State of Minnesota Takes Human Growth Hormone

Is population a reliable indicator of economic health?

Like a healthy child or a cancerous tumor, Minnesota is growing. On Thursday, the Star Tribune trumpeted Minnesota's population increase with surprising exuberance: "Minnesota, little brother to Wisconsin since statehood, may soon be asking, "Who's your Daddy?" (Confidential to the Strib: Who's your editor?)

In what reads a little like an endzone dance, the article continues:

A century after surging past Iowa in the population derby, Minnesota should surpass Wisconsin by 2025, becoming the unrivaled population center of the Upper Midwest, the Census Bureau is predicting today.

To be fair, the article goes on to suggest that "hometown boosterism" is part of the game in state demographics. A burgeoning birthroll and in migration, economists believe, are the lifeblood of a vital place. To admit that your state isn't growing is akin to conceding that it's dying.

Human Growth Hormone cont'd: The Sierra Club's abortion plank