European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 05, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes Friday May 5,1989 Gap in income grew in 1987, report shows Washington a the Gap Between the nation s richest and poorest cities widened in 1987 As the posh Connecticut suburbs of new York stayed atop the per capita personal income list while Texas towns along the mexican Border remained last the govern ment reported thursday. In a report on 1987 personal income in the nation s 318 metropolitan regions first place belonged to the Bridgeport Stamford Norwalk Danbury area of Connecticut with per capita income of $26,316, the com Merce department said. Bringing up the rear was the Mai in Edinburg Mission area of Texas with per capita income of $7,001. The first and last areas were the same As in 1986, but the Gap Between them grew As the 9.1 percent rate of per capita income growth in the Bridgeport area More than doubled the 4.2 percent Pace in the Cal in Region. The per capita income Gap Between the two Region was $19,315 in 1987, up from $17.412 a year earlier. For the nation As a whole per capita income Rose 6 percent in 1987 to $15.484, according to the report by the department s Bureau of economic analysis. The study showed income in America s cities advancing at an uneven Pace growing fastest in communities along the East coast with slow growth areas concentrated in the Oil producing states. Twenty three metropolitan areas registered per capita income growth at least 2 percent above the National average of 6 percent. Seven of those cities were in new England six were in the Middle Atlantic Region and five were in the Southeast. Income in 60 metropolitan areas meanwhile grew at a rate that was at least 2 percent below the National average. Forty one of those areas were in the Oil producing states of Alaska Colorado Louisiana Oklahoma Texas and Wyoming. A lot of growth in new England is driven by serv ices and High tech industries said the Bureau s Kathy Albetski. The slow growth was driven by the weakness in  the fastest growth rate was recorded in the Visalia Tulare Porterville Region of California where per capita income Rose 9.7 percent to $12,968, a level still Well below the National average. At the other end of the scale two regions registered declines in 1987 per capita income fell 1.4 percent in hint mich., to $14,723, and dropped 0.6 percent in Lafayette. La., to $12,363. In addition to the Bridgeport Region Here arc the other metropolitan areas in the top 10 for 1987 per capita personal income san Francisco. $24,593 Bergen Passaic n.j., $23.040 Middlesex Somerset Hunter Don n.j., $22,783 Nassau Suffolk n.y., $22,001 Washington , $21,539 san Jose calif., $21,510 Anaheim Santa Ana calif., $21,444 Lake county la., $21,432, and West Palm Beach Boca Raton Delray Beach fla., $21,246. In addition to the Mcallen Region Here Are the other metropolitan areas in the Bottom 10 for 1987 per capita personal income Laredo. Texas $7,035 Brownsville Harlingen Texas $7.409 Provo orc Utah $8,870 Elpaso Texas $9,484 Las Cruces n.m., $9,578 Pascagoula miss. $10,231 Houma Thibodaux la., $10,582 Jacksonville. N.c., $10,668 and Bryan College Sta Tion Texas $10,688. No to nukes one if a group of masked demonstrators at the port of Staten Island. N.y-, displays a sign expressing dismay Over the possibility of Navy ships with nuclear weapons being berthed at Staten Island. The sign refers to new zealand s Banning of us. Ships that it fears might be equipped with nuclear arms. Schroeder criticizes deeper cuts proposed for military construction by William j. Bartma Washington Bureau Washington a proponent of military hous ing said thursday that although president Bush s new defense budget has slashed military construction and family housing lawmakers will attempt to rectify the strange priorities of the budget. The military construction budget which was gutted in the Reagan defense budget has been further mutilated by the Bush budget rep. Patricia Schroeder d-colo., said during a hearing. Schroeder chairwoman of the House armed serv ices installations subcommittee said the defense Bud get of $295.6 billion for fiscal 1990 would Cut military construction by 15.4 percent and family housing by 1 percent. But she said programs such As research and development would grow 5.3 percent. Schroeder said she was pessimistic about what changes could be made. Frankly we will not be terribly successful in bring ing the military construction budget up to where it should be she said. The obligation really rests with the department of defense to submit budgets which reflect the importance of military construction and family  facing witnesses from the defense department and each of the services Schroeder criticized the army for proposing Large reductions in construction and hous ing while seeking funding for a new and expanded combat divers training facility in the Florida  like the Navy has a Good one can t they it looks i More expensive than building an army facility. Sch Roeder responded "1 would love to ice the numbers on that. I Fine that hard to  be Cut single Soldier housing by 22 percent in 1990 and 20 percent in 91. That seems a higher priority than the divers Center she said. She added that such a policy would Hurt re enlist mcnt."1 think that will have a definite Impact on re enlist ment conceded Offringa who added that the army was forced to set priorities. Also at the hearing. Robert Stone assistant Secretary of defense for production and logistics said the Penta gon s military construction request for fiscal 1990 would be $8 billion 18 percent less than the current  part its two year budget the Pentagon also is requesting $9.2 billion for military construction in Fis Cal 1991. Stone said this amount would allow for some delayed construction to begin. All programs were evaluated for possible budget reduction and the Cut in military construction helped the department meet the budget agreement target Stone  said reductions were made to construction outside the United states at a rate twice that of . Construction for both years 10.7 percent outside the United states and 5.1 percent inside the country. Additional savings were possible As a result of More favourable foreign Exchange Rale assumptions said. He residents say Golden state image losing its glitter san Francisco a califor Nia s allure is plummeting in the eyes of its residents according to poll results re leased thursday that showed the Golden slate s image at its lowest Point since a Survey began in 1967. The Bloom is off the Rose said Mer Vin Field director of the California poll. The proportion of residents polled who describe the stale As one of the Best places to live dropped 20 percentage Points in the past four years from 78 per cell to 58 percent. Twenty seven per cent rank it As Only Nice but not out  eleven percent describe California As about an average place to live while 3 per cell say it is a rather poor  one percent had no opinion. It s the first time since Field began asking this question in 1967 Hal the lop rating has Falhen below 70 percent. The poll was based on Telephone inner views with 496 California adults statewide Over a 10-Day period ended april 22. Field reported a margin of Sam pling error of plus or minus 4.5 percent age Points. In the san Francisco Bay area 76 per cell rate the stale highly but that figure is still a decline of 7 percentage Points from 1985. Only 49 percent in los Angeles and Orange counties describe the stale As the Best a 24-Poinl drop from a 1985 High of 73 percent. Field said that in the past the people surveyed cited climate and living conditions As reasons for rating California highly. But with the increasing travails of housing transportation crime social problems and decline in political action by elected leaders it All adds up to this growing disenchantment he said