Fuggedaboutit: NJ rated least corrupt state gov't
The response to former New Jersey Gov. James. E. McGreevey's scandal-plagued administration has led to the state government being ranked as one of the most transparent in the country. / AP
(CBS/AP) ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - A nationwide study finds state governments lack transparency and accountability to citizens, and remain at high risk for corruption.
In the ranking, not a single state received an A from the probe, done by the Center for Public Integrity, Public Radio International and Global Integrity.
There's a surprising state atop the list of most transparent and accountable governments: New Jersey.
Despite — or perhaps because of — recent corruption scandals, New Jersey gets the top ranking because of steps it took to combat corruption, including tough ethics and anti-corruption laws it adopted in response.
The report states: "The strong ethics rules were signed into law at the end of the 2004-05 legislative session. They were, in part, a reaction to the abbreviated, scandal-plagued administration of Gov. Jim McGreevey."
Reporters in each state researched 330 corruption risk indicators across 14 government categories.
Eight states got an F. They are: North Dakota, Michigan, South Carolina, Maine, Virginia, Wyoming, South Dakota and Georgia.
On Georgia, the worst-ranked state, the report claims that while the Peach State does have good ethics laws on the books, numerous reports of people and companies circumventing those laws "underscore what can sometimes be a gaping divide between Georgia's legal standards for public accountability, on the one hand, and everyday practice."
To see how your state did, visit the full report here.
Popular on CBSNews.com
- Tornado victims start picking up the pieces
- Tornado's destructive path 17 Photos
- Oklahoma tornado victim search efforts winding down
- Children rescued from two elementary schools in Oklahoma 19 Photos
- Up-close video of Moore, Okla., tornado Play Video
- Twisters touch down in the Midwest 13 Photos
- Brigadier general suspended over altercation with woman
- Oklahoma tornado as seen by storm chasers Play Video
Public Radio International is affiliated with NPR, so I know it's corrupt. That immediately makes the other two suspect ... and the presence of the word "Integrity" in their names is another clue. Wouldn't surprise me if they weren't all three hired by the NJ state government itself. Follow the money trail.
I guess President Obama is counting on ignorant American voters in this election.
Yahoo News: Oliver Knox: Mar 17, 2012
"President Barack Obama's reelection campaign pounced Friday on a New York Times report that Mitt Romney may stand to profit, through a family blind trust administered by the Bain Capital private equity firm he founded, from China's government surveillance of its citizens."
Here's how The Times puts it:
"In December, a Bain-run fund in which a Romney family blind trust has holdings purchased the video surveillance division of a Chinese company that claims to be the largest supplier to the government's Safe Cities program, a highly advanced monitoring system that allows the authorities to watch over university campuses, hospitals, mosques and movie theaters from centralized command posts."
Washington Times: Dave Boyer: Sept 8, 2011
"The White House's invited guests who will hear President Obama speak to Congress tonight about creating jobs for the common man include a CEO under fire for moving jobs to China and a mayor who recently built a six-foot wall around his mansion.
Jeffrey Immelt, chairman of GE and head of the president's jobs council, tops the list of invited guests who will listen to Mr. Obama's speech from the first lady's box in the House chamber.Mr. Immelt has been criticized for GE's plan to move the headquarters of its x-ray business to Beijing; Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich, Ohio Democrat, has even called on him to resign from his presidential post promoting U.S. jobs."
What the NYT Times article clearly points out is that Romney has put his money in a BLIND TRUST - that means it is being managed by someone else, not Romney himself. How can President Obama "pounce" on this, when he has appointed Jeffrey Immelt (GE CEO who is moving jobs to China) as the "head of the president's jobs council"? What a hypocrite! Everyone should be asking this question:
"How can President Obama appoint a CEO who is moving American jobs to China as the head of the Jobs Council?"
Maybe it is because in the 2008 election GE donated a truckload of money to the Obama campaign. Is this the "hope and change" people thought President Obama was all about? This is Chicago style crony political payback - this is dirty, and it certainly does nothing for the horrible United States unemployment situation. President Obama is counting on ignorant voters in 2012 - Americans who listen to his hypocritical rhetoric and never took the time to watch what he has actually been doing over the last 3 years. I certainly hope America wakes up to what is going on here.
(1) Obama's re-election campaign pouncing = Obama pouncing, but Romney's blind trust managing does not equal Romney managing,
(2) Mr. Immelt moving GE to China = Obama moving jobs to China. Um, NO; not the same thing.
What a waste of time.