From: judgeparker23x@gmail.com   
      
   LEADERSHIP CORRUPTION   
      
   The 10 most corrupt states in the U.S.   
      
   by  Chris Matthews  @crobmatthews JUNE 10, 2014, 1:55 PM EST   
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   Thomas R Machnitzki/Wikimedia   
   New research takes a look at decades of corruption convictions to find the   
   crookedest states in the union.   
      
   When we think of government corruption (as one tends to do), our biased minds   
   often gravitate to thoughts of military juntas and third world governments.   
   But, of course, corruption is everywhere, in one form or another. And it's   
   costing U.S. citizens big    
   time.   
      
   A new study from researchers at the University of Hong Kong and Indiana   
   University estimates that corruption on the state level is costing Americans   
   in the 10 most corrupt states an average of $1,308 per year, or 5.2% of those   
   states' average    
   expenditures per year.   
      
      
   The researchers studied more than 25,000 convictions of public officials for   
   violation of federal corruption laws between 1976 and 2008 as well as patterns   
   in state spending to develop a corruption index that estimates the most and   
   least corrupt states    
   in the union. Based on this method, the the most corrupt states are:   
      
   1. Mississippi   
   2. Louisiana   
   3. Tennessee   
   4. Illinois   
   5. Pennsylvania   
   6. Alabama   
   7. Alaska   
   8. South Dakota   
   9. Kentucky   
   10. Florida   
      
   That these places landed on the list isn't exactly surprising. Illinois, which   
   has gain notoriety for its high-profile corruption cases in recent years, is   
   paired with states like Mississippi and Louisiana, which are some of the least   
   economically    
   developed in the country. The researchers also found that for 9 out of the 10   
   of the most corrupt states, overall state spending was higher than in less   
   corrupt states (South Dakota was the only exception). Attacking corruption,   
   the researchers argue,    
   could be a good way to bring down state spending without hurting services that   
   people need.   
      
   Researchers also found that spending in these states was different than their   
   less corrupt counterparts. According to the report, "states with higher levels   
   of corruption are likely to favor construction, salaries, borrowing,   
   correction, and police    
   protection at the expense of social sectors such as education, health and   
   hospitals."   
      
   The paper explains that construction spending, especially on big   
   infrastructure projects, is particularly susceptible to corruption because the   
   quality of large, nonstandard projects are difficult for the public to gauge,   
   while the industry is dominated    
   by a few monopolistic firms. Corrupt states also tend to, for obvious reasons,   
   simply have more and better paid public servants, including police and   
   correctional officers. The researchers argue that the need for correctional   
   officers is greater in    
   corrupt places too because "the overall extent of corruption will be higher in   
   states with higher numbers of convictions of public officials."   
      
   Of course, it's not all bad news, as the study also found the least corrupt   
   states too. Citizens of these states-Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Nebraska,   
   Iowa, Vermont, Utah, New Hampshire, Colorado, and Kansas-can take solace in   
   the fact that they're    
   not getting ripped off as badly as the rest of us.   
      
   Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly referred to   
   Indiana University as the University of Indiana.   
      
      
      
      
   http://fortune.com/2014/06/10/most-corrupt-states-in-america/   
      
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    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)