Georgia Public Policy Foundation Archives | Georgia Public Policy Foundation

Governor Announces BRT Funding for SR 400

posted 3 months ago on June 21st, 2018 by admin Leave a Comment

On June 19, 2018, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal announced $100 million in General Obligation bonds for Bus Rapid Transit infrastructure, part of the SR 400 Express Lanes project. The plan includes four BRT interchanges as part of a $1.8 billion project for express toll lanes up the highway. The Georgia Public Policy Foundation has long promoted BRT as a cost-effective alternative to rail. In the Foundation’s Agenda 2002: Guide to the Issues, for example, the Transportation section noted: Traditional train-type transit can be very effective in the downtown ares of certain cities. London, Paris, Tokyo and New York City fit this description. In these densely pupulated cities, rail-based transit provides a high-capacity, convenient transit solution that makes… View Article

Rideshare can Rescue Transit, If Transit Gets on Board

posted 6 months ago on March 23rd, 2018 by admin Leave a Comment

By Daniel Sperling and Steven Polzin This commentary is based on, “Three Revolutions: Steering Automated, Shared, and Electric Vehicles to a Better Future,” by Daniel Sperling, published February 2018 (Island Press) Bad news for transit keeps rolling in. Transit ridership declined in 34 of the 40 largest metropolitan areas over the past three years. New York’s subway woes continue, Washington Metro struggles with funding and maintenance and, even in Los Angeles with its massive rail system buildout supported by $120 billion in tax increases over 40 years, ridership is declining. Explanations for declining ridership include low gasoline prices, economic growth, increasing car ownership, immigrants’ fear of using transit, homeless loitering, and safety and security concerns. While ridership routinely… View Article

Pension Solvency and Public Education: The Case for Reforming Georgia Teacher Pensions

posted 7 months ago on February 20th, 2018 by admin Leave a Comment

Registration is open for, “Pension Solvency and Public Education: The Case for Reforming Georgia Teacher Pensions,” an 8 a.m. Leadership Breakfast on Tuesday, February 20, 2018. This event is hosted by the Georgia Public Policy Foundation at Cobb County’s Georgian Club The speakers are Len Gilroy, Senior Managing Director of the Pension Integrity Project and Director of Government Reform at Reason Foundation, and Georgia State Rep. Chuck Martin (R-Alpharetta), Chairman of the Georgia House Budget and Fiscal Oversight Committee. This Leadership Breakfast is open to the public. The deadline to register is Friday, February 16; registration is $30. Register at Eventbrite or send your check for $30 per attendee (memo: “Pension Event”) to Georgia Public Policy Foundation,… View Article

Rate Cuts, Not Tax Cuts

posted 11 months ago on October 20th, 2017 by admin Leave a Comment

By Jeffrey Dorfman Economists all agree that tax reform is pro-growth if it broadens the base (such as by eliminating deductions) while reducing marginal tax rates. There is less agreement on other aspects of the issue, such as which types of households should see tax cuts, whether a lower corporate rate would benefit workers or shareholders the most, and whether it would be a good idea for the government to bring in less tax revenue overall. Given all this, what type of tax reform should be our highest priority? In our current situation of low economic growth, the answer appears to be lower rates. Your marginal income-tax rate is the percentage you pay in taxes on your last (or next)… View Article

2017 Georgia Legislative Policy Forum

posted 11 months ago on October 13th, 2017 by admin Leave a Comment

2017 Georgia Legislative Policy Forum ‘Wisdom, Justice, Transformation’ Date: Friday, October 13, 2017 Location: Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Hotel and Convention Center 2450 Galleria Parkway; Atlanta, GA 30339 Time: 7:30-8 a.m. Coffee/Breakfast | 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Program Lunch included Register Now Here The entire event is open to the public, but registration is required. AGENDA 7:30 – 8:00 – Continental Breakfast 8:00 – 8:15 – Welcome 8:20 – 8:50 – Opening Presentation: Federal Tax Reform and What It Means for Georgia Jonathan Williams, Chief Economist and Vice President for the Center for State Fiscal Reform at the American Legislative Exchange Council 9:00 – 10:15 Session One: Success Across the State: Examples of Health Care Transformation in Georgia… View Article

Friday Facts: September 22, 2017

posted 12 months ago on September 22nd, 2017 by admin Leave a Comment

It’s Friday! Events: Early Bird Registration ends Monday! Register today for the 2017 Georgia Legislative Policy Forum; the Foundation’s daylong event on Friday, October 13 at the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Hotel. The theme is “Wisdom, Justice, Transformation,” with a focus on transforming health care and education. The keynote speaker is Dr. Tim Huelskamp, three-term Congressman and new president of The Heartland Institute! Early Bird Registration is $100 ($125 after September 25); register here. Details on sessions and speakers here! VIP opportunity: Attend Health Connect South 2017 on September 28 at the Georgia Aquarium at no charge! In partnership with Georgia Public Policy Foundation, Health Connect South is pleased to offer 20 complimentary registrations to… View Article

Friday Facts: September 15, 2017

posted 1 year ago on September 15th, 2017 by admin Leave a Comment

It’s Friday! On a personal note: Thank you for continuing to use your checkbooks and your prayers for the benefit of those recovering from Hurricane Irma and its aftermath. Also, thanks to emergency responders and utility workers putting their lives on the line to restore Georgia. Finally, we’re grateful that Georgia Congressman Barry Loudermilk and his wife, Desiree, who were home to help with the Irma response, are safe after they were involved in a terrifying wreck in Tennessee as they returned to Washington, D.C. His chief of staff, Rob Adkerson, told us Thursday they are “resting and recovering well. They are both very thankful for many miracles during and after the accident, and they are exceedingly humbled by,… View Article

Friday Facts: September 8, 2017

posted 1 year ago on September 8th, 2017 by admin Leave a Comment

It’s Friday! On a personal note Hurricane Irma’s path remains uncertain, but residents in Florida, Georgia and the Southeast coast are evacuating or bracing for its impact. Our thoughts and prayers are with those in its path. We were in San Antonio, Texas, last week for the State Policy Network’s 25th annual conference. That city was spared any effects from Hurricane Harvey but, as you know from media reports, many lives, homes and possessions were lost closer to the Gulf Coast. Georgians generously stepped in to donate and volunteer. Now Georgians’ lives, too, are at risk. As you may already know, Gov. Nathan Deal has issued a mandatory evacuation order for all areas east of I-95 and other parts of… View Article

Reading is Fundamental to American Liberty

posted 1 year ago on July 28th, 2017 by admin Leave a Comment

By Gerard Robinson “Reading is fundamental” was a popular slogan when I was an elementary student in Los Angeles during the 1970s. Today, parents, teachers and tutors stress the importance of literacy to public, private, home and virtual school students. Reading is not only still fundamental; it is even more profoundly so than it was 40 years ago. Why? Our knowledge economy, economic self-sufficiency, and military soundness require a highly literate population. To comprehend just how important reading is to American liberty, it is worth a look backward to see what our founding generation believed about literacy. The Founders’ decision to dissolve their bonds with England was a declaration for the liberty to learn as much as it was a… View Article

Friday Facts: July 28, 2017

posted 1 year ago on July 28th, 2017 by admin Leave a Comment

It’s Friday! The Georgia Public Policy Foundation’s offices will be closed today as we attend the memorial service for Marcia Bryan Wade, wife of Foundation Board Chairman Rogers Wade. The service takes place today at Sandy Springs Chapel at 11 a.m., with visitation at 10 a.m. Marcia passed away on July 19, 2017. The couple, who met while students at the University of Georgia, had been married 54 years. Read the obituary here. Quotes of note “There is no happiness, there is no liberty, there is no enjoyment of life, unless a man can say, when he rises in the morning, I shall be subject to the decision of no unwise judge today.” – Daniel Webster “Economic equality is… View Article

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