Why and how is this legal?

I am completely baffled by the fact that gerrymandering is legal in Texas, or any state for that matter.  It makes me feel taken advantage of and makes me question how much control we really have.  Often times you hear people say “use your vote to make a difference”, but how in the world can we use our vote to make change if our votes are being manipulated by the legislators creating biased districts?  I think gerrymandering is the most frustrating facet of our government that I learned about this semester. There is absolutely no reason why it should be legal in any state.  Especially when there are other methods that outshine it.

As we we’ve talked about in class, there are ways to create fair and equal districts, for example the shortest split line theory.  Not only does this theory seem like an easier way to conjure up districts, but most importantly it is unbiased.  Unfortunately, I don’t think enough people care or even realize the severe consequences of gerrymandering to put their time into fighting to replace it. That is a truly disheartening fact. 

I know both parties are guilty of gerrymandering and perhaps I might be less bothered if my party was in the driver’s seat, but either way, it leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth.  Cheating is way too common in politics.  I feel like we need to send politicians back to elementary school and reteach them morals.  I did not realize how messed up our state politics are until I took this class.  After every class I find myself thinking why and how is this legal?