Politics in Texas: the past and present of Texan politics

The impact of culture on Texan politics

In order to understand the political environment in the state of Texas it is very important that we first understand the Texan culture. This is because a community’s culture has a major impact on the society’s political environment. The plantation culture of the Old South and the patron system are two important cultural dimensions which have shaped politics in Texas. These cultures gave rise to view that the main role of the government was in the preservation of law and order in society and that the responsibility of solving specific local issues was that of local councils. These values continue to exist and influence politics in Texas today. Scholars support their argument by pointing to how the voter turnout in Texas is lower than that of other parts of the United States.
Texas a traditionally Democratic state

With a few exceptions Texas was a Democratic state voting throughout the years until 1972. Republican support was limited to a few small pockets of communities located in the Texas Hill Country which opposed slavery. Over the years the state has produced a number of prominent politicians such as President Lyndon B. Johnson, Vice-President John Nance Garner, speaker of the House Sam Rayburn and Senator Ralph Yarborough all of which were Democrats. Interestingly however the Democrats in Texas lacked any real unity and were divided into three groups of conservatives, moderates and liberals.

The growth of the Republicans

The rise of the Republican Party’s influence in the state of Texas began in the 1960’s and originated in the rural communities of Dallas and Houston. The subsequent presidential victories of George H. W. Bush and congressman John Tower are an excellent example of this growth in Republican power. On a national level the two major political parties of the U.S. became increasingly divided with Democrats adopting more and more liberal outlooks to politics and Republicans becoming increasingly conservative in their approach. This played a major role in the rise of Republican power in the state of Texas which was and continues to be conservative as a whole with few exceptions such as the city of Austin which residents of other parts of Texas sarcastically label as the “People’s Republic of Austin”. Conservative Democrats began to leave their party to join forces with the increasingly more conservative Republicans. The situation has resulted in many Democrats believing that they can no longer win in the state of Texas. When Ann Richards lost her position as Governor of Texas to George W. Bush it ended a 120 year era of Democratic control over the governorship. Later in 2002 the Republicans took control of the House of Representatives yet again showing the growing power of Republicans in Texas.

The situation as it exists currently shows Republicans in majority at all Texas statewide offices, both houses of the legislature and with a clear majority in the congressional delegation. With a few exceptions (such as the city of Austin) Texas today is firmly in Republican control.

Austin Texas: the history of Austin Texas

The city of Austin Texas can trace its roots back to 9,200 BC when the earliest civilizations inhabiting this area lived during the later period of the Ice Age. This has been confirmed by archeologists who have excavated the areas around the Gault Site which is located between Georgetown and Fort Hood.

Later when waves of migrants from Europe starting flowing into America this historic city was inhabited by the Indian Tonkawa tribes, the Comanches and the Lipan Apaches. Many explorers went through this region however the area remained uninhabited by the Europeans for some time. This was due to the fierce resistance local Indian tribes put up against the settlers. During the early part of the 19th century the Spanish built a number of forts in what are now known as the Bastrop and San Marcos. However the population growth rate remained constrained due to the local Indian tribes in which a number of bloody battles were fought between the settlers and the Native Americans.

In a historic battle fought during 1835 and 1836 Texas gained independence from Mexico and became an independent state. During 1839, a commission was formed to locate a site to be established as the capital of the newly formed state. The commission identified Waterloo (the old name for Austin) an old settler’s town located on the Colorado river as an ideal location for the new capital. The commission selected this site based on firstly the town’s access to fresh water and secondly due to the location of the town as a key trade route. The town’s name was then converted to Austin in recognition of Stephen F. Austin who is today known as the father of Texas.

In 1840 a number of major battles were fought between the Texas Rangers and the Comanche’s. In these battles the Texas Rangers gained decisive victories over the Comanche’s which finally broke the influence of the local Indian tribes over the region. The result was a boom in the population growth rates in the region. However the new capitals growth was short lived. On the one hand the Mexican army continued to show hostile intentions to their neighbours and made frequent incursions into Texas. And although the Commanche’s strenght was severely weakened their presence in the region continued to create fear in the hearts of would be settlers. Given these circumstances Sam Houston the then president of Texas decided to shift the capital to Houston in 1841. However the city regained its capital status later in 1845.

During the American civil war which broke out 1861, Texas voted against secession and sided with the confederates. Later the development of the Houston and Texas railways in 1871 resulted in the city becoming a major trading route in the region with cotton and cattle becoming major trade commodities. The local cotton crop was exported to surrounding regions and was a major contributor to the city’s economic growth. However as the railroad continued its expansion into neighboring regions the city’s importance as a trade centre declined as these regions were better equipped to produce cotton and cattle ranching.

Later the oil boom of the late 1880’s and early 1900’s contributed significantly to the city’s economic progress. The funds from this industry provided government with resources to invest in the development and up gradation of the city’s infrastructure. Today Austin is the head office of a number of high tech and fortune 500 companies and continues to grow and develop.

Austin Texas: a city of many names and many slogans

Austin is the name of the capital city of Texas a state in the United States of America. The city is geographically located in central Texas and is based on the eastern edge of the American Southwest. The city is the fourth largest city in the state of Texas and is ranked as the 14th most populous country in the United States. The city’s population growth rate is one of the highest in the United States with an estimated population of 790,000 according to the 2010 U.S census. This interesting thing about Austin is that it is known by many unique and interesting names and slogans. Here we look at some of those that have been given to this city:

From Waterloo to Austin

The city was founded in the 1830’s on the banks of the Colorado river and was then named Waterloo. During 1839 Waterloo became the capital city for the newly established Republic of Texas an independent state. Then the name of the city was change to Austin in memory of the Stephen F. Austin who is known as the father of the state of Texas.

Silicon Hill

The city experienced a period of rapid growth during the 19th century which propelled it to become the heart of education, commerce and government in the state of Texas. Later the city’s growth was directed in the sectors of technology. Consequently many high tech corporations have established a presence in Austin which has resulted in the city being referred to as “Silicon Hill”. An example would be Dell, a global leader in laptops which maintains its head office in Round Rock a prominent suburb of Austin. Other major corporations ranked amongst the global fortune 500 also maintain a significant presence in Austin. These include Whole Foods Market, Forestar Group and Freescale Semiconductor to name a few.

Live musical capital of the world

Interestingly however the official title of Austin is the “live musical capital of the world”. This name was given in response to the numerous musicians and live music concerts that take place in Austin around the year.

Keep Austin weird

“Austinites” is the name given to the residents of Austin. Austinites prefer and promote a culture of what they refer to as “keep Austin weird”. The belief is that these values are in line with the traditional Texas-values of independence. Austinites are strongly protective of these values and fight to protect small community businesses from being driven out by large corporations.
Violet Crown and the Clean Air City

A unique characteristic of the city is that the hills glow violet during sunset giving rise to the name “violet crown” for Austin. In recent years the city has enacted tough anti-smoking laws which ban people from smoking in public places and buildings. The success of these laws have given Austin yet another name, that of “clean air city”.

Peoples Republic of Austin

Finally due to the liberal political culture of the Austinites which contrasts with that of most of conservative Texas the city is labeled as the “People’s Republic of Austin” by residents of other parts of Texas.

Sports Books Loving the WSOP November Nine

The 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event is finally down to the final table. The hundred day plus delay until the November Nine battle it out for poker’s most prestigious championship has opened the floodgates for the Sports books. This year, you can bet on the World Series of Poker Main Event winner at virtually any online sports book.

The November Nine Chip Count and Odds of Winning

1. Darvin Moon – 58,930,000 – 17 to 10
2. Eric Buchman – 34,800,000 – 3 to 1
3. Steven Begleiter – 29,885,000 – 4 to 1
4. Jeff Shulman – 19,580,000 4 to 1
5. Joseph Cada – 13,215,000 – 10 to 1
6. Kevin Schaffel – 12,390,000 – 12 to 1
7. Phil Ivey – 9,765,000 – 4 to 1
8. Antoine Saout – 9,500,000 – 12 to 1
9. James Akenhead – 6,800,000 – 22 to 1

While chip leader Darvin Moon is currently a 17 to 10 chalk, it seems feared professional Phil Ivey is getting mad respect with four to one odds, despite sitting ninth in chips. Ivey has roughly six times less chips than the leader. Perhaps the best value play in this WSOP Main Event field has to be online professional poker player Joseph Cada at 10 to 1 odds. Cada is no stranger to cashing, as he has amassed over $500,000 in online poker tournament winnings prior to finding his way into the middle of the pack of the November 9.

In addition to betting on the winner of this year’s WSOP Main Event, there are several proposition bets, most notably determining who will be the first to be eliminated at the final table, where the short stacked James Akenhead is a 2 to 1 chalk.

Additionally, you can bet on whether or not this year’s WSOP Main Event winner will be American or European. The entire remaining field less James Akenhead and Antoine Saout are American.

Additionally, various bets are floating around as to which of the WSOP November 9 will outlast one another, as well as bets as to what place each player will finish.

Not only is the World Series of Poker November 9 great for television and the world of poker, but it is also great for sports betting! Whether looking to wager on the winner of the Main Event or looking to place a last longer bet, the WSOP Main Event has many interesting propositions to wager upon.

Blackjack: When to call it a night

Everyone loves to walk away a winner. That’s the whole point, after all, of playing these games, right? So how can you set yourself up for success at the blackjack tables? There are a few things you can do here, either to walk away at the best or highest point as a winner, or to cut yourself off on the losing end before things get worse, as well.

The safest method for introducing a “cut-off” point is to set a benchmark number for yourself. You can do this in stages, actually. First, you can set a rule that once you go up $100 or down $100 (insert whatever dollar amount you prefer, of course), then you’re cut-off point would be another $50 in either direction. The danger there, though, is on the losing side, as it’s much easier for most to end up in the hole than in the positive, and the temptation to “keep trying to get back to even” is too great for some. Still, if you get yourself up $100 and are resolved to walk away if you lose half that back, you’re still leaving the table a winner. The other benchmark is simpler – and that’s just to set a “walk away” amount from the beginning. It puts less options in your hands, but sometimes fewer decisions can be good, as long as you stick to your plan.

The benchmark method of walking away on the winning side can also be a sliding scale. You don’t have to cut yourself off if you’re up $100 and win another $50. What you can do is continue to adjust up the amount available to lose and then walk away from the table. This way you can continue if you think you’re on a hot streak. For example, if you’ve made it to +$150, you can reset your stop point at $100, instead of the initial $50. Each time you win $50 or $100 more without dropping down to your stop point in the interim, you can continue to set yourself higher benchmarks for walking away. This is a disciplined and successful strategy for walking away a winner, and it’s highly recommended.

One final tip, always know how much you have (and how much you’re up or down) at quick glance. Don’t pile your chips. Separate them into small stacks, and keep your “break even” pile separate from your winnings. When it comes time to make a quick decision on playing another hand or walking away, you can tell where you stand in only a few seconds.

Online Casino games: Debunking some bad FAQ

Every now and then you run into people who want to have online casino gambling discussions with you, which is great. You can share strategies, war stories and tips over a few cold drinks. The potential pitfall to this is the frustration that comes with a stubborn claim, one that someone will not let go of. Let’s look at a the biggest one – that something is “due” to happen, and debunk it.

“If the blackjack dealer’s won 10 times in a row, he’s due to bust.” This one, maybe, you could bring some validity to if you’re counting cards and are making a prediction based on probability and not a hunch. The truth is, though, that most people who make this statement wouldn’t know what the true count was if the dealer himself were calling it out to him. I can’t stress this enough: each hand is new. Each hand is unrelated to the last hand you just played. There is no carry over. It might be hard to let go of a big loss from the previous hand, but to make money at casino games, you have to bring your brain and check your heart at the door.

“If a roulette ball hits red 20 times in a row, it’s “due” to hit black, and you should bet your next few spins accordingly.” Wrong. Show me the mathematical reasoning behind something like this before it even escapes your lips. In fact, show me any study of any number of spins and I’ll show you a study that refutes your statement.

“I was “bound” to make my hand on the river.” Ah, the low-limit, ignorant, chain-smoking Hold ‘em player. Love these worthless comments. I just heard this phrase verbatim last weekend. Here’s the truth: if you were “bound” to get it, it was because statistically there was a greater than 50% chance of that card or suit or whatever coming up. Otherwise, you just got lucky. I’ve been lucky with the river a few times, and I didn’t feel like I was “due” to get the card. I felt like I escaped with some chips because I probably should’ve lost. If you’ve lost on the river 15 of your last 15 times, the 16th hand promises no leeway to the “down on their luck.” Again, a new hand, a new deal, a new set of odds.

Mixing up your game

If you play internet poker for a while, regardless if it’s an online poker tournament or a cash game, you should be very careful about being too predictable. Being a predictable player is a bad strategy, because your adversaries will learn to predict your behavior and will be also able to decipher the meanings of your bets.

Being deciphered by the adversaries will prove to be disastrous, as everyone will fold when you have great hands, so that you’d get almost nothing in the pot, you’d get called when you’re bluffing and if you have mediocre hands, you’d be forced to drop.

For instance, beginners in the game of poker, are often not used to the values of the hands: they’ll act too confident and start raising on really bad hands and will be shy and just call on premium hands. This strategy, which is the opposite of what a normal player will do, sometimes confuses at first even the top players, who might lose a few hands to them, before they realize how their opponents really plays.

An non-predictable Pacific Poker player is a successful player, because your adversaries will not know what to expect from you. This is why you should try to change your style once in a while. After a few hands in which you were raising on weak hands and slow-playing the weaker ones, try the opposite and play a nice tight-aggressive play, with an especially aggressive raising on the best hands.

You can cultivate an image of being an especially tight player, who only plays the great hands and who always bets proportional to the strength of the hand. Then, you can use this image to bluff. It might get you several wins, and, eventually, you’ll get caught a few times.
When you got caught for bluffing, you get another opportunity. Your opponents will know you bluff, so they might not believe you have a good hand next time you raise your bet. This will give you an opportunity to increase the bet a lot when you have a good hand.

Nevertheless, you should know that playing the “wrong way” (bluffing, slow-playing) shouldn’t be your standard play. You can use them just to seed doubt into the minds of your adversaries, but not as your regular play. Just use a nice tight-aggressive play for most of the time and you will win the most in your poker games.