Louisiana's corrupt tone.

Louisiana has always had a reputation as the most corrupt state in the US. When the critical analysis of the emergency response to hurricane Katrina is finished and indictments are handed down we will see how corrupt. Till then we can go to a 2002 report by Corporate Crime Reporter: Public Corruption in the United States.

They ranked the States based on the total number of public corruption convictions from 1993 to 2002 per 100,000 residents. The top three:

1. Mississippi (7.48)
2. North Dakota (7.09)
3. Louisiana (7.05)

However this is ranked by convictions and you have to have laws in place to convict. The report ranked the States using a BGA Score.

We wanted to determine which states are best prepared to fight corruption and which are vulnerable." The BGA Integrity Index is an in-depth analysis of five laws that play a direct role in ensuring integrity and combating the corruption of government. The group analyzed freedom of information laws, whistleblower protection laws, campaign finance laws, gifts, trips and honoraria laws, and conflict of interest laws. "We chose those laws because they reflect three principles that are central to open and honest government – transparency, accountability and limits.

The top five states in the BGA Integrity Index were Wisconsin, Rhode Island, Kentucky, Hawaii and California. The bottom five were Louisiana, Alabama, New Mexico, Vermont and South Dakota.

So while Louisiana ranks 3rd in convictions it ranks 5th in States least prepared to convict.

Corruption Rank..................BGA Score

1. Mississippi (7.48).............18
2. North Dakota (7.09)..........12
3. Louisiana (7.05)................5

Make your own conclusions.