1. Sales and taxes are two the most common ways for a state to generate revenues. On the one hand, in such a way people pay for the services and goods the state provides them. On the other hand, it is not quite fair to pay the government for what a person produces at a plant or a factory or grows on their farm. Moreover, there are goods of different importance: paying additional taxes for food and water is not the same as paying them for a new luxurious car. Therefore, when fixing the taxes, the government should take into consideration how it will influence the well-being of representatives of all strata of society. As for a budgetary surplus, there can be two ways of its spending. The government can either make it a part of the state`s Rainy Day Fund in case unexpected expenditures occur in future or cut taxes for some period so that people can decide on their own where to donate their money.

2. Dear State Representative,
The problem of education funding and high school improvement is one of the most urgent ones in Texas. The conditions of many schools in the state require improvement and finances while only a few of them have everything: new books, computers, and modern classes. The “Robin Hood” system has not proved to be effective, but the current situation requires some steps taken by the government concerning money distribution. Perhaps, the expenditures spent on extracurricular activities and year-round programs can be used for schools modernization, since new technologies allow to make the studying process mobile, comfortable and cheaper.

3. The “cite and release” program seems to be an adequate approach to deal with the issue of marijuana use. On the one hand, growing, selling, and consuming marijuana is illegal, and people should be punished for that especially when it goes about selling it to children. On the other hand, this crime cannot stand in line with robberies, hard drugs distribution, robberies, and terrorism. Therefore, sending people to jail for possessing a small amount of marijuana for personal use would not be quite fair. Nevertheless, in cases when it comes to mass production and distribution or when there are children involved, more severe measures should be taken.