It’s Friday!
Quotes of Note
“Nothing appears more surprising to those who consider human affairs with a philosophical eye, than the ease with which the many are governed by the few.” – David Hume
“Of those men who have overturned the liberties of republics, the greatest number have begun their career by paying an obsequious court to the people, commencing demagogues and ending tyrants.” – Alexander Hamilton
“The issue is always the same: the government or the market. There is no third solution.” Ludwig von Mises
Health care
Ruling’s lesson: “The Supreme Court’s decision in the ObamaCare case to strike down the broad penalty for refusing to comply with the Medicaid expansion constitutes a significant victory for the Constitution and its Tenth Amendment. The ruling could grant states expansive new flexibility to modify or withdraw from programs without losing the funds that Congress thought it could use to cudgel the states into compliance with its endless stream of new programs. Now it is up to the states to test the boundaries of that new flexibility – and to push back everywhere that federal coercion comes attached to a dollar of federal ‘assistance.'” – Mario Loyola, “Loosening the Federal Straightjacket: How the NFIB Decision Affects Federal Funds in State Budgets,” Texas Public Policy Foundation
Education
Technology and school reform: “Technology cannot drive meaningful change by itself – it must be coupled with a commitment by school leaders to reinvent teaching and learning,” according to a new report by the American Enterprise Institute. Technology’s most significant contribution to schooling is its ability to make good learning solutions more affordable, reliable, available, customizable, and data-rich. Steps policy-makers can take to allow for technology-enabled reinvention include loosening seat-time requirements, revisiting procurement rules, and considering more flexible teacher evaluation policies.
Events
Saturday: Join the Americans for Prosperity Georgia Foundation’s Middle Georgia Freedom Conference in Warner Robins at the Hilton Garden Inn. Benita Dodd is a panelist at the conference, which tackles taxes, health care, education and more. Find out more and register at http://middlegafreedomconference.eventbrite.com/.
Tax reform
No more taxes: Colorado voters rejected the Amendment 66 income tax increase ballot initiative by a decisive vote of 34 percent to 66 percent. The tax increase would have changed what is currently a flat 4.63 percent tax on all income to a 5 percent tax on the first $75,000 (an 8 percent increase) and a 5.9 percent tax on income above that (a 27 percent increase). It would have hit 95 percent of Colorado businesses. Source: Tax Foundation
Economy
Kudos to Georgia! Gov. Nathan Deal announced this week that the state’s business climate has been named No. 1 in the nation by Site Selection magazine.
Energy and environment
Who’s winning the water wars? Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection reported in 2012 that Floridians used an average of 169 gallons of water a day per person in 1995. By 2010, the gross per capita average had fallen to 133 gallons a day – a 21 percent dip. The Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District reports regional per-capita water use also fell more than 20 percent between 2001 and 2010. In that case, it means usage went from 149 gallons a day to 110 gallons a day. Source: Atlanta-Journal Constitution
Transportation
Who has the worst traffic? Not Atlanta, according to GPS manufacturer TomTom. In fact, Atlanta isn’t even in the top 10 in the Americas. It ranks 23rd in the Americas for congestion and 17th among U.S. cities, behind such cities as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu and that smart-growth poster child, Portland, Ore.
Media and social media
Foundation in the news: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published an op-ed by Benita Dodd on the food stamp program, “Stop grandstanding, end our spending.”
YouTube: We have more than 32,000 views on our YouTube channel already. View Foundation events at http://tinyurl.com/b7a3mzk.
Facebook: The Foundation’s Facebook page has 2,160 “likes.” Join us at facebook.com/GeorgiaPolicy to view daily policy news, views, updates, Quotes of Note and event photos. Ask your high school or college student to like the Foundation’s Student Outreach Scholarship page on Facebook at facebook.com/GeorgiaPolicySOSProgram.
The Foundation’s Twitter account is closing in on 1,100 followers! Get your Foundation news at twitter.com/gppf.
The Forum: This week in The Forum — the Foundation’s blog — “Checking Up On Health,” by Benita Dodd, shares news about the hazards of too much sleep, ObamaCare, superbugs and hepatitis C. Find this and other recent posts at georgiapolicy.org/category/the-forum/.
Visit www.georgiapolicy.org to read our latest commentary, “Making the Right Call on Medicaid, Health Care Reform,” by Kelly McCutchen.
“The nation which forgets its defenders will be itself forgotten.” – Calvin Coolidge
Have a great weekend. On Monday and every day, remember our veterans with gratitude!
Kelly McCutchen and Benita Dodd
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