Henry George was a 19th century American economist. He began with the ethical premise that all people have an equal right to the use of the earth. From that he concluded that exclusive private ownership of land (natural resources) creates unwarranted special privileges. Furthermore, he observed that holding land out of production drives down real wages and the returns to capital equipment. This process is further exacerbated by taxes on production and income that:
•increase unemployment
•discourage productive investment
•encourage unproductive land speculation and rent-seeking