Sex and money, both handled badly

Gail Collins:

It is a little ironic that states that spend so much time complaining about federal meddling have been so dependant on the about-to-vanish federal stimulus funds to keep functioning. The Oklahoma health commissioner recently warned lawmakers that additional budget cuts could send the state sliding from 49th to 50th in the ranking for overall health of its citizens. Which is, I guess, good news if you happen to be Mississippi.

Arizona has been raising quick cash by selling state buildings — including the Capitol — and leasing them back from the new owners.

You can see where the pressure might lead elected officials to do something crazy, like pass a gun control law so unconstitutional it makes the National Rifle Association nervous.

South Carolina is a very red state, but it’s in one of the worst messes, budgetwise. Nevada, which is sort of purple, is facing a huge shortfall in 2011. “People always write about California and New York, but I don’t think any state is in worse shape than Nevada,” said the Las Vegas Sun columnist Jon Ralston. This is the sort of thing that happens to smaller states, and it is totally unfair. Your elected officials work hard to create as many disasters as possible, and where’s the credit?

South Carolina is allegedly led by Mark Sanford of Appalachian Trail fame, and the governor of Nevada, Jim Gibbons, has had so many scandals that keeping them straight is like trying to explain credit default swaps. So I’m working on a theory that the states with terrible government are the ones that are A) Red, B) Blue, C) Run by someone with a sex scandal.