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Checking Up On Health: April 30, 2013

posted 6 years ago on April 30th, 2013 by admin Leave a Comment

Health Policy News and Views Compiled by Benita M. Dodd Hospital care spending: Georgia is second only to Utah in a ranking of the states with the lowest hospital care spending per person, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Utah spends $1,830 per person, while Georgia spends $1,922 per person. Alaska is the biggest spender, at $3,879 per person for hospital care. The figures are from 2009, the latest year available. Hospital care includes all services provided by hospitals to patients, such as room and board, ancillary charges and all other services billed by hospitals. Click here to see the list. Interestingly, at $4,948 per person, the District of Columbia far outspends all the states; the U.S. average is $2,475… View Article

May 23 Event Tackles, ‘The Future of Education’

posted 6 years ago on April 30th, 2013 by admin Leave a Comment

GEORGIA PUBLIC POLICY FOUNDATION MEDIA RELEASE April 30, 2013 Contact Benita Dodd at 404-256-4050 or benitadodd@georgiapolicy.org Sajan George Highlights, ‘The Future of Education,’ at May 23 Leadership Breakfast Atlanta – The world is changing fast, but we seem to be standing still when it comes to educating our children. How do we take advantage of the opportunities to personalize learning for every student? How do we enhance academic performance? Is the solution more money, more teachers or smaller class sizes? What role does technology play? Find out what’s wrong, what’s right and what to do with the three Rs from education entrepreneur Sajan George, founder and CEO of Matchbook Learning, at, “The Future of Education,” a Georgia… View Article

Foundation President Kelly McCutchen Cited in Rome News-Tribune

posted 6 years ago on April 29th, 2013 by admin Leave a Comment

Foundation in The News: The Rome News-Tribune cited Foundation President Kelly McCutchen in an article in which Dr. Ben Carson proposed ending property taxes and replacing them with a statewide tax: His suggestion to replace local property taxes with state funding isn’t so easy to do, according to Kelly McCutchen, president of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation. It would mean raising state taxes equal to double the current income tax. Even then, the idea could backfire. Much of the difference comes from the amount local districts choose to add to what the state already funds, and even under Carson’s proposal, the local supplements could create regional differences, McCutchen said. Spending per pupil in public schools in Georgia counties ranges from… View Article

Friday Facts: April 26, 2013

posted 6 years ago on April 26th, 2013 by admin 1 Comment

It’s Friday! Quotes of Note “As your nation grieves for those whose lives the bombers so wantonly and so pointlessly stole, and as it cares for those in whom serious injury has snatched away youth and strength, never apologize for being not only a successful nation but also a good nation, and a good friend to all the Earth.” – Lord Christopher Monckton “What we see on college campuses represents a dereliction of duty by boards of trustees, which bear the ultimate responsibility. Wealthy donors who care about the fraud of higher education should recognize that there’s nothing like the sound of pocketbooks snapping shut to open the closed minds of college administrators.” – Walter Williams “For all of… View Article

Georgia Has Alternatives to Medicaid Expansion

posted 6 years ago on April 26th, 2013 by admin Leave a Comment

By Kelly McCutchen Expanding Medicaid under the inflexible federal regulations currently in place would not be a good long-term decision for Georgia, but that doesn’t mean states shouldn’t propose a more effective alternative. But the question should not be limited to whether to expand a specific program such as Medicaid it should be how to best provide access to quality health care to our poorest citizens in a way that is fiscally sustainable. Public hospitals are required to provide care to anyone who comes into the emergency room, regardless of their ability to pay. So even if Medicaid did not exist, taxpayers and citizens would be paying for health care for the poor and uninsured. Although the uninsured often pay… View Article

Second Adult Criminal Justice Reform Bill Becomes Law

posted 6 years ago on April 25th, 2013 by admin Leave a Comment

By Mike Klein Governor Nathan Deal on Thursday signed an adult criminal justice reform bill that revises minimum mandatory sentencing laws, expands the state’s right to evidence appeals and creates a new Georgia Criminal Justice Reform Commission that will remain on-the-watch until 2023. In sum, the state will continue to consider criminal justice best practices for another ten years. The House Bill 349 signing ceremony was held in Marietta where Deal said, “When I first became Governor I was concerned about something that I was told Republicans shouldn’t really be concerned about and that was the fact that we were the tenth largest state in population but that we had the fourth largest prison population. “We had had a ‘tough… View Article

Student Outreach Scholarship Program Announcement

posted 6 years ago on April 25th, 2013 by admin 1 Comment

This week the Georgia Public Policy Foundation formally announced its new Student Outreach Scholarship Program that will enable university students to network with leading conservative policy makers at no charge to the students or to their schools. Foundation Vice President Benita Dodd unveiled the scholarship program at our April 23 telemedicine leadership event. “It’s called the S.O.S. program because we need to start Saving Our Students,” Dodd said. “We have liberal academia out there who are seizing the moment and we are lagging so what we decided to do is sponsor at least a table of students at every event.” Half a dozen Georgia Institute of Technology students were on-hand Tuesday morning to hear state public commissioner Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald… View Article

“Road Diets” Commentary Mentioned in Marietta Daily Journal

posted 6 years ago on April 25th, 2013 by admin Leave a Comment

Foundation in the news: In his April 21, 2013, column in the Marietta Daily Journal, Ron Sifen refers to a recent GPPF commentary on the “road diet” trend http://mdjonline.com/bookmark/22315171: “Should GDOT spend our transportation dollars on streetscapes that may decorate our environment, but do nothing to improve our mobility? “Even worse, in their recent “Road Diets” article, the Georgia Public Policy Foundation demonstrates that some of our transportation dollars are being spent on projects that actually impede our mobility!” Read more: The Marietta Daily Journal To read the GPPF commentary, “In Lean Times, Road Diets Leave Slim Pickings for Commuters,” click on this link: http://www.georgiapolicy.org/in-lean-times-road-diets-leave-slim-pickings-for-commuters/… View Article

May 23 Event Focuses on, ‘The Future of Education’

posted 6 years ago on April 24th, 2013 by admin Leave a Comment

GEORGIA PUBLIC POLICY FOUNDATION EVENT April 24, 2013 Contact Benita Dodd at 404-256-4050 or benitadodd@georgiapolicy.org Sajan George Highlights, ‘The Future of Education,’ at Leadership Breakfast Atlanta – The world is changing fast, but we seem to be standing still when it comes to educating our children. How do we take advantage of the opportunities to personalize learning for every student? How do we enhance academic performance? Is the solution more money, more teachers or smaller class sizes? What role does technology play? Find out what’s wrong, what’s right and what to do with the three Rs from education entrepreneur Sajan George, founder and CEO of Matchbook Learning, at, “The Future of Education,” a Georgia Public Policy Foundation Leadership… View Article

Checking Up On Health: April 23, 2013

posted 6 years ago on April 23rd, 2013 by admin Leave a Comment

Health Policy News and Views Compiled by Benita M. Dodd Boston bombing: Scott Rigsby, who was just three minutes from the Boston Marathon finish line last week before the explosions occurred, has launched Aid for Boston, a campaign to support the victims that have loss of limb or mobility from the tragedy. Rigsby, whose Scott Rigsby Foundation is headquartered in Marietta, will offer his services to these family members as they begin to address the personal challenges ahead. Visit www.scottrigsbyfoundation.org to participate in this global campaign. The Scott Rigsby Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to inspire, inform and enable individuals with loss of limb or mobility, to live a healthy, active lifestyle. As a founding member of… View Article