In a business, a hard working successful employee is rewarded. Take the example of sales. If an employee makes a large sum of money for the company, they will be rewarded with bonuses and raises. They will receive part of the money they earned back. If an employee makes no sales, they will be fired. This system benefits both the employee and the business, as it aligns their interests and makes them work together toward a common goal. Continue reading “Rewarding Failure”
Author: chrismtwo
Every day I try to learn and experience new things. The infinite wonder of the universe provides endless opportunity for adventures. My favorite thing is to enjoy these adventures with friends, and to share my stories with others.
At the very core, all people are storytellers. Whether it is a full length motion picture or a chat over a cup of coffee, most of what makes up the human experience is the communication of ideas. For this reason, I am always looking for opportunities to write. I would like to share what I've seen with as many people as possible.
Punishing Success
Imagine a scenario. Your child has worked hard their whole academic career, and they’ve gotten a full ride scholarship to a top 10 University. You’ve saved up for their college, so now you have a relatively large sum of money to use as you see fit. Do you, beaming with pride, reward your child by buying them a car? Or do you take the money, and buy a car for your other child who dropped out of college and is living in your basement? After all, the successful child doesn’t really need it as much; they will do just fine in life. You can even take it a step further. You can ask the successful child to send home part of their paycheck after college to help support their less ambitious brother. Continue reading “Punishing Success”
A Novel Idea: Rewarding Success and the Incentive Tax
If your employer offered a bonus for increasing your sales over the month, would you work harder? Incentives have a powerful effect on effort and productivity. People tend to try and do what is in their best interest, and nowhere is this phenomenon more pronounced than the realm of economics. The very concept of work relies on a value for effort system. The harder you work, the more difficult your skill, the greater your product, the more you are compensated. Whether it manifest in the form of hourly wages (the longer you work the more you make) or the form of high paid professions (the harder your skill is to master, the more you make) this value system is paramount to all economic systems. As this truth is applied to a system of taxation and governance, unexpected consequences often arise. Continue reading “A Novel Idea: Rewarding Success and the Incentive Tax”
What Are My Property Taxes Paying For?
The Fulton County Board of Commissioners rejected raising the county property tax millage from 10.281 to 10.791 (a .51 increase or 5%) on Wednesday and instead opted keep millage constant. The decision came despite declining tax digest values, caused by increased homestead exemptions and declining property values. The change could have raised $17 million for the County General Fund, according to the Fulton County Government. Property tax revenues account for around 80% of General Fund Revenue in Fulton. Continue reading “What Are My Property Taxes Paying For?”
How Property Taxes Are Calculated in Georgia
Just about everyone is taking a piece of your property in the form of taxes. Even the Board of Education gets its own slice. So it is important to understand the various ways in which your house is taxed. Armed with this knowledge, you can fight tax increases or support them based on where the money will be going. Continue reading “How Property Taxes Are Calculated in Georgia”
Appealing a Property Appraisal
Home values have been down since the housing bubble burst. So, you may feel cheated when your home is being appraised at higher values than before for property taxes. How can the value of your home be increasing when you can’t even sell it for a reduced price? You can check listings at MLS and the National Association of Realtors to try and get an estimate of the real market value of your house. If you do find a discrepancy, you have the right to fight the appraisal and potentially lower your property taxes. Continue reading “Appealing a Property Appraisal”
The Different Destinations of a Convicted Felon
If you are convicted of a crime in Georgia, there are over 26 different types of correctional facilities that you could end up in. Continue reading “The Different Destinations of a Convicted Felon”
Reforming Georgia’s Correctional System
It isn’t often that everyone in government agrees, but in May a sweeping reform of Georgia’s justice system (HB 1176) received unanimous support from both the State House and Senate. The reform seeks to reduce the cost of corrections by reducing prison populations, reducing recidivism, creating innovative treatment programs, and modifying mandatory minimums, among other things. Continue reading “Reforming Georgia’s Correctional System”
Punishment or Rehabilitation?
In the U.S. there is a strikingly high level of recidivism, meaning criminal acts that resulted in the re-arrest, reconviction, or return to prison with or without a new sentence during a three-year period following the prisoner’s release. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 67.5% of prisoners released in 1994 were rearrested within three years. In 2007, 15.5% of the total parole population returned to incarceration. Continue reading “Punishment or Rehabilitation?”
Going Up the River
The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world. There were 743 prisoners per 100,000 U.S. citizens in 2011, according to the World population list. This is compared to second place Rwanda (595) where many prisoners are being held on counts of genocide, and third place Russia (568). In Australia, the number is 133, and Canada has 114. The average rate for the group of seven excluding the U.S. (Japan, Germany, UK, France, Italy and Canada) is 96. In raw numbers, the U.S. is also number one with 2.2 million people incarcerated. Continue reading “Going Up the River”
Ronin Pen 