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”
Category: Adam Goldfein Show
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”
When the Sky Really Falls
It’s becoming more and more likely that the monolith of human civilization shall finally, mercifully collapse in upon its self. Whether it be nuclear war, economic catastrophe or bloodthirsty zombie hoards, the result will be the same. Then, as chaos spreads throughout the streets and all of Man’s technological marvels unravel, who will survive, nay, thrive? The Preppers will. Continue reading “When the Sky Really Falls”
10 Probable Ways Society Will Collapse
- Solar Flare: A large solar event has the potential to knock out electrical systems across the world. This threat is so serious that the United Kingdom’s Cabinet Office has added it to the list of National Civil Emergencies, alongside terrorism and pandemics. Imagine for a second that all or most civilian electrical systems world-wide turn off at the same time. You are sitting in your office or home, waiting for it to come back on. Your phone doesn’t work, so you don’t know what’s going on. Your car won’t start, unless it’s pretty old. How long before people realize they can start looting? How long will it take to get power back up? The entire grid has just gone down, and you don’t even know it.
What Will I Have For Lunch Tomorrow?
Do you ever get the feeling that something isn’t right? Have you had a strong feeling that you need to leave a place, not get on an airplane or not get in the car? Has your gut ever been right? Premonitions occur continually in everyday life, but it isn’t clear if they reflect a psychic ability or a subliminal perception of events. Continue reading “What Will I Have For Lunch Tomorrow?”
What Does the PPACA Ask of Employers?
Pay or Play
Pay or play is another name for the Employer “Shared Responsibility” Mandate of the PPACA. This will require employers to offer “affordable” health insurance to full-time (30 or more hours per week) employees or risk penalties. Businesses that employ less than 50 full-time employees are exempt. “Affordable” health insurance has been broadly defined as not to exceed 9.5% of an employee’s W-2 wages. Continue reading “What Does the PPACA Ask of Employers?”
Ronin Pen 