Welcome to the March issue of The Georgist News and especially to new
subscribers. Read below about a movie on Monopoly, a film on solving
poverty, the productive workload of a movement mainstay, the annual
conference, ways to get involved, and much more. Have you, dear
reader, friends or coworkers who'd also like to subscribe? Enjoy the
read and may your Spring Equinox be delightful.
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CONTENTS:
* CGO conference to discuss sharing rent amongst citizens
1. Good Press: Ex-UK Cabinet advisor; FLOW Idealism co-founder
2. News: Monopoly - the movie; The Progress Report daily news e-zine
3. Numbers: Existing home sales, prices fell to record lows
4. Movement Progress: Active activist; Nica classes overflow;
Mayoral candidate; Volunteer turns 90
5. Letters: Rent as percentage of GDP; National rental income figures
6. Obituaries: John Watson
7. Likable links: Short film by Fred Harrison; Guardian;
American Monetary Inst.
8. What You Can Do: Attend CGO conference
9. At the Margin: Quips and Quotes
10. Publication affairs: Contributors, About the Georgist News
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* CGO conference to discuss sharing rent amongst citizens
By Sue Walton, sns at swwalton.com, February 15, 2008
Georgist News editor and The Progress Report editor, Jeff Smith, will
be an active speaker at the 2008 CGO Conference. Jeff will be
presenting a paper on the Citizen's Dividend and the Basic Income
Grant (BIG) on Thursday, July 10th. Note that British Columbia
recently passed a carbon tax - a sort of rent tax - thanks in part to
pledging some of the rental revenue to Canadian citizens in BC as an
annual dividend. The strategy might work to help pass taxes on land
rent, too. Jeff will also be a moderator at the conference's Saturday
Sustainability Sessions. For more information please contact: Sue or
Scott Walton.
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1a. Good Press: Ex-British Cabinet advisor
This comes from James Robertson, author of PM Harold MacMillan's
"Africa is Burning" speech, james at jamesrobertson.com
February 8, 2008
My latest newsletter, No 14 for February of 2008, is now out and can
be read in full. This email gives a short description of its
contents... 4. The Money System. A short reflection on alternative
currencies is followed by my article in the latest "Quarterly Review"
on Northern Rock and the current financial crisis; a recent proposal
for a joint popular/parliamentary movement for money system reform;
and two initiatives on Land Value Taxation to celebrate the centenary
of the Lloyd George budget of 1909.
http://www.jamesrobertson.com/newsletter.htm
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1b. Good Press: FLOW Co-founder tells his network
By Michael Strong, CEO and Chief Visionary Officer, FLOW, Inc.,
co-founded with Whole Foods found John Mackey, www.flowrealism.org
flowidealism at yahoo.com, February 5, 2008
A Citizen's Dividend combined with the deregulation of housing and
health care could create a situation in which anyone with even minimal
mental and emotional stability could have adequate comfort and
security.
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2a. News: Monopoly - the movie!
Via Stewart Goldwater, February 15, 2008
Although it was once only a rumor, director Ridley Scott has confirmed
his plans to work on a movie based off the popular board game,
Monopoly. Speaking to The LA Times, Scott says: "Monopoly is still the
most popular board game - I might be misquoting! - in the world. So
it's really finding the universe for that game. Because clearly it
ought to be humorous and for the family - the funny way it brings out,
particularly when your uncle suddenly gets Park Lane and - in England,
we have Park Lane, Mayfair and Barclay Square, what's it in America?
Park and Madison? So you watch people change. You're witness to Jekyll
and Hyde. Somewhere in that is a hysterically amusing and I think
rather exciting film." I imagine he's referring to Park Place and
Boardwalk - two of the most expensive and lucrative spots in the
American version.
Aside from trying to imagine what a Ridley Scott version of Monopoly
would look like (keep in mind this is the guy who brought us Alien,
Gladiator, Black Hawk Down and the upcoming,
sure-to-be-Oscar-nominated American Gangster), I also wonder if
there's a way to make this a family-oriented movie. Even the LA Times
asks whether the film will focus on "our gilded age of greed," to
which Scott replied: "That as well. Isn't that comical?" I have not
played one game of Monopoly that hasn't ended in a fight (one came
close to ending in a fist fight), so to bring this down to a level
that kids and adults can relate to - well, it could be tough.
On whether Scott will look to the big-screen version of the board game
Clue as a reference, he admits to not "really" seeing it, but at the
same time says: "But I think it was quite clever." Personally, I think
it will all come down to the characters. And no, I don't think the
game pieces should be characters that talk. A thimble? C'mon. Do you
think a Monopoly movie could work?
http://www.cinematical.com/2007/08/06/ridley-scott-talks-monopoly-movie/
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2b. News: The Progress Report daily news e-zine
By Jeffery J. Smith, jjs at geonomics.org, February 26, 2008
The daily Georgist news source offers much more information than can
be squeezed into this monthly newsletter, news from around the world
on issues related to getting and sharing - or not - the rent for land
and resources. Some recent titles include:
* Taxes might not be as popular as the Oscars but politicians got two
new ones right, two that meet standards set by Henry George years ago.
* Small businesses have money but won't spend it now as home sales
fall in all states but one.
* Barbara Ehrenreich says don't just prop up stock prices but rebuild
an economy in which everyone shares the good times.
Visit your daily source of geonomic news at www.progress.org
It's fact-filled yet pithy and written for uninitiated readers. Send
your friends there for a real treat.
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3. Numbers:
Existing home sales, prices fell to record lows
By CNNMoney, February 25 2008
The new year picked up where 2007 left off, as sales and prices of
existing homes fell to the lowest level in nearly a decade. In January
sales by homeowners fell 0.4%. The reading was the lowest since
realtors began reporting annual sales in 1999, down 23.4% from a year
earlier. The median price of a home sold during the month fell 4.6% to
$201,100 from $210,900 a year earlier. It had been 11 years since
prices fell compared to a year earlier. The median price of a
single-family home dropped to the lowest point since February 2005,
falling 5.1% to $198,700. Homes available for sale represent more than
a 10-month supply. That is up from the 9.7-month supply in December.
Last month, No. 3 homebuilder Lennar showed a $1.25 billion
fourth-quarter loss, the largest in the company's history. In addition
No. 1 Centex, No. 4 Pulte Homes, No. 5 KB Home, and No. 6 Hovnanian
Enterprises all reported fiscal fourth-quarter losses that were far
worse than forecast.
US home prices end 2007 with record drop
By Peter Y. Hong, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer, peter.hong at
latimes.com, February 26, 2008
The price of single-family homes fell 8.9% in the last three months of
2007 from the same quarter in 2006, according to the Standard &
Poor's/Case-Shiller home price index. That was a record drop, the
sharpest year-to-year decline in the index's 20-year history. Only two
areas -- Portland, Ore., and Seattle -- showed yearly price gains in
the last quarter, but those gains were minimal, at 1.2% and 0.5%,
respectively. The Case-Shiller index does not include condominium
units or new homes or foreclosures and accounts for remodeling work
and other variables that affect pricing.
Editor's note: For up-to-date news and numbers, please visit
www.progress.org
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4a. Movement Progress: Our most active professional activist?
By Dave Wetzel, Vice-Chair, Transport for London
davewetzel at tfl.gov.uk, February 4, 2008
Pittsburgh-based and long-time activist Dan Sullivan wrote that it
would be helpful if each person posted something on what s/he is doing
to promote land value tax or otherwise advance a Georgist agenda, and
what kind of help s/he is looking for. If you are not doing anything,
what would you like to do, and what would help you get to doing it? If
you do not want to take initiative, then what would you be willing to
help others do?
These are my efforts of December and January.
Labour Land Campaign (LLC) - President's Report Wrote article on
Tony Vickers' book "Location Matters" published in the Dec issue of
The Valuer.
Meetings December 2007
Mon 3rd 8.30am Address transport students at University College
London (UCL)
Greg McGill Chartered Surveyor. Mtg to set up the new Green Tax
Network
Tues 4th Address RMT Executive Committee. (Railway trade union). They
have subsequently agreed to affiliate to the LLC.
Speaker at conference organised by House Magazine (The Parliament
magazine).
SERA EC. (The Socialist Environmental Resources Association).
Wed 5th Mtg with SERTUC (the South East Region Trades Union
Conference).
Peace Reception at City Hall
Thurs 6th Mtg with the Governor and officials from Lamata region of
Nigeria
Fri 7th Mtg with Dr Francesca Medda UCL. Who's written a paper on land
value capture for the World Bank and is collating a list of UK
academics who support LVT.
Sat 8th School of Economic Science (SES) presentation. (Fred Harrison
and Phil Anderson). & I then attended the IU Exec.
Mon 10th Mtg with Chiswick Labour Party activists.
Fri 19th Mtg with Frank Warburton, Matrix Knowledge consultants.
Thurs 20th Will Alsop - famous Architect. Also mtg with Bob Raveli
consultant from USA.
Fri 28th Mtg with Adam Giabrone from Toronto Canada (He is Cllr and
chair of transit authority).
Sun 30th Adam Giabrone. Evening dinner with our wives.
Meetings JANUARY 2008
Wed 9th Graham Hudson & Tony Denton. Thames Water.
Thurs 10th Mtg James Skinner. Ultra Light Rail. Ted Knight and
Croydon Trades Union Council.
Sat 12th Aberystwyth. Filming Beryl Harris's LVT video/DVD with Ben
Cole.
Tues 15th In audience for Alistair Darling at RSA.
Wed 16th Prof Lorraine Gamman. Saint Martins College of Art and Design
Thurs 18th Vanessa Houlder. Journalist - Financial Times.
Wed 23rd Andrew Body. New Zealand transport consultant.
Fri 25th Unite/TGWU Aviation research
Sat 26th IU Exec at Julia Bastian's home.
Tues 29th Mtg Zac Goldsmith. Editor of The Ecologist and Conservative
candidate for Richmond upon Thames.
Mtg Michael Meacher MP has agreed to assist start the Green Tax
Network. He wants to invite 60 MPs.
Dave Reed, to report on progress with All-Party Group. (No replies
from John McDonnell nor Chris Huhne). Brian Binley Cons seems keen.
Let's tie in with Green Tax Network initiative.
Wed 30th Mtg Jon Cruddas MP. (Labour's Deputy Leadership candidate).
Only 20 minutes but he is interested to help with LVT.
Meeting with Andy Burnham, Treasury Minister postponed. Replaced by
Yvette Cooper at The Treasury - Carol Wilcox and I to meet her soon.
Thurs 31st Mtg Alain Chiaradia - architect and housing academic.
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4b. Movement Progress: Classes in Nicaragua
By Paul Martin, nssmga at ibw.com.ni, Director, Instituto Henry George,
Managua, Nicaragua, http://www5.ibw.com.ni/~ihg, February 10, 2008
We started the next Comprehending Economics (CE) course with 84
registered students. We turned away another 52 who came to register.
They all said they want to register for the next CE course in March.
To see a photo of registration, visit our website. The IHG building is
moving forward, slowly but surely. See the latest photo of that there,
too.
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4c. Movement Progress: Mayoral candidacy in San Diego
By Floyd Morrow, fmorrow1 at cox.net, February 20, 2008
I have taken out nomination papers to run for mayor of San Diego.
Timing is great. Maybe even a perfect storm. Economic upheaval,
strongest Democratic position ever! We have added 28,000 newly
registered D's in the city where Kerry won by 14% points over Bush.
The Georgist paradigm is more convincing than ever.
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4d. Movement Progress: Lu Cipolloni turned 90
By Richard L. Biddle, Director, Henry George School of Social Science
& Henry George Birthplace Museum, HGSPhila at gmail.com
Lu Cipolloni turned 90 January 28 and has been at work without a break
in the Geo-vineyard since 1937 when she started serving as the
Secretary and Registrar of the Henry George School's Philadelphia
extension. Lu has served as a unpaid volunteer for more than 50 years,
and is still going to work at HGS! Lu is a shining gem! Feel free to
wish her happy birthday belatedly; email her at (luciacipol at
aol.com) or send a card to the Henry George School, 413 South 10th
Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147.
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5a. Letters: Rent as percentage of GDP
By Paul Martin, nssmga at ibw.com.ni, Director, Instituto Henry George,
Managua, Nicaragua, February 14, 2008
What percentage of GDP can be considered to be economic, or land,
rent? Without some approximate number and some theoretical concept of
how that could be arrived at, any interview I may have with government
or media will be over in five minutes. I actually had a TV interview
which was going very well until I got that question. I maneuvered
masterfully around it, I'm sure, but I could feel the air go out of my
credibility with my non-answer to a pretty key direct quantitative
question. I think we should remember that our battle is in the realm
of paradigm shifting and conceptual reality.
For the last couple of years (since the aforementioned interview), I
have been saying that rent can be as high as 35% of GDP in developed
countries, and people buy it without blinking an eye, because rent is
obviously a very real and huge flow. I got my 35% from a pamphlet by
Gerstein, The Future of Taxation. In it, he cites figures put forward
by Steve Cord, Fred Harrison, and Mason Gaffney. A series of
"authoritative studies" on this subject is just what the doctor
ordered. Can you offer me your credible sound byte PR answer to the
question: What percentage of GDP can be considered to be (potentially
taxable) economic, or land, rent?
A study by Georgists would be one of the most useful things that
Georgists could invest in. If we were lucky enough to have someone
want to argue against it, let them show what the real number is. That
would be a great service to our movement.
Note by Adele Wick, RSF President, awetwo at comcast.net, February 21,
2008: "Crescat scientia; vita excolatur." And, over the social
sciences door, "Knowledge without measurement is meager." (or some
such). Quiz: for which college/university am I quoting these mottos?
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5b. Letters: National Rental Income Figures
By Justin Keith, justindkeith at gmail.com, February 20, 2008
I've heard various figures for the rental value privatized in the US.
The typical range is $1 trillion to $3 trillion, usually at the higher
end. I've seen you say an approximately $1000/mo citizen's dividend is
possible. If we're assuming no governmental operating costs come out
of that, that would still be around $3 trillion. I'm very interested
in some of the hard numbers behind geonomics and was curious where you
are getting these numbers. Thanks in advance for any help pointing me
in the right direction.
Editor's note: Anybody else care for a copy of a paper on data
sources? Just send me an email.
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6. Obituary: John Watkins, August 23, 1933 - December 27, 2007
By Susan Grabski, uygrabski at yahoo.com, February 3, 2008
My father was able to come to my home on December 22 for early
Christmas dinner and gift exchange. His gift to us that night, beyond
his gentle presence, was a photograph taken in November of this year.
My father was admitted to the Community Hospice House in Merrimack, NH
on Christmas Eve where he lived until his passing on Thursday,
December 27, 2007. He died peacefully at approximately 1:30 PM with
one hand held by his love and partner, Barbara, and the other hand in
mine, his youngest child. My father had a wonderful spirit and died
with grace and dignity. He loved and was loved. May he rest in peace.
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7a. Likable link: Short film by Fred Harrison now available on youtube
By Ed Dodson, ejdodson at comcast.net, February 25, 2008
Fred Harrison has produced what I believe is a very effective
seven-minute film explaining the relation between current taxation
policies and poverty, introducing his current book, Ricardo's Law. His
focus is on the UK, but the issues he raises are universal. Here is
the link:
http://rapidshare.com/files/95235763/Fred_Harrison_on_Ricardo.avi
People invited to view the film will learn more in these seven minutes
than they have learned watching a decade of mainstream documentaries
on economics.
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7b. Likable link: Latest Guardian
By David Brooks, radical at aapt.net.au, February 23, 2008
I trust the latest Guardian is of interest! Thanks for the responses.
http://people.aapt.net.au/~radical
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7c. Likable link: The American Monetary Institute (AMI)
By Stephen Zarlenga, Ami, ami at taconic.net, February 6, 2008
Here is some information on the present banking crisis.
An essay: A Real Solution to the Banking/Monetary Crisis.
The AMI has launched a blog at http://moneyreform.wordpress.com
Make comments and ask questions about reforming our money system!
Please ask any media in your area to consider interviewing me. So far
they are only interviewing the bankers and brokers who created the
crisis!
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8. What You Can Do: Register for summer CGO Conference
By Sue Walton, sns at swwalton.com, February 15, 2008
For more information about the 2008 CGO conference and/or to register,
please contact Sue or Scott Walton by email or at 847/475-0391.
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9. At the Margin: Quips and Quotes (not too long after winter solstice)
Little Johnny returned from school and told his father he'd got an "F"
in arithmetic.
"Why?" asked the father.
"The teacher asked me how much was 2x3, so I told her 6."
"But that's right!" The father replied.
"Then she asked me how much was 3x2."
"What the hell's the stupid difference?" asked the father.
"That's what I said!"
A clever person solves a problem; a wise person avoids it.
- Albert Einstein
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10a. 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: The Robert Schalkenbach Foundation
Founder: Adam Monroe
Send your news and other interesting material to the Georgist News at
jjs at geonomics.org or gn at progress.org. The deadline for the next
issue is March 25.
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ABOUT THE GEORGIST NEWS
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The Georgist News, Volume Ten, Number Nine, March 1, 2008