David F. Prindle

The single most important domestic source of oil and gas is managed by the Texas Railroad Commission. As a result, the Commission has for decades exerted a profound influence on United States and world energy policy. This influence may even increase with the recent decision to remove price controls on oil and gas. Commission decisions determine where and when oil and gas wells are drilled, how much can be produced from them, and how the products can be transported. Since the 1930s the Commission has heavily influenced both the supply and the price of petroleum in the rest of the country simply because Texas provides such a large proportion of the United States' petroleum. As might be expected with the management of resources worth billions of dollars, the Railroad Commission has been an arena of intense political maneuvering. David Prindle examines in detail seven policymaking episodes, covering five decades of the Commission's history. He recounts the economic and political cleavages arising from clashes of interest, the efforts of individuals and organizations to exert influence, the motives and methods underlying the policy choices of the Commissioners, and the political and economic consequences of those choices, both for Texas and for the rest of the country. This detailed look at the Railroad Commission and the politics of petroleum in Texas will be of interest to the general public and all those involved in the oil and gas industry. Scholars and students in the field of policy studies, especially energy policy, will find this book to be an invaluable guide to an important sector of the American petroleum industry.

Petroleum Politics and the Texas Railroad Commission

Rarely are the off-screen lives of actors examined for evidence of deep thinking or good citizenship. Still more rarely do the internal workings of labor unions attract public scrutiny. Nevertheless, as David Prindle shows in his examination of democracy in the Screen Actors Guild, this actors’ union has for over 50 years been an arena for idealistic, yet intense and hardboiled political maneuvering. In The Politics of Glamour, readers become aware of the seriousness and political commitment displayed by people whom the general public has generally admired more for their artistic skills. After reading this account of politics among America’s screen royalty, no one could wonder about where Ronald Reagan, a former SAG president, received his political training. Besides analyzing the politics of SAG, however, the author follows a good story wherever it leads. The reader can expect to learn something about the political economy of Hollywood and the American labor movement, the value of celebrity within the acting community, the impact of technological change, and even a bit of gossip.

Ideology and Democracy in the Screen Actors Guild

The Politics of Glamour

Charldean Newell

James Riddlesperger

TEXAS POLITICS: IDEAL AND REALITY critically compares Texas government and politics to the concepts of democratic theory by raising three main themes: democratic ideals, conservatism, and conflict. Lively presentation of material encourages students to consider controversial issues and debates. In the 2015-2016 Edition, new policy coverage, updates reflecting the Texas legislative session that ended in June 2014, and new “Texas Politics and You” features that ask students to become directly involved in current and contentious issues, often through social media, keep this book cutting edge. Important Notice: Media content referenced within the product description or the product text may not be available in the ebook version.

Texas Politics 2015-2016

Packed with up-to-date coverage of the latest issues, Newell/Prindle/Riddlesperger's TEXAS POLITICS: IDEAL AND REALITY, 14th Edition, helps you see how state politics impact your everyday life. Timely and relevant, it explores the Texas government through the lenses of three main themes: the ideals of democratic theory, political conservatism and private influence over public policy. Thoroughly updated, it offers insightful coverage of the 2020 election results and their bizarre aftermath, voting versus abstention, immigration, climate change, the fight over mandatory child vaccinations, the ongoing debate surrounding capital punishment, the Legislature's increasing partisan polarization, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on state politics and much more. Important Notice: Media content referenced within the product description or the product text may not be available in the ebook version.

Texas Politics: Ideal and Reality

Professor David F Prindle

A truly interdisciplinary enterprise, The Paradox of Democratic Capitalism examines the interplay of ideas about politics, economics, and law in American society from the pre-revolutionary era to the eve of the September 11 attacks. David F. Prindle argues that while the United States was founded on liberalism, there is constant tension between two ideals of the liberal tradition: capitalism and democracy. Tracing the rise of natural law doctrine from neoclassical economics, Prindle examines the influence of economic development in late medieval society on the emergence of classical liberalism in early America and likens that influence to the impact of orthodox economics on contemporary American society. Prindle also evaluates political, economic, and legal ideas through the lens of his own beliefs. He warns against the emerging extremes of liberal ideology in contemporary American politics, where the right's definition of capitalism excludes interference from democratic publics and the left's definition of democracy excludes a market-based economy.

Politics and Economics in American Thought

The Paradox of Democratic Capitalism

The controversy over teaching evolution or creationism in American public schools offers a policy paradox. Two sets of values—science and democracy—are in conflict when it comes to the question of what to teach in public school biology classes. Prindle illuminates this tension between American public opinion, which clearly prefers that creationism be taught in public school biology classes, versus the ideal that science, and only science, be taught in those classes. An elite consisting of scientists, professional educators, judges, and business leaders by and large are determined to ignore public preferences and teach only science in science classes despite the majority opinion to the contrary. So how have the political process and the Constitutional law establishment managed to thwart the people’s will in this self-proclaimed democracy? Drawing on a vast body of work across the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities, Prindle explores the rhetoric of the evolution issue, explores its history, examines the nature of the public opinion that causes it, evaluates the Constitutional jurisprudence that upholds it, and explains the political dynamic that keeps it going. This incisive analysis is a must-read in a wide range of disciplines and for anyone who wants to understand the politics of biology.

David F. Prindle

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