“Bill Ratliff: A Profile of Courage and Leadership in American Politics” (2016), by Robert Sterken, is a written record of the political history of Bill Ratliff, the 40th Lieutenant Governor of the state of Texas. Sterken delves, not only into the politics of Bill Ratliff, but his life story. The history behind Ratliff is essential to understanding his psyche, as it was his morale character that would be the mold for the choices in his political career. In this essay, the author will provide an overview of the book, and then discuss three political decisions Ratliff made while serving in office. The story of Bill Ratliff is explained from his childhood life to his final days as Lieutenant Governor. The author emphasizes the importance of …show more content…
Ratliff, the original architect behind the bill, approached Senator Bullock with ideas of reforming the Texas education code. Ratliff firmly believed that the Texas school code was a convoluted mess. Ratliff was readily supported by his colleagues, all of whom had their own opinions of the Texas school code. Interim meetings were birth places for more ideas for reformation, leading to Ratliff receiving permission to draft his bill. Though approved by the Legislative council, Ratliff’s proposal would go on to face scrutiny in the eyes of the House and Senate. The bill would eventually be championed by Senator Paul Sadler, whose voice of influence would be vital to the successful passing of the bill. With the bill successfully passed, Ratliff drafted funding formulas to be used by high schools and universities alike. This bill become a successful highlight in Ratliff’s career, as it would lead to the creation of several major universities in the state of …show more content…
From my own reading, I was drawn into the history of events that have taken place in the Texas capital and was given an inside-view into the eyes of a political figure and the configuration of state politics and controversies. Reading about events such as the Bo Pilgrim bill is a catalyst for questions concerning what type of people have been and are currently in the Texas State government. Politicians, in the past, have needed to rely on funds from supports like Bo Pilgrim in order to run their campaigns; by raising the call on ethical issues in the state government, such as bribery, politicians like Ratliff prove that their interests concern the people, not their politics. Sterken’s segments on the history of Ratliff’s time as the Texas Lieutenant Governor is a fascinating part of, not only Ratliff’s story, but of the events that transpired during that time. From personal experience, an individual who states that they stand for bipartisan political interests is vastly untrue, as those people will always display favor for one ideology over the other. At times, Ratliff has shown his favor for more democratic values despite his republican billing; however, from Sterken account, Ratliff’s tenure as Lieutenant Governor shows his grit to stand against both parties under duress by controversial issues. “Bill Ratliff: A Profile of Courage and Leadership in American Politics” is an excellent publication that not only serves to educate, but to
The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast the political careers of Richard B. Russell and Carl Vinson (Brown, 2016). Overall, these two men political careers have positively affected Georgia. During their prime, their leadership skills were at an exemplary level. Each of these individuals deserves to have their names registered in history. They positively affected the United States as a whole. These two individuals had their hearts on absolutely affecting Georgia and the United States. They were indeed optimistic in affecting citizens within our nation’s community. This paper states the well renowned actions during their political careers.
The books “Fertile Ground, Narrow Choices” by Rebecca Sharpless and “The Path to a Modern South” by Walter L. Buenger paint a picture of what life was like from the late 1800’s to the 1930’s. Though written with their own style and from different views these two books describe the modernization of Texas through economics, politics, lifestyles and gender roles, specifically the roles of women during this era.
In the book Storm Over Texas, by Joel H. Silbey the critical controversy of North vs. South is displayed. The book goes into great detail of the wild moments leading into the Civil War, the political dysfunction that ran throughout Texas, and many reasons the American Civil War sparked up in the first place. This book truly captives great Texas history and has valid information and points of our states different point of views on history.
Bill Buford, New York Times writer, and avid home cook, unsuspectedly steps into the chaos of Babbo, an Italian restaurant owned by the boisterous, Mario Batali. His quiet and orderly life is shattered by the disorder and ruthlessness of a Michelin star kitchen. While Bill’s superego controls many aspects of his life, he is mostly driven by his id in the kitchen. When first beginning his tenure in the kitchen, Bill carried with him his superego drive, often incorporating his New York upper-middle class societal ideals into his manners and actions. These ideals which include politeness, orderliness, and a strive for perfection are often overshadowed and defeated by the chaotic environment of the kitchen and the self-centered nature of the
William Anderson presents a well-written history of the rise and fall of a Georgia demagogue, Eugene Talmadge. Anderson's narrative provides insight into Talmadge's popular support and how he orchestrated the perception of being a "man of the people." He also has a smooth flowing writing style that keeps the story moving and the reader interested in following along.
“To the world you may be just another person, but to one person you may just be the world (Snyder, ThinkExist.com). In Pat Frank’s book, Alas Babylon, Randy Bragg is no one of importance. He is failed politician that lives off his family’s land in a small town, Fort Repose, in Florida. But For this small town lawyer everything was about to change. The United States had been on edge of Nuclear Warfare with Russia for years. Frank writes on about how one man, Randy Bragg, redeems himself from a failed politician to a somewhat of a town hero (Frank).
In response to Michael Arntfield’s thesis, the Sociologist would support the comparison between Batman’s Gotham and Gomorrah to London. Simply, the comparison is justified since Arntfield uses many examples by naming different killers such as the “Bedroom Strangler” and the “Mad Slasher”. Also, Arntfield gives evidence to the amount of violence by including the amount of murders in London. He also adds how many laws weren’t even in place for most of the time in London such as pedophilia, which would only lead to a “slap on the wrist” type of situation from others. Psychologically, Arntfield explained some of the types of these criminals. Of those were: visionary, missionary, power-control,
Web. 09 Feb. 2011. O'Connor, Karen J. "Chapter 20: The Context for Texas Politics and Government. " American Government Continuity And Change, 2006 Election Update Texas Edition.
University of Texas at Austin. Texas Politics, The legislative Branch. Austin, 2nd Edition-Revision 94 2009, Liberal Arts Instructional Technology Services.
Texas went through a great amount of political change from being dominated by the Democratic Party during the 1960s and 70s, from the Republican Party taking over in the 80s. One of the big reasons for this change was due to the political party’s views. Throughout this essay I will discuss the changes of the political stances in Texas as well as the present day factors that affect America.
...is own. In an overall assessment of this book, Martin comes to the conclusion that “Campbell has succeeded in providing a thoughtful, very readable, and eminently useful survey of a fluid, exciting, and fascinating period of United States and Texas history through the lens of the life of the greatest Texas hero of them all” showing that Martin as well as Campbell seemed to be very fascinated by the heroism of Sam Houston (The Journal of Southern History, 60, November 1994, 796).
Thesis: The nine years of Texas’s independence were long and seemed to be dragged out. Were those nine years unnecessary and could it have been done in a shorter period of time? 13 October 1834 was the first revolutionary meeting of the American citizens who’d settled in Mexico, in the area soon to be known as Texas. The people attempted a movement that soon was laid to rest by the Mexican Congress. Attempts at independence were silenced for the time being and the elections of 1835 proceeded forward.
The funding of public education has long been an issue for the state government of Texas. Starting before Texas was even a state, public education funding was at the forefront of politicians’ minds. In 1836, one of the reasons Anglo-Texans wanted to become independent from Mexico was Mexico’s lack of a public school system (An Overview of the History of Public Education in Texas, 2016). This drove the desire of President Mirabeau B. Lamar of the Republic of Texas to create legislation that would grant public schools land (A Brief History of Public Education, n.d.). This act set aside four leagues of land per county for the use of free education centers and thus began the funding of public education by the state government (An Overview of the History of Public Education in Texas, 2016). In the last 177 years, the Texas Legislature and the Texas Education Agency have created numerous acts and laws regarding the funding of education, but it has been in the last 50 years that this topic has become highly contested, resulting in several lawsuits and endless efforts (by the school districts) to equalize the distribution of funds to Texas school districts (Texas School Finance History, n.d.). In sum, the complex issues and policies that surround the funding of public education are derived from a combination of the legislature, bureaucratic agencies, and local governments in the form of school districts.
As the state becomes more violent and brutal, some characters are able to prosper, while others are defeated by the lack of law and humanity. Anton Chigurh is the epitome of the what Texas is evolving into. His lack of authority and humanity allow him to adopt the new ways and accomplish his prospects without struggle. On the other hand, Sheriff Bell’s reliance on the old ways ultimately prove to be inefficient in handling this society. Between these two ultimatums is Llewelyn Moss, whose ignorance of what society has transformed into eventually leads to his demise. Ultimately, those that were able to conform to such a brutal society were able to thrive, whereas those that relied on the old ways of law and ethics were eradicated as they could not keep up with
...neth M. Goldstein, and William G. Howell. "Chapter 20 The Social and Economic Milieu of Texas Poltics." Understanding American Politics and Government. Texas ed. New York: Longman, 2010. 690-93. Print.