Here are some intereesting tidbits from the latest issue of the Georgist News, The Georgist News # 10 - 11/3/98: <snip> Saturday, Oct. 31, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, a major newspaper there, not only endorsed a Georgist candidate for office, but specifically mentioned the land tax as a replacement for the property tax in their article! <snip> ---------------------------------------------------------- Speaking of Pittsburgh, land reform and Dan Sullivan, he has recently decided to focus his efforts on the new craze in Pittsburgh and other US municipalities called TIF (Tax Increment Financing), an amazingly regressive tax "reform." Here is a description by Mr. Sullivan: Pittsburgh's new mayor is setting us up with a scandalous number of TIFs, and of the most corrupt variety. And Allegheny County is beginning to do the same, as the corporate elite have something of a stranglehold on the government here. For example, a new Home Depot is being built, and the entire property tax burden for 20 years is allocated for financing of its construction. Thus, they are paying property taxes to themselves. Naturally, a variety of specialty hardware shops in the area are furious; they've been paying the city's higher mercantile taxes for years and now the city is using those revenues to subsidize a corporate giant that will put them out of business. In the bordering suburb of Brentwood, a $30 million TIF is going to the construction of a Giant Eagle Super Market. This is an absolute sham in terms of development, since area residents will not eat more food just because we have a subsidized grocery. Instead, other grocers, who have been operating without subsidy, will be destroyed. Meanwhile, there are two expansions of TIF in the state hopper. One allows TIF to be granted for 30 years instead of the current 20, and another allows any two taxing jurisdictions to force TIF participation on the third. I want to make TIFs the focus of political action here. It dovetails nicely with the recent stadium tax campaigns and there is a great deal of attention being paid to it. Dan Sullivan: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dan's Geo-libertarian Homepage: http://www.geolib.pair.com ---------------------------------------------------------- On Wednesday, Oct.28, the New York Times published an article by David Gonzales about Earth Day Founder John McConnell's proposal for the "Star of Hope." In 1957, with fear growing in the midst of the Cold War after Russia's launch of Sputnik, John McConnell, then Publisher of a North Carolina newspaper, proposed in an editorial, the "Star of Hope," a satellite visible from Earth, pulsing at the rate of an infant's heartbeat. It would contain progress reports from people around the world on their efforts to make Earth a better place to live. The New York Times article by David Gonzales: http://www.earthsite.org/times.htm ---------------------------------------------------------- <snip> ---------------------------------------------------------- A dent was punched into the armor of vested interests last week as debates in at least two states, Ohio and California, were opened up to minor political parties. In the Ohio Governor's debate, aside from the two usuals, candidates from the Reform Party and Natural Law Party participated and according to several newspaper reports, NLP offering, Zanna Feitler, completely stole the show. Chapman University, in Orange County, Ca., sponsored a debate among Gubernatorial candidates from the American Independent Party, the Green Party, the Libertarian Party, the Natural Law Party and the Peace and Freedom Party. Candidates from the "big two" were invited, but declined to participate. In her closing statement, Estela La Riva of the Peace and Freedom Party, made the most Georgist appeal. It was the only time audience members heard the terms 'landlords,' 'tenants,' 'private property' or a proposal that something be done about the fact that our planet's "natural resources are owned by a few people." In response, she was awarded the most spirited applause given to any of the debaters the entire evening! Both debates were nationally broadcast live on C-SPAN and may be rebroadcast depending on public reaction. If you would like them to do so, call 202-626-7963 and record your programming suggestion. The Peace and Freedom Party: http://www.peaceandfreedom.org/index.html ---------------------------------------------------------- Minor political parties don't have a chance, right? The number one best-selling book on politics at Amazon.com's web site right now is "The Natural Law Party: A Reason to Vote," by Bob Roth. Amazon On-line: http://www.amazon.com The Natural Law Party: http://www.natural-law.org ---------------------------------------------------------- <snip> ---------------------------------------------------------- John McConnell's webmaster will soon be adding a page to his web site containing a list of all "Official Earth Trustee Sites." This favorable development will undoubtedly aid networking among Earth Trustees! If you have a web site that carries the "Official Earth Trustee Site" logo, contact Mr. McConnell with your URL and a description of your site ([EMAIL PROTECTED]). You can get the "Official Earth Trustee Site" logo from The Georgist News ([EMAIL PROTECTED]). The Earth Day Web Site: http://www.earthsite.org ---------------------------------------------------------- <snip> ______________________________________________ SUPPLICATIONS & OPPORTUNITIES Robert Alan Silverstein, Co-Director for the "One Day In Peace Campaign" (One Day Foundation), UN NGO Rep. for "Pathways To Peace" and Director of the organization, "People for Peace," makes the following supplication to Georgist organizations and individuals: The UN declared 2000 as The International Year for a Culture of Peace. What better way to begin this year of education and transformation than with a day of peace. So far, more than 20 world leaders have pledged their nations' support for One Day In Peace, January 1, 2000. This is a simple campaign with a tangible goal, but when we live in peace for ONE DAY, we will see that peace on Earth IS possible (in our homes, in our communities, and between nations) if we work together, one day at a time. With "peace on earth" as a priority for our global community, we will be able to properly address all of the injustices that endanger our world. During the CountUP to 2000 (and Beyond...), we can make EVERY DAY COUNT and know that peace is more than the absence of war, it is finding peace within and learning to respect each other and the planet we share. The World Peace 2000 campaign is being led by a network of nearly 600 organizations & institutions in 112 countries. Please join us -- there is no financial obligation for becoming a Co-Sponsor! May Peace Prevail On Earth! (The Georgist News fully endorses this exciting initiative and we encourage others to do so as well!) Contact: Robert Alan Silverstein PO Box 570 Roosevelt, NJ 08555-0570 Fax: 609-443-4307 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.oneday.net http://www.worldpeace2000.org http://www.CountUP2000.com ---------------------------------------------------------- John McConnell has a beautiful idea he would like us all to consider. Read about it here: http://www.progress.org/progs/wwwboard/messages/3188.html ---------------------------------------------------------- <snip> ______________________________________________ REMINDERS The Virtual Bleachers await you! The first Wednesday of every month (as in, tomorrow), from 4-10 PM EST, you can participate in lively and informative online discussion of the stadium swindle and what you can do about it. Seats in the Virtual Bleachers are free and sponsored by the authors of the book, Field of Schemes. For more info, contact Neil de Mause ([EMAIL PROTECTED]). With stadium votes in Denver and San Diego going down to the wire this today, it will be interesting to learn from activists in those cities how things turned out and why. The Virtual Bleachers: http://www.echonyc.com/~neild/fieldofschemes/bleachers.html Field of Schemes Homepage: http://www.fieldofschemes.com ---------------------------------------------------------- <snip> ______________________________________________ PERSONAL NOTES Did you know that Mark Twain was a Georgist? Even if you did, you probably didn't know there's a terrific article about Mark Twain and the Single Tax Movement, written by Jim Zwick, at the web site of The Mining Company. In addition, on his fabulously in-depth web site, "Anti- Imperialism in the US, 1898-1935," Mr. Zwick has a fascinating letter written by prominent early 20th Century Georgist, Joseph Fels, to Andrew Carnegie, on the crucial nature of Georgist reform. There are many other related documents on that site, too, since many early Georgists belonged to The Anti-Imperialist League. And don't get jealous, but Mr. Zwick also possesses an 1898-1914 run of The Public, the single tax/political magazine edited by Louis F. Post in Chicago! He says it has been a virtual gold-mine for his research and that he has reprinted several pieces from it at his Anti-Imperialism web site, including parodies of Kipling's poem, "The White Man's Burden" and even some cartoons! The Mining Company site also has an in-depth article by Mary Bellis on the history of the board game, Monopoly. Naturally, the author mentions Henry George and the Single Tax Movement several times. Mr. Zwick's piece on Mark Twain and the Single Tax: http://marktwain.miningco.com/library/gallery/bl_gal_friends_george.htm Joseph Fels' letter to Andrew Carnegie: http://home.ican.net/~fjzwick/ailtexts/fels1210.html Mr. Zwick's Anti-Imperialism web site: http://home.ican.net/~fjzwick/ail98-35.html Article on the history of the game, Monopoly: http://inventors.miningco.com/library/weekly/aa121997.htm The Mining Company: http://www.miningco.com ---------------------------------------------------------- <snip> ---------------------------------------------------- Here's another Georgist joke (an Adam, Sr. original). Georgists can't seem to talk about anything but the land tax. The other day, I heard one say to a pretty girl he was trying to meet, "Pardon me, Miss, but, I'd like to talk to you about a three letter word that ends with 'x.'" ---------------------------------------------------- <snip> Yours Truly, Adam Monroe, Editor, The Georgist News [EMAIL PROTECTED] * * * The Georgist News is archived at the following sites with the generous help of Scott Kroyer and Bryan Kavanagh: http://www.kroyer.com http://www.earthsharing.org.au The Georgist News is prepared entirely through volunteer efforts. There are many ways you can help this project grow and improve. If you would like to become further involved or if there is any way The Georgist News might be of greater use to you or your related projects, please, contact Adam Monroe ([EMAIL PROTECTED]). Thank you!
