NEWS & OPINIONS
Equitable Options In Education
Since 2016, the Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) has demonstrated the existence of welfare cliffs. Now a team of five economists has come to the same conclusion. Welfare cliffs are an unfortunate feature of the American welfare system.
If You Accept this Raise, You Fall Off the Welfare Cliff
Getting a raise from $15 to $18 could cost you over $20,000 in net income. Would you work hard for that promotion?
The Unintended Consequences of Generous Unemployment Benefits
Since 2016, the Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) has demonstrated the existence of welfare cliffs. Now a team of five economists has come to the same conclusion. Welfare cliffs are an unfortunate feature of the American welfare system.
Welfare Without Dignity Doesn’t Work
The fact of the matter is that systems like Medicaid, food stamps, and other programs are not designed to move people into a better life. Instead, they are a stop-gap that simply meets an immediate or temporary need.
Welfare Cliffs Exist—Concludes Team of Economists
Since 2016, the Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) has demonstrated the existence of welfare cliffs. Now a team of five economists has come to the same conclusion. Welfare cliffs are an unfortunate feature of the American welfare system.
Reentry is not enough
Reentry has long been the sole focus of the prison system. However reintegration is a more wholistic community-based process that involves a citizen transitioning from an antisocial member of society into an individual who controls and directs their own lives.
Field Trips in the Time of COVID
Field Trips In The Time Of COVID By Heidi Holmes Erickson We all remember a time as students when we boarded a bus, a brown paper bag with a smashed sandwich in hand, anxiously waiting as our teacher gave us information about the day’s field trip. Field trips are a...
The Power of Second Chances
The Power of Second Chances By David BassImagine stepping from a life of homelessness characterized by desperation and deprivation to a full, rich life in which you can contribute and build a future. That was Jonathan’s story of transformation. As a graduate of CKS...
Gov. Kemp signs bill into law expanding job opportunities for military spouses
Gov. Kemp signs bill into law expanding job opportunities for military spouses By David Bass With our state experiencing a 7.6% unemployment rate in June (the most recent numbers available), it’s clear that every Georgian needs all the help...
Gov. Kemp signs ‘second chance’ expungement bill into law for ex-offenders
Gov. Kemp signs ‘second chance’ expungement bill into law for ex-offenders By David Bass For many Georgians, past criminal conviction can be the most significant hurdle to overcome in getting a job. On this front, there is good news: Gov. Brian...
COVID-19 Makes the Case for Educational Flexibility Even Stronger
With respect to school openings during this COVID-19 pandemic, a public health professor recently observed, “There are no ideal solutions here. No matter what schools do, they won’t make everyone happy.” Of course, that is true in the monolithic K-12 education system we have now…
Chris Glinski: Overcoming Barriers Of Addiction
Chris Glinski was addicted to heroin He has aspirations to be a therapist and was recently married in 2016. “Where I am at now, it feels so foreign that I had this debilitating addiction that prevented me from love and joy,” Chris said. Chris’ story is an example of overcoming barriers and beating addiction.
MEDIA MENTIONS
Georgia Unemployment Rate: Lowest Record Since 1976
State unemployment rate stands at a record low On Friday, April 15th, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released state employment numbers for Georgia. They show that our state unemployment rate stands at a record low of 3.1%, the lowest since the BLS began tracking...
Randy Hicks on taking a bottom-up strategy to state policy reform | Overton Window Podcast
GCO's CEO, Randy Hicks speaks with fellow think tank podcast, The Overton Window Below is an excerpt from the Mackinac Center in Michigan. The Mackinac Center recently invited GCO's CEO, Randy Hicks to discuss GCO's take on State Policy Reform on their regular...
Op-Ed: Georgia Politicians Reject Educational Freedom At Their Own Peril | Real Clear Policy
Tuesday, March 15, was a sad day for kids in Georgia. That’s the day when the Georgia Senate voted down a bill to create Promise Scholarships. Eight Republicans joined all Democrats in rejecting the scholarships, which would have offered families up to $6,000 a year...
Op-Ed: Georgia Politicians Reject Educational Freedom At Their Own Peril | The Georgia Virtue
Tuesday, March 15, was a sad day for kids in Georgia. That’s the day when the Georgia Senate voted down a bill to create Promise Scholarships. Eight Republicans joined all Democrats in rejecting the scholarships, which would have offered families up to $6,000 a year...
Georgia Senate kills school-choice bill | The Center Square
The Georgia Senate has killed a bill that would have allowed Georgians to put taxpayer money toward the cost of private school tuition. Senate Bill 601, the Georgia Educational Freedom Act, would have created state-funded Promise Scholarships of up to $6,000 a year....
Georgia Senate Failed to Pass Senate Bill 601, The Georgia Education Freedom Act
The Georgia Senate failed to pass Senate Bill 601, the Georgia Education Freedom Act, by a vote of 20-29. Today, the Georgia Senate failed to pass Senate Bill 601, the Georgia Education Freedom Act, by a vote of 20-29. The bill would have created Promise Scholarships,...
Promise Scholarships would help adoptive families like mine | Gwinnett Daily Post
The life of an adoptive parent is tough in normal times, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated those challenges. Even so, our family wouldn’t trade the adoption life for anything. The trouble is, not everyone sees or acknowledges the struggles that adoptive...
Update: State Employment Numbers Includes Major Revisions Going Back to 1990
A look at the state employment numbers. Yesterday, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released state employment numbers that included major revisions going back to 1990. According to the revisions, Georgia had recovered all its jobs lost during the pandemic in...