"Illinois has received positive financial news in recent months — revenue managers reporting sufficient growth in tax revenue to keep the state’s operating budget well above water.

Those are the financial stories Gov. J.B. Pritzker wants the public to embrace.

But he’s equally emphatic about the news he wants people to ignore. It’s the less-than-encouraging financial findings discussed by those he castigates as “carnival barkers” unworthy of notice or belief.

So here’s some bad news for the governor. One of his despised carnival barkers — Sheila Weinberg of Chicago-based “Truth in Accounting” — is back with more truth-slinging about the state of Illinois’ finances.

Here’s the bottom line:

According to the Truth-in-Accounting (TIA) study, Illinois’ overall financial situation remains dire.

Its finances in 2022, the last year for which numbers are available, ranked 48th of 50 states.

She calls Illinois a “sinkhole” state.

The Land of Lincoln is one of six states to earn an “F” grade, meaning it has an individual taxpayer debt in excess of $20,000.

Only Connecticut and New Jersey are in worse shape."

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