Melissa Ross
Florida continues to have some issues with political corruption.
That, according to the new survey from the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics Corruption in America.
The report is based on responses from hundreds of journalists covering state politics, along with issues related to corruption across all 50 states. Both legal and illegal corruption is measured, with illegal corruption defined as private gains such as cash or gifts by a government official in exchange for specific benefits.
Legal corruption, meanwhile, is defined as political gains such as campaign contributions or endorsements by an official in exchange for providing specific benefits to individuals or groups.
So how does Florida rank? Respondents claim illegal corruption in the Sunshine State is only “slightly common.”
However, legal corruption in Florida is described as “very common,” in both the executive and legislative branches of government.
As to best and worst states overall, “With respect to illegal corruption, Georgia and West Virginia are perceived to be the most corrupt states, followed by Hawaii, and a third group of states that includes New Jersey, Mississippi, and Arkansas. Oregon is perceived to be the least corrupt state, followed by Vermont, and a third group of states that includes Iowa, Maine, and Wyoming,” say the report’s authors.
2 comments
SANDY OESTREICH
April 28, 2016 at 9:14 am
We SHOULD be electing ADULTS, SHOULDN’T WE???
Christopher M. Kennard
April 29, 2016 at 2:50 pm
Our Florida State’s long record of corruption, dysfunctional government and sheer loony tune like antics definitively display why we need to get rid of all of these inept and/or corrupt politicians who actually tried to “steal” our own elections for their own purposes, not for the general public whom they swore to honestly represent. This was the Florida Legislatures response to our “anti-gerrymandering” Fair District Acts the people passed as a Florida State Constitutional Amendment in 2010.
Both major political parties have gerrymandered our elective district boundaries and taken other steps to “win” at any cost. That cost has always been a bill the taxpayer had to pay, willingly or not. This time around, the politicians and their corrupt web of corporate and super-wealthy donors got caught; then they used taxpayers money to try to retain their “safe district” gerrymandering conspiracy, lying repeatedly to all of the voters as well as when under oath in federal and state circuit courts, under appeals, and to our Florida State Supreme Court Justices.
Here, in Florida, the message of tossing the “establishment” politicians from all local, state and congressional district elected positions is ringing loud and clear. This includes the many corporate owned lackeys and tea party fringe “nuts” who have so often driven our local communities and our country to distraction over aberrant cases of social issues while the bulk of the population spirals slowly downward into relative poverty, debt and mounting anger.
In this example provided of “legal” and “illegal” corruption, we see how much corruption lies underneath the public view. Meanwhile, bought and paid for politicians clumsily attempt to deceive Floridian Voters that our all of our incumbents in public office are there to serve us all.
Was this planned many years ago; to create our mounting anger and dislike and distrust for public officials, now extending to our local public city and county employees, to our kid’s teachers, the courts and judges — to just about every important American institution and elected and appointed public official has now been cheapened, scorned, held in the full view of public disrepute.
Seems like it almost worked . . . until voters got up this year and began a peaceful political revolution to take our country back from the corrupt elements of the super-wealthy attempting to control us in every way they can.
We own this country and we need to “owe up” to cleaning up this mess. We voted them into elective offices, in every election we have had over the last decade, and we need to stop it.
It is a very easy solution. Elect new people to public office this year — if we take a long hard look, we see very few public servants in our public offices but many corrupt politicians tied to the flow of campaign cash and PAC slush funds meant to control both political parties and most all the of politicians. Good, level headed and well directed “boots to the rear” for the corrupt and bring in a group who will serve us well, once in public office, is our best path to take.
Instead of voting for the “best” connected and wealthiest of the candidates, who can “buy” the airwaves and newspapers and endorsements from other embedded politicians, elect someone new who is truly sincere, intelligent with good ideas and public policies and who are above all, honest, with a background of personal and political integrity.
Some of our best candidates are in public office; they will be the ones who do not make corporate speeches or serve on corporate boards, vote against the people’s best interests or have unsavory issues following them from their past. Keep them and bring them to their level of competency in government, if they are willing to serve only the people of our country.
Let’s get rid of the corrupt ones, and take our country back by electing people who wish to serve our community and our nation, not get rich through all of the deals and connections they can make while supposedly being our elected representatives to our government, on the local, state and federal level.
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