State House map good, Senate less so
First I want to congratulate the Legislative redistricting committee on their work. I am particularly impressed by the proposed house map which goes a long way to address the issue of unfair districts that marred the 2012 map. The districts around urban centers such as Harrisburg and Allentown now reflect the commonalities that unite the urban and suburban regions without the previous distortions arising from the adjunction of large rural areas designed to tip the balance of the district. Thus the new map better reflects the interests of Pennsylvania voters and acknowledges that Pennsylvania is a ``swing state'' with approximate equality between democratic votes and republican ones. I am less pleased by the ``incumbent protection'' manifested in the senate map -- I note one egregious tweak to protect a particular senator. The careful handling of urban/suburban areas of the house map is not reflected here. This can and should be addressed in the same manner that the issue is handled in the house map.