Q & A With Senator Barack Obama

In discussing an article on Texas Government and local politics, it seems ridiculous to not go into the subject of the coming year's presidential election. With the majority of the states primaries over, Texas is one of the few big states the candidates have left on their lists. I found an article in the San Antonio Express with Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (Q&A with Senator Barack Obama) which I feel is ideal due to the many Texas-related issues coming under discussion.

In discussing education, Senator Obama refers to the responsibility ultimately belonging with the state government, with the national government being somewhat limited as the constitution does not specifically mention education, it is left up to the states, as a reserved power.

The topic then switches to healthcare, and the fact Texans are the most uninsured Americans in every category. Senator Obama took this opportunity to take this to a national level and briefly address his plan for healthcare, making it more of a priority for the national government and taking some of the strain off the state governments.

Senator Obama also went into the issues of immigration and the war and the impact of both on Texas. Immigration is obviously a large issue here due to the fact that Texas makes up a majority of the border with Mexico, and the war’s role in the country’s national budget.

I was initially afraid articles concerning the presidential election may not delve deeply enough into our local government, but was thrilled to find an article that really hit on so many relevant topics. I would highly encourage anyone to read this article, if not to increase their familiarity with some of Texas government’s responsibilities and current issues, then at least as another facet to learn about Senator Obama’s stance on these issues.