[Futurework] Buckley

[Harry Pollard]

Karen,   This is part of a column by Bill Buckley in National Review.   Thought you might be interested.   You’ll recall that you showed me a Michael Kinsley column containing a mention of George.   Michael is the left, Bill is the right.   Buckley criticizes zoning laws. It is surprising – or perhaps unsurprising – how much legislation is spawned because of what may be called the land problem. All of it is designed, not to attack the cause, but to treat the effects.   Harry -----------------------------------------------------------   William F. Buckley   <snip>   This is a politically remote source of trouble. People who have to wait for a zoning agency to change its conventions, regulations, traditions and idiosyncrasies will be very old before they acquire a new home. Henry George, the eminent social philosopher of a century ago, turned the attention of planners and economists, however briefly, to the indefeasible factor of land scarcity. Capital and labor can increase; land cannot. Accordingly, George was the apostle of the single tax. It aimed most directly at land speculators. His insights would focus now on the limitations on the use of land imposed by zoning. If John Jones wants an acre protecting his house, he is laying claim to something that cannot expand in size. Since land, in George's analysis, is forever limited, it must be thought of and treated as common property. And therefore the rental value of one acre should constitute a tax (the single tax) on the person who sequesters it for himself. A strong case can be made for the amenities of zoning laws. But they have an effect on the availability of housing, and on its cost. One result is that housing costs are increasing faster than inflation. But is the Henry George factor likely to be espoused in political platforms? It cannot happen soon because too many interests are vested in zoning laws. But sharp political eyes should be trained on the question, in search of a viable formulation designed to fight against homelessness for grandchildren who cannot be expected to pay the projected cost of housing. Copyright © 2005 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.   ******************************** Henry George School of Social Science of Los Angeles Box 655  Tujunga  CA 91042 818 352-4141 ********************************

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