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Friday Facts: July 29, 2016

posted 3 years ago on July 29th, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

It’s Friday! Then and Now: In 1991, when the Georgia Public Policy Foundation was established, the Georgia Dome was under construction. When completed in 1992 at a cost of $214 million ($361 million in 2016 dollars), it was one of the largest state-funded construction projects in state history. Twenty-five years later, it’s scheduled for demolition. The $1.6 billion Mercedes Benz football stadium under construction gets at least $200 million (and by some estimates, up to $600 million) in public subsidies. Follow us! This week the Foundation hit a milestone: 3,000 Facebook “likes!” Our Twitter account has 1,650 followers at twitter.com/gppf. Follow us on Instagram, too! Guide to the Issues 2016: What policies should… View Article

‘Guide to the Issues’ Offers Georgia-focused Solutions

posted 3 years ago on July 22nd, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

By Benita Dodd The media hype surrounding the political parties’ national conventions spotlights the enormous discord created by personalities and politics as the presidential election approaches. Getting short shrift amid slogans and the scramble for dollars and votes are the policy proposals that will affect the lives of Americans — and Georgians — long after November 8. Many citizens dismiss the states’ impact on issues at the national level — federal taxes, immigration, the military and education policy, for example. Too many believe the answers depend on who is elected president and to Congress. It’s not always so. It behooves Georgians to pay close attention to innovative ideas closer to home. States are often incubators, testing life-enhancing policies that can… View Article

Friday Facts: July 22, 2016

posted 3 years ago on July 22nd, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

It’s Friday! Then and Now: In 1991, when the Georgia Public Policy Foundation was established, we polled Georgia voters on the state’s budget and economy. “Among the changes they strongly support are: privatization, spending cuts and limits, term limitations, creation of strict ethics laws and creation of direct citizen initiative and referendum.” Twenty-five years later, we continue to work diligently on the fiscal issues important to Georgians. Follow us! The Foundation is almost at 3,000 Facebook “likes!” Our Twitter account has 1,644 followers at twitter.com/gppf. Follow us on Instagram, too! Guide to the Issues 2016: What policies should Georgia adopt on education? Find out the Foundation’s proposals for Georgia’s children. Learn more about… View Article

News Release: Attorney Ross Coker Joins Georgia Public Policy Foundation

posted 3 years ago on July 21st, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

GEORGIA PUBLIC POLICY FOUNDATION NEWS RELEASE July 21, 2016 Contact Benita Dodd at 404-256-4050 or benitadodd@georgiapolicy.org Attorney Ross Coker Joins Georgia Public Policy Foundation Atlanta – The Georgia Public Policy Foundation, Georgia’s only free-market, state-focused public policy research organization, is pleased to announce the addition of Ross Coker as Research and Outreach Director. Coker earned his B.A. in political science at Auburn University and his law degree at Pepperdine University School of Law. He is a member of the State Bar of California and practiced in Washington, D.C., before joining the Georgia Public Policy Foundation. Coker’s primary focus is the Foundation’s Criminal Justice Initiative. “The Georgia Public Policy Foundation has a proud history of championing criminal justice reform since our… View Article

Friday Facts: July 8, 2016

posted 3 years ago on July 8th, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

It’s Friday! Then and Now: In 1991, when the Georgia Public Policy Foundation was established, the Legislature approved a constitutional amendment designating lottery funds for education purposes. Voters ratified it in 1992 and the lottery began in 1993. Over the years, the Georgia Lottery Corp. reports generating more than $17.4 billion for education. Tonight’s Mega Millions jackpot is $540 million; the pot has rolled over since March. Guide to the Issues 2016: Find out what the Foundation proposes on issues such as transportation, health care, education, taxes and more. Currently available online, each chapter includes principles for reform, facts on the issue, background information and, in most cases, positive solutions to the challenges facing Georgia. Quotes of Note… View Article

Rethinking Mandatory Minimum Sentences

posted 3 years ago on June 17th, 2016 by admin 3 Comments

By John G. Malcolm and John-Michael Seibler President Obama has publicly opined that mandatory minimum sentences ranging from 20 years to life in prison for drug offenses do not “fit the crime.” He has acted on that belief by commuting dozens of drug offenders’ sentences as Congress debates reform to various aspects of mandatory minimum sentencing laws. Sherman Chester is built like an NFL cornerback. His size belies a calm, respectful demeanor and a soft-spoken wit. On politics, he says he registered to vote as a Republican in 1984 because “Ronald Reagan was in office” and “America was doing it!” And when asked how he felt when he received a mandatory life sentence without parole for selling cocaine and heroin,… View Article

Friday Facts: June 17, 2016

posted 3 years ago on June 17th, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

It’s Friday! Then and Now: In 1991, when the Georgia Public Policy Foundation was established, electronic messages were hardly the norm; the term “email” gained popularity by 1993. Today, According to the Harvard Business Review, email takes up 23 percent of the average employee’s workday and, collectively, we send more than 108 billion emails a day in the United States. Guide to the Issues 2016, compiled by the Foundation, is now available online. Each chapter includes principles for reform, facts on the issue, background information and, in most cases, positive solutions to the challenges facing Georgia. Quotes of Note “The laws that forbid the carrying of arms are laws of such a nature. They disarm only those… View Article

Friday Facts: April 29, 2016

posted 3 years ago on April 29th, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

It’s Friday! Then and Now: In 1991, when the Georgia Public Policy Foundation was established, state government operated a tourist train, hotels, conference centers, golf courses and water parks, which caused us to ask in a commentary, “Can Russia Teach Georgia About Free Enterprise?” Quotes of Note “I applaud Georgia, and Governor Nathan Deal, for demonstrating that making our criminal justice system more fair is a bipartisan idea. Georgia’s latest reform bill touches on school discipline, correctional education for youth, the accuracy of criminal records, fees and fines, and occupational licensing. From the community to the cell block to the courtroom, this bill will both enhance justice and promote safety, serving as an example for the nation.” – President … View Article

Friday Facts: April 8, 2016

posted 3 years ago on April 8th, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

It’s Friday! Then and Now: In 1991, the year the Georgia Public Policy Foundation was established, metro Atlanta’s peak-hour congestion delays averaged 35 hours per commuter and the cost averaged $725. By 2014 (latest data) the cost was $1,130 per commuter for 52 hours of delay annually. The good news? The number of commuters increased 66 percent, the cost of delay grew 55 percent but congestion increased “only” 49 percent. We’re making a dent! Source: Texas Transportation Institute Quotes of Note “The property which every man has in his own labor, as it is the original foundation of all other property, so it is the most sacred and inviolable. The patrimony of a poor man lies in the strength… View Article

Criminal Justice Reform Unshackles Georgians

posted 3 years ago on March 11th, 2016 by admin 2 Comments

By Benita M. Dodd Appeals Court Judge Michael P. Boggs, co-chair of the Georgia Council on Criminal Justice Reform since 2012, makes a passionate case for the strides that have taken Georgia to the forefront in criminal justice reform. The Waycross jurist recalls presiding over a drug court in six rural counties in South Georgia. “I asked defendants three questions,” Boggs told the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s annual Legislative Luncheon recently. “When did you first drop out of school? Ninth grade. “What drug did you first start using? Marijuana. “When did you first start using it? Age 13. Boggs asked the luncheon attendees to guess: “How many of the first 6,000 criminal defendants I dealt with in felony criminal court… View Article