COMMENTARY BLOG 6

Las Vegas isn’t named the “City of Sin,” because the lights go out at 2am and the majority of people are in bed asleep by midnight. The city that never sleeps, houses some of the best and worst people Americans loath, yet still accommodate, but what makes the city unlike any other is not its virginal characteristics. Las Vegas is a place to escape when the normality of life is so mundane that innate impulsivity takes over. Unfortunately, Texas is not Nevada. What sets us apart is the cultural aspect. Texas has been a melting pot to many ethnic groups. Although there are pockets of metropolitan areas the majority of the state is rural. Because of our proximity with Mexico, Texans have integrated a lot of the Hispanic culture into everyday living. Hispanics also tend to put more emphasis in the importance of family, which could be one of the reasons that our laws our not as lose as other states. Texans are still very conservative, as opposed to states such as California and Nevada. While Austin itself is a very liberal city, the rest of our neighboring cities are not as quick to adapt to liberal ideology. So for right now, because of the demographics of the state and a ridiculously high number of fatalities due to drunk driving, I don’t think that Texans will see the drinking hour being extended.

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In one of the most pivotal elections in American History, Senator Barack Obama defeated running mate Senator John McCain, and left the GOP scrambling to save incumbents. In an era when economic uncertainly lends no helping hands to republican big business tactics, the democratic Party capitalized on the need for change. Luckily, under the weight of debt and frustration, American’s everywhere are concentrating more on issues that deal with the quality of life, rather than a standard for living.
Although, throughout the debates, it’s easy for us to forget that our great nation is divided by fifty equally great states. Each of the states consists of individuals who make every vote count; individuals who knock on doors and poll and cold call undecided voters, because of there overwhelming passion for their candidate’s platform.
Take Texas for example, which had a higher turn out for people between the ages of 18-24, than any other election of its kind. Part of it has to do with how demographics have changed, but for the majority of young adults, they have embarked on a crusade to enable change. Causing long lines at polling precincts and ballot shortages were the least of some of the problems.