A statewide concern: Illinois’ population decline outpaces neighboring states – Wirepoints on ABC20 Champaign
“We are not in good shape” Wirepoints’ Ted Dabrowski told ABC 20 Champaign during a segment on Illinois’ latest population losses. Illinois was one of just three states to shrink in the 2010-2020 period and has lost another 300,000 people since then. Ted says things need to change. “It’s too expensive to live here, there aren’t enough good jobs and nobody trusts the government anymore. There’s just other places to go where you can be more satisfied.”
I cringed when I saw that article, too. The problem is like you said before, which is political reporters trying to be financial know-it-alls. They could have just reported the bill and what it said, but they tried to go on to add their slant on how it fits in with the pension and property tax issues, which is where they are over their heads.
Not only is Illinois’ pension mess under-reported, but too few residents are equipped to ask the follow-up questions that would reveal that stories are sometimes mis-reported.