Lake County Gazette

Illinois' faltering population statistics tell half the story in a situation that grows more desperate by the day, Wirepoints president Ted Dabrowski said.

"What the numbers tell us is for people to find opportunities in life they're having to leave Illinois," Dabrowski told the Prairie State Wire. "It tells us it's too expensive to live here, there aren't enough good-paying jobs, and our government is just too corrupt."

Dabrowski said he's watched in horror as residents have left the Prairie State. In January, Illinois Policy reported that two of the largest moving companies in the country concluded that upward of 60% of interstate moves served by them on behalf of Illinois residents were to leave the state.

With "job-related reasons" ranking among the biggest causes for residents leaving, the report also found that Illinois ranked in the Top 3 for outbound moves nationwide.

Dabrowski doesn't see the departure ending any time soon.

"There's nothing leadership has done to suggest we're really trying to keep people here," he said. "When the Legislature recently convened, they didn't address our COVID problem, our joblessness or pension issues. Instead, they spent even more money and completely ignored all our massive problems."

Dabrowski said until the state gets serious about dealing with its penchant for overspending and real pension reform, not much will change.

"With the way we're going, the only thing to reverse this is when the state runs out of money, and it becomes more obvious that the status quo has to change," he said. "It's hard to see our outmigration problem changing and more people coming to a place that continues to raise taxes and not address things like pension reform."