Texas Politics Essay, Research Paper
Each one of us, as a citizen of Texas and of the United States of America, has
certain responsibilities and tasks to accomplish. Included in such tasks are the
roles we are given and those we choose: the role of a father, an aunt, a doctor,
or an elected official. In the role of an elected official, one has minimum
standards of conduct and performance to adhere to–they are the basis of what
one is judged by when it comes down to election time. Texas State Representative
One of the Texas state representatives is Roberto Gutierrez. Gutierrez
represents district 41 in the state of Texas. This district consists of the
southwest portion of Hidalgo count, representing such cities as McAllen,
Mission, and Pharr. Gutierrez has been a state representative since January,
1991. He was born and raised in Mission, Texas and has spent a large part of his
life living in the Rio Grande Valley. He attended the University of Texas
Pan-American. Before being elected as a state representative, Gutierrez was a
secondary school teacher. As a state representative, Gutierrez serves on the
Committees of Apportionment, Local and Consent Calenders, and Public Safety.
U.S. Representative One of the United States representatives from Texas is Ruben
Hinojosa. Hinojosa, representative for Texas’15th district, has been in office
since 1996. He was born in Edcouch, Texas and lives in Mercedes, TX. Hinojosa
received his BBA from the University of Texas at Austin and his MBA from the
University of Texas– Pan American. Before being elected as a representative, he
worked at the Chief Financial Officer of H&H Foods, his family’s business.
As United States Representative from Texas, Hinojosa has served on the Small
Business Committee, and the Committee for Education and the Workforce.
"Representative" A representative is a person elected by a group of
people, such as a city or county, so that they (the group) will have a voice in
the decisions that are going to be made that effect them. To be a
representative, one must be close to their constituents. It helps to be from the
same town, city, or state of the people that they hope to represent. A effective
representative should have extensive experience within their district. This
means living and working in the area that they represent. By doing this, they
have a first hand knowledge of the area, the people, and the culture. This
insures that the people’s needs will not be ignored. Are they qualified? Roberto
Gutierrez Roberto Gutierrez was born and raised in Mission, Texas, and he has
spent his life in the Rio Grande Valley, the area that he represents. He is an
effective representative because he is familiar with the people and their
concerns. Gutierrez invests his time with civic entities such as Our Lady of
Sorrows Catholic Church. He has been a member of the McAllen Palm City Lions
Club, the McAllen and Pharr Rotary Clubs, Parent Teacher Association, and he
also served as former vice-president of the governing board of the McAllen
Medical Center. His efforts as a member of these organizations has brought
Gutierrez widespread recognition. He has been recognized by various public and
private organizations, including The Friends of the UT-Pan American Library, and
Amigos de Bomberos. Ruben Hinojosa Ruben Hinojosa was born in Edcouch, Texas. He
also attended public school in the Rio Grande Valley. As an executive and owner
of H&H Foods, Hinojosa has helped to provide his community over 300 jobs. He
has served on the Board of Directors for the South Texas High School for Health
Professions and was very instrumental in the success of that school. Hinojosa is
an effective representative because he has been the Rio Grande Valley. He has
grown up there and has been surrounded by its’ people. Since being elected,
Hinojosa has helped with the creation of The Women’s Empowerment Business Center
at UTPA. This center is accessible to all women who wish to start up a business
and want information on different types of businesses, assistance with a
business plan, or help with identifying financing alternatives. He has also
helped increase access to capital and loans to small businesses as well as
lessening the tax and regulatory burdens these businesses encounter. He has been
a strong force in business growth promotion in the economically depressed areas
of the Rio Grande Valley. Being involved in such programs has brought Hinojosa
recognition from notable government agencies. In 1999, he was selected as the
Minority Business Advocate of the Year by the Minority Business Development
Agency and the Small Business Administration. He was also awared the Annual
Champion for Children Award from the HOSTS Corporation. Reelection in the
future? One of the main things that help in reelection is incumbency. The fact
the they, Hinojosa and Gutierrez, have been in office consecutively for a few
years heightens their chance for reelection. They are known within their
counties and cities. They have established a rapport with the voting population.
Within their years of being an elected official, they have established programs
that benefit their respective districts. Hinojosa and Gutierrez both have a
great chance for reelection. For the reasons that I have stated above, their
chances for reelections and almost ensured. They are very representative of
their constituents, and they are able to meet their needs. This is proven by
their number of years in office. Comparatively Speaking Gutierrez is one of 28
Hispanics serving in the House, compared to 108 Anglo- Saxon representatives and
14 African-Americans. He is also one of 121 males, and as a career, he was
worked in the Petroleum industry. As a Texas Representative, Gutierrez earns
$7,200 per year. Hinojosa, also a Hispanic representative, is one of 211
Democrats. He earns $136,673 per year as a congressional representative.
Congressman Ruben Hinojosa. U.S. House of Representatives. *http://www.house.gov/hinojosa*
Current Congressional Profile. Office of the Clerk. *http://clerkweb.house.gov/mbrcmtee/statsanswers.htm*
House Membership Profile. Texas House of Representatives. *http://www.house.state.tx.us/common/profile.htm*
Representative Roberto Gutierrez. Texas House of Representatives. *http://www.house.state.tx.us/house/dist41/dist41.htm*
State Representative Roberto Gutierrez. Texas House of Representatives. *http://www.house.state.tx.us/house/bios/dist41b.htm*
The Texas Constitution–Article 3. The Texas Constitution. *http://capitol.tlc.state.tx.us/txconst/sections/cn000300-000700.html*