lol Sorry. I'll help you move.
To Montreal? Deal. Give Ottawa to the US and trade it in for Seattle. OK, too optimistic there. How about Bellingham?
lol Sorry. I'll help you move.
I thought TX was the deal. I'd rather have AK, though.
I agree, let's go for Alaska instead.
Give Ottawa to the US and trade it in for Seattle.
Yea i agree too Lets trade those Islands France owns for Alaska, then we can have missle bases pointed at hawaii![]()
Doesn't that mean we get Palin?
Good gawd no. We already have Vancouver, we don't need any more flakiness.
CHAPTER 2: The Texas Constitution
Chapter Summary
• Introduction
Demetrio Rodriguez, a sheet metal worker in San Antonio, observed that Edgewood Elementary School,
where his children attended school, lacked basic supplies and was in poor physical condition. He could see
that schools in the Alamo Heights School District, a nearby district, were in far better condition. Rodriguez
and other parents of students at Edgewood Elementary School believed that the Texas school finance
system allowed property-rich districts to spend up to nine times the money that was spent on students at
property-poor districts such as Edgewood. These parents filed lawsuits in both federal and state courts.
They lost their fight at the federal level, but in state court, in the case of Edgewood v. Kirby, they won.
This decision forced the Texas Legislature to find a more equitable method of funding public schools in the
state.
• Historical Constitutional Development in Texas
The state of Texas has had seven constitutions as the state’s political status has changed. The first
constitution was written in 1827, while Texas was part of the state of Coahuila in Mexico; the second
constitution was written in 1836 when the state was an independent republic, and the third was drafted in
1845, when Texas became part of the Union. In 1861, when Texas seceded from the Union to join the
Confederacy, a new constitution was adopted, yet another constitution was adopted in 1866, and the current
Texas Constitution was adopted after Reconstruction, in 1876. This is the constitution that is in use today.
Over the years, the constitutions have reflected political and structural changes in Texas.
• Texas Constitution Today
The current Texas Constitution was written in 1875 and ratified in 1876. This constitution, which currently
has over 400 amendments, was specifically designed to limit the power of government. The framers of the
Texas Constitution, many of whom were members of the Grange, believed that the powers in the previous
document had been abused, and they were determined that this would not happen again. In order to limit
power, the framers provided for biennial sessions of the legislature, as well as reduced terms of office for
both the governor and senators. The governor’s constitutional powers were also severely curtailed.
• Basic Principles of the Texas Constitution
The Texas Constitution reflects the political theory of John Locke on the issue of a limited government.
This limited government is established through a system of separation of powers and checks and balances.
Furthermore, the constitution provides for popular sovereignty. A bill of rights is included, guaranteeing
the rights of the individual. The structure of local government in the state is also spelled out in the
document.
• Criticisms of the Texas Constitution
The major criticisms of the Texas Constitution are that it is too long, that it is too detailed, and that it has
been amended too many times. Another criticism is that the Texas Constitution’s dispersal of power makes
it difficult to have strong leadership in the executive branch.
• The Long Ballot and Decentralized Administrative System
To further weaken the Texas governor, the constitution allows for the election of several members of the
executive branch. Theoretically, this gives the voters some control over these officeholders. Realistically,
voters are often unfamiliar with many of those running for elected office on this long ballot.
• Constitutional Amendment Process
Amendments to the Texas Constitution must first be proposed by the Texas Legislature. A synopsis of the
proposed amendment must be published twice in specific newspapers across the state. Then, the
amendment is placed on the ballot to be voted on by the people. The percentage of people voting on
constitutional amendments is very low. Since the constitution’s adoption, over 500 amendments have been
proposed and over 400 have been adopted.
Critics of the Texas Constitution propose that the constitution either be rewritten or radically changed. An
attempt to rewrite the constitution was made in the 1970s. A proposed document, which would have
streamlined Texas government, failed to pass a legislative vote. A later effort in which many of the
proposed changes to the Texas Constitution were drafted into proposed constitutional amendments and put
before the people also failed.
• Conclusion
The Texas Constitution, like other state constitutions, is important in organizing and limiting state
government. Numerous attempts have been made to overhaul the Texas Constitution. These efforts are
likely to continue.
Jeeez I'd much rather have AK than HI. We can always take Palin out "hunting".![]()
I am sure that we folks in BC and AB would get along fine without the ROC. Doubt we'd have much use for WA, OR, etc. but they can tag along if they like. You can have the ones with big populations if you like. I prefer wood and dirt over steel and glass, anyway.If any state were willing to join Canada, it would probably be Washington State. Maybe New York?
Our best catch would be New York. Washington State would be a pretty good deal too. Hmmm... What if we gave up Alberta and BC in exchange for New York State? We need the population after all.
If you don't think the media has any influence, just look at how little coverage the "Tea Pary" tax protest was covered last weekend. This is a letter I recieved from a friend of mine who attended one of these "Tea Parties".
Subject: Tea party and an Important Petition
Hi everyone,
My wife Ruth, my sister Ruth, and I joined the tea party on Tax Day at the intersection of Route 59 and Middletown Road in Nanuet and it was a great experience for all of us. It was the first time we ever took part in a protest demonstration and we met a lot of nice folks and had a lot of thumbs ups and horn honkers supporting us as they drove by for the 3 1/2 hours we spent holding up signs protesting the stimulus, the pork, and tax and spend policies of the Barak Hussein Obama administration.
So, you are in New York? I like you. So far, you are playing my game.
Unless you watch Fox news or listen to talk radio you probably didn't even know anything about the Tea Parties that took place all over the country on April 15 since the left wing liberal media totally ignored it. The Rockland County demonstration wasn't very large, after all this is a liberal area, but other parts of the country had very large turnouts. From what I can gather, there were anywhere from 800 to 2000 tea parties across the nation with 250,000 to 2,000,000 participants. The Alamo turnout was outstanding (God bless those Texans), New Mexico was terrific, Atlanta was fantastic, and even cold and wet D.C had a nice turnout right across the street from the White House despite the bad weather.
God bless you too, and thanks for the kind words for Texas, my home. Did you know this? George Bush turned down his retirement pay as a former president. Said he didn't need it, thank you very much. Clinton has sucked 6 million out of the America taxpayer in retirement. Did you know this? George Bush threw out the first pitch at the Rangers' opening game and got a standing ovation. Ya'll don't know anything about Texas except what you read. Don't believe everything you read.
Do you feel like a lot of people in this country are getting a free ride at your expense? Do you think that foreigners, illegal aliens, etc. should receive free healthcare at your expense? Do you wonder if Social Security will be there for you when you retire? Do you think members of Congress should receive Social Security benefits, just like most Americans, or should they just continue to receive their full pay forever after they leave office, as they do now, even after serving only one term? Should Nancy Pelosi "work" only 3 days a week in Washington and fly back and forth to San Francisco every week in her own personal 220 passenger jet at a cost of more than $6,000,000 a year? Do you think people that don't pay any taxes should get tax rebates and stimulus payments from your taxes?
Hell, yes. Those Mexicans are drinking our precious water, pissing in our sewer systems, cramming our schools full of sows' ears, flat taken over our prison space, stealing us blind, killing us on the highways because they cannot read English, pumping out babies like machine-guns, selling dope on every street corner - it goes on and on. They are the answer to Canada's population problem - take them! They're yours.
Obama promised change and he brought back the Clintonites and a bunch of political hacks and tax cheats, including Hillary. Obama promised transparency and he gets the biggest spending bill ever passed by a democrat congress without giving anybody time to read it. Obama promised a line by line veto and signs a huge pork and earmark filled budget. Taxes are heading through the roof and your children and their children will be paying the bills for tax and spend left wing extremist policies for their entire lifetimes unless we all wake up and join in the protest against taxes, just like the American Revolutionaries who helped found this great country in the 1700's at the Boston Tea Party.
Whoops - buddy, give the guy a chance. You've stepped in a hole and twisted your noodle. Sometimes the unknown is only conquered by trial and error. Haven't you ever screwed up and then tried something else? Who hasn't?