Events

This presentation looks at the cost of collecting the income tax. The IRS overhead itself represents the direct cost to the government in generating this revenue. Beside that there is the burden put on the tax payer in preparing his return, in the case of an audit there may be the cost of representation before a tax court.  You also become aware of the vast amount of human resources wasted on this activity for the revenue generated.

Would Rube Goldberg have been able to design a less straightforward system of funding government than the U S Federal income tax? In this presentation, HGS instructor Bob Jene looks at what it costs to collect this revenue.  The direct cost to the government of operating the Internal Revenue Service is only a small part, as the burden put on the taxpayer, and the diversion of effort from productive uses, should also be considered.

This session introduces Progress & Poverty, including an overview of what we cover in the course. Even if you don’t plan to take the full course, you can expect this introductory session to help you gain a new and useful perspective on today’s problems of wealth concentration, poverty, and lack of opportunity.

America in the 1870s faced increasing poverty, rising unemployment, rule by an elite and their corporations– many of the same problems we’re experiencing today.  Henry George described the cause of these problems and proposed a remedy which is even more applicable today than it was in his time. His book Progress & Poverty, perhaps the best-selling nonfiction book of the 19th century, presented his analysis and solution.

In this “classic” version of the course, students are encouraged to read the original 1879 text, and/or modern summaries and supplements, and to evaluate what George says against their own experience and understanding. You’ll gain a new understanding of how the economy works, which public policies promote liberty and prosperity, and which don’t.

Class meets every Tuesday, beginning 6:15PM on January 19, ending March 22.  More information about the course is here and here. Pre-registration is helpful but not required.

Resurrection (1899)
By Leo Tolstoy

This late 19th-century novel about nobleman Dmitri Ivanovich Nekhlyudov’s efforts at redemption after a life of sin is Tolstoy’s last major novel before his death in 1910. The readers will have a complex relationship with the tormented protagonist and his desperate attempts at redemption and forgiveness, since Nekhlyudov’s misguided decisions and youthful errors are often not so dissimilar from our own. Resurrection is a scathing exposition of the myriad prejudices of the man-made justice system and the hypocrisy of the establishment, while it also explores the economic philosophy of Georgism – of which Tolstoy had become a strong advocate toward the end of his life.  [from the Culture Trip]

Political Economy Book Club discussions are open to everyone interested, without charge, and the text (in English translation) is available free from various sources including archive.org, who also offer a free audiobook. There is also a more recent translation by Anthony Briggs, which can be purchased or licensed in various formats and is available in some public libraries.  Any questions about the PEBC may be directed to Convenor Bob Matter,

Do we need to suffer like this (and/or pay someone else) in order to fund government?  In this presentation, HGS instructor Bob Jene looks at what it costs to collect income taxes.  The direct cost to the government of operating the Internal Revenue Service is only a small part, as the burden put on the taxpayer, and the diversion of effort from productive uses, should also be considered.

“The purpose of Newspeak was not only to provide a medium of expression for the world-view and mental habits proper to the devotees of IngSoc, but to make all other modes of thought impossible. It was intended that when Newspeak had been adopted once and for all and Oldspeak forgotten, a heretical thought – that is, a thought diverging from the principles of IngSoc – should be literally unthinkable, at least so far as thought is dependent on words.“

— George Orwell

Something like this has happened to the field of economics, says Dan Sullivan.  Terms which had clear meanings to Adam Smith, J S Mill, and other classical economists have got distorted and redefined– or obliterated–  to prevent serious discussion of economic issues. Going back to the roots of political economy, Dan suggests the real point of a proper science of economics would be to efficiently satisfy the desires of the people, both individually and collectively.

Dan will help us distinguish between “rights” and “privileges,” “investments” and “acquisitions”,  and several distinct concepts that all get called “wealth.” He’ll address the difference between “means of production” and “capital,” and differentiate “human capital” from modern slavery.

You can understand today’s economic issues such as minimum wages, tax policy, international trade, housing costs, and unemployment, but only if you have a clear idea of the fundamental terms.  These terms can be readily comprehended by ordinary people and do not lead to any particular “left” or “right” public policy, but they facilitate informed communication.

There will of course be time for questions and discussion.

Based in Pittsburgh, Dan Sullivan is a popular speaker on economic issues, and Director of Saving Communities

Adam Schuster will present “Diagnosing Illinois’ Fiscal Sickness and Prescribing a Cure” to the Henry George School. He is working on a 5-year fiscal plan to save the state and pay off its debt.

Adam is budget and tax research director at Illinois Policy Institute. Prior to joining the Institute, he worked in the Illinois Department of Labor to reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens and on an initiative to tie state spending to measurable outcomes.

Registration is required for this event. Those attending will be required to pick up a badge from building security to come upstairs. Please tell us you’re coming by sending email to info@hgchicago.org or calling 312 362-9302.

Michael Belsky, executive director Center for Municipal Finance at Harris School University of Chicago, will discuss ongoing research into the state and local pension crisis in Illinois.

Registration is required for this free event.

Please register for this Zoom Webinar by clicking the green registration button.

David Wilson, author of the forthcoming book Towns Along the Q, will discuss the consequences of certain disastrous and discriminatory housing policies that he has become familiar with in the course of researching the topic, development of Chicago’s western suburbs along the Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railway.