What Century is Texas in?

After living in Texas for a majority of my life and seeing how things change, one thing about our state’s heading is clear- there will be slow change. A recent article published by the Austin American Statesman reveals the backwards processes our State still endorses- the death penalty. Despite the fact that most of the states in our country have outlawed this heinous practice of "justice", it is a very clear act of barbarianism to me. A recent botching of the procedure happened this week in Oklahoma, another state that supports the death penalty. Despite the large amount of negative attention this scandal received, putting into question why the procedure is still legal, Texas prison officials made it clear to the press that they were not looking for any alternatives, currently or for the future. 

This announcement from our state officials bothers me quite a bit, because currently our state executes more people than some countries even do, and yet we have lower crime rates than many of our states that have banned the penalty altogether. Our feudal way of thinking is going to prohibit us from making a change in the justice system, a change that would not only save taxpayers millions of dollars, but also a change in how we treat and respect life. It is a gift, not a privilege to be taken away when the state deems you criminal enough to be put down like an animal. This type of slow change is what currently defines our state, and until we begin to think more pro-actively, there will be no improvement in our government or our culture, and the rest of the world will move past us.