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It’s Friday!  Memory Lane The more things change … As Georgia prepares for reapportionment again after the 2020 Census, this 1992 Georgia Public Policy Foundation commentary reveals what was on the table then: Democrats were in the majority under the Gold Dome, tackling school choice, taxes, healthcare and ballot access. In 2021, as the Foundation celebrates its 30th anniversary and Republicans are in the majority in the Legislature, we’re reminded how much the issues affecting Georgians remain the same. Quotes of note “It is a general popular error to suppose … Continue Reading →

By Kyle Wingfield Inflation fears are making headlines, and rightly so. The U.S. Labor Department reports year-over-year consumer prices rose 5% in May, the fastest rate in almost 13 years. This is the clear result of government policy that, rather than the proverbial helicopters shoveling money out their doors, more closely resembles a never-ending stream of C-130s dumping huge payloads of dollars onto the masses below. Political liberals developed a belief after the last recession that the culprit for the stagnant recovery was too little stimulus – and not, you … Continue Reading →

Many municipalities are struggling to keep up with waste management. We asked what’s happening and why residents are paying the price.

By Kyle Wingfield For a group that says it wants to increase healthcare access for all, the Biden administration has spent much of its early months in office trying to stymie reforms in Georgia. Now, I’m sure that isn’t how the feds would describe their actions. But it’s the practical effect of working to block changes today, in hopes the state might do tomorrow what it declined to do yesterday. I refer to the Biden administration’s twin moves – the most recent of which came this past Thursday – to … Continue Reading →

By Kyle Wingfield Along with the gusher of spending from Washington, D.C., has come a debate about how to pay for it all. State lawmakers should listen carefully and act accordingly. Some harmful proposals to raise tax rates could be implemented, depending on how willing Senate Democrats are to pass bills via the “reconciliation” process and a tie-breaking vote from Vice President Kamala Harris. As federal taxes rise, states will have even more reason to cut their rates to remain competitive – not only with one another, but internationally. Foreign … Continue Reading →

It’s Friday!  Memory Lane Through the years, the Georgia Public Policy Foundation has presented the Freedom Award to  Georgians who have exemplified the principles of private enterprise and personal integrity. The photograph shows the 1995 recipient, Griffin Bell. The first recipient was U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas in 1993, two years after the Foundation was established. The most recent was Georgia businessman, philanthropist and motivational speaker Sunny K. Park, in 2020. This year the Foundation celebrates 30 years of Changing Georgia Policy, Changing Georgians’ Lives. Quotes of note “Too … Continue Reading →

By Kyle Wingfield The calendar flipped to May and, in my world at least, folks began to party like it’s 2019. In the past week, I’ve been to a restaurant where the waiters didn’t wear masks, a 40th birthday party with people who (gasp!) I didn’t even know, and a dinner event with a few dozen people. All credit to the warp-speed vaccines and the companies that developed them. Now, if you live in many parts of Georgia not called Atlanta, you may wonder what took so long. I have … Continue Reading →

It’s Friday!  Memory Lane The Friday Facts traces its beginnings to the days of the facsimile machine, or fax. As shown in this 2004 edition, it was initially called the Friday Fax and sent only to Foundation members. Thanks to the internet, today the Friday Facts is accessible to anyone with a computer or smartphone, and is archived on the Foundation website. Sign up here today to get the Friday Facts in your mailbox. Founded in 1991, the Foundation celebrates its 30th anniversary this year! Quotes of note “Note, besides, … Continue Reading →

By Kyle Wingfield Being focused primarily on what happens in Georgia, it can be easy to miss important developments elsewhere. But when it comes to expanding educational options, other states keep rubbing it in my face. Our General Assembly did pass some modest improvements to school-choice programs this year, expanding the Special Needs Scholarship to additional students and moving public charter schools closer to funding parity with other public schools. But the largest proposed expansion, a bill to create education scholarship accounts, advanced out of the House Education Committee but … Continue Reading →