For Immediate Release: 7/22/2006

Austin, Texas  -  Ethnicity and The Manipulative Politics of Redistricting

The unique, diverse and multiple heritages of Mexican Americans and Hispanics originate in many parts of America, Europe and beyond. Why are these Americans placed into a single, separate group for the purposes of politics?

Why do a myriad of groups seek to draw the electoral maps to suit their partisan or selfish interests? The Congress has over time passed legislation to favor, or suppress, certain ethnic groups and incumbent politicians. Sometimes it is an attempt to concentrate a group in a district to improve their own electoral prospects. Sometimes it is an attempt to disperse an group to undermine the opposing party's prospects. Sometimes one district is conceded to a group to strengthen other districts, usually by concentrating as many of that group as possible in a single district.

As this process escalates, we now see politicians and parties trading groups of real people in a partisan effort to gain personal and political advantage. To watch human beings traded off for electoral power embarrasses me as an American.

We re-elect and therefore allow incumbents to rig the system in their favor in so many ways - redistricting being only one. With the court not finding a constitutional restraint to frequent re-districting, we now face the disgusting prospect of politicians choosing their constituents every election, rather than the people electing their representatives. Taking this to the absurd, we may even see redistricting in special elections, to assure the people cannot remove their scheming rulers.

Mexican Americans have the same needs and desires as all Americans. We all want to raise our families as we see fit. We all want to work and build businesses without undue interference from the government. Americans love liberty and the rule of law. We all want an honest government.

When will the politicians give up the idea that we are each to be placed in a static ethnic group? Does this need to be a major consideration in our legal and political lives? Some go even further by bundling up a super-group of ethnic groups.

The United States has removed all official governmental and legal suppression of 'racial' or ethnic groups that I'm aware of. The only discrimination I know of is that which pretends to help artificial groups. But in the end, it probably harms those groups and our society as a whole, by encouraging division. The politics of division is being upheld by the actions of the Supreme Court. The voting rights act, especially changes made to it since it's original passage should be found unconstitutional.

It is true that there are some prejudiced people in the political parties, amongst public servants, as well as in the general public. Certainly, we must not allow officials to exercise their prejudice through their official powers. All types abuse of official power by those entrusted in public servants should be especially sternly punished.

I believe we need legislation that specifies when redistricting can be done and for what reasons. I also feel that we should set criteria on how districts are to be drawn. I would suggest the following criteria: as close as possible to square in shape (compact), based on small and medium sized city and county lines, based on physical boundaries like rivers, highways and railroad tracks. To facilitate easy to understand districts it would be advisable to allow a reasonable variation in the sizes of districts, perhaps 0.01%.

The state of Texas currently has a computer called 'Target', which is used to distort our elections by using various parameters. It can and should be used with geographic considerations, and without those ethnic and political parameters.

Districts should not be the play toys of Machiavellian operators. Many politicians claim that redistricting is in its essence completely political. They say it has to be this way and that it always will be this way. I say no! Districts can and should be objectively drawn using a clear and objective set of criteria.

Grant Rostig is the Republican candidate for the 25th Congressional District of Texas in 2006. He is a Liberty-Republican, endorsed by and following in the footsteps of Ron Paul (R) of TX CD 14. For more information please see http://www.Grant4Congress.com

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