Gerrymandering In Austin

Living in Austin I have seen this city grow into what it is now. I have experienced gerrymandering through my friends and the stories of other Austinites as well. Gerrymandering is when US policies manipulate the division of districts, cities, states, etc., this is something that directly affects those that are forced to move from their homes due to several factors. Some of these factors include raising property taxes, "cracking" or "packing". This has become a national issue because it affects millions of residents all over the country,

In Austin, there have been so many cases in which Gerrymandering forced people to lose their homes. In most cases, this results from companies wanting to construct their business location close to Austin and therefore try to push the residents to the outsides of Austin. If you simply take a drive downtown, you will see modern and luxurious buildings being built where a home used to be. I remember that East Austin was full of homes that were several generations old. It is truly sad to see these multimillionaire companies push families away from their homes.

I know also though close friends that in California this issue is gravely affecting families. With property taxes already being high and then raises are implemented, people have no choice to leave. Residents of Los Angeles in particular, have faced Gerrymandering first hand. Los Angeles is another city that is rapidly growing and expanding.

I believe that the US government should take action on this nationwide issue and prevent the bigger guy from taking advantage of the little guy. More regulations should be implemented and a heavier hand on cracking" and "packing". Many states have already banned gerrymandering and redistricting, yet more action should be made in not allowing political parties to control it and favor their party by attacking the weaker spots.






Comments

  1. John DoeDecember 13, 2019 at 8:32 PM

    This is a very interesting topic that doesn't get as much attention as it should. Most of the time I hear people talking about Gerrymandering it is talked about at the national level, although it is obviously still very prevalent in Cities as well. It really hard to see families pushed out of their homes because companies want them to build business' there. I'm also interested in the "other factors" you mentioned that causes these families to relocate from their homes. I definitely realized local gerrymandering this was an issue but I don't think i noticed how big of a problem it is. I've heard that gerrymandering in Texas is one of the worst states. It doesn't seem fair for big companies to be able to bully families out of their homes. I agree the US Government should take action on this nation wide issue and take the following steps to handle the situation correctly. Overall, this was a great article, very informative and interesting. The only thing I wish you touched on my more is the "other factors" that gerrymandering affects in negative ways.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DACA and its effects

After reading Why DACA Should Not Be Removed , I would like to say that I enjoyed and got a really good insight into this nationwide issue. I was able to read and educate myself on the process of the renewal process. I was not aware of the cost or the actual lengthy steps a DACA recipient has to go through in order to renew their permit.  I was always a supporter due to my older sister being a DACA recipient. I believe more should be done to help the dreamers and their families. These are young people who have the dream to go to college and live in the United States. It was nice reading about how this permit allows people to better themselves, especially by hearing the first-hand experience of Alejandra. In this blog I was able to realize the importance it has on society and the impact dreamers have on the United States as a whole.  T oo many people may be overseeing this issue and have not come to the realization as I did. As Alejandra said, these are people who have not commi
Read more

Texas Texas Stage Five

After reading the article by Texas Texas  over Warren's educational plan, I was able to learn a lot. I agree with Bertha on several points she sated. Throughout the article, I was able to learn about how Warren's plan was dedicated to helping impoverished kids, help racial integration into schools, and strict limits on fundings for charter schools. It was interesting to read this because I went to a charter school from 5th grade all the way through high school. Although I did not read much about charter school funding I found it interesting. I believe her statements about how children should not be separated from the rest of the kids due to them not being able to understand a particular material, to be true and socially right. I was able to relate to the feeling of being glad to be let our early during test weeks. I remember being glad I did not receive homework due to test week and that we should "study" instead when we had been studying for the exams all semester
Read more