It’s Friday!
Quotes of Note
“It is simply true: America’s greatest untapped resource is the human capital trapped in neighborhoods of concentrated poverty. These people – these children – represent trillions of dollars in unrealized economic productivity. Liberate this human capital across the nation, and economic benefits will accrue on a scale that could pay off the national debt in a decade or less.” – Tom Cousins
“The real question is whether the investment of wealth is likely to be done better by those who created that wealth in the first place or by politicians. The track record of politicians hardly suggests that turning ever more of a nation’s wealth over to them is likely to turn out well.” – Thomas Sowell
“A wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government.” – Thomas Jefferson.
Health care
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in King v. Burwell Thursday that individuals enrolled in federally established exchanges could receive tax subsidies, despite the law specifying subsidies in state-based exchanges. In his dissenting opinion, Justice Antonin Scalia wrote, “You would think the answer would be obvious – so obvious there would hardly be a need for the Supreme Court to hear a case about it. … Words no longer have meaning if an Exchange that is not established by a State is ‘established by the State’ …” Read the ruling and dissent here.
Georgia Congressman Tom Price reacted to the ruling: “The Supreme Court’s ruling has simply endorsed the status quo. It has not and it should not dissuade policymakers from continuing to pursue a repeal of ObamaCare and, just as important, to pursue positive, patient-centered solutions. The status quo is harming patients, families, and America’s small businesses. It is wreaking havoc on the health insurance market, diminishing the innovation and vitality of our health care system and remains a barrier to job creation and a healthier economy.
Atlantan Tom Payne, a board member of the Competititive Enterprise Institute, which was involved in the suit, noted, “Employers that cannot afford the dictated coverage or pay the ObamaCare penalties have no choice but to minimize their full-time headcount and reduce workers to part-time status. Studies show this has severely depressed full-time employment among small businesses and Georgia is no exception. Without the employer mandate, this disincentive to full-time hiring goes away.”
Education
Where Does Georgia Rank? Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Kyle Wingfield highlighted the Foundation’s recently released education data. You can view the interactive data here.
Events
July 29: Please join the Foundation in Savannah as we take our show on the road again this year for the annual Friedman Legacy for Freedom Day event. The noon Policy Briefing Luncheon at Vic’s on the River is keynoted by Dr. Ben Scafidi, Georgia’s foremost expert on education funding. $30. Find out more and register here.
October 15: Arthur Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute, who recently joined President Obama for a discussion on poverty, is the keynote speaker at the sixth annual Georgia Legislative Policy Forum, 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Thursday, October 15, at the Renaissance Waverly Atlanta. The theme is, “Wisdom, Justice and Opportunity.” Review the 2014 Forum here. Registration is $125 per person; an Early Bird rate ($100) applies until Friday, September 4. Register here.
Friday Flashback
This month in the archives: In July 2005, the Foundation published a commentary on eminent domain abuse: “Without Local Curbs, Eminent Domain Abuse is Imminent.” It noted, “In the case of eminent domain – taking private property for public use – ‘convenience’ clearly refers to easing the ability of government to operate.”
Media
Social media: The Foundation has more than 2,400 Facebook “likes” and more than 1,400 Twitter followers at twitter.com/gppf.
Visit www.georgiapolicy.org to read our latest commentary, “Despite Court Ruling, Health Law Remains Unworkable, Unaffordable and Unpopular,” by Nina Owcharenko.
A word from the president:
Ten years ago this week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Susette Kelo and for the city of New London, which wanted her property for private development. It inspired the states to work toward more protections against abuse of eminent domain. Today, Georgia has one of the toughest eminent domain laws in the nation, while the lot on which Kelo’s home once stood on remains empty and undeveloped.
On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the administration in King v. Burwell, a case that challenged the IRS practice of granting tax subsidies to individuals on ObamaCare’s federally run exchanges, even though the law specifically covered STATE exchanges. Let’s hope this inspires Georgia to work toward better health care options in the state – options that don’t include expanding the feds’ role and eliminate federal coercion. Just as we did with Kelo, your Foundation will continue to work toward better options for Georgians, this time in health care.
Have a great weekend!
Kelly McCutchen and Benita Dodd
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