To Paraphrase Col. John "Hannibal" Smith...

They just love it when a plan comes together.

Boston Globe - December 22, 2005:

WASHINGTON -- Southern and Western states are growing so much faster than the rest of the country that several are expected to grab House seats from the Northeast and Midwest when Congress is reapportioned in 2010.

The projections are based on state population estimates by the Census Bureau. The bureau released its July 2005 estimates today, showing that Nevada grew at a faster rate than any other state for the 19th consecutive year, followed by Arizona, Idaho, Florida and Utah.

Rhode Island, New York, and Massachusetts lost population, as did the District of Columbia. The populations of North Dakota, Ohio and Michigan grew, but at a slower rate than others.

mAss Backwards - December 22, 2005:

Unless the state legislature can come up with a way to count all the illegal aliens in Massachusetts as lawful residents (and don't tell me they're not working on it already), expect to see the same results in the year-end tally....and next year...and the year after that...

Boston Herald - January 19, 2007:

Bay State officials seeking to save a coveted congressional seat are turning for help to residents who can’t even vote: illegal immigrants.

A census of the often-maligned underground residents - who face constant calls for their deportation - could be critical to reaching a population total that could preserve the seat.

"We need to chase them," Secretary of State William Galvin said yesterday, stressing the need for an "all local" hunt for everyone living here.

Boston Globe - December 23, 2008:

After a brief period of declining population, Massachusetts has logged its third consecutive year of growth.

[...]

Massachusetts was the fastest-growing state in the Northeast last year. Utah was the nation's fastest-growing state in terms of percentages. Texas led in terms of numbers of new residents, with its population rising to more than 24 million. California remained the most populous state, with about 36.8 million residents.

Massachusetts officials attributed the state's growth to its becoming a more attractive place to work and do business.

Uh-huh.

You keep telling yourselves that.

Now, where did I leave my Bullshit Flag? It's hoistin' time.

But demographers attributed the population growth to increased efforts to count the state's college students, prisoners, and nursing home residents.

...and illegal, I mean, undocumented "free" healthcare recipients.

There, fixed it for ya.

Alternate Post Title: You're Not Fooling Anyone (With More Brain cells Than Reproductive Organs), You Know