Grading Louisiana

Interesting report card on Louisiana:

Despite the ravages of Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana retained its B grade in a public interest group's national report card of how well states manage public resources.The report's analysts, however, offered a stinging rebuke of the way Louisiana state
government decides how to spend money on public construction projects.

Louisiana scored just above the national average of B- in "Grading the States 2008," a 50-state assessment released Monday by the Pew Center on the States' Government Performance Project and "Governing" magazine. Pew's previous report was conducted in 2005. The reports examine each state based on a range of performances and conditions, from budget and finance to roads and bridges.

Louisiana was one of 18 states scoring above average. The highest grade was an A- scored by Utah, Virginia and Washington. Among Louisiana's neighbors, Texas had a B+, Arkansas got a C, and Mississippi and Alabama scored a C+.