Cato on Facebook
Cato on Twitter
Cato on YouTube
Cato RSS1000 Massachusetts Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20001-5403
Phone (202) 842 0200
Fax (202) 842 3490
Contact Us
October 24, 2006
Policy Analysis no. 581
Fiscal Policy Report Card on America's Governors: 2006
by Stephen Slivinski
Stephen Slivinski is director of budget studies at the Cato Institute and author of Buck Wild: How Republicans Broke the Bank and Became the Party of Big Government (Nelson Current, 2006).
Published on October 24, 2006
PRINT PAGE
CITE THIS
Share with your friends:
This report presents the findings of the Cato Institute's eighth biennial fiscal policy report card on the nation's governors. The report card's grading is based on 23 objective measures of fiscal performance. Governors who have cut taxes and spending the most receive the highest grades. Those who have increased spending and taxes the most receive the lowest grades.
Only one governor receives an A this year— Republican Matt Blunt of Missouri. The next two highest-scoring Republicans are Rick Perry of Texas and Mark Sanford of South Carolina. The highest-scoring Democratic governors are John Lynch of New Hampshire and Phil Bredesen of Tennessee.
Stephen Slivinski is director of budget studies at the Cato Institute and author of Buck Wild: How Republicans Broke the Bank and Became the Party of Big Government (Nelson Current, 2006).
Nine governors receive Fs. In alphabetical order, they are Kathleen Blanco of Louisiana, Michael Easley of North Carolina, Kenny Guinn of Nevada, Christine Gregoire of Washington, Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, Ruth Ann Minner of Delaware, Janet Napolitano of Arizona, Bob Riley of Alabama, and Brian Schweitzer of Montana.
Governors who received praise in previous editions of the report card but have lower grades this year include Arnold Schwarzenegger of California (current grade, D); Jeb Bush of Florida (current grade, C); Bill Owens of Colorado (current grade, D); George Pataki of New York (current grade, D); and Bill Richardson of New Mexico (current grade, C).
(View the list of Governor scores and grades.)
Download the PDF of Policy Analysis no. 581 (903 KB)
View this Policy Analysis in HTML
Get Adobe Reader
Share with your friends:
Full text of Policy Analysis no. 581
© 2010 The Cato Institute
Please send comments to webmaster
Buck Wild: How Republicans Broke the Bank and Became the Party of Big Government
A scathing look at how the Republican Party, once the paragon of fiscal conservativism, has embraced Big Government and become even more irresponsible with taxpayer money than the Democrats.
Opinion and Commentary
Studies
Daily Podcasts
Events
- Size Matters: How Big Government Puts the Squeeze on America's Families, Finances, and Freedom (And Limits the Pursuit of Happiness)
- Liberating the Roads: A New Direction for Federal Highway Policy
- "John Stossel Goes to Washington"
- The Federal Budget Outlook
- Buck Wild: How Republicans Broke the Bank and Became the Party of Big Government
Feeds for Cato events: 