Census Bureau announces 331 million people in US, Texas will add two congressional seats

[rmt]

Congress, not the Cons ution, fixed the number of Reps about 100 years ago, when USA has about 100M

Now at 330M, mostly heavily populated blue states lose seats to less populated red states.

The number of seats should be about 1300 seats, 3 times what it is now, to reflect the 330M, rather than 100M of the 1920s

Just another way America is ed and un able, constipated, sclerotic, and unstoppably heading to all out one-party authoritarianism.

Why should we pay the salaries, health care and pensions of 1300 of these do-nothings? - as long as the proportion remains the same. The number should remain the same (or lessen) and each represent more people.

[ElNono]

US Population Over Last Decade Grew At Slowest Rate Since 1930s

Over the past decade, the United States population grew at the slowest rate since the 1930s, the Census Bureau reported on Monday, a remarkable slackening that was driven by a leveling off of immigration and a declining birthrate. The New York Times reports:

The bureau also reported changes to the nation's political map: The long-running trend of the South and the West gaining population -- and congressional representation -- at the expense of the Northeast and the Midwest, continued, with Texas gaining two seats and Florida, one. California, long a leader in population growth, lost a seat for the first time in history. [...] The numbers are the product of the most controversial census process in decades. The Trump administration tried to add a citizenship question to the Census form, but the Supreme Court eventually blocked that plan. [...] The Bureau also faced a daunting task of conducting the Census during a pandemic. Then, last summer, the Trump administration pushed it to stop the count sooner than planned.

Booming economies in states like Texas, Nevada, Arizona and North Carolina, have drawn Americans away from struggling small communities in high-cost, cold weather states. In New York, 48 of 62 counties are estimated to be losing population. In Illinois, 93 of 101 counties are believed to be shrinking. In 1970, the West and South comprised just under half the U.S. population -- today it's nearly 63 percent. The new decennial census counted 331,449,281 Americans as of April 1, 2020. The total was up by just 7.4 percent over the previous decade. Combined with the decline in inflows of immigrants, and shifting age demographics -- there are now more Americans 80 and older than 2 or younger -- the United States may be entering an era of substantially lower population growth, demographers said, putting it with the countries of Europe and East Asia that face serious long-term challenges with rapidly aging populations. "This is a big deal," said Ronald Lee, a demographer who founded the Center on the Economics and Demography of Aging at the University of California at Berkeley. "If it stays lower like this, it means the end of American exceptionalism in this regard." It used to be clear where the country was headed demographically, Professor Lee said -- faster growth than many other rich nations. But that has changed. "Right now it is very murky," he said.

[pgardn]

I'm confused. They're challenging their existing congressional district map, which is about to be thrown out because they need to come up with a new map that has one less district. PA also uses a committee for redistricting, so its not even the legislature who votes on the map. At least that's what the wiki says.

Who appoints the committee?
If its like appointing a committee in Texas, you can be sure the committee will be redder than the red team that selects it.

[coyotes_geek]

Who appoints the committee?
If its like appointing a committee in Texas, you can be sure the committee will be redder than the red team that selects it.

From wiki: Majority and minority leaders of the legislative houses each select one member. These four select a fifth to chair. If they fail to do so within 45 days, a majority of the state Supreme Court will select the fifth member. The chair cannot be a public official.

[pgardn]

Why should we pay the salaries, health care and pensions of 1300 of these do-nothings? - as long as the proportion remains the same. The number should remain the same (or lessen) and each represent more people.

Are you talking about people who invest in the oil industry because of the handouts, oh excuse, the incentives, the tax breaks, subsidies? Or just people who invest in bitcoin?

[pgardn]

From wiki: Majority and minority leaders of the legislative houses each select one member. These four select a fifth to chair. If they fail to do so within 45 days, a majority of the state Supreme Court will select the fifth member. The chair cannot be a public official.

If Texas was that fair it would still be all red team. They would fail to select and you can guess who the Texas Supreme Court is made up of. Texas has also failed consistently (on purpose) to produce a map, they maintain the status quo by keeping it in court. And now with the new federal Supreme Court composition you will see the most bizarre maps produced by human kind.
When the blue team gets back a hold of this, and it will, it will be ugly.

[DarrinS]

I would find it strange that people would leave states, perhaps over policies they dislike, and want to implement same policies in their new state.

[Winehole23]

I would find it strange that people would leave states, perhaps over policies they dislike, and want to implement same policies in their new state.

what are you talking about?

[DarrinS]

what are you talking about?

My statement was common sense.

[ChumpDumper]

"perhaps"

so passive aggressive

[Winehole23]

My statement was common sense.

if you don't want to clarify which states and which policies you meant, so much the worse for whatever you were trying to say.

(shrugs)

[ElNono]

I would find it strange that people would leave states, perhaps over policies they dislike, and want to implement same policies in their new state.

The bolded is entirely an assumption though. ie: old people like to generally retire to places like Florida strictly due to things like weather, and in some cases cost of living. Winter texans are a relatively similar phenomenon.

[ElNono]

Considering the fact that there's seemingly more older people than younger people, this was a somewhat predictable development...

[Trainwreck2100]

isn't it the blue urban areas in Texas that are gaining population and not the rural red areas though?

doesn't mean when the texas government gonna cut up texas into some gerrymandered picasso painting and give the rural areas those two seats

[boutons_deux]

US marks slowest population growth since the Depression

Altogether, the U.S. population rose to 331,449,281 last year, the Census Bureau said,

a 7.4% increase over the previous decade that was the second-slowest ever.

Experts say that paltry pace reflects the combination of

an aging population,

slowing immigration and

the scars of the Great Recession more than a decade ago,

which led many young adults to delay marriage and families.

https://apnews.com/article/census-co...0c7e1a23f842a1

Also, college debt also delays young people from starting families.

[boutons_deux]

CA gained 2M residents but lost a seat?

At 700K avg size for Congressional districts, CA should have gained 3 seats, 2 minimum

Again, constipated, sclerotic, undynamic USA is totally ossified, can't fix its which is constantly getting worse.

[boutons_deux]

NYTimes email

[hater]

You know the census isn't an election, right?

Read a bit more. Many NY and Cali residents escaped to FLA and Texas.

[coyotes_geek]

isn't it the blue urban areas in Texas that are gaining population and not the rural red areas though?

doesn't mean when the texas government gonna cut up texas into some gerrymandered picasso painting and give the rural areas those two seats

They've still got to put the same number of people in each district. Rural Texas has lost people, the urban centers have gained a bunch and the once solidly red suburbs are starting to turn purple. It's a much tougher gerrymandering exercise this year than republicans have ever faced. Realistically, splitting the new seats 1-1 is the best republicans can hope for.

[coyotes_geek]

I think one of those new seats becomes an Austin district. Currently Austin metro is chopped 6 ways, but I think the 5 republicans who currently have a piece of it would be more than happy to reduce their exposure there.

[ElNono]

Read a bit more. Many NY and Cali residents escaped to FLA and Texas.

That's been happening for a long time. FLA is a state that has seen a steady influx of boomers retiring there for more than a few decades now, due to cheaper cost of living and nicer weather.

The real problem is that population growth has slowed drastically in the US in general. I know Wino has been mentioning that at least since the Obama years when discussing immigration.

Considering that's a country-wide phenomenon, it's difficult to explain it away solely on local politics. I would suspect the country's economy in the past 50 year or so has had a much larger role in that.

[hater]

That's been happening for a long time. FLA is a state that has seen a steady influx of boomers retiring there for more than a few decades now, due to cheaper cost of living and nicer weather.

The real problem is that population growth has slowed drastically in the US in general. I know Wino has been mentioning that at least since the Obama years when discussing immigration.

Considering that's a country-wide phenomenon, it's difficult to explain it away solely on local politics. I would suspect the country's economy in the past 50 year or so has had a much larger role in that.

Yeah democratic states have been playing stupid games for a while now.


Play stupid games.

Win stupid prizes.

[rmt]

Are you talking about people who invest in the oil industry because of the handouts, oh excuse, the incentives, the tax breaks, subsidies? Or just people who invest in bitcoin?

What are YOU talking about? I'm referring to bou's wish for more people to represent a bigger population instead of same number of representatives each representing more people.

[Winehole23]

Johnson-Reed Act, 1924.

Continuity, not change.

[ducks]

If only the governor did not kill so many patients with covid in nursing home New York would not be losing one represtive