In The Strike Zone With Jessica Szilagyi

In this episode, Jessica talks about the fallout from the 2018 Farm Bill and the legalization of hemp. Discussion covers Georgia’s attempt to regulate hemp - possibly out of business, - what other states are doing, and who the big barriers to entry actually protect.   Links Breakdown of Georgia bill by Jessica Szilagyi Hemp v. Marijuana: a primer Why Hemp is better than timber Brookings Institute on the 2018 Farm Bill as passed by Congress   OTHER STATES Idaho Pennsylvania   Contact Georgia lawmakers: jimmy.pruett@house.ga.gov robert.dickey@house.ga.gov tom.mccall@house.ga.gov john.corbett@house.ga.gov carl.gilliard@house.ga.gov

In this episode, Jessica discusses the ever-evolving proper role of government versus the growing role of technology in our day-to-day lives. Specifically, she dives into the State of Arkansas’ initiative to ban companies from requiring microchipping as an condition of employment.   Arkansas House votes to ban forced microchipping of workers - January 2019 Stephen Meeks on the bill purposeOpposition from Mary Bentley, business community Washington Times Opinion: Microchipping employees, the next terrible technology waveMicrochipping Employees: Do the Pros Outweigh the Cons?Outlawing microchipping humans not so far-fetched, Nevada senator says

In this episode, Jessica talks about the toll lacking access to the ballot is taking on what is supposed to be a representative form of government. Discussion covers what ballot access means, the court cases over the years, current lawsuits in the states, what Georgia is doing, and what has to happen for real change. Only a quarter of the country identifies as Republican Millennial poll: Strong majority want a third political party   FairVote - The Worst Ballot Access Laws in the United States IVN - The 8 Worst Ballot Access in America Reasonable Ballot Access Laws Map of states without Libertarians on the presidential ticket First Amendment Encyclopedia on ballot access cases in court   OPINION: How ballot access laws hurt voters   LAWSUITS: Green and Constitution parties sued Kemp in 2012 Libertarian Party in Maryland Sues State on Ballot Access Judge denies Montana's request to throw out Green Party lawsuit Maine Decides All Its Registered Libertarian Voters Are No Longer Registered Libertarians Connecticut issues with the Secretary of the State

In this episode, the private probation industry is examined by diving deep into the issue, highlighting how it started, why governments aren’t doing it themselves, how it’s hurting citizens, what the courts say, and what we could do differently.   2018 Human Rights Watch Report - “Set Up to Fail” The Impact of Offender-Funded Private Probation on the Poor The Man Behind Georgia's Largest Private Probation Company Welcome to Georgia, the epicenter of the private probation racket How Private Probation Perpetuates Debtors’ Prisons Background on 2013 Georgia ruling, Opinion by Judge Hugh Thompson Background on 1983 SCOTUS ruling on debtors’ prison The Marshall Project Report on Sentinel in Georgia