Missouri Government: D’s Don’t Get Degrees
Missouri ranks in 22nd place. Not bad. Not great. A bit below average, sure, but with room for improvement.
In a study by the Chicago-based Better Government Association, Missouri’s state government placed 22nd overall in the Integrity Index. The judging included five categories:
- open record laws
- whistleblower laws
- campaign finance laws
- open meetings laws
- conflict of interest laws
A high point of the study is the fact that Missouri ranked 4th for whistleblower protection laws. Overall, Missouri was handed a 53 percent score. Not a grade that will make it on the refrigerator, especially compared to Lisa’s A+++. Our low point, unsurprisingly involves campaign finance laws, where we ranked 42nd. Wow. Not surprising, especially considering some of Missouri’s stories.
Here’s a little more info on Missouri’s campaign finance laws. And, in case you were wondering, New Jersey placed first overall and Arizona placed first for campaign finance laws.
First, you have to agree with the legitimacy of campaign finance laws to accept our low ranking as somehow “bad policy”. Second, I think only a group based in Chicago could rank New Jersey first in good government. Apparently they never watched “The Sopranos”, or perhaps just like machine governments. I would have to think watching that documentary of Mayor Booker’s first (unsuccessful) run for Mayor of Newark would have cured them of any such delusions about New Jersey. Hell, they don’t even have a Lieutenant Governor…
Comment by David Stokes — October 28, 2008 @ 9:42 a.m.
I wish we were 50th in Campaign Finance laws.
Comment by Pat Eckelkamp — October 28, 2008 @ 12:17 p.m.