Illinois scores 0 out of 100
Remember that time in school when you forgot your homework assignment and received a grade of 0?
Well, the state of Illinois can commiserate. Out of a possible 100 points, Illinois received a “0” from the government watchdog group Good Jobs First for its stimulus transparency website.
Not surprisingly, that score gave Illinois the distinction of being the lowest ranked state.
The site, Illinois Recovery, fails to achieve the promised pledge of “an unprecedented level of transparency and accountability” Barack Obama made when passing the stimulus. In fact, the site fails to achieve transparency on even a basic level, lacking specific information on stimulus spending for state projects.
By failing to track stimulus spending and maintain transparent records in line with national norms, Illinois has demonstrated its lack of commitment to good, open government.
Illinois is already known nationwide for government corruption and lack of transparency; this embarrassing report only furthers this negative perception.
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