Complete a writing assignment comparing the state of Texas to another state of your choice. Minimum 4 pages in length (NOT including the cover sheet). See attached for the questions and r

State Comparative Paper Guidelines and Rubric

Students will complete a writing assignment comparing the state of Texas to another state of their choice. The due date is December 1, and it must meet the following requirements:

· Length and Format

1. The paper must be a minimum four pages in length, not including the cover sheet and Reference page.

2. Characters must be typed in Times New Roman using 12-point font.

3. Lines must be double-spaced

4. Margins must be one inch in length.

5. Paragraphs must be indented.

6. Subheadings are not permitted as the written portion should only include paragraphs.

· Organization, Content, and Sources

1. Separate Cover sheet

a. Your name

b. State Comparative Paper

c. Government 2306

d. Date

2. Body ( Each letter must be a separate paragraph.)

a. Introduction paragraph with thesis statement.

b. What is the state you have chosen to compare with Texas and why did you choose it?

c. Name three issues/problems currently facing your chosen state and how its governor and legislators are addressing them.

d. How does your chosen state’s legislature compare to that of Texas? What about the governor?

e. Provide a summary of the political party makeup in your chosen state. Is it more Republican, Democratic, or a combination of both? Include evidence.

f. Provide a summary of voter eligibility requirements for your chosen state. How is voter turnout in this state and how does it compare to Texas? Explain.

g. Are there changes Texas policymakers (e.g., governor, legislature, and local officials) should implement from your chosen state? Conversely, are there ideas your chosen state should adopt from Texas? Explain.

h. Conclusion paragraph

3. Separate Reference Page

a. Sources must be fully documented on a separate page using APA, 7th edition.

b. The heading “References” must be centered on the page.

 

4. Sources

a. The paper must include a minimum of six sources to receive full credit. Examples of acceptable sources are government websites, major newspapers, political/news media websites, and article databases offered by the Lone Star College Library.

b. In-text citations are required using APA, 7th edition. This means sources must be cited in the body showing where each was used.

c. The following sources are prohibited for use in the paper: Wikipedia, the class textbook, and using the same source more than once. For the “same source more than once” restriction, this means that if you use an article from the Houston Chronicle then you can’t use another article from the Houston Chronicle. This rule is intended to require students to use a diversity of sources.

· Submission Instructions: Click the “State Comparative Paper” tab in D2L to submit the paper.

STATE COMPARATIVE PAPER RUBRIC
Criteria-Levels of Achievement	Excellent-100%	Acceptable-80%	Needs Improvement-60%	Unsatisfactory-0%
Content	60%	The body meets the minimum length requirements of four pages, has exceptional details, includes all content areas, and an exemplary thesis statement.	The body is three but less than four pages in length, has sufficient details, includes all or most of the content areas, and a proficient thesis statement.	The body is less than three pages in length, has incomplete details, includes partial content areas, and thesis statement is either missing or needs revision.	Did not complete.
Sources	20%	Six or more acceptable sources were used, fully cited on the Reference page, and properly cited within the paper using APA.	Five acceptable sources were used, fully cited on the Reference page, and properly cited within the paper using APA.	Four sources were used; Five or more acceptable sources were used but not cited on the Reference page and within the paper using APA.	Three or less acceptable sources were used.
Grammar-Format	20%	Times New Roman 12-point font, double-spaced, one-inch margins, and separate cover page. No writing errors.	Times New Roman 12-point font, double-spaced, one-inch margins, and separate cover page. Three or fewer writing errors.	Times New Roman 12-point font, double-spaced, one-inch margins, and separate cover page. Four or more writing errors.	Incorrect font, spacing, margins, or cover page missing. Four or more writing errors.

USEFUL NOTES FOR:

g. Are there changes Texas policymakers (e.g., governor, legislature, and local officials) should implement from your chosen state? Conversely, are there ideas your chosen state should adopt from Texas? Explain.

Introduction

If you’re thinking about moving to Texas, one question that might come up is “What should I do about [insert issue here]?” The answer is: don’t worry! There are plenty of ways for states to learn from each other. In this post we’ll look at some ideas from your home state and two ways they can be adopted by Texas policymakers. We’ve also included some other topics that will help get you started on your research process!

Are there changes Texas policymakers (e.g., governor, legislature, and local officials) should implement from your chosen state?

If you are looking to improve the state in which you live, look no further than Texas. The Lone Star State has made many changes over the years that have helped improve its economy and quality of life for all Texans. Some of these include:

Increasing sales tax on goods (to raise revenue) and decreasing income tax in order to attract more businesses to come here. This is a good thing because it helps increase employment opportunities for lower-income people who may not be able to afford living elsewhere but still want a job that pays well enough so they can become self-sufficient

Making it easier for entrepreneurs who want start their own businesses by providing them with incentives such as tax breaks or other perks like access roads so they don’t have trouble getting around town when trying out new products or ideas before committing fully!

Conversely, are there ideas your chosen state should adopt from Texas?

If you were to make a list of things that Texas should adopt from Texas, what would be on it?

Texas should have a state income tax. This is an obvious choice, since we already have one and it works well here. The problem is that other states don’t have them yet—so they can learn from us!

Texas should also have a state sales tax (aka “state sales”). It would be great if we could use this revenue source as an alternative to raising taxes on our citizens; instead of raising taxes on people who can afford them most easily (the wealthy), we could raise their costs by putting more money into everyone else’s pockets through higher prices at grocery stores or gas stations across town or around town somewhere else entirely depending upon where you live in relation to where these stores are located geographically within your community area population center area code postal code postal region county municipality city borough township village ward district ward etcetera etcetera…

Explain.

The question asks for an explanation of why the idea is good or bad, and how it would work in your chosen state. It’s important to remember that there are many different ways to approach this question, so it’s best to think about what you’d like your answer to say before you start writing.

For example:

“The idea is good because it helps teachers stay focused on their students’ needs.”

“The idea is bad because teachers who spend more time on special education would have less time for general education students.”

g. Are there changes Texas policymakers (e.g., governor, legislature, and local officials) should implement from your chosen state? Conversely, are there ideas your chosen state should adopt from Texas? Explain.

Texas has a better economy than Florida.

Texas has a better education system than Florida.

Texas has better infrastructure than Florida, including transportation (roads and bridges), power grid and water systems, public health care facilities, etcetera…

4 . The state also provides more services at lower cost than those in other states: education at no charge; universal health insurance coverage through Medicaid; child care services at no cost to parents who need them; paid leave when needed by employees with children under 18 years old; generous pensions for many workers who retire early or work past normal retirement age due to illness or disability

Conclusion

In conclusion, we’ve explored what Texas policymakers should consider adopting from other states and vice versa. You might want to take some time to think about how your state is different or similar from another one, then look at what can be done differently in those areas. We hope this will give you some ideas for the next time you find yourself wanting more inspiration from elsewhere!