As the (delayed) tax day approaches, it is worth remembering that the income taxes coming due are largely a product of the early 20th century progressive movement to replace tariffs with income taxes. The arguments put forth by the progressives included the fact that tariffs… Read More »Protection or Free Trade Pt.2
Simon Winchester begins his new book, “Land: How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World” by giving the history of the first land parcel he ever bought -123 acres of a forested and rocky mountainside in rural New York. When English explorer Henry Hudson… Read More »Land: How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World – Book Review
After the signing of the Bretton Woods agreement and the creation of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade after World War II, global free trade began a decades long period of expansion, dramatically increasing the role of international trade in the global economy by… Read More »Applying the lessons of George’s Protection or Free Trade, pt 1
“No army can stop an idea whose time has come” — Victor Hugo Hugo was referring to the French Revolution, but his quote also nails the unstoppable logic of carbon pricing. Recently, the Supreme Court of Canada wrote, “Climate change is a real and existential… Read More »Pricing carbon is a magic job machine
Why can’t the economy have steady growth and prosperity instead of cyclically falling into recessions and depressions? We can have sustainable growth if we eliminate the cause of the bust. There is one fundamental, though mostly unrecognized, cause of the boom and bust economic cycle:… Read More »How to Prevent the Boom and Bust Cycle
Inspired by a proposal in Martin Adam’s book, “Land: A New Paradigm for a Thriving World”, the Minnesota chapter of Common Ground USA partnered with the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) to explore the feasibility of starting a Municipal Land Trust (MLT) in… Read More »Municipal Land Trusts
Not everyone will agree, but I’ll say it:: synthesizing the market and planned economics to produce economic strength is the quickest path to economic and political empowerment for all people, especially traditionally marginalized cohorts such as women and immigrants. When liberalism made “peace” with markets, prosperity… Read More »RENTS FALL, SUPPLY DECREASES: THE SECRET LIFE OF HOW THE BIG DOGS ROLL
The current economic life of New York City is almost unrecognizable when compared to that of just a year ago. Faced with the collapse of the tourist and business travel industries, hotels that reported second quarter occupancy rates surpassing 90% in 2019, failed to hit… Read More »A New But Familiar Vaccine for New York’s COVID Economy
Florida is now debating a measure to impose an excise tax on water extraction by Florida water bottling companies. And there are many questions surrounding this proposal: Is water a natural resource? Is it essential for life? Is water a requirement for advanced civilizations (looking… Read More »Florida Agonistes: Everybody out of the Water?
In a recent New York Times article, The Californians Are Coming. So Is Their Housing Crisis, Conor Dougherty delves into the conundrum of growth and housing problems. He points to the current situation in California and the fact that its residents are fleeing the sunshine… Read More »Relocating? Housing Issues Span the Country.
