A percentage of a lot is quite a bit
Here are a couple more examples of troubles we wouldn’t have under a just economic system. Mortgage servicers incentivized to prevent mortgage modification. Many commentators have pointed out that, if...
View ArticleAre tariffs even more regressive than I thought?
Tariffs– fees charged by the U S Government for the import of goods– are designed to protect politically-powerful interests who would otherwise be unable to compete as profitably with foreign...
View ArticleInside Job gets outside
Prize-winning documentary Inside Job was posted for free download at archive.org a few days ago. It was withdrawn late yesterday or this morning, but in the interim I had a chance to watch it. It was...
View ArticleThe Wealth Defense Industry
Wonderful phrase; wish I had thought of it. It’s Jeffrey Winters’ term for the pile of lawyers and others who contrive technically-legal ways for wealthy people to avoid paying most of the tax for...
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North America’s only full service railroad collects land rent
It’s not just in Japan (and Vancouver, sort of) that land rent is used to fund railroads. Photo Credit: Gator Chris via Flickr (cc) Originally built by the Federal government and now owned by the...
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Is the community collecting the rent at 31st Street Harbor?
Chicago Park District’s new harbor at 31st street reportedly cost $103 million and can accommodate 1000 boats. “Rates for the new harbor range from about $3,780 for a 35-foot slip to more than $10,000...
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The difference between money and wealth/services
image credit: taken in 1990 by John Foss via Wikimedia (cc) This article from the Guardian illustrates nicely the difference between what we want– goods (“wealth” in terms of political economy) and...
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Why isn’t this the geoists’ slogan?
source: Chicago Pedestrian Safety Campaign It’s all about the rent. Once you understand what it is and how it works, you’ll look for it and see it everywhere. You’ll know the fundamental cause of...
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Are subsidies driving Chicago land prices back up?
Image linked from the Crain’s article Of course they are, but it’s convenient to see it illustrated as Crains Chicago Real Estate Daily explains. The proposal seems to be for Pam Gleichman and Karl...
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“We need an anti-Rentier Campaign” says Michael Lind
image credit: Erick_ckB via flickr (cc) A nice series of three short articles (h/t Gloria Picchetti) in Salon by Michael Lind, explaining the difference between an entrepreneur — who may become wealthy...
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The other downside of export subsidies
Boeing and Airbus products photo by contri via flickr (cc) Entrenched U S carrier Delta Airlines complains that their foreign competitors can buy Boeing jets cheaper than Delta can. Why? Because the...
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The taxing question of land value
UK Geoists are crowdsourcing a film about the nature and benefits resulting from a tax on the value of land. You needn’t be a UK resident nor have a UK charge card in order to support this. Seeking a...
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Location remains critical, even as the criteria change
image credit: xeni via flickr (cc) The Internet doesn’t make the earth economically flat. Some locations are still worth many times as much as others. But technology can affect the criteria for “most...
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Land value depends on the definition
Image of Drake Hotel by Teemu008 (cc via flickr) In an urban context, absent special environmental issues or legal constraints, land value and location value are pretty much the same thing. So we...
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Low wages mean low productivity
source: Wikimedia Commons source: Wikimedia Commons [L]abor is most productive where its wages are largest. Poorly paid labor is inefficient labor, the world over…. The efficiency of labor always...
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More stuff that’s still true about location and “intellectual”“property”
Photo by Jimmy Emerson, DVM, (cc) via flickr Anyone reading this blog might get bored with the number of times I say that Henry George was right, and is even more right today than in his own time....
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Notes on farmland from the 2017 Census of Agriculture for Illinois
1009 Illinois farms have leased wind rights to others. (“Farms” by jopaha is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0 ) The 2017 Census of Agriculture Illinois report was issued earlier this month, and here are a...
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“Chicago’s growth spurt” part of expanding Gaffney trove
Michigan Avenue around 1912. As Polly Cleveland continues her project posting Mason Gaffney’s works, we find “Chicago’s Growth Spurt, 1890-1900.” It’s not very long, and worth reading today as a...
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Putting government pension costs into perspective
Wirepoints recently issued a helpful report showing state and local government pension debt per Chicago household. They estimate the burden at $144,000 per household. This is a big number, but one...
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Cheap housing is on cheaper land
Click for larger, interactive map UPDATE Aug 29 2021: If anyone familiar with Chicago doubts that removing improvements from the tax base will ease the burden on low-income homeowners, this map will...
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