It’s Friday!
Events
January 26: Typically the Foundation’s first event of the year, the National School Choice Week Leadership Breakfast is keynoted by education expert Dr. Ben Scafidi. The topic is, “National School Week: Where’s The Money?” Cobb County’s Georgian Club, 8 a.m. $30. Information and registration here.
February 22: Mark your calendar! Join the Georgia Public Policy Foundation and the Institute for Justice for a Leadership Breakfast and Book Forum with Dick Carpenter, co-author of, “Bottleneckers: Gaming the Government for Power and Private Profit.” Cobb County’s Georgian Club, 8 a.m. $30. Details to follow.
Quotes of note
“Industry, thrift and self-control are not sought because they create wealth, but because they create character.” – Calvin Coolidge
“The American people are doing their job today. They should be given a chance to show whether they wish to preserve the principles of individual and local responsibility and mutual self-help before they embark on what I believe to be a disastrous system. I feel sure they will succeed if given the opportunity.” – Herbert Hoover
“I no longer know what to say to students and postdocs regarding how to navigate the CRAZINESS in the field of climate science. Research and other professional activities are professionally rewarded only if they are channeled in certain directions approved by a politicized academic establishment – funding, ease of getting your papers published, getting hired in prestigious positions, appointments to prestigious committees and boards, professional recognition, etc.”– Dr. Judith Curry, climate scientist who resigned from Georgia Tech effective January 1.
Georgia Legislature 2017
The issues: The General Assembly opens on Monday. Read our op-ed on the issues in Sunday’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution; catch up on our proposals in our Guide to the Issues, focusing on education, transportation, health care, taxes, criminal justice and more.
Criminal justice reform
New website: SmartOnCrimeGA is a new website that aggregate coverage of criminal justice issues affecting the nation and, more specifically, Georgia. Visit it and like the Facebook page and follow @SmartOnCrimeGA on Twitter to stay up to date and informed.
Reducing recidivism: A new state law taking effect in January allows juvenile offenders to attend charter schools while being held in state facilities.
State reforms: Several states have passed civil asset forfeiture reforms, with Ohio Gov. Kasich signing a reform bill this week. (Editorial comment: This could just be an effort to distract attention away from the Fiesta Bowl, but we’ll take it.)
Education
Funding and more: Funding reform has received most of the media coverage, but the Governor’s Education Reform Commission made many other good recommendations that may result in legislation this year. Read the final report here.
Intellectual Ammunition: In a debate on school choice and need to put some research behind your arguments? Read this short summary of the empirical evidence on school choice.
Health care
Direct Primary Care Savings: In Washington State, an analysis of two years of claims data for over 4,000 patients (primarily corporate employees) found a 20 percent reduction in total health care costs driven by “a marked reduction in expensive emergency room visits, inpatient care, specialist visits, and advanced radiology.” In North Carolina, direct primary care saved one local government $1.28 million in 2015-2016 amid rising health care costs.
Model for Georgia? In Pennsylvania, low-income, uninsured citizens were provided comprehensive care for less than $2,000 a year in a partnership between a direct primary care clinic and local hospital. Insurance premiums of $99 per month have not increased in three years.
Friday Flashback
This month in the archives: Each week, the Foundation shares something published this month five, 10, 15, 20 or 25 years ago. In January 15 years ago, the Foundation published, “Central Education Center: A Model for the Future.” It noted, “Currently, high schools are preparing students for one of two extremes: college, or unskilled work. Between the two lay vast opportunities for young people.” Today, Georgia has embraced college and career academies such as Newnan’s CEC.
Media
Foundation in the news: Kelly McCutchen’s op-ed, “Price can reform unaccountable bureaucracy that threatens seniors’ lives,” was published in The Marietta Daily Journal, Neighbor News, Northside Neighbor, DeKalb Neighbor, North Fulton Neighbor, West Georgia Neighbor and South Metro Neighbor. WXIA-TV’s 11Alive News interviewed Kelly about health care reforms under incoming Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price of Georgia. The Newnan Times-Herald published, “The Glacial Update of Georgia’s Water Plan,” by Benita Dodd. The Newnan Times Herald also published, “Competitive Cross-State Selling Will Make Insurance Affordable,” by Ron Bachman. NewGeography.com published, “New Year, Same Old Streetcar Named Disaster,” by Benita Dodd.
Social media: The Foundation has 3,127 Facebook “likes!” Our Twitter account has 1,690 followers at twitter.com/gppf. Follow us on Instagram, too!
Visit www.georgiapolicy.org to read our latest commentary, “How Direct Primary Care Benefits Patients With Chronic Conditions” by Katherine Restrepo.
Have a great weekend!
Kelly McCutchen and Benita Dodd
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