chicagotribune.com: Louisiana ranked more corrupt than Illinois

Even with the Blagojevich, Illinois is ranked 19th?  That makes me happy about Illinois, but sad about the country.  According to Jon Stewart, Illinois governors are more likely to go to jail than murderers:

“50% of all Illinois governors end up in jail. For God‘s sakes, did you know, this is true, that only 48% of people who commit murder end up in jail for their crime?  You are more likely to end up in jail if you become the governor of Illinois than if you become a murderer.”  The Daily Show, December 10, 2008

The fact that Illinois, where 1 out of every 2 governors is in jail, is less corrupt than 18 states doesn’t bode well for corruption nation-wide.

This article also notes some interesting facts about Louisiana.  Apparently, it took a natural disaster to change the corrupt culture.  It’s important to note that in Louisiana, and the rest of the country, the individuals charged with creating our ethics laws are the same people who are most affected by those same laws.  For example, the article mentions Louisiana legislatures voting against a bill that would terminate state pension funds convicted public officials.  I guess those legislators worried they might be next.  Separation of powers in our government was a great idea, but does it break down right here?