Report: Connecticut One Of The Least Corrupt States In America

www.courant.com

“A study by the Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit in Washington, D.C. , has found that Connecticut is one of the least corrupt states in the country.”

A tip of the hat goes to my colleague Jim Hilliard for pointing out the above referenced article this morning.

While I have never lived in CT and therefore cannot offer any personal anecdotes concerning “public integrity” in that state, I was surprised by the rankings assigned to two states where I have previously been a resident: Illinois and Louisiana. I can’t help but wonder about the integrity of any “study” that assigns my home state of Illinois a C; really? Illinois is (in)famous for its level of public corruption. A recent (12/7/11) New York Times about the sentencing of former governor Rod Blagojevich (see http://nyti.ms/u4M86J) notes that the Blagojevich jail sentencing “…delivered a warning in a state where political leaders — some aldermen, congressmen, and even the governor who immediately preceded Mr. Blagojevich, George Ryan — seemed to be headed off to jail on a regular basis.” Also Louisiana, which was highly overrated in “earning” a “C-“, has a similarly long list of politicians who are convicts; at last count, the list includes a governor, an attorney general, an elections commissioner, an agriculture commissioner, three successive insurance commissioners, a congressman, a federal judge, a State Senate president, six other state legislators, and a host of appointed officials, local sheriffs, city councilmen, and parish police jurors…