Pew Study on U.S. Governmental Performance

[helwen]

http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/gpp_report_card.aspx

Read some of the info available in one of the local papers today. At the above web site you can check out whatever state you're interested in. My state, Massachusetts, got a C; problems with infrastructure (roads, bridges, the Big Dig, state buildings, etc.), and of course our interesting health care situation, among other things. We got a higher grade than New Hampshire, but lower than many other states.

Only three got an A- (Washington, Utah, and Virginia), no straight A's. Some of the stuff that the various states need to work on are disturbing, like the huge amount of money New Jersey owes to pay for state pensions ($58 Billion) for instance -- mind you, they're not the only ones who have pensions to worry about covering, but with the economy the way it is these days, it's a definite worry.

But for states looking to improve, they can check out the other states that have higher grades and see if they can pick up any good ideas on how to achieve that improvement.

Comments

[ellid.livejournal.com]

I would question those ratings. Utah is a theocracy in all but name, which means that church doctrines that harm women are firmly entrenched, for instance, whereas Massachusetts, with all its Big Dig problems, is a leader in terms of personal freedoms such as gay rights and women's rights.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

I haven't looked at Utah, but if you look at each state, there's the overall "grade" and the grades for different things that they looked at.

Anyway, I suspect in the end that matters most to a person is going to be the deciding factor for whether it's a good state for him or her to be living in.

And as for harming women, as I said, I don't know much about Utah, but certainly my friend Rebecca had no fears about moving back there... are you talking about problems for women who want to stay single or not have a bunch of kids? They aren't all Mormons in that state, but I have heard about those problems. Something else?

[ellid.livejournal.com]

Reproductive rights and the general tone of the Mormon church toward women. The church hierarchy basically packed western legislatures with supporters who stopped the ERA in the 1970s and has purged feminists and liberals for decades. It may be a nice, clean, safe state, but it's not the place for me.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

No, not the place for me, either.