Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Concerning the Many Corporations Going GM-Free, in Europe but Not USA article:
What is a list of companies that produce genetically modified crops like Monsanto does?
--Hank
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Concerning the Can Government Experiment As Does Science? article:
Politicians are often fond of theories which they cling to despite evidence. Are they likely to go for experiments where they will not know the answers in advance?
--Diana E Forrest
UKManaging Editor Jeffery Smith replies --
Hah! Well put.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Concerning the Privatizing Public Space article:
Excellent article, is there anything that a student in WA can do?
--YamkingManaging Editor Jeffery Smith replies --
Sure. Invite a speaker to campus!
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Concerning the article:
Close down the IMF and wean the world.
--jJ.D. Pfuntner
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Concerning the Farmers Protest In Buenos Aires as Mexicans Go Hungry article:
Milton Friedman supports land tax? Stap me vitals.
--Diana E Forrest
UK
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Concerning the Do Current Taxes Drive FaceBook Founder Elsewhere? article:
Rather than sell patents and copyrights, etc., I thought it would be a good idea for government to license them, say on an annual basis, with authors and inventors granted a waiver on license fees for some length of time. Licenses for hot properties could be put up for auction, licenses for more mature properties could be issued at a fixed rate that declines over time. Unless there was an overriding reason, such as encouraging a promising new technology, licenses need not be exclusive, but the number of licenses might be limited in certain cases to drive up the license fees. This way, the underlying assets would always be owned by the commonwealth, while still allowing a productive use of private capital. Just a thought.
--Eric
OregonManaging Editor Jeffery Smith replies --
And a good thought at that!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Concerning a letter below on this page:
Concerning the Foldvary Says Colombia Ruined by Drug Wars article: why is it a heart? --Lindsey SmithWhat heart?
--Fred Foldvary
California
Monday, May 14, 2012
Concerning the How Property Taxes Can Fail article:
My property tax is going up every year while home values are at their lowest ever. How can you be taxed on a home you are still building and it likes alot being finished? Someone please answer that.
--morris bassManaging Editor Jeffery Smith replies --
My guess is that as you put up your building, you create more value for the local property tax to levy.People in your situation could be helped by, if you have to pay higher taxes,
(1) you get more and better services, more bang for your buck, if possible. Also, government could
(2) lower other taxes, so you'd have more money for the tax on land or property. Further, government could
(3) shift the property tax off buildings, onto locations, so anybody now speculating in land would quit and put their parcel to best use, which would make your local economy more efficient, and that could bring you more customers or higher wages or fresh investors. Ultimately, government may have to
(4) dedicate part of the recovered land values to a dividend to residents, so that as site values rise, your dividend would swell, and your land tax or land dues would always be affordable. Aspen CO does something a little similar to this.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Concerning the Do Current Taxes Drive FaceBook Founder Elsewhere? article:
Until people make a connection between the smug house owner sitting on a rising asset and the homeless person, they wont get how housing prices work, and they will be vulnerable to more crashes.
--Diana E Forrest
UK
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Concerning the Foldvary: Ammonium Nitrate Should Be Regulated article:
You know it pisses me off when you get a couple of jackasses in the world to use a gun, knife,baseball bat, or furterlizer to ruin it for every other American. I as an American should be able to buy ammonium nitrate if I want to. I dont think I should be able to buy 100 of tons of it but, If I wanted to buy 50 lbs of it I should be able to. Thats my opinion, so blast all asses that use things in the wrong and hurtful ways.
--sj
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Concerning the UN Official Calls for US Return of Native Land article:
I read Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, one of the saddest narrations of betrayal and discrimination one likely to ever read. The Native Americans deserve more than the token Black Hills. All Americans should recognise and respect the fact that the whole of America once belonged to these once proud people.
--Wacira
Kenya
Monday, May 14, 2012
Concerning the UN Official Calls for US Return of Native Land article:
I am from New Zealand European/Moari heritage) where the issue of native title/land tenure has been an ongoing issue since the arrival of the first wave of European settlers.Our Treaty of Waitangi,signed in 1886 between the King of Englands rep and the Moari chiefs(not all)was designd to guarantee inalienable land ownership to the indigenous peoples.To this day,disputes are still being addressd by the courts in order to resolve many such issues.It should be the duty of the courts to ultimately decide and adjudicate these matters,as polititions cannot always be trusted to act with impartiality,without undue inflence,as has been the case in countries such as Kenya,Malawi,and of course Palestine.And we are all aware of the consequenses of that continuing and festering sore--caused(like it or not!!) by invasion and occupation!!D C Cooper,New Zealand.
--david cooper
New Zealand
Monday, May 14, 2012
Concerning the Foldvary Says Colombia Ruined by Drug Wars article:
why is it a heart?
--Lindsey Smith
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Concerning the Corporate Welfare TIFs Harm Public Schools article:
The public should be made aware of these facts through whatever honest elected officials we have in office on state and local level.
--Carolyn Jean Batiste
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Concerning the Slavery in the 1990s article:
Im really hurt about what I read but Im just one preson what can I do?
--simone
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Concerning the Many Corporations Going GM-Free, in Europe but Not USA article:
uhhh. not fair.
--sophie
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Concerning the Just Proven -- Humans Need Nature for their Health article:
Good for the Diggers of San Francisco.
--Diana E Forrest
UKI
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Concerning the Foldvary: The Political Economy of Star Trek article:
Sigh, you havent watched Star trek at all have you? The federation is a libertarian communist utopia. The whole idea is that the progress achieved is because of cooperation instead of market competition. Ownership of property has no meaning when you can replicate anything. Where you live is irrelevant because you can go anywhere instantly, breakfast in Paris and lunch in Alaska is available for anyone. Without property there is no conflicts and mankind can focus on bettering society for everyone. If you want free market scifi, watch Robocop. htap://www.youtube.com/watch?v
--Mike
Friday, May 4, 2012
Concerning the f34 article:
I would like to think that an adult who sees a neighbor sun bathing naked would turn the other way if not liking the idea, or at least respect the others freedom. Unless with children, and then confront them with not an altamatum, but a decent agreeable time to share for each side. But alas, not is usually not the case. They tend to demand compliance in their terms, and not allow any breaking of their law. It is always one sided, and it does not favor the Nudist.
--Lawrence Werline
Friday, May 4, 2012
Concerning the Foldvary Says Colombia Ruined by Drug Wars article:
I agree
--Ella
Friday, May 4, 2012
Concerning the Gasolines True Cost article:
I very much like the information provided by these reports. If the authors actually added sources of where they got their information, it would dramatically enhance their arguments. It would also make their arguments viable sources for researchers to use in their compilation of reports that could be taken to officials to bring about change. Otherwise, I enjoy reading these posts. Thank you.
--Joshua S. Felice
Friday, May 4, 2012
Concerning a letter below on this page:
"an assumption behind the whole idea: the value of land is impossible to be negative." --stevenbearI make no such assumption. You are the one who makes an assumption, that I make the assumption, but that proposition is not made nor implied.
--Fred Foldvary
California
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Concerning the Foldvary on Gender-Neutral Pronouns for English article:
I agree that the English language needs gender-neutral pronouns. As a writer and public speaker, I find it hard to express myself sometimes because of the awkward terms that currently exist to describe people in a general sense. I currently attend University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and our LGBT community has recently adopted the "zhe, zher, zhim" pronouns and I love it! I think this is a great alternative to the current terms, but how do we get the general population to adopt these terms as well?
--Rachel Anderson
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Concerning the Napoleoni on 10 Things You Dont Know About Terrorism article:
these arent that good
--charlotte
saudi arabia
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Concerning the Support This Bill article:
this is very good, and very needed
--Keith Klingeman
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Concerning the Rebuttal to Arguments Against Land Value Taxation article:
10. it called "economic rent", the cost of not seeking the best pay tenant, not preventing others than agreed tenant to use the land and share the income generate from the land improvement.Who pays the land development planning or managing? Tenants. At what means? Rent.
Wage, Interest and Rent are different only in the point of view of income. You "rent" money from the bank. You pay "wage" to employ bankers for the money. I do not think to argue whether it is a rent or wage is important.
In fact, when payments are from land users. It is not easy to distinguish the income from improvement and and income from selecting best tenant to improve. We cannot change a tenant or landowner in the same time same area to test the difference.
If seeking the best pay tenant is the role of entrepreneur, then preventing others to use and share income is the role of landowner.
Will you argue that it is not the role of landowner but a role of the government.
So, what is the function of landowners? What are they suppose to do?
What if the landowner has employed a manager to plan the land developing, has employed the police and armed forces to enforce his land rights to use and obtain income? Should he not get and return as the role a landowner?
Unless the armed forces and police are fully privatized and put it to the market to test, we cannot tell.
If the landowner neither to manage or protect the land, why we need them? Why not nationalized all lands and pay all rents to the government? Why do you need the middleman? Why not skipping it? Why the bigger government cannot do all landlords job?
What does the value of an unimproved land? It is subjective, depends on who you ask. The potential highest and best value is a guess. To tax this value is to punish the best guesser. His talent to predict land value is valueless to you. What if the landowner has different idea from the insurance company? Should he abandon the land? No. He just pays more premium. The sum insured is set by the landowner, not the insurance company when the land is unimproved. The landlord may value the river or the natural resources higher than the insurance company and decide to develop this land in higher priority, which may make the difference in human history.
Insurance covers the physical assets only. The expense to build a house is not the price to sell it. The buyer and seller value it differently. So, the value of unimproved land is always subjective and never objective. If another landowner value a land higher which means he expect he can manage better, protect better and handle the risks better, you tax his added value to prevent the land falls into the hand of a better landowner.If landowner does have a role or function, why do you make it difficult to preform?
Without speculation, how the land prices be stabilized?
I believe there is an assumption behind the whole idea: the value of land is impossible to be negative. Even if it was polluted? Even if it is in a war zone? Even if it will be destroyed by a super earthquake? Do you think the landowner is bearing all above risks? Dont you think the landowner should have the income to prevent or reduce above risks? When the insurance industry cannot cover these risks, the landowner will take the responsibility. If not. do you think it is a good idea to compensate landowners when the value of land (guessed by the market) comes to negative?
--stevenbear
Monday, April 30, 2012
Concerning the Is the Worlds Future Resource Map Tilting East? article:
The goal of most families on this earth is to earn a car and a big house.This is an impossible dream due to the limited resources of the earth and the negative environmental impact
--bharat maharaj
Trinidad @Tobago
Monday, April 30, 2012
Concerning the Political Parties and Taxation article:
I enjoyed your review of the political tax plans and thought I might share one that works:Better tax reform for both individuals and business can be redefined in one sentence.
Tax individual and corporate income at a flat 8% rate (with no deductions, credits or loopholes), tax individual net wealth at 2% (excluding $15,000 cash and retirement funds) and impose a 4% Value Added Sales Tax (VAT) on business.
The 2-4-8 Tax Blend has the lowest rates and will produce about $500 billion more than current federal revenue with no need for payroll, estate, and capital gains taxes or deferral of foreign income.
www.TaxNetWealth.com
--Eugene Patrick Devany
New York
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Concerning the Foldvary on Saturday Delivery and USPS versus Private Enterprise article:
Privatize mail and say goodbye to universal delivery and the same rate to anywhere in the U.S. Fedex already uses the Post Office to deliver to areas too remote or rural to be worth their time. And a huge reason for the current sea of red ink was Congress mandating that the USPS had to fund their retirement benefits far in the future in a very short time. If private carriers were forced to do that, they couldnt compete either.
--Marie G.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Concerning the Pygmies in Danger article:
I want to know how I can help. How to contact the Congo government requiring them to adhere to the human rights established by the United Nations ensuring the people have the right to be free of slavery and right to an education and medicine. This atrocity must stop and in this day and age there is no excuse for any person especially government to let this continue.
--Angela Harris
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Concerning the Sad Stats From Grey Places But New Book From Greens article:
Speaking of a park for bison - a 12-year-old asked me this weekend, why did the chicken cross the park? His answer was, to get to the other slide.So I asked him, why did two chickens not cross the road? My answer was, because they were too chicken.
Now the moral lesson of the above exchange is that we must make decisions for beneficial results for ourselves and all our posterity.
It is not about pleasure and pain but do we have the courage to do what our creative nature is required to perform.
Did General Washington cross the Delaware on the frigid Christmas 1776 because it was easy and felt good?
The following words by JFK in his 1962 Rice Stadium Speech should inspire us to sane action, not just for some momentary self-gratification.
We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.
--Nus
FL
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Concerning a letter below on this page:
Concerning the Foldvary on Gender-Neutral Pronouns for English article: There are bigger battles than this for the feminists to fight: this is just plainly ridiculous. The Presumptive male style has served us perfectly for centuries and if it is good enough for the Bard, it should be good enough for mere mortals.--RonIf it serves so well, why are people perverting the grammar with "Everyone has THEIR stuff"?
--Fred Foldvary
California
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Concerning the Foldvary on Gender-Neutral Pronouns for English article:
There are bigger battles than this for the feminists to fight: this is just plainly ridiculous. The Presumptive male style has served us perfectly for centuries and if it is good enough for the Bard, it should be good enough for mere mortals.
--Ron
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Concerning the Why Presciption Drugs Are High-Priced article:
Yet NOTHING gets done to stop it. Pay off the right political people and u can get away with any thing. My mother needs an antibiotic. seven pills cost 135 dollars. I hope the big shot ripp off asshole executives choke on their Tbone steaks ! What can we the people do to stop all this ???
--Sharon
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Concerning the Foldvary: Ammonium Nitrate Should Be Regulated article:
Lets see, 1.7 million TONS were sold, and how many bombs were made? Talk about punishing millions of people for the acts of two or three. . .or none.
--James A. Ritchie
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Concerning a letter below on this page:
Concerning the Foldvary on Natural Monopolies article: give me general study in economics --mahmood alamGo to htap://www.henrygeorge.org/
--Fred Foldvary
California
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Concerning the Saving the Penguins article:
i am such a penguin freak! i love penguins and i am one of the few people in the world to try to do something about the numbeer of penguins dissapearing each year. to see what i mean, visit apple036.webs.com
--penguin lover4
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Concerning a letter below on this page:
1) it would take a willing seller and a willing buyer acting together to evade the sales tax, 2) most retail sales in the United States are through large chains, 3) voluntary compliance would be up because of the perception that the tax is simple and fair, and 4) collection points would drop from 155 million to 20 million, and there would be ample ex-IRS agents to enforce the tax.
--Jim Bennett; NJ, USA1) Illegal drugs have willing buyers and sellers, which has not stopped high use. 2) retail sales today are by large chains, but they would be unchained with a much higher sales tax. 3) Historical experience shows that high sales taxes are not popular. 4) There are ample government agents to enforce the drug laws, yet the war on drugs is a failure.
--Fred Foldvary
CaliforniaManaging Editor Jeffery Smith replies --
Also, the income tax began as "simple and fair". Now look at it -- riddled with loopholes for insiders. How long would it take for a national sales tax to start exempting, say, lawyers' fees?
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Concerning the Foldvary on Natural Monopolies article:
give me general study in economics
--mahmood alam
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Concerning a letter below on this page:
Under the FairTax, HR25, government spending IS taxed. --Jim Bennett; NJ, USAThen government would shift spending to private firms and then pay them a subsidy to provide the same goods. Result: no tax. Congress will not make government pay sales tax if business does not pay it.
--Fred Foldvary
California
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Concerning the Many Corporations Going GM-Free, in Europe but Not USA article:
Well… Im not so sure, how can someone prove those who say that do not use GMOs are saying the truth?! Make confidence in what they say do not suffice at all, we have plenty of situations in were they say one thing but are doing just de opposite. Who controls? Who test those foods to really see if they are really GMO free? All big food companies are becoming good guys?! Maybe I’m wrong, but I just don’t buy it.
--NO_gmo
Monday, April 16, 2012
Concerning the Taxing Mail Orders and Barter article:
There is a flaw in the writers premise. Under the FairTax, HR25, government spending IS taxed. So the assumption that the FairTax rate would have to be 67% is erroneous.There is also a problem with the assumption that evasion would be high under the FairTax. All businesses, wheter retail or not, must register, providing internal controls similar to those of a VAT. Other factors are: 1) it would take a willing seller and a willing buyer acting together to evate the sales tax, 2) most retail sales in the United States are through large chains, 3) voluntary compliance would be up because of the perception that the tax is simple and fair, and 4) collection points would drop from 155 million to 20 million, and there would be ample ex-IRS agents to enforce the tax.
--Jim Bennett
NJ, USA
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Concerning a letter below on this page:
Please just give me a good animal rights article. I need to finish my research paper. Kthankbai --LidaSee htap://www.progress.org/fold62.htm
--Fred Foldvary
California
Friday, April 13, 2012
Concerning the Gadsden Purchase Land Deal article:
i love em
--sav
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Concerning the Many Corporations Going GM-Free, in Europe but Not USA article:
Labels labels labels!! Labels please of your product. All ingredients are labeled so why are you the exception? We are asking, please acquiesce.
--Mike Jones
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Concerning the Napoleoni on 10 Things You Dont Know About Terrorism article:
thank this helped on my project. and im only in ELEMENTARY!!!
--Lance
calafornia
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Concerning the Saving the Penguins article:
Im so tired. Please just give me a good animal rights article. I need to finish my research paper. Kthankbai
--LidaManaging Editor Jeffery Smith replies --
There was one recently on dolphins.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Concerning the Gasolines True Cost article:
The Department of Energy is forecasting that the national price for regular unleaded gasoline will average $1.02 during the current quarter, which, when adjusted for inflation, is the lowest price on record for any three-month period. JUST HOW OLD IS THIS ARTICLE ANYWAY? OR IS THAT A MISPRINT?
--JosephManaging Editor Jeffery Smith replies --
It's old!
Monday, April 9, 2012
Concerning the article:
as a Myanmar student,seeing and being heard about this, Esperanto is very valuable for anyone ,any standard. i like it and i like peace of a language.Dankon>>>>>>
--saimyomin
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Concerning the Photos -- Ice Shelf In Antarctica Has Shrunk by 85% article:
" Ice Shelf In Antarctica has Shrunk by 85%"This is the kind of distortive headlining I expect from the mainstream press. A better headline woudl be "Larsen B Ice Shelf.... etc". The way its worded gives the impression to the uninformed reader that the total Antarctic Ice cover has shunk by 85%, which obviously isnt the case, even though the indications of the Larsen and other Ice shelves and sea ice masses melting off is ominous enough.
Please make a note of this for the future - the reality accurately reported is alarming enough without extra spin.
regards, PBP
--Peter B. Perlsø
DenmarkManaging Editor Jeffery Smith replies --
The headline could have been read as distortive by some people since people believe what they want to believe (hard to prevent that), but the headline is accurate and hard to make more accurate and still be general (as headlines must be), and BTW is from the mainstream. The article itself reports the situation accurately and makes an effort to clearly distinguish between ice sheets and ice shelves. Always amusing to me when humans turn science into controversy, all the way back to burning people at the stake if they said the earth revolved around the sun!
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Concerning the Foldvary on Seeing the Cat article:
Yea, It is a new story that help me to find out economics. well done
--Marshall
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Concerning the Foldvary on Reparations - Going All the Way article:
As an African American, I would like all that is due to me. I hope I get my share
--Betty WestManaging Editor Jeffery Smith replies --
If we all work for others, others will work for us.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Concerning the Photos -- Ice Shelf In Antarctica Has Shrunk by 85% article:
Incorrect. The melting of "ice sheets" (sea ice)would not increase sea level, since it is already displacing its weight in water. Fill a glass of ice cubes with water and let it melt - it will not run over. A melted ice shelf would raise sea level as has been happening on and off for millions of years. Accuracy
--R Pritchard
FLManaging Editor Jeffery Smith replies --
Your terminology differs from that of the scientists in the article. The scientists refer to "sheets" as the ice on land, "shelves" as the ice in the water. As you say, "accuracy".
Friday, April 6, 2012
Concerning the The Menace of Privilege, Chapter Thirteen article:
Guaranty Trust owned Springfield (MO) Traction Company in 1916. There was a strike against STC that lasted 252 days. Guarnty trust sent many thugs to "knock heads together" They ended up kidnapping a 14 month old baby who was murdered.
--Brian
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Concerning the Immigrants Human Rights Will Be Respected article:
I like what it says.
--Lopez
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Concerning the Support This Bill article:
Yes, GMO foods should be labeled. It is our right to know what we are consuming especially when GMO has not been proven to be safe.
--Misilla
Monday, April 2, 2012
Concerning the Misleading Food Labels article:
Yes, more detail needed. How do you know how "organic" animals have been raised?
--Diana E Forrest
UK
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Concerning the Gasolines True Cost article:
If the Oil is $100 a barrel what is the price for a gallon of gas. Producton and Oil cost only.
--Tor
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Concerning a letter below on this page:
If there were no government provision of public goods, if the roads and other infrastructure were provided solely by the land-owners served by those goods, would you still want to assess and collect "rent" from them? --Scott Bieser, WyomingIf there are no governmental public goods at all, that would be anarchism with no taxes at all. Then landowners would have to pay for the services not covered by user fees.
--Fred Foldvary
CA
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Concerning a letter below on this page:
Shifting to a simpler tax system that saves 300+billion in compliance costs every year while reducing the federal budget by 42% is a very libertarian move.--Hardy, USAJust shifting to a national sales tax cannot possibly reduce the federal budget. Sales taxes have high compliance costs, while a land value tax has very low costs. Please explain why you think taxing goods is better than taxing land value.
--Fred Foldvary
CA
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Concerning the Foldvary: The Natural Laws of Economics article:
I like it
--Baraka
Tanzanian
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Concerning the Get Rid of Speed Limits article:
Thank you for this. Where do I sign
--Jeremy Lathrop
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Concerning the Many Corporations Going GM-Free, in Europe but Not USA article:
Nobody in the world should be a guinea pig !!!
--angelika
Friday, March 30, 2012
Concerning a letter below on this page:
"Friday, March 30, 2012
Concerning the Many Corporations Going GM-Free, in Europe but Not USA article:
Can you give me the date on this report? am writing an article for Huff Post
--Renee Parsons"
Thats a Friends of the Earth news release. Its date can be found by contacting the contacts listed at the foot of the release, namely:
For further information from Friends of the Earth, contact: Mark Whiteis-Helm, FoE U.S., 202-783-7400 x102, or Neil Verlander, Friends of the Earth - U.K, 011 45 171 566 1649
--Jeffery Smith
Oregon
Friday, March 30, 2012
Concerning the New Jersey doing best on anti-corruption measures article:
Id like to hear more about this "community right to buy" idea thats mentioned towards the end of the video by Fred Harrison. Sounds a lot like what Fred Foldvary is proposing with "celluar democracies of contractual communities" but well short of a consumer cooperative business society where the LVT might be imposed through cooperative fees and dues.Harrisons commentator says that "right to buy" does not work or is too slow. Cooperatives dont seem to have much trouble acquiring the property they need to provide themselves with goods and services, and we know that large MNCs like Tesco are quite adept at speculating in land and steering development into that land value. So it would seem that the only thing stopping community groups from pursuing this strategy themselves is a sound business model.
Its remarkable that the idea gets preemptive support from politicians in the Isles. That kind of thing is completely unheard of in the States where the public is not supposed to be empowered but rather catered to like an infant or an easy mark.
In any case, Id like to hear more perspectives on "right to buy" from the Progress Report.
--Jerry
Seattle
Friday, March 30, 2012
Concerning the Many Corporations Going GM-Free, in Europe but Not USA article:
Can you give me the date on this report? am writing an article for Huff Post
--Renee ParsonsManaging Editor Jeffery Smith replies --
That's a Friends of the Earth news release. Its date can be found by contacting the contacts listed at the foot of the release, namely: For further information from Friends of the Earth, contact: Mark Whiteis-Helm, FoE U.S., 202-783-7400 x102, or Neil Verlander, Friends of the Earth - U.K, 011 45 171 566 1649 Cheers,
Friday, March 30, 2012
Concerning the Gasolines True Cost article:
This report, has it been peer reviewed and collaborated by the reviewers?
--Wade Boyd
Friday, March 30, 2012
Concerning the Many Corporations Going GM-Free, in Europe but Not USA article:
Can you give me the date on this report? am writing an article for Huff Post
--Renee Parsons
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Concerning the Foldvary: Let Turkey Join NAFTA article:
that didnt answere my question
--Liz
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Concerning the Government Takes Away Basic Freedoms article:
The government is pathetic with all this free country crap when in reality they are slowly taking our rights away and one day they will control every asspect of our lives. PATHETIC GOVERNMENT PATHETIC PATHETIC PATHETIC
--Makenzie Faith Uhl
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Concerning the The Destruction of the American Libertarian Party article:
So you support our corrupt, complicated, and costly personal income tax, corporate income tax, payroll tax, atm tax, death tax system?Shifting to a simpler tax system that saves 300+billion in compliance costs every year while reducing the federal budget by 42% is a very libertarian move.
--Hardy
USAManaging Editor Jeffery Smith replies --
Political people often speak before understanding. Please reread the article. It's not a matter of which tax out of a bad lot. It's a matter of which tax base -- private wealth vs. common wealth. And the value of land falls in the latter category.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Concerning the The Destruction of the American Libertarian Party article:
PREFER INDIRECT TAXATION MYSELF.
--mark taha
britainManaging Editor Jeffery Smith replies --
prefer lower case myself
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Concerning the Gasolines True Cost article:
Sounds about right. If this is what people actually had to pay at the pump, suddenly everyone would be for green energy and public transportation. Enough with the artificially low gas prices.
--Elena
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Concerning the The Destruction of the American Libertarian Party article:
" the provision of public goods by government generates higher land values, and that if the generated rentals are not paid back, that constitutes a subsidy."Im curious about this -- if there were no government provision of public goods, if the roads and other infrastructure were provided solely by the land-owners served by those goods, would you still want to assess and collect "rent" from them?
--Scott Bieser
WyomingManaging Editor Jeffery Smith replies --
Good question! To me, your observation reveals the flaw in the argument. And my answer is "yes", recover "rent", because location is still not a product of labor (or capital) and its value is still a product of society in general, reflecting population density more than anything else. Further, we've an equal right to Earth and so an equal right to a share of her worth. So it seems to me.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Concerning the The Destruction of the American Libertarian Party article:
Can you have political freedom without economic rights? Yes if you refuse when the state demands you give up all your rights in return for subsistence - but what then?
--Diana E Forrest
UK
Monday, March 26, 2012
Concerning the The Destruction of the American Libertarian Party article:
This will be posted in 2 daya at: htap://libertariansmile.wordpress.com/
--Ralph
USA
Monday, March 26, 2012
Concerning the The Destruction of the American Libertarian Party article:
If anything the Libertarian Party is being destroyed by soft-on-Islamism, weak on defense leftwinger Ron Paulists who have infiltrated our movement.We REAL libertarians oppose Islamism. We dont want our wives/girlfriends forced to wear ugly black burkas from head to toe, our gay friends hung from lampposts, and marijuana smokers jailed for life.
Libertarian
--Eric Dondero
Texas
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Concerning the Foldvary on the Lawsuit Tax article:
ouuught
--Michal Vanecek
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Concerning the Foldvary on the Lawsuit Tax article:
My opinion is very very good.
--Ladislav Kopecky
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Concerning the Foldvary: Privatize the Government! article:
Hello Mr. Foldvary,I would like to support you with this cause in India. How could i help?
I am senior management person, based out of Delih, with an MNC into Government Relations and believe in your cause.
Parikshit +91-9971009249
--Parikshit Dhingra
Friday, March 23, 2012
Concerning the Many Corporations Going GM-Free, in Europe but Not USA article:
This is disgusting, Americans are being treated as guinea pigs, from their own country. Europe will not put up with GMO, they stand firm and are smarter consumers, here we have a corrupt govt., and a corrupt administration that allows GMO, pesticide food, Obama even hired several ex-Monsanto employees, Tom Vilsack head of USDA he must be fired. Michael Taylor heads up FDA, he also must be fired. Get the corruption out of our food.
--T.Smythe
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Concerning the Support This Bill article:
Yes, I would , like to have genetically engineered foods to be labeled. I do have health issues, and every time I eat something, if it is genetically modified, I generally suffer pain and stomach problems while going through the digesting process. We need to have safe food to eat. Thank you!
--Connie Prince
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Concerning the Do Israelis Support a Strike on Iran? article:
Glad so many Israelis are cautious about prospective nuclear war.
--Diana E Forrest
UK
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Concerning the Time to tax the fat of the land article:
How different UK history would have been if the Peoples Budget had passed! Land values have been leading the economy by the nose.
--Diana E Forrest
UK
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Concerning the Time to tax the fat of the land article:
"Another wrinkle is to show how all those “rents” can be recovered without coercively taxing anyone but by instituting cooperative fees and dues."I have an inkling of what you mean by this but would like to hear more. Can you explain further or give me some leads?
--Jerry
Seattle, WAManaging Editor Jeffery Smith replies --
Sure, thanks for asking. There are methods beyond taxation of land value to direct natural "rents" into the public treasury. Here are some:
(1) land use tax or fee;
(2) deed fee that is charged annually, like an auto registration fee, and geared to the value of the location, as some auto reg fees in some states are geared to the value of the auto;
(3) leasing public land as do port districts in the US and abroad Hong Kong and Canberra exist on public land as does the State of Israel; and
(4) my favorite, land dues.
Can you think of a (5) or more?About dues, you don't pay dues because politicians tell you to or you go to jail, which is the story with taxes. You pay dues because you belong to a group -- society in this case -- and you owe others for something; in this case, you exclude everyone else from a portion of our mutual natural heritage -- Earth -- and everyone else respect your claim and / or occupation of your parcel.
If you claim a location that nobody else wants to use, way out in the boonies somewhere, then you would not owe any land dues at all. If you claim a site in midtown Manhattan where millions want to be, then you'd owe a lot.
The key difference between dues and taxes is enforcement. Don't pay a tax, do go to jail; it's a crime. Don't pay dues and you no longer belong to the group; it's a shame. Legally, you could no longer vote. You could not have a deed to some nature. You could not buy title insurance. You could not call the sheriff to evict squatters or show proof in court that you're the owner. Some people -- immune to embarrassment -- may choose to take the risks involved with living in society and not paying dues. Most would probably choose to enjoy the rights and respect that goes with paying what one owes.
In a geonomy, people would pay dues for whatever parcel, for whatever use -- pay dues in order to own farmland, forests, oil fields, mineral deposits, sites for windmills, bandwidth in the EM spectrum, even for geosynchronous orbits in space.
While we could not institute such dues over night, we can evolve to them step by step. We'd have to get rid of many taxes and fees and use government's power to take money from citizens only to recover "rents" and to charge for offenses like pollution. And we could make the transition more politically acceptable by using some of the collected public revenue to pay citizens a dividend, I bet.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Concerning the Government Takes Away Basic Freedoms article:
They have no right to take away our rights given to us by our forefathers,they may be responsable for the terriorts attacks themselves .Do not trust any of them.
--Scott mcninch
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Concerning the Marijuana is Safer Than Alcohol article:
its not helpful
--debbie osborne
canada
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