Day 1: Political Culture (07/08)- Political Culture: Broadly shared values, beliefs, and attributes about how the government should function and how politics should operate. - American Political Culture: emphasizes values of liberty, equality and democracy. o Value of liberty: freedom from government interferences (applies to personal and economic)o Equality: we place value on equality of opportunity. Equal chance to participate. - Different types of Political Culture: Three typeso Moralistic Political Culture: belief that government should be active in promoting public good and citizens should participate in public and civil activities to ensure that good. (Usually found in northeastern USA).o Individualistic Political Culture: belief that government should limit itself to providing order in society. By limiting themselves, the citizens will be allowed to pursue their economic and personal self-interest AKA capitalism. We don’t want them involved in our business. o Traditionalistic Political Culture: belief that government should be dominated by political elites and guided by tradition. Political Elites are wealthy, educated, experienced, well-connected and white male.- Texas has a mixture of Individualistic and traditionalistic Political Culture. Texas is not moralistic because it doesn’t do a good job for the poor and less well off.o Texas is Individualistic because it’s the pro business state. We want less regulation. Texas sued Environmental Protection Services several times because it harms our business. Texas believes federal and state government should not interfere in our business. o Texas is traditionalistic because of the oil field, gas. Also, big businesses have a lot of say because they donate a lot of money to officials. - Lilly Ledbetter Law: There’s a wage gap between men and women. Federal government addressed it. This law is based on a young lady who discoveredthat she is being discriminated against wages. The males were making more. She filled a wage discrimination lawsuit. The court doesn’t even look at it and tell her that she does not fit the criteria to fill it because she had to fill it within 180 days within discrimination occurring (first occurred when she received her first paycheck). Workers are not supposed to know the pay of their co-workers and thus, federal government passed this law. Lucy worked in the company for 20 years. The statue of limitation resets on every paycheck so every 180 days. The new act states that the 180-day statute of limitations for filing an equal-pay lawsuit regarding pay discrimination resetswith each new paycheck affected by that discriminatory action. GOOD LAW. - Last year, Texas (controlled by republicans) passed a law based on Lucy that women shouldn’t be discriminated. However, this law was vetoed by governor Rick Perry because Kroger and Macy’s said if you allow this law, we will have a huge financial burden and would appreciate the veto of the law. Businesses have big ordinance!!- Why does Texas have Individualistic and Traditionalistic Political Culture?o For years, Texas was a one party state (democratic). If you wanted to run, you ran as a democratic because it was the tradition. Occasionally,a republican would win state office. During the1990s, republicans became competitive at state level (treasurer, commissioner). In early 2000s, republicans won every statewide election and control of both chambers of state legislature. o In Texas, we have a state legislature at federal level. o Second reason Texas has this culture is because of Provincialism. - Provincialism is very narrow, limited and self-interest view of the world.o Texas became a state in the year 1845. Only white males were allowed to vote back then so they would only follow white male as officers. After the end of civil war, white male and 1/3 of African American were allowed to vote. Now, white officers have to keep both of them in mind. TX was a racist state back then, it’s still a political white male state. In 1970s women started to vote, white men in charge didn’t like to listen to women. - Why are business groups allowed to dominate? So that they can contribute.- Texas has 4 distinct regions:o Gulf Coastal Plains: In the east; the gulf will drive us economically. (Shipping, oil, gas, lumber, timber, farming land b/c it’s fertile). Main concern for this region is shipping.o Interior lowlands: In the west; mixture of metropolitan and rural areas. Economy is based on agriculture and cattle ranching. o Great Plains: In Northwest/Central Texas; economy is based on agriculture, ranching, and petroleum production. Texas is in a drought so the main concern for this region is the drought. o Basin and Range Province: In the south; lot of cartels, drugs, they wantmore border security and protection because it’s their main concern. - Texas has 9 political regions:o Panhandle: rural and conservativeo West: In panhandle, rural and conservativeo North: agriculture o East: timber countryo Central: agricultureo Gulf coast: oil, shipping, diverse economy and culture, attracts immigrants from around the world.o South: plantation mentality? Mostly rural and farmo Southwest: valley, agriculture, immigration and drug problemso German Hill Country: in the centerDay 2: Economic Change in Texas (07/09)- Obama is coming, and did not want to meet underprivileged children. Governor Perry talks to him about it. Conservatives think Perry was correct to not shake Obama’s hand. - Federal government is in charge of order control and immigration matters.- An economist named Joseph Schumpeter promotes that there is a history of creative destruction; something is created in the free market, which allows another market to flourish. - First big money maker in Texas was cotton. o Barbed wire led to the growth of cotton. Serious cotton cultivation began in 1821. By 1880 Texas led all states in cotton production. Barbed wire allowed farmers to protect their crops.o Railroad was a moneymaker too because of transportation. With the expansion of railroads we were able to open new markets to the state. o With the growth of the railroad industry, it also had a downside. By the end of 1800s half of the farmers in Texas were tenant farmers. Tenant farmers: you work for someone else, you get a share of the cotton that you produce, don’t own your land. Economically, bad for the tenant farmer because you’re depended on the property owner. If you have a bad year