poverty

Poverty

Why do some end up with so much while others have so little? Why don't "progressive" income taxes spread the wealth? Why is the rich-poor gap still widening? Why are there a shortage of jobs when there is plenty of needed work to be done? Why are there jobs that pay so little that we have working poor? Why are welfare and disability payments below the level where people can live with dignity and have options?...

By Frank de Jong, 17 October, 2011

Henry George -- populist before populism was invented

Henry George during his campaign for NYC mayor

I take issue with the final sentence in the below New York Times op-ed. Not only did Georgism account for greed, it was essentially designed as a system to dampen or ameliorate greed, which I would think means the desire (and collection) of more wealth than one deserves.

Greed, in economics, is almost synonymous with rent-seeking. Georgism neutralizes rent seeking (provided new forms of rent are identified and taxed as the greedy invent them). As long as assessment is accurate, greed becomes very difficult to act upon.

By Frank de Jong, 21 June, 2011

Frank de Jong interview on Economic Rent

A 30-minute interview where Earthsharing Canada's Frank de Jong argues that governments should finance programs like health care, education by collecting economic rent in lieu of taxing jobs, businesses and consumption.

30-minute interview

Citizens' Dividend

A Citizen's Dividend (CD, equal share payment to all citizes out of collected rent) is crucial strategically for rent collection. There are several other reasons for CD.
1) CD provides a share of the common wealth to everyone.
2) CD reduces poverty directly, government programs may not
3) CD eliminates all the humiliating stigmas of means tested welfare programs.
4) CD counteracts the inevitable increase in unemployment due to technology, globalization, outsourcing, downsizing, automation, etc.

poverty