The State Integrity Investigation is an unprecedented, data-driven analysis of transparency and accountability in all 50 state governments. The Center for Public Integrity partnered with Global Integrity and Public Radio International to assign each state a letter grade based on 300 government integrity indicators. Grading the states B+ 87% New Jersey B 86% Connecticut B- 83% Washington B- 81% California B- 80% Nebraska C+ 79% Mississippi C+ 78% Iowa C 76% Tennessee C 75% Kansas C 74% Hawaii C 74% Illinois C 74% Massachusetts C 74% Rhode Island C- 73% Oregon C- 72% Alabama C- 72% Louisiana C- 72% Missouri C- 71% Florida C- 71% Kentucky C- 71% North Carolina C- 71% Pennsylvania C- 70% Delaware C- 70% Indiana C- 70% Wisconsin D+ 69% Minnesota D+ 69% Vermont D+ 68% Alaska D+ 68% Arizona D+ 68% Arkansas D+ 68% Montana D+ 68% Texas D+ 68% West Virginia D+ 67% Colorado D 66% New Hampshire D 66% Ohio D 65% New York D 65% Utah D 64% Oklahoma D- 62% New Mexico D- 61% Idaho D- 61% Maryland D- 60% Nevada F 58% Michigan F 58% North Dakota F 57% South Carolina F 56% Maine F 55% Virginia F 52% Wyoming F 50% South Dakota F 49% Georgia "That's the depressing bottom line that emerges from the State Integrity Investigation, a first-of-its-kind, data-driven assessment of transparency, accountability and anti-corruption mechanisms in all 50 states. Not a single state not one earned an A grade from the months-long probe. Only five states earned a B grade: New Jersey, Connecticut, Washington, California and Nebraska. Nineteen states got C's and 18 received D's, including a D+ for Arizona. Eight states earned failing grades of 59 or below from the project, which is a collaboration of the Center for Public Integrity, Global Integrity and Public Radio International. The F's went to Michigan, North Dakota, South Carolina, Maine, Virginia, Wyoming, South Dakota and Georgia. What's behind the dismal grades? Across the board, state ethics, open records and disclosure laws lack one key feature: teeth. "It's a terrible problem," said Tim Potts, executive director of the nonprofit advocacy group Democracy Rising PA, which works to inspire citizen trust in government. "A good law isn't worth anything if it's not enforced." http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/031912_accountability/study-corruption-risk-huge-state-governments/ http://www.stateintegrity.org/georgia The state of Georgia comes in dead last and deserves the grade F it received from the investigation due to the corruption within its government and the civil rights violations it imposed on it citizens. For more info go to: VIDEOS: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZrvgijCTw4&feature=plcp&context=C48c4eaeVDvjVQa1PpcFMLHg_CV3CKbNCsZt9KsyPWIqeSNtHFH28="]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZrvgijCTw4&feature=plcp&context=C48c4eaeVDvjVQa1PpcFMLHg_CV3CKbNCsZt9KsyPWIqeSNtHFH28=[/ame] [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL8F7IU6VPU&context=C45fedc2ADvjVQa1PpcFMLHg_CV3CKbJjB4oFBQVy2EXRXYzpKSpg="]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL8F7IU6VPU&context=C45fedc2ADvjVQa1PpcFMLHg_CV3CKbJjB4oFBQVy2EXRXYzpKSpg=[/ame] http://open.salon.com/blog/sb4justice/2012/03/19/georgia_ranked_the_most_corrupt_state_out_of_all_50_states http://open.salon.com/blog/sb4justice/2011/07/11/11th_circuit_court_of_appeals_incorrect_affirmed_decision http://twitter.com/#!/sb4justice
Sorry, but with Illinois ranking as high as it did, my bull(*)(*)(*)(*) meter pegged. Massachussetts and integrity are not two words that go together, either.
