Thanks to Illinois’ population decline, the state is on track to lose at least one congressional seat — putting it on track to lose at least one electoral vote in the Electoral College — when the latest U.S. Census numbers are tabulated.

Activists are again asking Congress to split Illinois into two states: Chicago, and everything else.

Seemingly out of the blue, staff of the Illinois Commerce Commission have moved to allow door-to-door peddling of electricity and natural gas services—reversing a recent decision to ban the practice.

“I have a feeling that 2021 will be a year of the states, and not in a good way, and that Illinois is going to be playing a lead role, and not as the hero. The Pritzker family Thanksgiving might be a little rough too.”

“If Illinois Gov. Jay Pritzker were to trim his state’s per resident spending to match Texas’, he would save his taxpayers $22.3 billion a year—and there would be no need for any income-tax increase…. Taking the scalpel to state agency budgets will create angst for governors, lawmakers and the lobbyists hired to defend unnecessary spending. But policy makers have a responsibility to make the most effective use of taxpayer money. Congress, likewise, should understand that bailing out profligate state and local governments will only ensure more of this bad behavior in the future.”