Prepare for the Best
Geonomics -- Meet the Minimum Needs of All
| With a famous actress seeing the light, may the way be paved for basic economic justice? We trim, blend, and append seven 2009 citations. |
by Jeffery J. Smith, February 24
“I admire Stiglitz, and now I admire Fred Harrison too. My promise: you will be glad you have read his book, The Silver Bullet -- Vanessa Redgrave, in issue 27 of the IU Newsletter by the International Union for Land Value Taxation in London UK.JJS: The book builds the case for the reform reported by various media below.
“Prepare for the Best” is the title of the cover story of the Philadelphia City Paper whose subtitle was, “A guide to surviving -- and thriving in -- Philadelphia's new green future” by Paul Glover, Jan 28. Glover writes, “Shift to Land Value Taxation, which places tax burden on land rather than homes.”
JJS: What’s Land Value Taxation? Another Northeast paper explains. (Thanks to reader Josh Vincent for forwarding the above and below news clips.)
Rochester’s City Newspaper published “Development: Rochester's new land rush?” by Tim Louis Macaluso, Feb 11: If Rochester followed the paths of cities like Harrisburg Pennsylvania and converted to land-value taxation, there could be a rush to develop, says Paul Kramer, owner of the Starry Nites building and several ARTWalk properties. Rochester's current property tax system means each improvement can increase property taxes. Conversely, LVT levies a high rate on land, while the building receives low rates. By encouraging developers to build higher, that discourages sprawl and promotes density. The idea was developed by political economist Henry George in the late 1800's.
JJS: Who was George? An economist from Harvard who was a presidential advisor explains. (Thanks to reader Frank Walker for forwarding the citation.)
Henry George, the 19th century economist and social reformer, is best known as an advocate for taxes on land (as discussed in Chapter 8 of my favorite economics textbook). But these quotations about trade (via Larry Kudlow) show that he was passionate about other topics as well:
“I was educated a protectionist and continued to believe in protection until I came to think for myself and examine the question.” -- Henry George
“Free trade consists simply in letting people buy and sell as they want to buy and sell. Protective tariffs are as much applications of force as are blockading squadrons, and their objective is the same -- to prevent trade. The difference between the two is that blockading squadrons are a means whereby nations seek to prevent their enemies from trading; protective tariffs are a means whereby nations attempt to prevent their own people from trading.” -- Henry George, Protection or Free Trade 1886
Amen. -- Gregory Mankiw
JJS: George’s work is still carried on.
The British group, Share The World's Resources, published a review of The Earth Belongs to Everyone by Alanna Hartzok, Feb 9, by Alexia Eastwood that was reprinted at CommonDreams.org, an Internet-based progressive news and grassroots activism organization.
Sharing the land and resources of the world more equally is the basis for the ‘Next World Economy’ founded upon comprehensive tax reform and Earth Rights Democracy.
Alanna Hartzok argues that shifting the tax focus from labor and productive capital and onto land value tax (the intrinsic value of land and natural resources without the input of human labor) would secure an equitable source of public funds to provide for the collective needs of the community, or else could be distributed through an annual citizens dividend program. Green tax reform, either by way of polluter tax or resource rents, would also prevent the externalization of the environmental costs of production onto the public, and promote more efficient and careful use of natural resources by the private sector.
JJS: More on the idea of common wealth by a person who works in land use planning and development, the concern of the businessman Kramer above:
OpEdNews published, “Geonomics: Meet the Minimum Needs of All”, by Dhirendra Singh, Associate Urban Planner at Superior Global Infrastructure Consulting in New Delhi India. Natural resources constitute biospheric "common wealth" of human beings and other species. To reflect its ownership, the proceeds must then be distributed as a global Citizen's Dividend to every man, woman, and child, while retaining global "free-enterprise".
JJS: More on the idea of sharing all our spending for nature.
Have a look at a new web site loaded with information by Steve Shafarman, www.IncomeSecurityForAll.org" target=_blank>click here If you look closely, you might see the contributions to the cause by luminaries such as Martin Luther King, Reagan speechwriter Charles Murray, futurist Hazel Henderson who coined “think local, act global”, and even yours truly.
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Jeffery J. Smith runs the Forum on Geonomics.
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Also see: Martin Luther King had the vision; Clinton and others inch us toward it
UN urges phase out of energy subsidies to help poor
Lots of good press, a little bad press, and actual implementation |
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