Redistricting Is a Threat to West Texas Freshmen
John Frullo, Jim Landtroop, Charles Perry and Four Price each won election to the Texas House last month, representing districts in the Panhandle and the South Plains. But those four freshman Republicans will arrive in Austin in January with “kick me” signs on their backs. At least one of them isn’t going to last long.
West Texas is losing population. While the state’s population has grown 19 percent, according to preliminary U.S. census numbers, any place that loses population loses political representation. So does any place that has grown at a slower rate than the state average ...
Comments (4)
Betty Boomer via Texas Tribune on Facebook
If the driver allows the car to run as in keep the engine idling while the man checks out what's happening in his or her district of Texas; whatever you [ewe] do, please don't contact the EPA and/or Al Gore because they both would experience a meltdown!!!!
Betty Boomer via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Al Gore is nowhere to be found and it is freezing in Britian now! What happened to global warming friend? I guess you are required to freeze
in any given nation and await for summer to thaw out! Al Gore will have a temper tantrum or a tizzy-fit when he reads this comment area
friend(s)!!! LOL!!!!
Ben Martinez via Texas Tribune on Facebook
@Betty: ignorant.
Michael Barnes
While I appreciate the great work Ross Ramsey does, this line was a bit of a reach:
"Lawmakers use sophisticated computer software to redraw the maps, paying attention to the same things you would if you were doing it."
That line casually incorporates the reader into the complicity of gerrymandering, which is a practice that has been perfected among politicos, and railed against by various forces, since the formation of our national (representative) Democracy.
You could have said: "paying attention to the things you would expect them to .."
Because you cannot know how we humble and ordinary readers might conduct ourselves if thrown into the process, as in California where citizen's commissions are charged with designing redistricting plans.
I for one, think all it takes is a Party strong enough to make an honest map when it has control of the State. Specifically, if you attach Education Service Center Regions to political lines, or another similar political / non-political pairing, you force lawmakers to consider the practical impact on communities that their bizarre districts will make.