Merry April Fool's Day, as Merry-As-Possible Income Tax Day, and Earth
Day. Welcome aboard to new subscribers Dr Radh Achuthan, Professor of
Physics at Long Island University, and native of India, John Massam,
Australian activist, and Duen Yen, avid bodyboarder in Hawaii and
co-winner of a WalMart contest for money-saving tips. If any reader
knows of anyone who should also be a reader, please put them in touch.
Meanwhile, read on to discover the good coverage we've gotten major
dailies and how to join with change-makers around the world.
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CONTENTS:
1. Good Press: NY Times, Aussie Age, Guardian, YouTube on
Poverty movie
2. News: How some respond to the downturn
3. Numbers: Latest Bailout Plan; Wealthy Can Afford a Recession
4. Movement Progress: Milwaukee re-hosts Wetzel; 10 Days in NYC;
Eastern Economic Assoc.
5. Letters: A Song; How much do taxes add?; SCI Newsletter;
Down Under newsletter; Freedom magazine
6. Obituary: Larry Moss
7. Likable links: GB quits on old media; Ex-priest publishes blog
8. What You Can Do: Claim domain name; Claim classic book; UN Warsaw
conference; eConference - Videos and Discussion Forums
9. At the Margin: Quips and Quotes
10. Publication affairs: Contributors, About the Georgist News
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CGO 2009 Conference Session Topics Announced
PLEASE BE SURE TO MARK YOUR CALENDAR
For August 5-9, 2009
Cleveland's Foreclosure Crisis, How Fraudulent Mortgages Destroyed a
Neighborhood, Predatory Lending.
Money and Banking, The Secret Life of Real Estate, Tom Johnson's
Currency, Social Right to Land & Money, The Land Money Connection.
Real Estate Tax and the Housing Bubble, The Cleveland Situation, Why
Pittsburgh Flourished, How Mark Hanna blocked LVT, Prop 13 &
California's Housing Bubble, Cleveland's Assessment history.
Steps for Saving Cleveland, Shifting back to Property Tax, Municipal
Land Banking, For-Profit Trusts.
The Functions of Government, The Tom Johnson Trolley Wars, Contract
Patronage and Civil Service, Selling and Leasing our Future, What
Should Be Private?
The State of the Economy, Barack Obama's Economic Policies, Michigan
following California's folly, The Bust and Georgist Proposals.
Special Events Include: The Secret Life of Real Estate, Reaching the
Young with the Media, Fred Harrison's U-Tubes, Boat Tour, Open Mikes,
and Hospitality. From Australia: Phil Anderson and Karl Fitzgerald.
Register for the August 2009 CGO Conference in May at www.cgocouncil.org
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1a. Good Press: The New York Times
A big New York realtor opines in the NY Times that land rent can
replace taxes, subsidies, and show a profit. "The Bigger Apple"
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1b. Good Press: Australia's main daily
by Bryan Kavanagh, real estate valuer and honorary director of the
Land Values Research Group
Landowners have the hardest time paying over the socially-generated
rent of land, in good times or bad, Down Under, too. "Breaking in on
the rent seekers" http://www.progress.org/2009/landtax.htm
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1c. Good Press: The Guardian's Series: Road to recovery
by Phillip Inman, Mar 24
Tax and mend: how to get pensions working again
A land value tax could be the best way to forestall a much predicted
return to sharply rising property prices in 2011. A tax would drain
1-2% from the total value of land each year, encouraging landowners to
be more productive. Combined with stricter lending rules on banks,
this could end the British obsession with generating "magic" profits
from dealing in land and property.
A land tax could replace capital gains tax and inheritance tax.
Depending on the rate, it could also be used to abolish council tax
and reduce corporation tax.
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1d. Good Press: YouTube on Schalkenbach's Poverty movie
Floating around the web:
"The End of Poverty? Yala Swamp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Yzp2JQcBiY&feature=channel
People from Kenya talk about how the Dominion Group of Companies took
over their land. From the documentary film 'THE END OF POVERTY?,'
directed by Philippe Diaz and distributed by Cinema Libre Studio
www.TheEndOfPoverty.com
Theatrical Release: Sept. 2009"
and
"Radio interview with film director Philippe Diaz Director Philippe
Diaz recently presented his film 'The End of Poverty?' in Oslo. Here
he talks about the global financial crisis."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7_UDbp7Bhk&NR=1
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2. News: How some respond to the downturn
To keep up with the latest in the world of economic justice, try
visiting the daily news site, the Progress Report. Here's a recent
sample article:
Your economy in reverse keeps setting records, but there is some good
news from activists and an historical author. "Most news is bleak, but
not all, and some do have answers"
http://www.progress.org/2009/tenants.htm
Sending the progress.org link to friends, family, neighbors, and
co-workers works wonderfully to help achieve a shared frame of
reference in which a discussion on how to solve economic issues can
take place.
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3. Numbers: Latest Bailout Plan; Wealthy Can Afford a Recession
Want all the current indicators in one place? Periodically, The
Progress Report publishes just such an article, like these two:
'BondDad' Stewart breaks down the latest bailout plan as foreigners
are mixed on the value of swelling US debt. "Even if any bailout
works, what does 'works' mean?"
http://www.progress.org/2009/usdebt.htm
While families lost their savings, billionaires saw their paper worth
shrink and CEOs got smaller raises, but both still have fortunes.
"Don't worry - Gates and CEOs are still doing just fine"
http://www.progress.org/2009/richest.htm
Both and more are viewable http://www.progress.org/ Bookmark it!
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4a. Movement Progress: Milwaukee re-hosts Wetzel
by Dave Wetzel, March 21, 2009
I've just spent a week (March 10th to 16th) with Bill Sells and Megan
Carr in Milwaukee - loads of meetings and much fun! They are hoping to
set up an LVT group in the city.
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4b. Movement Progress: 10 days in NYC
by Alanna Hartzok, Co-Director, Earth Rights Institute,
Alanna at earthrights.net, March 18, 2009
I met with Devin Stewart, Director of Global Policy Innovations at
Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs who had spoken at
the European Parliament as part of the International Business and
Leadership Symposium. He followed up a few days later with an email
saying he had just read the last chapter of my book on Economics of
War and Peace and stated he would "very much welcome the article we
discussed: applying your views on land rent to the current economic
crisis (in about 1000 words)" to be posted on the Carnegie Council
website.
On March 5th Dr. J.W. Smith, Founder and Director of the Institute for
Economic Democracy and the author of Economic Democracy and other
books, gave a 60 minute lecture to an audience of 700 international
students meeting in the UN General Assembly Hall. Speaking shortly
after UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon gave the opening remarks, Smith
was one of several speakers at the 33rd Annual UNIS-UN Conference on
the theme of The Food Crisis: A Global Challenge.
Also speaking was Daniel Gustafson, Director of the Liason Office for
North America of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN whose
topic was "The World's Food Crisis in Perspective."
The lectures were recorded for webcast and Smith's powerpoint is
available upon request.
For the other eight days, please get in touch.
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4c. Movement Progress: Eastern Economic Assoc.
by Jeff Smith, jjs at geonomics.org
Several geoists participated in the annual conference of the Eastern
Economic Assoc In Manhattan, including Pat Aller, Alanna Hartzok,
Mason Gaffney, Nic Tideman, Fred Foldvary, Polly Cleveland, Michael
Hudson, Wyn Achenbaum, Eron Lloyd, Gary Flo, John Heubert,and your
editor. All our sessions seemed well attended (by a couple dozen),
often better attended than conventional sessions. The audience asked
questions that indicated keen interest. And afterwards many kept
dialog going. Also, some young people, from all over the world,
attended ours, which is rather unique at these conferences of grey
heads and hoary tops.
Eduardo Suplicy, the Brazilian Senator, said he has persuaded a mayor
of a Brazilian tourist city to try one of my ideas (housing voucher
from a land tax).
Cay Hehner, Bruce Oatman, and Rita Rowan generously hosted a party at
a classy restaurant with tasty refreshments that was much fun.
For a more complete report, contact me or any of the above.
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5a. Letters: A Song
By Bryan Kavanagh, March 01, 2009
Blowin' In The Wind (Bob Dylan)
Georgist words by Bryan Kavanagh 25 February 2009
(C) Why must a (F) man be (C) fined with tax, for (F) producin' for
the (G) nation? (C) Yes, 'n' how many (F) years will it (C) take
before he'll (F) quit his occup(G)ation? (C) Why won't he (F) turn
where the (C) tax breaks are, in real (F) 'state specul(G)ation? The
(F) answer, my (G) friend, is (C) blowin' in the (Am) wind, the (F)
answer is (G) blowin' in the (C) wind.
(C) How many (F) times can (C) pol'ticians cry tears, 'bout housing
(F) 'ford(G)ability? (C) If they can (F) tax (C) everything else, but
(F) let our land rent go (G) free? (C) Why do we allow (F) free
capture of (C) rent, though it's (F) stup-id(G)ity? The (F) answer, my
(G) friend, is (C) blowin' in the (Am) wind, the (F) answer is (G)
blowin' in the (C) wind.
(C) How many (F) times can a real (C) estate bust, bring on (F) a
social (G) disjoint? (C) And how many (F) analysts will it (C) take
till we see, they (F) all keep missin' the (G) point? (C) Yes, 'n' how
many (F) times must the (C) tax system fail, (F) before we a land rent
(G) anoint? The (F) answer, my (G) friend, is (C) blowin' in the (Am)
wind, the (F) answer is (G) blowin' in the (C) wind.
(C) Why do they (F) bail out (C) all of the banks, when they (F)
killed off effective (G) demand? (C) Let people (F) keep what (C) they
have earned, and (F) take the rent of (G) land, (C) Henry George (F)
showed how to (C) rid boom 'n' bust, (F) didn't we under(G)stand? The
(F) answer, my (G) friend, is (C) blowin' in the (Am) wind, the (F)
answer is (G) blowin' in the (C) wind.
(C) Britain's land(F)lords in (C) 1909, (F) killed off "The People's
(G) Budg-et",
(C) But promoted (F) war in (C) 1914 - (F) lest - we - (G) forget
(C) So The Powers That (F) Be'd rather (C) go to war, than (F)
public's land rent (G) collect?
The (F) answer, my (G) friend, is (C) blowin' in the (Am) wind, the
(F) answer is (G) blowin' in the (C) wind. [(F) (C)]
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5b. Letters: How much do taxes add?
By Ole Lefmann, March 3, 2009
When a craftsman wants to get $300 for a job he has done he will have
to make out a bill for:
Work done $300
+ income tax he will have to pay $300
+ rent for the workshop he has used
(building + site) $ 18
+ costs of used materials, tools, machinery $ 11
+ interests to investors
(himself, a bank or someone else) $ 11
$640
+ VAT at 25% $160
$800
His customer, however, who shall pay the
bill, has to earn not only the $800, but
extra:
+ income tax $800
he will have to pay $1600
Thus the customer has to earn $1600 to be able to pay for work at the
value of only $300, which is not in accordance with ideal market
conditions that would be based on exchange of services.
Without tax on income the customer's $1600 could have demanded 3-4
times more work value $300.
This seems to explain why an economy based on income tax runs into
problems as times goes by.
Shifting from tax on income to tax on the annual value of privileges
provides two important advantages:
1) Immediate release of manpower and increased demand for
manpower.
2) Recovery of the staggering economy, which will prevent
future crises.
Asst. Editor notes: Sorry, but this makes no sense to me. I accept the
principle, but how does income tax DOUBLE everything? And LVT will not
eliminate the cost of materials, tools, machinery. And where is VAT
25%? Overstating and mis-stating diminish credibility.
Ole adds (by way of explanation): In some countries in this world
income tax is or has been approximately 50% or more of a marginal
income.
Therefore when the craftsman as mentioned in the example whould make a
calculation about how much he will have to charge his customer, it is
correct to add 100% to the profit he wants + expenses he will have in
connection with the project.
The same is the case when the customer ponders on how much he has to
earn in order to be able to pay the craftman's bill.
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5c. Letters: SCI Newsletter
By Ed Dodson, ejdodson at comcast.net, March 8, 2009
http://www.cooperativeindividualism.org/
The latest newsletter of the School of Cooperative Individualism is
now available. To see it, please contact me.
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5d. Letters: Down Under newsletter
By Karl Fitzgerald, earth at earthsahring.org.au, March 11, 2009
http://www.earthsharing.org.au/
The latest newsletter of EarthSharing Australia - including The Secret
Life of Real Estate and Speed Renting - is now available. To see it,
please contact me.
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5e. Letters: Freedom magazine
By David Brooks, davidsb1 at bigpond.com, March 14, 2009
http://people.aapt.net.au/~radical/
The latest magazine, Freedom's Edge, is now available.
To see it, please contact me.
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6. Obituary: LAURENCE S. MOSS
by Widdy S. Ho
After a courageous battle with cancer, Laurence S. Moss passed away on
February 24, 2009, at about 3:30 PM while in the hospital. He was 64
years old. Funeral services were held on February 26 at Stanetsky
Memorial Chapels in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Larry Moss, as he was known, served as the editor-in-chief of The
American Journal of Economics and Sociology (AJES) from 1996 until his
passing. He was the son of Dorothy and the late Martin Moss. He is
survived by his mother, his sister Vicki and her husband Bob Rafael,
his son Joshua Moss and his wife and professional partner of 30 years,
Ms. Widdy S. Ho.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Dana
Farber Cancer Institute. All donations will be directed towards the
advancement in the research for curing cancer. Please include a note
indicating your donation is for LARRY MOSS MEMORIAL GIFT. The address
for the donation is:
Dana Farber Cancer Institute
10 Brookline Place West, 6th Floor,
Brookline, MA 02445-7226
ATTN: Contribution Services
Condolences to the family may also be sent to:
Widdy S. Ho
Ho & Moss Attorneys
68 Harrison Avenue, 5th Floor, Boston, MA 02111
Tel. 617 728 4949; Fax. 617 728 4947
email: widdysho at aol.com
By Mark A. Sullivan, The American Journal of Economics and Sociology
Robert Schalkenbach Foundation
90 John Street, Suite 501, New York, NY 10038
Tel: 212-683-6424 Fax: 212-683-6454
AJESNYC at aol.com; Schalkenba at aol.com
The American Journal of Economics and Sociology was founded in 1941
under the editorship of Dr. Will Lissner, who was also a writer for
The New York Times. Over the decades support was provided by the
Robert Schalkenbach Foundation and the Francis Neilson Fund. Neilson
himself was a Georgist scholar who contributed articles to the
Journal. In 1989 Dr. Lissner passed the AJES editorial baton to Dr.
Frank Genovese of Babson College, Boston, who later recommended Larry
Moss, who also taught at Babson, as his own successor.
From its founding issue, the mission of AJES has been to promote
synthesis in the social sciences, with Henry George identified as a
pioneer in developing such a synthesis. Larry Moss took the initiative
and did a great job in pursuing this mission and in taking the
standing of AJES to new heights in the publishing and academic worlds.
He managed to increase the number of issues from four to five - in
the process doubling the number of pages annually and coming out with
two free-standing books per year.
In 2000, Larry created the series "Studies in Economic Reform and
Social Justice" with Land-Value Taxation Around the World, 3rd edition
as the inauguration Georgist volume. Since then, AJES has published a
total of seven (7) volumes on various aspects of the Georgist
movement. And there have been other Georgist materials that have been
published in issues that were not part of this series. As a result,
Georgist scholarship is available in more than a thousand libraries
worldwide. Larry made extra efforts to promote Georgist scholarship
over the years, but he often remarked with disappointment that only a
relatively few Georgist submissions met the academic standards of AJES
- standards for which AJES is well-respected.
In addition to being an expert in the history of economic thought,
Larry's breadth of knowledge and range of reading interests from
history of science, mathematics, sociology and philosophy set him
apart from most academics and served him well as AJES editor. He also
displayed excellent organizing abilities along with the necessary
scholarly and non-ideological editorial judgment called for by an
academic journal. He negotiated with JSTOR to archive all the back
issues AJES (on an ongoing basis), and helped secure advantageous
contracts with major publishing houses (Wiley-Blackwell).
Larry managed to keep the Journal publishing on a regular basis for
twelve years even during the worst times of his illness, when it first
occurred and again when it returned. Even at the time of his death,
Larry had completed the editing of the next two forthcoming
issues. The board of The American Journal of Economics and Sociology
owes a debt of gratitude to Larry Moss for his outstanding service as
editor-in-chief, and to Widdy Ho for her years of service as assistant
editor, and for the help she is giving to the Journal in this time of
transition.
As the AJES board members engage in the process of selecting its next
editor-in-chief, we remember Larry as a brilliant and engaging editor,
scholar, and teacher. The Boston Globe reports that he was an avid
magician and "used his magic in the classroom to illustrate the
principles of economics". In fact, he was featured in the US News and
World Report in the October 4, 1993 issue as a magician / economist.
In addition to all this, Larry Moss was a most kind and considerate
person. We have lost a good friend. We will sorely miss him.
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7a. Likable link: GB quits on old media
by Fred Harrison, February 27, 2009 & March 27, 2009
The British government announced that it was abandoning reliance on
the conventional media - TV and the print industry - as obsolete
means of communication. Brown's government is appointing a Director of
Digital Engagement post inside the Cabinet Office. His job is to
develop communications through YouTube, Facebook, and freesheets.
We are helping to define this new medium, with innovations such as
"Six Minutes with the Renegade Economist" interviews. The first two
can be viewed on this website:
http://www.youtube.com/renegadeeconomist
along with today's interview, with Dr Michael Hudson.
Gordon Brown is trying to cover his own domestic failings by creating
the impression that a global-only solution is needed for the banking
crisis. Here's why he's trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the
world's leaders in the run up to the G20 meeting in London next week:
http://www.youtube.com/renegadeeconomist
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7b. Likable link: Ex-priest publishes blog
by Joe Johnston, March 1, 2009
Please mention my blog to the readers of GN.
I've started a blog at:
http://taxworkortaxdirt.blogspot.com
and in the last posting, I linked your site:
http://www.progress.org/geonomy/geono05.php
Our church also has a blog aggregator so the blog is also at:
http://www.raleighmennonite.org/aggregator
Take a look and if you have any feedback, let me know. I'd like to
have people comment on it, especially the idea that there is a choice:
Tax work or tax Land.
I've got comments from Wyn and John Huebert.
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8a. What You Can Do: Claim domain name
by Hanno Beck, banneker at progress.org, March 1, 2009
Do you have a use for the WWW domain georgists.org? Please contact
Hanno Beck if you are interested. Our movement controls this domain
name until April 20; if no action is taken then the domain will become
available to anyone, geoist or not, who wishes to use it.
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8b. What You Can Do: Claim classic book
by Ingrid Rosenback, Swarthmore, PA, irosenba at verizon.net, March 3, 2009
Hello. I found a book on my bookshelf which you may find interesting.
It's called "Geonomy: Creation of Continents by Ocean Currents" by J.
Stanley Grimes, Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott & Co. 1885. It's a
small, brown hardcover book. Is anyone interested in having it?
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8c. What You Can Do: UN Warsaw conference
by the IU office team, office at theIU.org, March 28, 2009
The UN's Global Land Tools Network has issued a call for papers for
its forthcoming Conference, in Warsaw, 15-16 October 2009, on
'Financing affordable housing and infrastructure in cities: innovative
land and property taxation'. The event may be of particular interest
to members intending traveling to London to participate in the IU's
London Conference the following week.
For more information go to: http://www.gltn.net/en/warsaw-2009.html
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8d. What You Can Do: eConference - Videos and Discussion Forums
by Jeff Klein, Executive Director & Chief Activation Officer, FLOW,
March 12, 2009
The World Bank Institute, the Institute for Corporate Responsibility
and FLOW are pleased to announce the eConference: Peace Through
Commerce, March 23 - May 22, 2009
Featuring:
Simeon Djankov, World Bank Group
Roger Dow, President & CEO, Travel Industry Association of America
Steve Killelea, Australian Entrepreneur and Philanthropist, founder
of the Global Peace Index
and many more.
This online conference will include dynamic presenters and
discussants, provocative questions, and opportunities to explore
collaboration. Participants are invited to watch the videos and join
the conversation with international experts in business, development
and global security. The discussion will focus on practical action to
advance understanding, investment and systemic change toward Peace
Through Commerce. This free online conference will cover nine topics
over nine weeks, with special guest moderators and discussants each
week for participants to directly engage with. To learn more and
register, visit: www.peace.businessfightspoverty.org
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9. the Margin: Quips and Quotes
No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the Congress is in
session.
- Mark Twain
The extremists are those who support a $2 trillion budget, a $7
trillion debt, an Insane War on Drugs that's destroying our cities and
our children, and a federal government that is decimating our
health-care system.
- Harry Browne
I just wanted to speak to you about something from the Internal
Revenue Code. It is the last sentence of section 509A of the code and
it reads: 'For purposes of paragraph 3, an organization described in
paragraph 2 shall be deemed to include an organization described in
section 501C-4, 5, or 6, which would be described in paragraph 2 if it
were an organization described in section 501C-3.' And that's just one
sentence out of those fifty-seven feet of books.
- Ronald Reagan
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10. Publication affairs: Contributing to this issue
Along with those acknowledged above with each blurb,
Editor: Jeffery J. Smith
Assistant Editor: Caspar Davis
Archivist: Stewart Goldwater
Owner: Robert Schalkenbach Foundation
Founder: Adam Monroe
Send your news and other interesting material to the Georgist News,
jjs at geonomics.org or gn at progress.org. The deadline for the next
issue is March 25.
The Georgist News, a project of Robert Schalkenbach Foundation, is an
email newsletter brought to you free of charge. Its purpose is to keep
you updated on the latest news, citations, events, and initiatives of
relevance to people who, like Henry George, seek a world free from
special privilege and the causes of poverty.
Do you know someone who'd enjoy reading the GN? Please forward them an
issue and ask them to subscribe, or send us their eddress. As always,
it's free. Thanks.
The Georgist News is also available on line at
http://www.Georgist.com/
==================================================================
The Georgist News, Volume Eleven, Number Ten, April 1, 2009