THE GEORGIST NEWS November 1, 2003

[빵장사]

THE GEORGIST NEWS
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Volume Six, Number Five
November 1, 2003
www.georgist.com

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The Georgist News is an email newsletter, sent free of
charge. Its purpose is to keep you updated on the latest
news, world events, projects, and initiatives of relevance
to people who, like Henry George, seek a world free from
special privilege and free from the causes of poverty.

If you ever wish to stop receiving the Georgist News, simply
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Welcome to the November 1 issue of The Georgist News.

We are pleased to bring you a wide variety of news items in this
issue. If you have a moment, please let us know what items you
find most useful or least useful. Our goal is to provide an
overall monthly snapshot of the Georgist movement in action, and
to offer a place where individuals and organizations can seek
help or advice, share opportunities, and compare perspectives.

Please send in your own ideas, reports, requests and
remarks. Deadline for our December issue: November 24.

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

CONTENTS:

1. News from Korea
2. News from Philadelphia
3. Upcoming Conference -- London, UK
4. Georgist Song Search
5. Route 66 to Albuquerque
6. New Georgist Web Sites
7. Help Wanted
8. Housing Summit
9. Upcoming Conference -- Washington, DC
10. Upcoming Event -- New York City
11. Upcoming Event -- San Francisco
12. Geonomy Society Seeks Input
13. Resources for Radicals
14. AT THE MARGIN: Quips and Quotes
15. How to Unsubscribe

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THIS JUST IN -- Niger Delta Fund Initiative Will Become a Hot Topic

Special News from Alanna Hartzok of the Earth Rights Institute:

The Environment Commissioner of Bayelsa State, Nigeria, has offered to
host a one day conference on the Niger Delta Fund Initiative! The
conference is being designed as part of a larger Niger Delta stakeholders?conference that the government is planning for next month. It will last
three days.

The state퉠 new Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Godson Omubo-Dede made
this confirmation at a recent meeting with the Director of NDFI local
partner, Africa Centre for Geoclassical Economics, Mr. Gordon Abiama in
his office in Yenagoa, the state capital.

The conference, according to Dr. Omubo-Dede, is being born out of the
government퉠 genuine desire to ensure socio-economic and environmental
justice and sustainable development in the state and the region in general
with regards to oil extraction.

GN Comments: To bring Georgist justice to the people of Nigeria and to
demonstrate how natural resource values can benefit all people instead of
just a few, the Niger Delta Fund Initiative (NDFI) was launched by Alanna
Hartzok and is gaining recognition and endorsements. For more information
and to find out how you can assist in the success of the NDFI, contact
Alanna Hartzok at earthrts@pa.net and visit:

http://www.earthrights.net/nigeria/index.html

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==> 1. News from Korea

GN Comments: We are pleased to feature a new report from Kim
Yoon-sang, the Korean translator of Progress and Poverty.

Korean Georgists in the Media Spotlight

by Kim Yoon-sang

Georgist solutions are being highlighted in South Korea,
where housing prices have been soaring up for the recent two
years. This is the first time ever in Korean history that
land value taxation is considered seriously as a policy
alternative.

Korean Georgists are excited, contributing articles to
newspapers, having interviews and debates on national TV and
radio, giving lectures on the Korean National Education TV,
demonstrating on the streets of Seoul and Busan, and so on.

President Roh Moo-hyun said in the State Address delivered
in the National Assembly on October 13, he is determined to
bring real estate prices under control. He said, "For the
sake of the daily security of citizens as well as the
national economy, real estate speculations will not be
tolerated. The Government is now preparing a comprehensive
real estate policy." Roh added that if it should not work
properly, he would consider introducing a stronger measure.

Mass media speculate that the "stronger measure" is probably
land value taxation, because President's top policy aide,
Mr. Lee Joung-woo, is a Georgist, who co-authored the book,
"Henry George Revisited 100 Years Later," published in
December last year. The book has been selected one of the
excellent books of the year by the Ministry of Culture and
Tourism.

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==> 2. News from Philadelphia

Philadelphia's Tax Reform Commission has released its
initial set of recommendations. Those recommendations
including shifting property taxes away from improvements and
onto site value instead. Land value taxation is truly being
taken seriously in Philadelphia.

As the Philadelphia Daily News put it, "We're shocked. We
didn't think it would happen. But we have to applaud the
Tax Reform Commission."

Many organizations are endorsing the Commission's
recommendations. To add your support, contact assistant
city controller Bruno Moser at Bruno.Moser@phila.gov

Mayoral candidate Sam Katz has reacted favorably to the
Commission's recommendations, but current mayor John Street
is a known opponent of land value taxation. The two are
nearly tied in political polls prior to the November 4
election. To connect with other Georgists supporting Katz,
contact Joshua Vincent at joshuavincent@msn.com

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==> 3. Upcoming Conference -- London, UK

"Financing Transport Infrastructure through Land Values:
Making it Happen" will take place on Tuesday, July 6, 2004
in central London.

The one-day conference is organised by The Waterfront
Conference Company in conjunction with the Land Value
Taxation Campaign and The Labour Land Campaign.

Georgist Dave Wetzel will be chairing the conference and you
can see the line up of eminent speakers on Waterfront's
website:
http://www.thewaterfront.co.uk/pdfs/current_conferences/landvalues.pdf

GN Comments: We have noticed a steady crescendo in Georgist
influence over transportation policy issues in Great
Britain. This event is sure to advance such activity even
further.

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==> 4. Georgist Song Search

In Scotland, a multi-party group of politicians, called The
Friends of Land Value Taxation, is seeking a new song.

According to The Scotsman newspaper, the winning song will
be announced at the "Time To Tax Land And Not People?"
public meeting to be held in Edinburgh on November 24, 2003.

If you have an entry to submit, or can make one fast, try
contacting George Morton at lvt@scottishgreens.org.uk

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==> 5. Route 66 to Albuquerque

GN Comments: here are some further background notes on the
2004 CGO conference, by conference organizer Sue Walton.

Take a Trip on Route 66

Take a Trip on Route 66 when you attend the 2004 Council of
Georgist Organization's 24th annual conference, July 21-25,
2004 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Albuquerque has the
Longest Original Stretch of the famed route remaining in the
entire country! It's 17 miles full of service stations,
theaters, commercial strip shopping centers, cafes, drive-
ins plus cabin courts and motels dating from the late
1910s to the early 1960s. It's a microcosm of the way west in
the 20th century.

When Route 66 was completed in the mid-1930's, it was New
Mexico's first completely oil-surfaced road and its shortest
east-west route. Plan to come to the conference and Take a
Trip on Route 66!

For more information please contact Sue or Scott Walton at:
swalton@surfbest.net

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==> 6. New Georgist Web Sites

Ask Henry, the specialized search engine featuring all
Georgist web pages, observes that the following new Georgist
web sites have recently been launched:

News Hub for Land Value Taxation in Scotland
http://www.timetotaxland.org/

Site Value Maps (Tony Vickers)
http://www.landvaluescape.org/

Book by Oscar Johannsen
http://www.libertarianlandphilosophy.com

GN Comments: Are you using Ask Henry? Simply visit
http://www.askhenry.com

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==> 7. Help Wanted

The city of Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada) is trying a "new
deal" that will involve shifting taxes away from human
initiative and onto natural resources instead. This green
tax shift idea is often talked about, but less often
embraced in meaningful ways. Recent news articles indicate
that Winnipeg may be serious. See this item that recently
appeared in The Progress Report:
http://www.progress.org/2003/shift22.htm

The Banneker Center for Economic Justice is seeking a
volunteer who will monitor the happenings in Winnipeg
closely, looking for signs that their tax shifting will be
serious and Georgist in nature, or signs that the plan is
being derailed. If you are willing to become a temporary
expert on Winnipeg's "new deal" as it moves forward, please
let the Banneker Center know. You can reach the Center at
banneker@progress.org

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==> 8. Home Ownership Summit

GN Comments: Here is a news note about a networking
opportunity, from housing expert Ed Dodson.

REACHING OUT TO OTHER CHANGE AGENTS

If you have never heard of LISC (the Local Initiatives
Support Corporation), a non-profit that focuses on community
revitalization efforts, you might want to make contact with
their local organization if one exists in your city. LISC
is the largest community development support organization in
the United States. Over the last 25 years, LISC has been
the catalyst for raising $11 billion in funding for
community development projects, the construction of over
128,000 affordable homes, 20 million square feet of retail,
community and educational space, and the creation of over
40,000 jobs for people in these communities.

For those readers living in the Washington, DC area (or
interested in making the trip), LISC is hosting a "Home
Ownership Summit" on November 3rd and 4th at the Hotel
Washington in the nation's capital. This summit will
certainly be well-attended and would be a good networking
opportunity. Visit the LISC website
(http://www.liscnet.org) for the agenda and registration
information.

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==> 9. Upcoming Conference -- Washington, DC

"Claim Democracy" Conference

The Center for Voting and Democracy has brought together a
large coalition of pro-democracy groups to support and
participate in a major conference at the Washington, D.C.
Convention Center on November 22-23, 2003.

Do you support proportional representation and instant
runoff voting (IRV)?
Are you worried about the increase in vote fraud?
Do you favor verifiable voting?
Do you prefer democracy to oligarchy?

For more information and the conference agenda, visit
http://www.democracyusa.org/events/conference.html

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==> 10. Upcoming Event -- New York City

Boom, Bust and Election-Year Economics

A panel and book discussion with
* Joseph E. Stiglitz, Winner, Nobel Prize in Economics;
Professor, Columbia University and author of THE ROARING
'90's: How One of the Greatest Economic Expansions in
History Sowed the Seeds of its Own Collapse;
* Matt Miller, syndicated columnist, NPR commentator and
author of THE TWO PER CENT SOLUTION: Fixing America's
Problems in Ways Liberals and Conservatives can Love;
* Doug Henwood, Editor & Publisher, Left Business Observer
and author of AFTER THE NEW ECONOMY. The gap between rich
and poor has never been so wide, wealth never so
concentrated.

Monday November 3, 6 to 8 PM, St Peters Church, 54th &
Lexington Aves., New York City.

Admission $25; $10 students & seniors
Light refreshments before the event
Book signing after the event
Followed by Co-host dinner for speakers and guests at Da
Antonio's Ristorante

Sponsored by United for a Fair Economy/Responsible Wealth &
Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities/ True Majority

For more information, contact Polly Cleveland, UFE/RW, (212)
873-2982,
polly@prdi.org

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==> 11. Upcoming Event -- San Francisco

The San Francisco Green Festival will be held November 8 and
9, 2003. This Green Festival, co-produced by Global
Exchange and Co-op America, brings together green
enterprises, environmental groups, leading thinkers on the
green economy, and thousands of other attendees for a
two-day party with a very serious objective - strengthening
the locally-controlled, green economy and expanding popular
support for policies aimed at sustainability and social
justice. The Green Festival is located at the Concourse
Exhibition Center in San Francisco.

For more information, visit
http://www.greenfestivals.com/sanfrancisco.htm

GN Comments: This is another networking opportunity.
Wherever people are talking seriously about ways to get the
economy working better and to promote social justice, the
Georgist message is needed.

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==> 12. Geonomy Society Seeks Input

GN Comments: Jeffery J. Smith, who runs the Geonomy Society,
is asking Georgist News readers for feedback on a shirt-
design project. Here is Jeff's note.

We're thanking bigger donors with a free T-shirt and have
yet to settle on a design. Help us choose the winner.
Below are some visuals-cum-text we've brainstormed. Which
one will give you a chuckle, or even inspire you to strike
up a conversation with its wearer? Or, can you improve them
in any way? Or, got a better design to suggest? Please
choose one, or if more than one, please rank your choices.
And thanks for being our test market.

1, title: Why realtors conspire.
art: Houses floating in the air amid clouds,
dangling their tether.
caption: Scientists say anti-gravity technology
is on the horizon.

2, title: "The rich are different from the rest of
us." - FSF
art: Out a penthouse window a well-dressed
man looks down at tiny pedestrians.
caption: "What must it feel like to never be paid
for real estate?"

3, title: His Master's Voice
art: Little devil whispers in one ear of a
head, little angel in huff on other shoulder.
caption: "If He'd wanted getting rich to be hard,
God would not have invented real estate."

4, title: Wrath of God
art: In Eden, snake smiling; Adam and Eve
munching, he in open-mouth surprise.
caption: "What do you mean we've missed all our
mortgage payments?"

5, title: Original Owner
art: Desert dig, shovels, pyramid on horizon,
archeologist holds scroll to digger.
caption: "It says your ancestor still owed on his
house; the interest from 1500 BC comes to"

6, title: Generation Gap
art: Witch to Hansel and Gretel before candy
house.
caption: "At these rates, what's half your annual
income? When you're 60, it's all yours!"

7, title: Sign of the Times
art: On a vacant lot amid busy buildings, a
sign reads:
caption: "Will build to suit ?once you pledge
your home, health, children, and pets."

8, title: 2020 AD
art: "Sold" sign "for $1,758,436" before a
hut, lady counts $ while interviewed.
caption: "No, I didn't earn it, but nobody else
claims the social value of locations."

9, title: Beware of getting what you want.
art: Well-dressed panhandler on busy corner
holds sign that reads:
caption: "Home ownership has reached my income
level. Please help."

10, title: To the victor?
art: By a nest, two colorful birds fight.
Two drab ones watch; one wears a button:
"Realtor".
caption: "Sure, feathers are cute, but as long as
the highest bidder wins."

11, title: In their Infinite Wisdom
art: Earth in space under a sign that reads
"Under New Management"
caption: Congress permits one more consolidation
of ownership of resources.

12, title: Windfall Profits
art: Under a tree whose fruit are little
Earths, a sitting fat man holds a deed.
caption: "When they ripen, there'll be plenty for
everybody - who pays me."

13, title: Why space is empty.
art: Black void, stars, tiny Earth, two
astronauts read a sign: "Private. Keep out."
caption: "Ah, the most powerful repelling force
in the known universe."

14, title: How the civilized world will end.
art: Bleak landscape, razed buildings, two
survivors crawling.
caption: "OK, once more, but next time - no real
estate boom."

15, title: Universal Principle
art: Smiling fat spider in web loaded with
moths near a lamp.
caption: "Location, location, location."

16, title: Why we're here.
art: At a harbor with old ships, two vintage-
dressed Limeys read a classified ad:
caption: One continent for settling. Spacious.
Bountiful. Barely used by its indigenous.

17, title: If the invisible hand did not speculate.
art: Huge hand, cuff-linked, places a
building on an empty city block.
caption: Useful development would be the fate of
wasted vacant lots.

18, title: Absentee Ownership ?er alles
art: Parking meters pepper the cityscape
everywhere, beside people standing in line, etc
caption: Let's privatize all the common spaces!

19, title: God's humble origin.
art: Hirsute guy before "Owen's Land Store"
selling little landscapes of various uses.
caption: How the "lord" got into "landlord".

20, title: When sharing prevailed.
art: Contented Earth sow suckling human
piglets, one of whom asks a sibling.
caption: "Why can't grown-ups do this?"


Send your feedback to Jeff Smith at geonomist@juno.com

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==> 13. Resources for Radicals

The fifth edition of Resources for Radicals, an annotated
bibliography of print resources for those involved in
movements for social transformation, is now available.

Its primary, but not exclusive, focus is on material related
to effective non-violent protest and practical alternative
social institutions.

Resources for Radicals is available from Toronto Action for
Social Change.

Inquiries and orders should be sent to:

Toronto Action for Social Change
P.O. Box 73620, 509 St. Clair Ave. West
Toronto, Ontario
M6C 1C0
416-651-5800
tasc@web.ca

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==> 14. AT THE MARGIN: Quips and Quotes

You're not obligated to win. You're obligated to keep
trying to do the best you can every day.
--- Marian Wright Edelman

Consider the postage stamp: its usefulness consists in the
ability to stick to one thing until it gets there.
--- Josh Billings

Victory belongs to the most persevering.
--- Napoleon

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==> 15. How to Unsubscribe

To unsubscribe from the Georgist News, simply send an email
to gn@progress.org and ask to be removed from the list.
Please specify at what email address you have been receiving
the Georgist News.

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Contributing to this issue: Ed Dodson, Kim Yoon-sang, Jeff
Smith, Sue Walton
Copy Editor: Scott Kroyer
Proofreader: Caspar Davis
Supported by: The Robert Schalkenbach Foundation and others
Founder: Adam Monroe
Publisher: Hanno T. Beck
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The Georgist News
Volume Six, Number Five
November 1, 2003