Community-led city improvement group to hold open meeting next week

Community-led city improvement group to hold open meeting next week

Georgia news, in the news, current events, Georgia happenings, GA happenings

Community-led city improvement group to hold open meeting next week

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — Locals seeking change in the community have an upcoming opportunity to meet with others who share that goal. On Jan. 30, the Columbus Empowerment Initiative will hold its first open meeting, starting at 10 a.m. at the Columbus Public Library.

Organizers hope the project will be successful in Columbus. While the initiative is still new in the city – it’s first meeting was held in October 2023 – similar projects have run in other cities, including Omaha, Neb.

Group founders encourage people from all sectors of the community to show up to next week’s meeting. 

 

Community-led city improvement group to hold open meeting next week

When it comes to deadly shootings in Louisville, 2023 looks a lot like 2022

Georgia news, in the news, current events, Georgia happenings, GA happenings

When it comes to deadly shootings in Louisville, 2023 looks a lot like 2022

In 2023, Louisville experienced a high number of shootings, with 553 individuals dead or wounded, as reported by LMPD. While the statistics suggest a potential decrease in homicides compared to previous years, some, including anti-violence activists argue that there is little evidence of improvement, with triple-digit homicides becoming a disturbing norm.

Despite hopes for a decline in violence, 2023 will mark the end of a record-breaking four-year period of unprecedented violence in Louisville, prompting calls for sustained efforts to restore public safety and the city’s accustomed aura.

Our own Josh Crawford joins the conversation with real solutions for bringing about public safety improvement in 2024. 

 

Community-led city improvement group to hold open meeting next week

Ask Dr. E: What should national leaders do to rescue America from an economic trainwreck?

Georgia news, in the news, current events, Georgia happenings, GA happenings

Ask Dr. E: What should national leaders do to rescue America from an economic trainwreck?

Dear Dr. E: The American economy is a mess. Few could argue otherwise, at least with a straight face. Inflation is out of control. Our national debt is unsustainable. Social Security is teetering on bankruptcy. Homeownership is out of the question for millions of young people. Credit card debt is unbelievable. The list could go on and on. Is there any one specific thing you believe our national leaders should do that would rescue America from the economic trainwreck that seems inevitable? — REALISTIC AND WORRIED WORKING MAN FROM ALABAMA 

Many of our socioeconomic issues are directly linked to the health of the family structure. Suppose the family structure falls in any civilization. In that case, the number of married couples decreases, economic mobility decreases, median family income decreases, child poverty increases, racial tension increases, and educational tensions increase. The success of an economy is directly related to the stability of the family structure. You cannot have one without the other. Eric Cochling of the Georgia Center for Opportunity says, “To reinvigorate opportunity in America, we must start by restoring the health and vitality of the American family. Nothing less will do.” If the family falls, so does the economy. 

Community-led city improvement group to hold open meeting next week

Food Stamps: New Report Outlines 5 Possible Ways To Combat SNAP ‘Benefits Cliffs’ at Federal Level — Would They Save Recipients Money?

Georgia news, in the news, current events, Georgia happenings, GA happenings

Food Stamps: New Report Outlines 5 Possible Ways To Combat SNAP ‘Benefits Cliffs’ at Federal Level — Would They Save Recipients Money?

A benefits cliff is when a household loses more in net income and benefits from governmental assistance programs — like SNAP — than it gains from additional earnings. According to a report by the Georgia Center for Opportunity, this net loss is a “perverse incentive” discouraging any desire to increase income.

“The very basic concept is that when you lose more in taxes and benefits than you receive from a gain in additional earnings, that’s how we’re defining a cliff,” Erik Randolph, GCO’s research director, told The Center Square. “Let’s say that you get a pay raise worth $2,000, but you actually lose $3,000, you’re $1,000 behind; you’re worse off financially than what you were.”

 

Community-led city improvement group to hold open meeting next week

Georgia report finds steps Congress should take to SNAP ‘benefits cliffs’

Georgia news, in the news, current events, Georgia happenings, GA happenings

Georgia report finds steps Congress should take to SNAP ‘benefits cliffs’

Design flaws in the federal food stamp program hinder recipients’ upward economic mobility and effectively force them into governmental dependency.

That’s the upshot of a new Georgia Center for Opportunity report exploring possible solutions for addressing the benefits cliffs in safety-net programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Erik Randolph, GCO’s research director, told The Center Square that the report — “Solving the Food Assistance (SNAP) Benefits Cliffs” — identified several steps federal authorities can take to ensure that SNAP functions as safety net programs should. In doing so, the federal government can eliminate SNAP benefit cliffs without spending more money.

“The very basic concept is that when you lose more in taxes and benefits than you receive from a gain in additional earnings, that’s how we’re defining a cliff,” Randolph said. “Let’s say that you get a pay raise worth $2,000, but you actually lose $3,000, you’re $1,000 behind; you’re worse off financially than what you were.

“The trade-off is that you can accept the pay raise but end up with less money,” Randolph added. “If someone’s acting in a rational manner, why would they do that? But in the long term, it’s going to harm them because it’s going to reduce their economic mobility. So, the system shouldn’t have that as part of it. It should be a hand up and not a handout that prevents you from making the right decision or that’s encouraging you to make the wrong decision.”