OCR Text |
Show The New House In the 1970-80 decade, three fourths of the country's congressional con-gressional districts grew in population, but many in the large metropolitan areas shrank in size: and as a resit, the big cities are losing congressional con-gressional seats. This will be felt in 1983, since census figures fi-gures are now being used by state legislatures to redistrict within state boundaries. NEW YORK State loses five seats, dropping from 39 House members, to 34, four of them being in New York City. The new average population of congressional districts is to be in this decade 516,000. Illinois will lose two seats (nine Chicago districts having lost population between 1970 and 1980). Michigan will lose but one seat (five Detroit districts lost population). Pennsylvania will lose two seats (the 14th District lost heaviest). Massachusetts will lose one (Boston, like Philadelphia, Philadel-phia, experienced a decline). South Dakota loses one seat. THE SUNBELT gains the seats that industrial and northern north-ern states lost. Florida, with four new seats, gains most but Texas and California and other states also gained. Seats lost in metropolitan areas were almost always represented by a liberal or left philosphy, a spending philosophy. Representatives from the Sunbelt, generally speaking, are more varied in philosophic- al tone; many are budget-cutters budget-cutters or budget balancers. Thus the 98th Congress, to be elected in November of 1982, will be affected by the new districting, dis-tricting, toward the more conservative con-servative or moderate side of the political spectrum. |