This planet called Earth we must share,

And not just with people now there,

With flora and fauna,

Today and mañana,

Sustainably, gladly, and fair.

— Damon Gross

Special Georgist News Editorial:

Working on the Building

There’s been a fair amount of talk recently about how we’re not getting anywhere, how we’re not making progress at changing the world this week, how we need a radical new direction. Such talk isn’t new; I’ve been hearing it throughout the 30-some years that I’ve been involved in this concatenation of individuals called the “Georgist Movement.” But lately the volume has increased: these Georgists have had their chance; they’re in a rut. We need new professionals! New strategies! New ideas! Before it’s too late!

This attitude misses two key facts. The first is that we simply don’t have the numbers or the resources to bring about a mass movement. Resources? There is one $100 million foundation that turned aside decades ago and tosses us a few crumbs now and then. There is another $20 million New York nonprofit that seems to have entirely turned its back on movement-building. And there is a third, oh, maybe $17 million foundation that still does its best to support Georgist efforts, but, having devoted a big chunk of money in recent years to an utter debacle, is confused about its direction. Factions on its board are eager to undertake bold new initiatives. But what might those be?

It needs to be said – but not dwelled on – that some of these critics are nothing more than disgruntled advocates who feel that they haven’t been adequately supported, propounding some form of “Only I can save you, only IF you fund me.” There is a sort of malaise that sets in after years of diligently trying to get across a message that precious few are willing to listen to. The lack of tangible success can bring on an irrational self-loathing. How could these Georgists be competent? They sure haven’t brought about the single tax!

Should we seek a robust online presence, and spend tens of thousands of dollars developing our profile on social media? Before we do that we should understand one key thing about social media. Its value as a promotional tool is greatest when it is promoting something that people recognize. People know who Donald Trump is — so Trump uses Twitter to great advantage. Paul Krugman and Joseph Stiglitz can promote their books online – but Mason Gaffney and Fred Harrison lack name recognition, though they have more important things to say.

The other key fact to consider here is that in recent years, public perceptions, and even some thought leaders, have taken significant steps in our direction. They have done this inadvertently – not out of any ideological persuasion, and certainly not having read Progress and Poverty – but simply out of stubborn logic. It has started to dawn on people — in different ways, and in different walks of life, different regions, without plan or direction — that things have not been working, and the way to make things work right must have something to do with the value of natural opportunities.

Here are a few examples. I’m sure the reader can think of more.

Mainstream economics is noticing. Joseph Stiglitz is coy about endorsing the Georgist remedy in high-profile interviews or popular books, but the papers he has written for the Roosevelt Institute offer all the praise for LVT that we could want, and he warmly endorsed the Mason Gaffney Reader. The tax neutrality of LVT gets written about, and the Henry George Theorem is a settled part of the mainstream economic canon. Quiet as it’s kept, Tolstoy’s view of the Georgist remedy is slowly coming true: people don’t disagree with it — they just don’t know about it.

Municipal governments are noticing. Despite the formidable political forces arrayed against change, local officials are starting to realize that cities should stop taxing themselves out of existence. Our stalwart colleagues at the Center for the Study of Economics report that the local LVT message is falling on less-deaf ears all the time.

Green politicians are noticing, particularly in Great Britain, where a noticeable political constituency behind land value taxation is emerging. People are noticing the obvious connection between transit improvements and local land values. Even New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo has seen that paw of the cat.

Libertarians are noticing. Among the Georgist-flavored Facebook groups, the Geolibertarian group has consistently offered a the most substantive questions and discussions regarding theory and implementation of Georgist ideas.

And Australians are noticing – particularly those of Green leanings – a development that seems to have much to do with a well-coordinated and media-savvy PR campaign by our Australian colleagues. Kudos to them!

What all of these threads have in common (except that last one) is that they have nothing to do with our efforts.

What’s to be done, then? We cannot create a mass movement out of whole cloth. We couldn’t do that back in the 1960s, when a robust, well-funded movement-building effort was reaching thousands of students every year. Nowadays we certainly don’t have the juice to get that done, and a last-ditch effort to do so would be nothing but desperate. Yet there is something we can do, and we have the resources to do it.

One other aspect of the “Georgist malaise” is worth noting here. When one’s efforts to teach classes, or get books ready for publication, or issue newsletters, are ignored for a long time, it’s understandable that a slight note of sloppiness can set in. If no one is eagerly waiting to consume your product, then design or editing or fit-and-finish can slowly become less of a priority. I believe this has happened to some — though not all — Georgist efforts over the years. It is a tendency against which we must most vigilantly guard.

Mainstream thinkers are starting to lurch in our direction, helter-skelter, by dint of the finally-unavoidable fact that nothing else seems to be working. It behooves us to do our best to provide a “there” that will be there when they get there. After all, we know what we’re doing. We understand our analysis; we have developed both good elevator speeches and credible deep analysis. When people start looking for more on the rent-as-revenue paradigm, or how to get cities to stop economically disemboweling themselves, or how to incentivize eco-friendly infill development, or whatever, our job should be to be ready for them. We should have a thought-provoking book catalog, handsome, accessible urban headquarters, provocative websites, snazzy printed magazines and a cadre of informed advocates in every city who are able to field tough questions. These are all things that we have had in the past, and retain today to some limited degree. We should rebuild all of them. We should immediately get to work on the “there” that has to be there.

One last observation: I note it in passing for what it’s worth, and I address it mainly to our colleagues in the US of A. In general, Georgists in Australia and Great Britain have been more successful than Georgists have been in the US — and they have been less shy about proclaiming their support for George’s ideas. If Marxists and Keynesians aren’t ashamed to use those names, we don’t need to be ashamed to call ourselves Georgists. That doesn’t mean we have to believe every single thing Henry George ever said; it doesn’t mean we aren’t called on to update and modernize his analysis. But let’s boldly stand up and tell the world what we believe in and what we want!

— Lindy Davies

Articles You Don’t Want to Miss! Articles You Don’t Want to Miss!

The Atlantic on the obvious connection between high-quality public schools and burgeoning real estate values.

Politico, and the New York League of Conservation Voters: two takes on the buzz surrounding the question of “Value Capture.”

Rick Rybeck’s cogent analysis on this issue.

New York Post: Is a vacancy tax the answer?

The Progress Report — the latest in a series of pieces by Jeff Smith on the quest for quantification on national rent.

Evonomics: A site to watch — recent articles, like this one, swerve markedly in a Geoist direction.

The Nation: Increased attention is being paid these days to The USA’s gilded age.

Existential Comics: An entertaining comic missive on property, conspicuously omitting what needs to be said.

Georgist Website of the Month

The Labour Land Campaign

A well-established and well-connected effort to pitch our message not to “the world at large,” but to a particular political constituency. The organization builds on Dave Wetzel’s lifetime of savvy advocacy. Check out what hey have to say, and how they say it!