Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker made a big deal out of “finding” 250,000 hidden Illinoisans during the past decade, claiming the state population was over 13 million in the 2020 Census head count.
“I look forward to celebrating this development with all Illinoisans, including those who routinely badmouth our state,” Pritzker said in a press statement last week.
Two interesting observations here.
First, Pritzker cheerily embraces the idea of population gain, despite plenty of evidence Illinois is rapidly losing people, and he misinterpreted what the U.S. Census Bureau was saying. Of course, you’d expect him to grab onto the “Illinois is growing” theme, because it lets him ignore the public policy issues that he’s made worse, including $2,165 in new taxes per family that are driving those families out.
“Move along. Nothing to see here,” Pritzker is saying.
Second, he tried to hush anyone who calls him out for his mistake by expecting even those who “routinely badmouth our state” to join him in his glee. Facts can be troublesome things, but telling the truth is far from badmouthing.
So now for some truth telling.
The U.S. Census Bureau knows counting every person is a problem. For decades they and experts have argued that there are better, more accurate ways than spending $14.2 billion to send surveys, knock on doors and try to find every homeless person under a bridge. “One, two, three… 331,893,745.”
The Op-Ed continues here.
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