(Author’s Full Name)
A Personal Opinion
In the United States, local government plays a vital role in the development of counties, municipalities, and districts. These governments work below the state level and usually serve as the “middleman” between the state government and the local residents. Besides the all- purpose local governments, there may be unique purpose local governments which serve a number of purposes; such as maintaining the sewerage system across a municipality or township, overseeing public transportation, establishing districts for fire protection and engaging in other public works. In Texas District 9, the local government manages district utilities, public transportation system, parks and recreational areas, public swimming pools, law enforcement and fire departments and other public functions. The current Texas District 9 Congressional District Government has undertaken a number of projects to make the district and the community safe. This includes the installation of security cameras across walking trails and subways. This, combined with the development of new roads, has made commuting easier and safer.
With the primaries voting completed in March this year, the country is heading towards the November 2016 general elections for the Presidency. As a registered voter, a democrat and a firm believer in the rights for all, I will vote for Hilary Clinton as the next President of the United States. Given Clinton’s experience in politics and her pro-choice stance, her views are similar to those of Rep. Al Green. She has also chaired a number of social causes, such as the equal pay act, the prevention of HIV campaign, providing better healthcare, improving the justice system and supporting gun control.
At present, the Texas state representative for my area is Al Green. Like Clinton, Green is also a Democrat. One of the most important issues highlighted in this year’s election campaign was the lackluster performance of some of the elected officials. Infighting and gridlock prevented the passing of several important legislations during the past five years of Obama’s tenure. These included laws pertaining to tax reforms, health care, energy, and immigration. To counter these problems, it is necessary to know your state representative, evaluate their credentials and chose the best candidate. The state representative not only represents the state’s best interests at the federal level, but also helps the constituents deal with thorny issues such as social security woes, IRS headaches, mortgage issues, veteran benefits and disability benefits. It is, therefore, crucial to know who the state representative is. These individuals monitor most of the public administrative work in the state. These contain, but are not limited to, legal matters, public works, transportation, urban planning, recreation, small community housing, fire department and even college and university communities. In several states, constituents contact their elected representatives for all pressing matters related to personal finance, mortgage, healthcare, social security and tax-related problems.
The selection of judges in Texas through a process of partisan elections conducted at every court level. The term lengths may vary, but all the judges elected are required to run for re-election towards the end of their respective terms. Under the laws of the Texas Constitution, the term for a judge commences from January 1 after the election (or the re-election). Nine judges of both the Supreme Court and the court of criminal appeals, along with 80 judges of the appellate court are selected by means of this partisan election. These elected justices serve for a period of no less than six years, after which they must contest for re-elections, if they wish to extend their tenure and serve for another six years. There are numerous eligibility criteria that need to be met for a person to contest for the position of a judge in Texas. In my opinion, this system of election is good. This is because of the age cap that requires judges to be under the age of 74 to contest for the election/re-election, thereby giving a chance for experienced and capable individuals to fill up the vacancy. Secondly, the process of rotation/re-election/retirement after six years ensures that the judges remain independent and impartial in all court proceedings- which are the fundamental laws of justice.
The appointment of judges becomes all the more important with the upcoming elections. The elected President will nominate and oversee the appointment of judges at the federal level; including the federal district (trial) courts and the highest appellate court in the US. This means that the appointed judges are likely to follow and implement the values and the moral stand taken by the President on all matters that affect the public (such as basic free speech, the Second Amendment, freedom of religion, and due process of law). Given the Presidential candidate’s starkly different views on all such matters, I would want Hilary Clinton to appoint the new judges. Her views on women empowerment, abortion laws, and gun control are the need of the hour and at par with the liberal views upheld by State Representative Al Green. Trump’s controversial stance on immigrants (especially Mexicans) is worrisome- particularly in Texas, which has one of the largest Mexican populations in the US. This bias is also reflected in his selection and appointment of judges.
