I. EDITOR'S NOTE
To Conferees
II. ACTION
Georgist Conference Series
Big Weekend for the American Left
***Woodstock
***Major US Green Party Gathering This Weekend
Euro-Election Results Positive for Georgists
British Green Tax Proposal Under Attack
New Jersey Property Tax Controversy
III. WORD
PRESSWATCH: Sam Vs Mumia
WATCHWATCH: By the Way, Y2K
GEOWATCH: Georgist Media Update
Henry George Institute's "Teaching and Learning in Prison"
American Journal of Economics and Sociology: A New Joint Venture
Henry George Foundation of Great Britain Now Online
How Do You Say Henry George in Spanish?
Georgist Conference Report Online
Anti-Imperialism Site Moves to Larger Quarters
IV. NETWORKING TOOLS & OPPORTUNITIES
United Nations' Statistics on Poverty Updated
***Number Starving Up 8 Million in 3 Years
***US Accused With New Poverty Stats
Recent Stats for Special Land Markets in US and Tokyo
Sustainability Directory for South Africa Near Complete
V. OTHER NOTES
Dear Georgists,
To all of you I hoped to meet and see again at the recent CGO conferences, I apologize for my absence and assure you, I regret missing you there. On this occasion, I've decided to offer a long-time favorite excuse: "it's a communist plot." Incidentally, my mother says that's a good one to use on kids who ask "why" too many times in a row.
Despite the glitch, some interesting conference info is coming into the newsroom. So those of us who missed out on the big shindig may yet learn about some of the new developments discussed there, for our movement around the world. Please, send in any notes you can, to let us know what you picked up and dropped off in Gaithersburg and Arden. Thanks!
George Truly,
Adam Jon Monroe
Editor, The Georgist News 212-613-5766 georgist@aol.com
Have You Ever Heard of Henry George?
USA (GNS) - A century ago, Henry George was one of the most well-known (and
liked) people in the world. His first major book, "Progress and Poverty,"
though self-published, within a few years, dwarfed all non-fiction sales
records. He was invited by social and political leaders around the world to
visit and speak. He was twice drafted to run for Mayor, by New York's Labor
Movement, dying days prior to voting in the second campaign. His funeral was
more highly attended than any previously in American history. Even today, he
may still be the most widely read economist of all time, with translations in
dozens of languages, and having sold in many millions of copies. There are
very few people of intellectual renown in the 20th Century without high
praise for Henry George and the philosophy he advanced - that the proper
relationship between nature and society would be achieved by shifting taxes
to fall on the use of resource rather than how much wealth people produce.
Basically, what Henry George did was solve the riddle of economics. So, why has almost nobody today ever heard of him? Well, for one thing, he isn't mentioned in high school classes or texts on American history. The reason, say Georgists, is the only people with extra time to spend running the school boards that decide which books to buy and which teachers to hire are the type to be offended by the idea that the profits of land speculation are "unearned." If that seems a little scandalous, consider the fact that this phenomenon has remained a complete secret despite supposedly courageous, scandal-hound reporting, 30-year mortgages and sophisticated economies going bust all over the world as land price bubbles pop. Ironically, the biggest scandal in American history appears to have been perpetrated by media companies.
About 100 Georgists and Georgist leaders from around the world convened earlier this month in Gaithersburg, MD, (just outside Washington, DC) and, again, in Arden, DE, a town established in 1900 to utilize and demonstrate the Georgist economic model, which is to use, exclusively, land value taxation for collecting public revenue and to, as closely as possible, collect thereby, the full rental value of land for the public sector. Since then, excepting some dilution, George's economic prescription system remains in Arden. A similarly successful experiment is Fairhope, AL.
Every year and from every corner of the globe, especially those places where Georgist reform is most widely practiced, like Australia, Denmark and The Republic of South Africa, Georgists converge to discuss their trials over the past year and prospects for the next. America is the obvious exception, however, with the US economic system, to the dismay of Georgists, becoming less and less "Georgist" with nearly every law passed here.
According to most Georgists, the US is headed for economic catastrophe as the "Un-Georgist" multiple-bandage-style economic system becomes further stretched via more and more reliance on a labor-to-land payment transfer system (revenue collected from workers, but spent to bolster land prices).
The bright spot this year, however, seems to be a promising trend here. Several East Coast States, including Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Virginia are considering legislation to shift property taxes from buildings to land and Pennsylvania, which has been experimenting successfully for many years with the tax shift, has recently expanded the number of PA jurisdictions that can use it.
This and many other topics were hashed out by conferees, most of whom consider the manipulation of public awareness by educational and media establishments to be the primary roadblock to Georgist reform in the US and elsewhere.
The means by which this problem will be overcome, is less consensual. The conferences were sponsored by The Council of Georgist Organizations (http://www.progress.org/cgo ) and The Henry George Institute (http://www.henrygeorge.org ).
Ed Dodson, Director of The School of Cooperative Individualism, has written a conference summary. Right now, it's on the front page of his web site: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/5148 [Related item in GEOWATCH below]
Look for more on conference results in upcoming issues of The Georgist News.
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USA (GNS) - This weekend is to witness a gigantic celebration of the 30-Year
Anniversary of the Woodstock concert, a milestone event in American culture.
Woodstock was a culmination of the flower-power, peace, love and marijuana
subculture wherein that generation's young sought a great social evolution
away from the black-and-white-television-commercial-flavored status quo
culture that inspired (Eric Blair, AKA) George Orwell's undisputed classic,
"1984."
Almost simultaneously and in strange contrast with Woodstock, human beings landed on the moon. The many significant events of that era seem, now, superimposed images of wild-eyed optimism and hopeless disillusionment. This, too, is being revisited now with the eerily timed death of America's young "Prince," the son of extremely popular former President, John F. Kennedy, whose assassination in 1963 continues to haunt us.
The "Cultural Revolution" in America's 1960s set the stage for American politics in the last half of the 20th Century, with the Left hawking 60s-style social freedom and equality while the Right longs for the stability and simplicity of America in the 1950s.
[Woodstock was the youth's "cultural Bastille Day" and, though basically just a really, really, really huge outdoor musical concert, remains of enduring and far-reaching historical significance. Here's an example, a neat fact about Woodstock, which I just happen to know: the musical term, "heavy metal," was coined at Woodstock by a French journalist trying to describe the sound of Jimi Hendrix's guitar, saying it "sounds like heavy metal falling from the sky." In the 1970's, the French publication which returned artistic credibility to animation (though having no musical aspect) was called "Heavy Metal." It's still the official music industry category description for a lot of popular artists.]
Woodstock is live on the Internet and you can learn more about it, too, at
http://www.woodstock.com
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USA (GNS) - Thursday afternoon, New York State Greens and Green Party members
began meetings in Washington, DC with a rally and registration on the West
Front Lower steps of the Capitol. The yearly confab is called the "Green
Gathering."
Events will continue through the weekend and include the annual meeting of The Green Congress, an official decision-making committee from among US Greens/Green Party USA.
Much of what is planned seems informal enough to allow outsiders to circulate among conference participants. You can view the schedule: www.greens.org/ny/tohtml.cgi?events/congress.htm
Like many state and local chapters of the US Libertarian Party, the Green Parties of some nations, including those of Wales and Scotland, are founded on geoist principles[1] and advocate shifting taxes from productivity to the use of resource.
Green Party of England and Wales on LVT (Click on "Policies," then, on "Manifesto for a Sustainable Society," then, on "Land"): http://www.greenparty.org.uk
Green Party of Scotland on LVT: http://www.scottishgreens.org.uk/policies/ppland.htm
[1] Geoism - Earth-Based economics, considering the public interest in
Earth's environment (e.g. our mutual dependence thereon and mutual
inheritance thereof), as opposed to the non-public nature of that for which
private efforts are responsible (the products of labor).
- - - - - - - - - -
USA (GNS) - The Reform Party, whose recent victory in Minnesota's
gubernatorial race, has invigorated America's Third Parties, also had their
National Convention this weekend. Nationalist sentiment was thick, but other
than strong opposition to immigration, campaign finance reform seems their
main issue. For more on The Reform Party, visit http://www.reformparty.org
- - - - - - - - - -
Tony Vickers, Director of The Henry George Foundation of Great Britain, has
provided the following analysis of recent elections to the European
Parliament.
Results were not as good as expected for Liberals and better than expected for Greens. Georgists can consider the outcome promising.
The British Liberal Democrats got 10 seats. Georgist reformer Chris Huhne was one of them. He has already made a statement to ALTER (Action on Land Taxation & Economic Reform) and the rest of the Party that he will speak up for the Georgist viewpoint. I have written to him (since I supported his nomination last year) and asked him to consider how his office (they've 3 or 4 paid researchers) could assist us. First idea - a detailed study of what taxes there are at all levels of government in Europe - a sort of 'tax mapping'. Chris is an expert on the new Euro currency (supports Britain joining it ASAP) and is Director among the investment analysts of (now French owned) FitchIBCA. His email is chrishuhne@cix.compulink.co.uk>. I'm sure messages of congratulations and encouragement to work with the rest of us Georgists here will go over well.
Another Lib Dem MEP (the only incumbent, hence considered leader of the British contingent) is Graham Watson. I've spoken to him and know him to be a keen supporter of land value taxation. He worked in Hong Kong for some years in the '80s and Hong Kong, of course, has had a very Georgist system for a long time (the reason it's been so prosperous).
The Green Party polled 6.5% - over half of what Lib Dems got - and was rewarded with two Parliamentary Seats. The Leader of the English Greens, Jean Lambert, is one of these. She represents London. I've asked her to be the main guest speaker at the GB HGF annual general meeting in November. Her office hadn't heard of land value taxation, but I'd be surprised if her Party doesn't support it - the literature they sent out to voters talked of taxing pollution and for accessing natural resources. I'll write in to let you know about Ms Lambert's response.
Labour's voters stayed home. Their campaign was pathetic - Tony Blair was
running a war in Kosovo, it's said. Consequently, the field was left for the
"Anti-Euro" Conservatives (36% and 36 out of 85 seats) and the even more
"Anti-European" UK Independence Party (3.5% and 3 seats). Labour got 28
seats and Welsh and Scottish Nationals, the remainder.
- - - - - - - - - -
UK (GNS) - The British government could be close to levying a tax on carbon.
There may be some glaring errors in the proposed law, but the principles
behind "Green Taxes" are basically Georgist and open a door for
environmentalists to cooperate with labor advocates. Here's an article on
the British law's apparent problems:
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=2214
[Sources: Reuters http://www.reuters.com and
LibertyNow News Updates http://www.free-market.net 07-20-99]
- - - - - - - - - -
USA (Edward Dodson) - The New Jersey Supreme Court recently ruled that the
State's "Special Improvement Districts" and the special assessments on
property owners used to fund them are constitutional. There are 44 such SIDs
in NJ.
Some property owners have challenged the fairness of the assessments, which can be substantial for large office buildings. They argue that retail businesses are the primary beneficiaries of the SID expenditures.
This controversy seems to present an opportunity to suggest that property owners support SID assessments based on land values only.
[source: NJ Business News, May 24, 1999]
Sam Donaldson Vs Mumia Abu-Jamal
USA (GNS/Adam Monroe) - Sam Donaldson, Co-Host of the popular American TV
news program "20/20" did a segment earlier this year about Mumia Abu-Jamal,
the anti-establishment Philadephia radio journalist sentenced to death by
local officials for killing a police officer Mumia found 'arresting' his
brother.
Mr. Donaldson, like most other highly paid journalists, finds it strange that there are so many people in the US and around the world who think Mumia's life should be spared. Donaldson, 20/20 and ABC, the corporation which owns them, have apparently been receiving lots of criticism since then, because they have now run another program on the subject.
The advertising and lead-in presented the new segment as having the potential to "change some peoples' minds" about the Mumia case. Weirdly, though, it was simply a continuation of their previous list of details indicating Mumia really did kill that police officer.
Meanwhile, the real scandal, like a herd of flaming elephants running amok around the living room, went completely unreferenced. Here it is:
With racism replacing religion as the scapegoat for war (which is actually a fight for territory) and with all the lip-service about "race" coming from US politicians, there is, yet, little mention of the big race problem in the US - police.
Just a quick example: a New Jersey police officer was killed. The first suspect picked up by police died in their custody. Suddenly, it bacame apparent that the suspect had not done the crime, so another suspect was picked up. He, too, was proven innocent and released and is now suing the police dept. for brutality, false arrest and injuries received in police custody. (Who covers such costs, the police officers?) So, now, a third fellow has been arrested and his mug shots show someone whose face and head have been extensively beaten. All three were black.
If the former Black Panther, Mumia, had been killed, instead of a police officer, would the suspects have been treated that way? Or, if Mumia had killed a "non-police-officer" he thought was mistreating his brother (like, maybe, a journalist), would Sam Donaldson still be "amazed" people aren't shrieking to fry him in the electric chair?
What's amazing, Sam, is that you're so "amazed." And, what's even more amazing is the mainstream press in the US is going along with the assumption there should be a seperate justice system to deal with crimes against cops. Let us all be so well-protected! "Equal justice under the law" is what we are guaranteed.
If the press can't complain about this and if politicians can't even muster the gonads to say this situation is unsatisfactory, maybe Sam Donaldson is just trying to be friendly with America's police force because he smells a revolution. Here's a hot news tip I picked up from my gut, Sam: put your money on the people.
If justice prevails, maybe, one day, we'll see Mumia Abu-Jamal replace Sam Donaldson as Co-Host on "20/20."
WATCHWATCH: "Alternative" News, My Aspirin
By the Way, Y2K
USA (GNS) - When nobody was looking, both US legislatures, in rapid
succession, passed a law limiting the liability of any company that causes
damages related to the year 2000 computer glitch.
The Banneker Center for Economic Justice was one of the few groups to even register any complaint, much less make any call for action to prevent the sneaky passage of a law, as BCEJ Director, Hanno Beck describes it, will "grant a new immunity privilege to a few, at the cost of everyone else."
The Internet has proven a force of democratization landed interests cannot abide. Failure of the MAI and increasing public reliance on e-news has forced US lawmakers to side-swipe the public with any law deemed likely to be opposed by a rather democratic electronic population, able to voice, share and compare opinions ever faster, better and more easily with more and more people.
So, while mainstream news kept the US public occupied planning their retirements, e.g. health care reform, social security, and while "alternative" news agents cashed in on a few more disturbing subscandals and political soap operas, the Y2K Bill popped into public dialogue, was passed into law and became part of reality for American citizens, painlessly (until it takes effect). Most reporting on the subject was after the fact, not prior.
Even Georgists, nearly enough exclusive suppliers of actually alternative news, found out only some days before US legislators voted the bill into law.
There's no way, with the Internet what it is, that the US Congress could allow public debate prior to passage of a law that limits liability for lawsuits against companies which fail customers or others due to computer errors related to their unpromethean construction.
Now, though, there is a frightening lack of complaint from the press, the
alternative press, consumer advocacy groups and others thought to be looking
after the public interest. How are folks supposed to know what's really
going on? For one thing, they need to be on the Economic Justice Mailing
List. It only goes out when something important is happening like the sneaky
Y2K Bill. If a lot more people were on it, the Y2K Bill might have been
defeated. If you're not on it, get a grip!!! Go, now, and sign up at
http://www.progress.org
- - - - - - - - - -
GEOWATCH: Updates on the REAL News
Special Double-Issue of The Georgist Journal
USA (GNS) - Have you ever been in jail? It's bad. You don't want to go to
jail, even for just a day. Georgists are inspired naturally and might not be
as succeptible to the hope-crushing despair and bitterness that come from
long-term incarceration. It can seem even worse when jailed by "the greatest
country in the world."
Most of those in prison, though, haven't the benefit of understanding that they were not given a fair shake in the first place, that they are victims of an arbitrary, unjust socio-economic system with roots of public misguidance going back centuries. And, they've no idea that there is actually hope for civilization's future. As far as most prison inmates know, some people are good and some are bad, and they are the latter, the losers, human trash, even in "the indispensable nation."
Who will smash that despair with the inspiring enlightenment of true understanding? The Henry George Institute.
The latest issue of their publication, The Georgist Journal, is titled "Teaching and Learning in Prison" and contains several short pieces by students and teachers of the HGI's "Understanding Economics" correspondence course.
As freedom is the conduit of all social evolution, enslavement breeds the opposite, a decaying social body, grotesque, infected and dying. Georgists comprise the immune system of the social body. Let's win.
[Every issue of The Georgist Journal should be (and, probably, already is) read, cover to cover, by every Georgist in the world capable of doing so. If you aren't yet, get hip to The Georgist Journal. You'll be glad if you do. - Editor]
The Georgist Journal is published by The Henry George Institute.
Contact: Lindy Davies (Director) lindy@henrygeorge.org
The Henry George Institute
121 E. 30th St.
New York, NY 10016, USA
http://www.henrygeorge.org
- - - - - - - - - -
Laurence Moss, Editor of The American Journal of Economics and Sociology, a
scholarly quarterly from esteemed Georgist publisher, The Robert Schalkenbach
Foundation, says he is still accepting proposals for papers to be included in
the gala October 1999 special invited issue on the theme of "Economics and
Sociology: the New Joint Venture."
Having already gathered a great deal of material, Moss says any new abstracts he receives will have to fit perfectly with that, to make it in this time. This issue will feature articles that demonstrate the ways in which the merger of economics and sociology is providing valuable explanations of and insights about social phenomena.
Laurence S. Moss
Economics Department, Babson College http://www.babson.edu
Babson Park, Massachusetts 02457 USA
617-728-4949 LMOS@AOL.COM
- - - - - - - - - -
The Henry George Foundation of Great Britain now has their own web site and
Georgists will surely enjoy and appreciate it. The design is cheery and
pleasant, while the texts are extremely thorough, informative and
well-written.
One obviously helpful aspect of the new site is it will be the easiest place to order the great Georgist magazine, Land & Liberty. Sample articles are available online, too. Also available there is a page called "Hot Topics" with in-depth articles on boom/bust economics and international aid.
The Henry George Foundation of Great Britain Ltd.
Suite 427, The Fruit and Wool Exchange
Brushfield Street, London, E1 6EL
Tel: 0171 377 8885 Fax: 0171 8686 HGF_IGU@compuserve.com
THE NEW URL - http://www.henrygeorgeuk.cjb.net
- - - - - - - - - -
[The Georgist News and GNS have many wonderfully helpful volunteer
correspondents and one of the very best and most helpful is Edward Dodson,
Director for The School of Cooperative Individualism,
(http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/5148 )]
Mr. Dodson reports:
The editor of the weekly "City Paper" in Philadelphia invited me to write a
report on the conference (no guarantee he will print it, but chances are
good). If anyone would like to read it, I have posted it to the School of
Cooperative Individualism website. Visit the home page,
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/5148 &nabp; and you will see a
message regarding the conference in the left column. Click on the highlighted
text to get the report.
- - - - - - - - - -
The following is from Hanno Beck, Director of The Banneker Center for
Economic Justice, http://www.progress.org/banneker
Dear Friends,
A great Argentine geoist hombre named Dr. Hector Sandler has a web site and
an email address (visit his site to find it).
Spanish is one of the top four human languages used on the Internet and it is great to have some geoist representation in it. (Later this year the Banneker Center aims to uncork a Spanish web site, too.)
Do not hesitate, go right now to http://www.situar.com.ar/ice and greet Dr. Sandler!
(If you are familiar with the periodical El Defensor del Contribuyente ("The
Taxpayer's Defender"), you will recognize Dr. Sandler as the publisher.)
- - - - - - - - - -
Jim Zwick's home page has moved! Here's his memo:
Got a suggestion for a future poll topic? Send it in; they use 'em!
Quick Poll #15: Is the US a Christian nation? Tell The Progress Report, http://www.progress.org/page2.shtml
Internet (GNS) - The United Nations' latest statistics on poverty, released
this month, are currently available on the front page at Edward Dodson's web
site, The School of Cooperative Individualism:
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/5148
- - - - - - - - - -
Internet (GNS) - According to UN sources for DAWN Press Service, the number
of Earth's starving has risen eight million in the past 3 years:
http://dawn.com/daily/text/int14.htm
- - - - - - - - - -
Earth (GNS) - In the upcoming issue of US News & World Report, a widely read
US news magazine, David Gergen, one-time consultant to current US President
Clinton, chides his former boss regarding his recent "poverty tour" and
welfare reform legislation he signed just prior to the 1996 election. He
mentions recent poverty statistics for the US and the world. Gergen's
article is already online at http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/990726/26edit.htm
His concluding paragraph asks, "Where now are the progressives?" Should we
tell him?
- - - - - - - - - -
Earth (Edward Dodson/GNS) - Business Week is reporting that office space
rents in 15 of 31 markets in the US experienced double-digit increases
between the first quarter of 1998 and the first quarter of 1999. Meanwhile,
though, vacancy rates *fell* from 16.1% to 10.8%.
Boston's Class A space is in shortest supply and rents for $48/sf - higher than midtown Manhattan by a few cents. Next on the list is San Francisco. Despite these high rents [and plenty of grossly under-used land, even in SF], there is not much new construction going up because of high costs [land costs, we can be sure, although BW does not say so.]
The same issue of BW contains a report that in Tokyo, owners of small plots of land are putting them to use as parking lots for two, three or four automobiles at around $5 an hour. One firm manages around 2,500 such sites; their stock has increased five-fold in just a year. Total revenue generated in 1998 was around $413 million, with a 20% annual growth rate.
Edward Dodson is Director for The School of Cooperative Individualism:
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/5148
- - - - - - - - - -
Republic of South Africa (PRODDER/GNS) - In October 1999 the Programme for
Development Research (PRODDER) at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC)
in South Africa will publish the new edition of its annual development
directory which focuses on Southern African development organisations.
PRODDER is a development information medium which collects and disseminates
information on all Southern African development issues and roleplayers.
The questionnaire for the 1999/2000 directory is now available on the
Internet at http://www.hsrc.ac.za/prodder/question2000.html
If your organisation is based in a Southern African Development Community
(SADC) country, please complete the questionairre and send it back to us as
soon as possible. If you have any questions and don't have access to the
Internet or if you need a questionnaire faxed to you, please contact Yzette
Terreblanche.
Yzette Terreblanche, Development Information Officer, PRODDER, HSRC
Tel: (+27) (12) 302-2917 Fax: (+27) (12) 302-2497
E-mail: YzetteT@beauty.hsrc.ac.za / DBBarnard@beauty.hsrc.ac.za
URL: http://www.hsrc.ac.za/prodder
"I think your Georgist News project is just super. And you can quote that."
- Nadine Stoner
- - - - - - - - - -
Thanks! I think I will!
Again, I must say I regret missing you all at the conferences. Would you mind having another one? I have some free time tomorrow after 4 PM ... Well, maybe next year ... {= ]
Sincerely George,
Adam Jon Monroe, Jr.
Editor, The Georgist News 212-613-5766 georgist@aol.com
* * *
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There are many ways you might be able to help this project grow and improve! Also, if there's any way The Georgist News could be of greater use to you or your related projects, please, contact us at georgist@aol.com or 212-613-5766.
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