Study: Statehouses at high risk for corruption

Associated Press ^ | Mar. 19, 2012 12:01 AM ET | Wayne Parry

[Olog-hai]

State governments lack transparency and accountability to citizens, and remain at high risk for corruption, according to a new study of all 50 statehouses.

Not a single state received an A in the State Integrity Investigation ranking, a product of the Center for Public Integrity, Public Radio International and Global Integrity. …

Only five states got rankings of B, led by a surprising recipient: New Jersey. It got a B-plus, with an overall score of 87 out of a possible 100.

Despite — or perhaps because of — recent corruption scandals, New Jersey got the top ranking because of steps it took to combat corruption, including tough ethics and anti-corruption laws it adopted in response.

New Jersey has a colorful tradition of corruption in government, including a U.S. congressman taking a bribe from an FBI agent posing as a wealthy Arab sheik, a Jersey shore councilman caught on tape bragging to an undercover officer that he would never get caught because "I could smell a cop a mile away," and a decade-long string of 150 state and local officials who were either convicted or pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges. The cases ranged from Motor Vehicle Commission employees selling fraudulent licenses to politicians peddling their influence for kickbacks. …

Rounding out the top five states were: Connecticut (B, 86), Washington state (B-minus, 83), California (B-minus, 81) and Nebraska (B-minus, 80).

Nineteen states got grades of C, and 18 got a D. Eight states got an 'F,' with grades of 59 or lower: North Dakota, Michigan, South Carolina, Maine, Virginia, Wyoming, South Dakota and Georgia. …

[hosepipe]

How corrupt was the Testing?..

[Defiant]

Therefore, Obama must disband them?

[rhinohunter]

With more state houses than ever going GOP, it’s not hard to figure out why AP-Obama would run a story like this.

[U-238]

I agree

[Olog-hai]

Therein lies the rub. It’s quite interesting that the website in question (www.stateintegrity.org) rate New Jersey, the pay-to-play state, so highly. They also don’t like the fact that Roy Moore is being picked as Alabama’s state Chief Justice, calling him the “wrong” justice. They also like states that have “strong laws” against corruption, despite how corrupt those states remain.

[piytar]

Illinois? California? No s## sherlock.

But the US government’s corruption (eg Holder and Solyndra) makes any and all of that pale by comparison...

PS directed at the jounolist, not you Olog-hai.

[Usagi_yo]

So what next? A steady drumbeat of how States are corrupt until somebody recommends they all be Federalized?

Like no **it sherlock, State politics is the training ground for future Congressmen and Senators.

[Olog-hai]

They’re following the corrupt model of the EU. The EU’s appointed “president” Herman van Rompuy said back on 2/27 that national governments are “European institutions” instead of the governments of sovereign nations (seventh paragraph) . . . all about centralization that never ends.

[Diogenesis]

YOU ARE THERE

THE IMPOSITION OF OBAMACARE/ROMNEYCARE
AND DEATH PANELS BY MYTH ROMNEY,
THE “SWIMMER” AND THEIR TRAINED (INCARCERTED, TESTIFYING) FELON.

[skinkinthegrass]

“It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first.” - Ronald Reagan

[SaraJohnson]

I have a feeling employee training and pre-employment testing in ethics in business and government may make a comeback. And I don’t mean humanist amoral self service and diversity skin deep tribal crap. There are basic ground rules of character that people do not understand or accept anymore.

[The_Media_never_lie]

I hope we the taxpayer did not pay for this study. If we did, that is corruption exemplified.

[sodpoodle]

IIRC George Soros was focusing on controlling elections for the States’ Attorneys General.

He owns the Federal Executive; next step - all 50 States?

[sergeantdave]

It should be noted that the Center for Public Integrity is a commie organization, and AP is a Gobbel’s propaganda outlet.

Let’s lay out a few facts that people may be unaware of.

In the 2010 elections, more than 700 patriots were elected to state legislatures, giving conservatives and patriots effective control of 26 states. In a few states, all rats and were thrown out of state-wide political offices, and there is no rat representation.

This destruction of rats in 26 states has scared the hell out of the criminal fascist syndicate occupying Washington.

What’s been created is a good team with patriots moving up to take over positions in national leadership positions. This also scares the fascist criminals.

We have a farm team, and it’s a good one.

So regardless of all the doom and gloom pushed by some mushy defeatists lately, we are making good progress against the rat criminal culture.

[Bon mots]

Bookmark

[IronJack]

State governments lack transparency and accountability to citizens, and remain at high risk for corruption

But the federal government -- and especially THIS administration -- is somehow exempt from those frailties?

[Georgia Girl 2]

Well at least GA has nowhere to go but up.