorial or commentary #1

            There seems to be no discretion about what Texas citizens know about government at the state and local government. First off, the reason why all this is important is because WE (referring to Texas citizens including myself) live in Texas and our opinion. Our opinions are subject to our needs. We pay taxes to the state and the utilization of those taxes must be considered. That being said, we need the right representatives to make our voices known but there’s a flaw in that. Many people don’t know who they should vote because of the lack of education and comprehension of what that candidate stands for.

            Without any knowledge behind our government, virtually a person surrenders their voice unless in the decisions of the government and public policy. Foremost, more and more power is being handed down from the federal government to the states. Which means: for us Texans, our representatives, senators, and governor are being allocated more power to make decisions for us –the citizens of Texas. All of us have a vital role in government, regardless of motivation, we SHOULD have some involvement in saying what and how should our local government handle that power.

            The theme behind this editorial and commentary is citizens’ needs. The more power our local government has, the more we should contribute to its decision making. If the quality of education needs improvement and mending, it’s up to the citizens to demand the need for improvement of the educational system.

            The local government is CLOSER to us, figuratively speaking and literal. Citizens have power to make changes faster at the local level. For example, the abuse of the usage of water – the local government understands the scarcity of water especially during the summer. This concern for the distribution of water should not be taken lightly especially since with the City of Austin’s inclination to be serious states of drought very so often. A person concerned about this matter can campaign to the government about different approaches and methods to conserve water.

            All in all, I personally would not be so concerned with the lack of knowledge of our government weren’weren't for this class. The state education code requires students to learn about Texas State and Local Government. The comprehension of how government functions at the local level is the key to better communicating our needs as citizens. I feel this class is imperative to take, simply because we (students) are the future. The decisions made today will ultimately affect the way we live months and years to come.