Best states at fighting corruption

Big shocker: No states earned an A, and 37 states either got a C or D. New Jersey and California (WTF?) are at the top of the list, along with Connecticut, Washington and Nebraska. The FAIL states are North Dakota, Michigan, South Carolina, Maine, Virginia, Wyoming, South Dakota and Georgia.

http://news.yahoo.com/jersey-no-kidding-among-best-corruption-fighters-041317469.html

The study, in part, cites the gutting of newspaper staffs as a factor in the declining grades.

And, I know this won't play well to the "Democrats good, Republicans bad" folks around here, but Chris Christie is praised for his work, both as governor and formerly as a U.S. Attorney.

 

Louisiana slipped the research team a few rolled-up 100s and said "Keep it fair. Keep it fair."

 

I would assume that North and South Dakota got bad marks fighting corruption because there isn't any, while in New Jersey they have plenty of practice.

 

Rhode Island has to be last, right?

 

California has a whole city, Bell, that's practically closing its doors because the city manager and his cronies walked out the front door with wheelbarrows full of money.

But its one of the least corrupt. Right.

 

Not as long as Illinois and Louisiana are still in the fight.

 

Did you bother to read the story?

You know how the Bell corruption came to light? Because California has such stringent open-records laws that the LAT was able to nail the suckers.

There are more county and local governments in California than probably the smallest 20 states combined. But keep fucking that California's-screwed chicken.

 

Dunno, Buddy Cianci is worth a bunch on his own...

 

This might have been the best "sunshine week" related thing I read this year. I've seen dozens of public records stories that were played up but really revealed nothing other than that the local paper still knew how to request public docs.
I thought the parts that showed that there are ways around most ethics laws to be pretty illuminating - I don't know if they were written that way, or lobbyists will always find a way through - like weeds or water.