The Granite State isn’t always greener, it seems.

New Hampshire – a favored positive comparison for Mainers suffering from bouts of Augustaitis – scored lower than Maine in the latest state government evaluation by the Pew Center on the States.

Maine scored a middling C, while its lone neighbor scored a worst-in-the-nation D+. Few states scored above a B, which indicates the harsh grading of this particular political science professor.

Pew’s assessment of New Hampshire was so poor, it’s remarkable the crumbling of the Old Man in the Mountain wasn’t blamed on state failure to invest in tourism infrastructure.

From space heaters in prison hallways to five-person review panels for even minor purchases, Pew tarnished the state’s reputation – which is strong in Maine – of being the government gold standard of efficiency.

Two fine examples from Pew’s study:

“New Hampshire has such weak data-sharing systems that it doesn’t know how much it spends each month – kind of like an average Joe who’s lost his checkbook.”

And, “There’s a philosophy in the Granite State that constant fiscal crisis helps keep the state efficient. However… how does New Hampshire know where efficiency ends and strangulation begins?”

This is a good question, and one that should stymie misguided ideals that if Maine follows New Hampshire’s footsteps, we will solve all our governmental problems. While some comparisons might be favorable, there is much of New Hampshire that Maine shouldn’t envy.

Like a governor, according to Pew, powerless in naming – and deposing – his chief cabinet posts, or an information technology system long out-of-date.

Obviously, the key benchmark for measuring Maine against New Hampshire is taxes, and here, the dichotomy is simple: Maine has taxes, and New Hampshire – for the most part – does not. For a state with such a high tax burden, the phrase “tax free New Hampshire” can sound positively utopian.

This is the reason groups such as the Maine Heritage Policy Center are studying cross-border spending, and finding an exodus of Maine shoppers filling New Hampshire parking lots despite an absolute equilibrium in pricing.

By taking their commerce across the border for the tax advantage, it appears Maine people are voting with their feet, tires, fuel tanks, wallets and debit cards that the government policies of New Hampshire are superior.

But is it really better, or just close enough to visit?

Pew’s study shows New Hampshire, like Maine, has its share of problems. And according to Pew, the Granite State’s reputation for frugality and meager taxation hasn’t delivered it from evils affecting state governments from coast-to-coast, especially the spiraling demands of aging infrastructure.

New Hampshire’s appeal, in comparison to Maine, is based upon what it’s missing: sales and income taxes. The better measure could be about what Maine has, that New Hampshire wishes it did.

Such as a higher grade on Pew’s study, for one.