THE GEORGIST NEWS

What's going on in your region? Be sure to send notices of interesting upcoming events to the Georgist News.

Deadline for our April issue: March 25.

You can always reach the Georgist News at gn@progress.org

CONTENTS: (to return here just click the headline)

  1. Last-Minute Note to CGO Members
  2. Mass Transit Funding in Denmark
  3. News from South Korea
  4. A Request for Help from Wendy Rockwell
  5. A Request for Help from Paul Brandon
  6. The Money Crunch
  7. Real Estate Bubble in the U.S.
  8. Real Estate Bubble on the Moon
  9. From the Council of Georgist Organizations
10. Virginia Cities Aim to Curb Growth
11. Georgist Input Sought on Spectrum Policy
12. Upcoming Event
13. Economic Development Summit 2004
14. Upcoming Conference in Edinburgh
15. AT THE MARGIN: Quips and Quotes
16. About The Georgist News

1. Last-Minute Note to CGO Members

A note to organizations that are members of the Council of Georgist Organizations -

Please contact Sue Walton right away if your organization wishes to meet during the 2004 CGO conference in Albuquerque.

You can reach Sue Walton at swalton@surfbest.net or phone 847-475-0391

2. Mass Transit Funding in Denmark

Svend Dinsen sends in this news:

The Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten reported on February 18th, that the social democratic Copenhagen County Mayor, Vibeke Storm Rasmussen, has suggested to the conservative Secretary of Transport, Flemming Hansen, that an eventual future Copenhagen Circle Light Railway could be partly financed through the increased property values along the line. According to the paper, the Secretary of Transport considered the idea favourably.

3. News from South Korea

Kim Yoon-sang sends in these two items:

Kim Elected New President of Henry George Association of Korea

Kim Myung-whan was elected as new president of Henry George Association of Korea during the leadership camp from February 19th through 21st, succeeding the ex-president Jun Gang-soo who had served for six years. (Please don't be surprised that there are so many Mr. Kims. More than 20% of Koreans have Kim as their family name.)

Although the Jesus Abbey, established by the late Reverend Archer Torrey, is located in a mountainous village in Taebaek city about five or more hours away from Seoul and other major cities, some fifty people attended a leadership camp held there. The number of attendees shows that the land value taxation campaign in South Korea is drawing dedicated young people more than ever.

One of the top policy staff of the incumbent President Roh's administration of South Korea is a Georgist, Lee Joung-woo, the editor of the book, "Henry George: Revisited 100 Years Later" published in late 2002. Last year he set out a new set of real estate policies to curb speculation including raising the assessed value gradually. Korean Georgists have been encouraged by the progress, while at the same time dissatisfied with the slow movement.

New Georgist Books Published

Two new Georgist books were published in December last year. One is a Korean translation of Progress and Poverty abridged by A. W. Madsen. The first translation of the abridged edition had been published in 1989, now out of print for several years. Although the translation of the full text was published in 1997, the translator Kim Yoon-sang revised his first abridged translation and had it published again, because this is easy for beginners to read.

The other book is titled "The Essence of Henry George," consisting of translations of Henry George's five famous addresses and numerous memorable passages from writings and addresses. The five addresses are Thou Shalt Not Steal(1887), The Study of Political Economy(1880), Thy Kingdom Come(1889), Justice the Objective-Taxation the Means(1890), Moses(1878). The memorable passages are those selected and arranged by A.C. Auchmuty under the title of "The Economics and Philosophy of Henry George." The translators are Kim Yoon-sang and Jun Gang-soo.

4. A Request for Help from Wendy Rockwell

A note from Wendy Rockwell in Monteverde, Costa Rica:

Is there any one out there who would be interested in participating in this project? What is needed to set up a system to establish land assessments for a small town and surrounding rural area?

I am very excited about the possibilities here in Costa Rica. I have been discussing different possibilities for applying LVT (land value taxation) at all levels of government and so far no one has dismissed the idea, on the contrary they appear to be quite interested.

A department (ONT) in the Ministry of Revenue is in charge of setting land values for all the municipal governments of the country. Land values, along with improvements of course, are taxed at the municipal level.

I have received the green light to make a proposal for Monteverde to establish those values for our municipality. My uncle, Lucier Rockwell, developed a rather simple equation that established the land value for any point using traffic counts and other factors that would contribute to land value. The procedure that they use at the ONT is quite cumbersome, not something I would want to use as a model. This only has to be approved at the ministry level. No law has to be changed, and it decreases their work load. I hope that facilitates its approval.

We have a computer, and by the end of this year, a pretty up to date cadastre, with separate data on land and improvements.

Let me hear from you,

Wendy Rockwell   standley@racsa.co.cr

5. A Request for Help from Paul Brandon

This is an appeal for more information about the inventor of The Landlord's Game.

Paul Brandon of the Labour Land Campaign writes:

The movie rights to Ralph Anspach's book "The Billion Dollar Monopoly® Swindle" have been sold to Hollywood. A visit to www.antimonopoly.com reveals more about his remarkable story.

Ralph's detective work has uncovered that the 1904 version of The Landlord's Game is the forerunner of all other Monopoly games, including the world famous Parker Brothers version. Its inventor Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Magie Philips was a devoted follower of Henry George's philosophy and her game soon changed and evolved into a means to teach the virtues of the Single Tax.

I am currently researching this connection with the most popular board game in history and would like to hear from any readers of this newsletter who may be able to cast greater light on the life of Lizzie Magie Philips, and in particular her involvement with Parker Brothers in the 1930's. Any personal encounters or stories would be especially welcome.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Send your comments to Paul at p.brandon@labourland.org

6. The Money Crunch

"The Money Crunch" conference will be held March 19-21, 2004, at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, United States.

The events will all deal with money, alternative currencies, and other monetary ideas to make the world a better place. Among the presenters will be geoist Thomas Greco.

For more information: www.accessfoundation.org

7. Real Estate Bubble in the U.S.

Comments by Ed Dodson:

Is a real estate bubble about to burst in the U.S.? Well, not if the commercial real estate sector is, in fact, a leading indicator of troubled waters ahead. As of late in January, the Wall Street Journal reported on the state of the U.S. commercial real estate markets. Here is the article.

"Office Vacancies Are Sky-High; So Why No Crisis?"
Wall Street Journal, 1/23/2004, by Dean Starkman

Reis Inc. research confirms that the nation's office-vacancy rate currently hovers around the 17-percent mark, with such markets as Dallas (25 percent) and Atlanta (19.8 percent) on the high end and other markets like Denver and California's Silicon Valley seeing entire sections of their market vacant.

Yet while U.S.-based corporations defaulted on over $105 billion in corporate debt, Moody's Investors Service points out that commercial property firms have not had a single corporate-debt default in a decade with minimal bankruptcies, foreclosures, and delinquencies. Many of the developers that have survived the boom going bust did so by taking their business public and paying down their debt with investor capital, leaving them in good position to react quickly to additional downturns without being at the mercy of banks. Still, developers are looking at another down year in 2004 with stagnant job growth likely and the possibility of rising interest rates.

8. Real Estate Bubble on the Moon

A note from Fred Foldvary:

According to space.com, "More than 2.5 million people from 180 countries have bought property on the Moon and Mars in sales that reached $1 million last year. The scheme is bogus, legal scholars argue, but business is booming and futurists have been forced to ponder the fate of celestial property rights." (February 2, 2004)

GN Comments: Does this topic offer an opportunity to introduce Georgist ideas on how to allocate property rights fairly and securely? Has anyone tried before?

9. From the Council of Georgist Organizations

1. The CGO's Fundraising Committee is looking for a Georgist Attorney who would be willing to do pro bono work for Georgists. If you are interested or can help, please contact: Scott Walton, CGO Fundraising Committee Chair as soon as possible (swalton@surfbest.net; 888/262-9015).

2. The Executive Committee of the Council of Georgist Organizations, in conjunction with its 2004 planning committee, has been actively working on the 2004 Conference program and keynote speakers. Watch this space for exciting news concerning two special guests.

10. Virginia Cities Aim to Curb Growth

Worried that rapid residential growth will overcrowd schools and shoot real estate taxes "skyward," Suffolk, Va., leaders have drafted state legislation that would allow localities to pass School Capacity Ordinances to delay housing growth for as many as seven years. Other states have authorized broader ordinances that allow a city or county to slow residential growth if it is outpacing public facilities such as schools, sewers, and roads, wrote Patrick Lackey, a columnist with The Virginian-Pilot. Under the Virginia bill, developers could speed the process of residential development by offering to contribute to the cost of schools. Supporters of the bill include the Virginia Education Association, the Virginia High Growth Coalition, and the Virginia Farm Bureau. Home builders and sellers oppose it. "If legislators won't allow cities and counties to manage the pace of growth, they should provide more school-construction aid for localities forced to cope with burgeoning populations," Lackey wrote.

The Norfolk, Va., City Council voted to ban town homes and multifamily developments of seven or more units in large parts of the city, including the fast-developing Ocean View corridor. The plan grew out of a councilman's effort to increase housing quality in Ocean View, reported The Virginian-Pilot. The lone councilman to vote against the plan said the zoning changes aim to create a situation in which only the well-off could afford to live in Ocean View. The plan was opposed by affordable housing advocates and some members of the city's black community, who said it would reduce the supply of affordable housing for the poor. Mayor Paul D. Fraim said the council would review the changes in six months and again in a year "to avoid the rule of unintended consequences."

GN Comments: Thanks to Ed Dodson, Director of the School of Cooperative Individualism, for sending this item. Proponents and opponents of the anti-housing legislation need to consider why housing costs so much, who should pay for new infrastructure and schools, and whether land speculators who receive windfalls have actually earned them. As is usually the case, Georgist input could clarify these communities' situations and point them toward solutions that are fairer for all.

11. Georgist Input Sought on Spectrum Policy

Who owns the airwaves?

For many years Georgists have been advocating that the airwaves ("electromagnetic spectrum") be leased by private interests from the public, and that these leases should be auctioned off at full market value. Too often, valuable public assets are simply given away to private corporations who lobby for special privileges.

Once in a while the NTIA, the US federal agency that oversees the spectrum, seeks input on spectrum management policy. Their dull announcement includes this passage:

"The Administration announced its commitment to develop and implement a modernized United States spectrum policy. Pursuant to this commitment, the Secretary of Commerce is conducting a comprehensive review to develop recommendations for improving the United States' spectrum management policies regarding the organization, processes, and procedures affecting Federal government, State, local and private sector spectrum use."

Now is your chance to give your views on how spectrum access may be justly allocated for the benefit of all persons.

For more information, and details on where to send your comments, see: www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/frnotices/2004/SpectrumInitiativeNOI_01282004.htm

12. Upcoming Event

The "CERES 2004 Conference: Critical Decisions for Lasting Prosperity" event will be held on April 14-15, 2004, in Boston, Massachusetts, United States.

Energy policy, over-reliance on fossil fuels, the potential for hydrogen power, climate change, etc., are among the topics to be considered.

For more information and the conference agenda, see: www.ceres.org/conference/2004/2004_agenda.htm

13. Economic Development Summit 2004

The "Economic Development Summit" will be held on March 17-19, 2004, in Washington, DC, United States.

The theme for this year's Summit is "Getting the Real Answers", designed to explore the federal government's role in supporting economic development across the country.

For more information, see: www.iedconline.org/EDSummit/index.html

14. Upcoming Conference in Edinburgh

The Labour Land Campaign, in association with the Waterfront Conference Company and the Sunday Herald, are pleased to announce brochures are now available for a conference in Edinburgh, Scotland on the 27th April 2003.

"The New Land Reform Agenda: How Can Fiscal Change Benefit Scotland?" is a one-day conference examining how fiscal reform can generate the funding needed for new infrastructure as well as the wider benefits it can provide for Scotland's economy and society.

The day contains such delights as 'Land uplift capture from transport initiatives', 'The relationship between land taxation reform and charging for the use of road space', 'Taxation and land reform: which way for Scotland?' and 'The implications of reforming the taxation of land.'

Brochures available from: www.thewaterfront.co.uk/pdfs/current_conferences/scotland broch.pdf

GN Comments: Thanks to Paul Brandon for this news item.

15. AT THE MARGIN: Quips and Quotes

• Those wishing to exploit the land for their own private benefit never cease their political efforts. Those who would protect the natural world cannot afford to do less.
  - Leonardo DiCaprio

• Anyone who conducts an argument by appealing to authority is not using his intelligence, he is just using his memory.
  - Leonardo Da Vinci

• The disappearance of a sense of responsibility is the most far-reaching consequence of submission to authority.
  - Stanley Milgram

• Every great advance in natural knowledge has involved the absolute rejection of authority.
  - Thomas Henry Huxley

16. About The Georgist News

gn@progress.org

The Georgist News on the WWW - http://www.georgist.com/

Contributing to this issue:

Richard Biddle, Paul Brandon, Svend Dinsen, Ed Dodson, Fred Foldvary, Tom Greco, Kim Yoon-sang, Wendy Rockwell, Sue Walton