It's a cliche because it's true: Illinois is one of the most corrupt state in the country. With two of the last three Governors spending time behind bars it's not tough to figure out. And it's not as if voter are unaware. Fully 89 percent of Illinoisans believe corruption in the state is common. But what does that really mean?

Reboot Illinois has a look at a new study:

There’s now a price tag that can be placed on corruption in the state. Illinois is not the only state with high levels of corruption, but two college professors included Illinois in their list of ten most corrupt states and then they went on to place a “corruption tax” on those states.

The price tag for corruption in Illinois and the other nine most corrupt states?

$1,308 per person.

Scott Olson, Getty Images
Scott Olson, Getty Images
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According to The Times of Northwest Indiana, this, in turn, has real consequences in how our tax dollars are spent:

Mikesell and Liu's analysis found the most corrupt states spent less on elementary, high school and college education, health care and hospitals than their less corrupt counterparts.

Spending comparisons between highly corrupt Illinois and Indiana, which placed in the middle tier of corrupt states, seem to bear out the researchers' conclusions.

In 2013, Illinois spent $932.47 per person more than Indiana, according to the National Association of State Budget Officers. At the same time, Indiana spent more than twice as much from its general fund on education than Illinois.

We don't have to look far to see an example of the problem. The biggest story in Springfield right now involves the current governor's Neighborhood Recovery Initiative and a state and federal investigation into whether $55 million in taxpayer funds have been wasted.

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