The redheaded stepchild

Last week there were some changes to the way the congressional districts of Texas are drawn, and surprise, surprise – it looks like Karnes County will be packing its bags and changing districts again.

We’ve been moved around a lot over the past several years.

At one time we were part of the 15th congressional district represented by Ruben Hinojosa (D) before becoming part of the 14^th Congressional district represented by Ron Paul (R) and then the 25^th Congressional District represented by Lloyd Doggett (D).

And now we have come full circle – returning to the 15^th Congressional District of Texas, which is still represented by Ruben Hinojosa.

This all started with the redistricting, which is expected every ten years or so following the usual census updates, but then there was another redistricting, and then legal challenges and lately it seems like the districts are being redrawn every week.

Now that we’re back in the 15^th, what does this mean to Karnes County?

Honestly, I haven’t a clue.

Our county has a small number of voters which means we usually end up way down on the totem pole of a congressman’s priority list.

How many people in the "new" 15^th district live in Karnes County?

About two percent.

That’s right, about one out of every 50 constituents in the 15^th Congressional District live in Karnes County, so it’s easy to see why our interests often take a back seat to the interests of say…for instance…Hidalgo County, which has a population of 379,884. That’s right, about 29 out of every 50 constituents hang their hats in Hidalgo County.

Which county do you think is going to be the priority?

You do the math.

Living in a rural sparsely populated area, it often seems that we are the proverbial unwanted "redheaded stepchild" of whichever congressman gets stuck with us.

Like a football tossed around in a political game we’ve been kicked around, side to side, back and forth, up and down, to the point where I think if you asked the average Karnes Countian who their congressman is – not many would know.

A press release from Congressman Hinojosa laments the fact that his district is losing Bastrop, Fayette, Colorado and Lavaca Counties, but he doesn’t even mention that his district is gaining Karnes Duval and Live Oak Counties.

It doesn’t sound like he’s real excited about having the people of these rural counties back under his representation.

Through these past years it seems to me that it didn’t really matter whether we were represented by Hinojosa, Paul or Doggett – they all promised a whole lot more than they delivered. Sadly enough, this is not unexpected.

I think this constant shell game has benefited the politicians, because lately none of the congressmen have been around long enough for voters to evaluate how well they have represented the people of Karnes County.

Not that it would matter.

Even if every registered voter in Karnes County decided to oust their congressman, the effect on the outcome of the election would usually be like the wind from a butterfly’s wings – hardly noticeable.

That’s not to say we shouldn’t vote. There have been elections decided on a very slim margin, and so it is important for us to always hold our representatives accountable by how we vote.

There may come an election when the choices made by only a handful of voters will determine the future of this country.

And who knows? Those voters might live in Karnes County.