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*