Grading the Governors in 2010: Q&A with the Cato Institute's Chris Edwards

How would you grade your governor?

Chris Edwards, the Cato Institute's director of tax policy studies, has analyzed and graded the fiscal records of 45 state governors.  The only A Students: South Carolina's Mark Sanford (R), Louisiana's Bobby Jindal (R), Minnesota's Tim Pawlenty (R), and West Virginia's Joe Manchin (D). Otherwise there were 15 B's, 8 C's, 11 D's and 7 F's.

Cato has been releasing its Fiscal Policy Report Card for over the past 20 years, tracking state and local budget's ballooning from the 1990s to the 2000s and an increase of A's and F's as governors struggle to find the best way to recover from years of overspending and mismanagement.

Approximately 9:30 minutes.

Shot by Jim Epstein and Meredith Bragg. Edited by Bragg.

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