Texas Prison eform: A Success Story
Government

The prison population in the United States experienced an unprecedented expansion between the 1970s and the end of the first decade of the 21st century (Editorial Board, 2013). Beginning with a prison population of 174,000 in 1972 it grew to over 1.4 million by 2010, representing over a 700% increase (PSPP, 2010). By comparison, the growth of the U.S. population was a modest 32% during the same period (Multpl.com, 2013). In other words, the American prison population grew at a rate 21-times faster than the population in general. By the beginning of the 21st century, American prisons housed 25% of the world's prisoners even though the country was home to only 5% of the global population (ACLU, 2011).

Tough sentencing laws passed by state legislatures have been blamed for the unprecedented increase (ACLU, 2011). These 'tough on crime' policies have prompted critics to frame the effects…...

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References

ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union). (2011). Smart Reform is Possible. States Reducing Incarceration Rates and Costs while Protecting Communities. New York: American Civil Liberties Union. Retrieved 19 Oct. 2013 from www.aclu.org/files/assets/smartreformispossible.pdf.

Editorial Board. (2013, Mar. 23). Shrinking prisons, saving billions. New York Times, SR12. Retrieved 19 Oct. 2013 from  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/24/opinion/sunday/shrinking-prisons-saving-billions.html .

Grissom, Brandi. (2013, Aug. 2). Texas lawmakers close inmate facilities due to dropping prison population. Pegasus News. Retrieved 21 Oct. 2013 from http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2013/aug/02/texas-lawmakers-close-inmate-facilities-dropping/?refscroll=798.

Kyckelhahn, Tracey. (2012). State corrections expenditures, FY 1982-2010. Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Retrieved 19 Oct. 2013 from www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/scefy8210.pdf.

This provision allowed voter registrars reject the applications where voters did not check the box or checked it mistakenly. 40,000 out of 70,000 rejected applications were results of Bohac's HB1268 provision.
The corruption certainly goes beyond these problems. According to a report by Texas Observer, numerous Texas officials elected to public positions use campaign money in violation of campaign regulations and advocate the interests of various interest groups in exchange for monetary and other material support. For instance, Troy Fraser has served in Texas Senate for fourteen years and has won two elections unopposed. His worst showing of the last decade was in 2008 which he won with 85% of the vote. He has amassed a whopping $1.3 million in campaign funds and of that 97% came out of special interest contributions. The Observer writes:

You might wonder what Fraser, with no competitive election in sight, is doing with all this…...

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Works Cited

Dye, Thomas, et al. Politics in America: Texas Edition (5th edition). New York: Prentice Hall, 2002.

Mann, Dave and Abby Rapoport. "Lifestyles of the Corrupt and Elected.' Texas Observer, 16 Jan. 2011. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.

"Public Corruption Investigation Urged in Texas." Campaign Legal Center Blog. 21 Oct. 2011. Web. 14 Nov. 2011

"Texas Voters Tiring of Corruption, Cronyism." Estate of Denial. 15 Sep. 2011. Web. 14 Nov. 2011

Texas Constitution
The fundamental law of the State of Texas is clearly stated out in the Constitution of the State of Texas. This document was officially adopted by the voters of the State in 1876 and has since them been amended in several occasions. In addition, under this constitution, the principles for the operation of state government and legal system have been outlined. The principle of separation of powers has given way to three distinct branches of the government that include the legislature, the executive, and the judicial. The departments are guided by specific constitutional provisions. However, some of the provisions have been perceived as inhibitory to the proper functioning of the State and must be reformed. Therefore, to improve the effectiveness of Texas government, it is necessary for these provisions to be reviewed and necessary reforms adopted.

Legislative Branch

The legislative department is the dominant branch of the state of Texas as…...

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Work Cited

Kraemer, Richard H, Charldean Newell, and Prindle David. Essentials of Texas Politics. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2008. Print.

May, Janice C. The Texas State Constitution. Oxford: Oxford University Press, USA, 2011. Print.

Texas Politics: 13 Jan 2014. © 2009, Liberal Arts Instructional Technology Services. University of Texas at Austin 3rd Edition - Revision 88

Texas oadhouse Won't Scrimp on Making Employees Happy
The objective of this work in writing is to read the case located in Chapter 10 and prepare a response to questions which are to be addressed in each section of this study.

Do Employees Who are Taken Care of Actually Take Care of Customers In the Same Manner?

For the Texas oadhouse, taking care of its employees does in reality transfer to the employees taking good care of the customers of the organization. The Texas oadhouse has initiatives that serve to influence the employees feelings of being taken care of and loved by the business. For example prior to each shift beginning the employees are called into a gathering in the restaurant for what is called an "alley rally" which is a motivational gathering. There are competitions such as the chance for an employee to win $20,000 for being the best meat cutter of…...

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References

Case Study: Texas Roadhouse. Chapter 10.

Texas Revolution -- Battles
Battle of Gonzales

hile the battle at the Alamo is by far the most famous battle in the Texas Revolution, there were other, less-well-known battles that also deserve attention. As to the beginning of the Revolution, the first shots were fired in that revolution on October 2, 1835, in the small community of Gonzales, Texas, according to History.com. Those shots were fired as Mexican soldiers were attempting to disarm the citizens in Gonzales, which lit the flames to the all-out war. The state of Texas had "technically been a part of the Spanish empire" since the 17th century, but there weren't very many Mexican-Spanish settlers in Texas in the late 1820s, and the History.com site explains that Mexico City had only a "tenuous" hold on Texas.

After Mexico achieved its independence from Spain in 1821, the government of Mexico was hoping that the many Anglo-Americans migrating into Texas might…...

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Works Cited

Calvert, R.A., De Leon, A., and Cantrell, G. (2007). The History of Texas. Wheeling, IL:

Harlan Davidson, Inc.

History.com. (2010). First shots of the Texas Revolution fired in the Battle of Gonzales.

Retrieved January 29, 2014, from  http://www.history.com .

Texas Military Engagements,1836-1865
Major Military Engagements Texas 1836-1865

Texas engaged in many military battles between 1836 and 1865. It is difficult to evaluate how Texans performed in the theatre of war without evaluating multiple military episodes including the Texas evolution, the Mexican War, The Civil War and the multiple wars against Indian renegades (Barker & Pohl, 2001). For the most part many credit Texans with achieving tremendous military accomplishments. There are however certain battles where military representatives performed less stellar than in others. The combined experiences of the Texas military are described in greater detail below.

There are some battles that Texas engaged in where military representatives faire far worse than expected. The war for independence was somewhat suppressed for example in one battle by Mexican soldiers supported by Austin's colonies (Barker & Pohl, 2001). At certain times during the Texas evolution the army was divided and disintegrated (Barker & Pohl, 2001). The…...

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References:

Barker, E.C. & Pohl, J.W. (2001, Jul). "Handbook of Texas Online: Texas Revolution."

Texas State Historical Association. 17, Oct. 2005: http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/TT/qdt1.html

Dawson, J.G. (1995). The Texas military experience: From the Texas Revolution through

World War II. Texas: Texas A& M. University Press.

The fact that such a small number of Texan patriots were able to withstand the onslaught of so many Mexicans seemed like a potent dramatization of a conflict between native vs. white, where whites 'proved' their superiority, and slave vs. free, where whites fighting to defend 'their' territories against a 'dictatorial' power.
Eventually, despite the loss of the Alamo, the Texans prevailed and the Mexican President Santa Anna was taken captive and forced to sign the Treaty of Velasco in 1836, which gave Texas its independence and designated the Rio Grande River as the border between the new Republic of Texas and Mexico. As Santa Anna was a prisoner of the Texans at the time the Mexican Congress refused to ratify the treaty, as Santa Anna had been compelled to sign the treaty illegally, under duress. The Mexican Congress also noted that the traditional Texas boundary had always been further…...

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Works Cited

Lee, Roger a. "The Mexican-American War." The History Guy. 2008.

December 8, 2008.  http://www.historyguy.com/Mexican-American_War.html 

Texas Revolution." Global Security. Last updated January 20, 2008.  http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/texas-revolution.htm

Texas Laws egarding Illegal Drugs
Criminal Justice

Kimberley Burton

Vice, Drugs and the Law

Dr. Lance Hignite

Texas Laws egarding Illegal Drugs

The history of the United States policy towards drugs in general is a two-dimensional frame, the first being supply reduction, the reduction and control of the supply of drugs through legislation, law enforcement, interdiction, sentencing, and incarceration, and the second being demand reduction, the reduction of the demand for drugs. Demand reduction is operationalized through education, prevention and treatment (Jensen & Gerber, 1996).

The war on drugs has largely been waged in the south-western border region of the United States. Five federal border districts including California South, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas West, and Texas South alone are responsible for roughly one quarter of federal narcotics prosecutions annually. Narcotics cases make up roughly 30% of the federal criminal caseload each year, and the number of Hispanic and noncitizen defendants prosecuted in U.S. federal courts has risen…...

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References

Anderson, K. (2005). Crime in Texas: your complete guide to the criminal justice system.

Drug Possession Laws (2011). State Drug Possession Laws and Penalties. Internet Resource:

 http://www.drugpossessionlaws.com/texas/ 

Gould, J. (2002). Zone Defense. Washington Monthly, 34(6), 33.

Texas ules of Evidence
The most recent Texas ules of Evidence were codified effective January 1, 2007 (Texas Courts Online. December 21, 2011. P. 1); further examination provides an interesting insight into Texas Law. There are Ten Articles with articulated rules under each article.

Article I defines the general provisions of the codified rules, with purpose and scope as follows. Purpose: "these rules shall be construed to secure fairness in administration, elimination of unjustifiable expense and delay, and promotion of growth and development of the law of evidence to the end that the truth may be ascertained and proceedings justly determined" (Texas Courts Online. December 21, 2011. P. 1). Scope: According to Article I: General Provisions the "rules govern civil and criminal proceedings (including examining trials before magistrates) in all courts of Texas, except small claims courts" (Texas Courts Online. December 21, 2011. P. 1). Article I also sets forth exceptions to…...

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References

The Supreme Court of Texas. (March 12, 2012). Texas Rules of Evidence. The Supreme

Court of Texas. PP. 1. Retrieved April 11, 2012 from http://www.supreme.courts.state.tx.us/rules/

Texas Courts Online. (December 21, 2011). Texas Rules of Evidence. Texas Courts

Online. PP. 1-24. Retrieved April 11, 2012 from http://www.courts.state.tx.us/rules/TRE/tre-all-010107.pdf

The complexity of Sam Houston as a man perhaps exemplifies the difficulties in arguing whether the revolution was justified. Houston has become associated with the racism of the Texan's cause, because of his effective defeat of Mexico. But Houston himself lived amongst the Cherokees early in his life and married a Cherokee woman. hen he fought for Andrew Jackson as a populist, he warred against the Creeks Indians, although he eventually resigned amongst accusations for being too sympathetic to Native Americans. Finally, Texas, the state he is most associated with, ceded from the Union, but Houston resigned as governor rather than lead a Confederate state. To the death, he was a die-hard Unionist in one of the nation's most independent of states (Campbell, 1993).
Campbell argues that Houston's life embodies the contradictions of the righteousness of the Texan cause. According to Campbell, however, Houston's support of Texan independence was not…...

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Works Cited

Campbell, Randolph. Sam Houston and the American Southwest. New York:

HarperCollins College Publishers, 1993

Causes of the Texas Revolution." History. University of Austin. 13 Feb 2008. http://www2.austin.cc.tx.us/lpatrick/his1693/causes.html

Nostro, Rita. "Sam Houston." Hyper History. 12 Feb 2008. http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/bios/b4houstonsam.htm

Texas History
French Intentions With Texas

Both Spain and France were major European Powers during the Age of Discovery, roughly after 1600. Spain, of course, annexed Mexico and much of Central and South America, while the French concentrated on the Great Lakes region and south down the Mississippi. In 1682, for instance, Vavelier and La Salle journied down the Mississippi and with 300 soldiers and the support of King Louis XVI established the Louisiana Territory. The Spanish were continually wanting to expand their territory in the New World, seeing this as a way to also dominate Europe. They were wary of French intentions in the Mississippi region, and between 1686 and 1691 sent a total of 9 expeditions from New Spain (Mexico) to Texas, four by sea and two by land, to search for the French.

The French, in particular, just as they would do further north, enlisted the aid of the native…...

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REFERENCES

Apache Indians. (2006). Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved from:

 http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/bma33 

French-Spanish Rivalry In Texas. (2007). National Humanities Center. Retrieved from:

 http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/amerbegin/power/text2/SpanishFrenchRivalry.pdf

Texas Cancer
Can the Texas lifestyle be considered as a primary factor behind the high incidence of cancer diagnosed in Texas and is the rate of cancer higher there than in other areas of the United States?

H1: There is a relationship between lifestyles in Texas that affects the overall rate of incidences of cancer in the Texas population especially when comparing the incidence of cancer in Caucasian women as compared to African-American and Hispanic women.

H2: There is a relationship between the amount of self education sought by both genders and the overall rate of diagnosis of cancer in Texas.

H3: There is a relationship between the watershed system and the rate of air pollution in Texas and the overall number of cases of cancer in children in Texas as compared to other areas of the United States.

H4: There is a relationship between the number of cases of cancer in Texas and the…...

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Variable Name: Readoll

Variable Label: The amount of dollars spent in Texas on cancer research during a specific period of time.

Source: Texas Cancer Registry, Texas Department of State Health Services, Publication No. 10-13121 (March 2009) The Cost of Cancer in Texas, 2007

United States citizens had been available for these jobs during the immense unemployment that existed during the 1930s, forcing the Mexicans out. World War II saw these workers enlisting in the military, working in factories, or moving into other jobs as the economy generally expanded.
The Mexican immigrants not only provided the plentiful labor that was needed, but they provided it cheaply -- typical wages were between fifty or sixty cents an hour, or around ten dollars per acre (enteria 2003). Demand for agricultural products specifically and throughout the economy in general continued to expand during World War II and in the decades following, but prices were kept fairly stable during the war and even when they began to increase evenly due to economic expansion, worker's wages did not really rise (enteria 2003). This meant that farmers were making an increased profit utilizing the under-paid and under-appreciated Mexican immigrant workers,…...

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References

Campesino. (2009). "The Bracero program." Farmowrokers.org. Accessed 22 April 2010.  http://www.farmworkers.org/bracerop.html 

Koestler, F. (2010). "Bracero program." The handbook of Texas online. Accessed 22 April 2010.  http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/BB/omb1.html 

Renteria, R. (2003). "UTEP works to recover history of braceros." El Paso Times. Accessed 22 April 2010.  http://are.berkeley.edu/APMP/pubs/agworkvisa/historysearch012803.html 

Zatz, M. (1993). "Using and abusing Mexican farmworkers." Law and society review 27(4), pp. 851-63.

Texas Governor
The Texas legislature approved a bill that would force online or catalogue retailers with a physical presence in Texas to collect state sales tax on every transaction. This has been called an "affiliate nexus" tax and would include any retailer that has a nexus (stores, or distribution centers) inside the state of Texas. The bill also dictates that a retailer's corporate subsidiaries be included when discussing any individual company. Governor Rick Perry vetoed the bill because, as he stated, he had "serious concerns about the impact and appropriateness" about the bill. ("Gov. Perry Vetoes HB 2403") The governor's concerns included such things as unintended consequences due to the nature of catalogue and internet retail business. I agree with the Governor because these types of business can have a number of offices or centers in a number of states, and bills like HB 2403 can force individual companies to pay…...

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Works Cited

"CBS 7 Exclusive Report: A Bill Banning Texting While Driving in the Works."

CBS 7 News. 9 Nov. 2012. Web. 14 Nov. 2012.

 http://www.cbs7kosa.com/news/details.asp?ID=38801 

"Governor Perry Vetoes HB 2403." Office of the Governor Rick Perry. 31 May

Texas courts have two levels: local and state. Article 5 of the State's Constitution lays out the judiciary structure, and further definition can be found in the Texas Probate Code and Texas Government Code (Bessette, et al., 15). There is a very complex structure to the courts in Texas, featuring numerous layers of courts and a great deal of jurisdictions that overlap one another. The appellate system is also unusual in that it is bifurcated (Bessette, et al., 17). That is something found in only Texas and Oklahoma. The most active courts are Municipal Courts, with District and County Courts handling a large number of cases, as well (Maxwell, Crain, & Santos, 55). All three of the courts often share buildings. The Texas Supreme Court is responsible for administration, with aid from the State Bar of Texas, the Texas Office of Court Administration, and the Texas Judicial Council (Maxwell, Crain,…...

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Works Cited

Bessette, Joseph M., Pitney, Jr., John J., Brown, Lyle C., Langenegger, Joyce A., Garcia, Sonia R., Lewis, Ted A., & Biles, Robert E. American Government and Politics: Deliberation, Democracy and Citizenship: Texas Edition. NY: Cengage Learning. 2011. Print.

Maxwell, William Earl, Crain, Ernest, & Santos, Adolfo. Texas Politics Today (2009-2010 ed.). NY: Cengage Learning. 2010. Print.

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In comparing and contrasting Longhorn Steakhouse and Texas Roadhouse, it becomes evident that while both restaurants offer a similar dining experience centered around serving quality steak, they differentiate in terms of atmosphere and menu variety, with Longhorn Steakhouse emphasizing a refined ambiance and diverse flavor options, while Texas Roadhouse stands out for its lively and rustic setting and commitment to classic American fare. When crafting a thesis statement on this topic, one could focus on exploring how the distinct atmospheres and menu offerings of Longhorn Steakhouse and Texas Roadhouse cater to different preferences and dining experiences for customers. This could lead....

Thesis Statement:

Despite offering similar dining experiences, Longhorn Steakhouse and Texas Roadhouse cater to distinct customer preferences, with Longhorn Steakhouse emphasizing upscale ambiance and personalized service for a premium dining experience, while Texas Roadhouse prioritizes lively entertainment, generous portions, and affordable prices for a casual dining atmosphere.

Body Paragraph 1: Ambiance and Service

Longhorn Steakhouse sets itself apart with a sophisticated ambiance, featuring warm lighting, cozy booths, and elegant decor.
The restaurant offers attentive service, with knowledgeable servers who provide personalized recommendations and ensure a memorable dining experience.
Texas Roadhouse, in contrast, embraces a lively and energetic atmosphere, with rustic wooden furnishings,....