Political Irony

The State Integrity Investigation has released the results of its study of corruption in state governments.

First, the bad news. No state received a grade of “A”, and eight states received an “F”: Michigan, North Dakota, South Carolina, Maine, Virginia, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Georgia.

Ironically, New Jersey received the highest grade (a “B+”) despite its longstanding reputation for corruption. How? The state has taken dramatic steps to enforce anti-corruption laws. “New Jersey’s strong points are clear: extensive financial disclosure requirements for the governor, a transparently-run pension fund, and an aggressive ethics enforcement agency. The state also boasts some of the nation’s toughest anti-pay-to-play laws for contractors.”

Another state with a longstanding reputation for corruption, Illinois, came in 10th place (with a “C”), also showing the results of its efforts to reduce corruption and increase transparency.

This gives me hope that there is something that can be done about official corruption, but only if public awareness is increased. You can look up a complete explanation of your state’s score on their site.