(The Center Square) — Georgian Chase Oliver, a Libertarian who unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate in 2022 and has launched a 2024 presidential bid, wants to end the U.S. Department of Education and return the money to the states.
Oliver said schools have turned into a political hot potato, and conversations have turned to whether school libraries should allow certain books.
“If we had a real marketplace of education, where parents and students were to [decide] where to send their kids, I think we wouldn’t have that issue,” Oliver said in an announcement. “Parents would have the control and the power to send their kids to whichever school and they could decide their own library policy.”
Jones to lead early childhood education working group
Georgia House Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones, R-Milton, will chair a bipartisan group exploring how to improve and expand pre-Kindergarten education in Georgia.
“High-quality pre-K programs can enhance children’s social and educational skills to prepare them for success in kindergarten and beyond,” Jones said in an announcement. “However, we need to evaluate how Pre-K is funded; teachers are paid, recruited and retained; and barriers to access for children. This working group will help identify legislative solutions so we can ensure children who participate in Georgia Pre-K thrive in elementary school.”
The group will develop recommendations for consideration during the 2024 legislative session.
Georgians lost $145.7 million in investment scams in 2022
A new report revealed that Georgians lost nearly $145.7 million in 2,682 cases of investment scams, such as advance fee scams and Ponzi schemes.
The Comparitech analysis found that the volume equates to 25.04 cases per 100,000 people in the state.
The Peach State had higher scam losses than Alabama ($45.7 million), South Carolina ($57.2 million), Tennessee ($57.6 million) and North Carolina ($145.4 million) but less than Florida ($546 million).
Nationally, Comparitech found that 106,000 Americans lost more than $6.3 billion to investment scams in 2022. Losses from these scams represented a 121% increase from 2021.
By T.A. DeFeo | The Center Square contributor
