Successful land speculation (also known as “real estate investment”) is really a matter of taking for yourself the gains that belong to the community. George Menninger is one of the many who have done it, but he’s exceptional in his understanding of what he did, as well as his sympathy for his victims. He’ll explain how the bad public policy he exploited not only made him rich, but led to continued poverty, unemployment, and even the recent economic meltdown.
Menninger is a Henry George School volunteer instructor, and this stand-alone session also serves as the introduction to his modern version of Progress & Poverty. After his talk, you may, if you wish, sign up for the five-session course.
We sometimes describe Henry George’s fiscal proposal as a “smart tax,” unlike the inefficient anti-prosperity taxes that fund most government programs today. Similarly, there can be “smart” transit facilities, which are distinguished from dumb ones because they are cost less and provide more service. Perhaps the most prominent recent smart transit proposal is the CTA Gray Line, whose creator, Mike Payne, will be our speaker tonight.
From the CTA Gray Line web page:
Launching the Gray Line would provide a brand new CTA Rapid Transit (‘L’) service (on EXISTING facilities) to Grant Park, the Museum Campus, the newly renovated Soldier Field, and McCormick Place (with a connected station under the McCormick Place South Bldg.)
Also service to Bronzeville, Hyde Park, the Museum of Science & Industry (with an ADA compliant station 1 1/2 blocks away), the University of Chicago, Woodlawn, South Shore, South Chicago, Chatham, Chicago State University, Pullman, Roseland, Blue Island, and Hegewisch; again almost all Gray Line facilities are in place, and operating RIGHT NOW TODAY.
. . .
There is N O need for costly and time consuming design and engineering, right-of-way acquistion, condemnation, demolition, clearing, materials acquisition, delivery, and major construction; the CTA Gray Line ‘L’ System could be up and providing CTA ‘L’ service to the Far South Side WITHIN O N E YEAR, rather than waiting until 2016 for completion of the Red Line Extension.
Come to this free presentation to meet and question a prominent transit activist, and think about what could be done with all the public money saved by smart projects like the CTA Gray Line.
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.
This presentation has been cancelled. We will let you know when it’s been rescheduled. There will be no presentation February 21, 2019.
The Battle of Lincoln Park tells the story of how people with clashing visions and values fought to determine the path gentrification would take before anyone was using that word. Calling on the power of private funds, public policy, moral appeals, and both nonviolent and violent protest, residents of Old Town and Lincoln Park struggled over the meaning of “desirable” homes, “neighborhood character”, and what kind of city Chicago should be. The outcomes set the tone for profound changes to the city that are still unfolding today.
Acclaimed author Daniel Kay Hertz has written extensively on subjects relating to gentrification, housing, urban demographics, and transportation. This is his first book.
Registration is required for this free event. Building security will print a badge for you to go upstairs. If you plan to come, or are just considering the possibility, please let us know by email events@hgchicago.org or by phoning us at 312 362-9302.
This presentation has been rescheduled and will now take place Thursday, March 7, 2019, at 6:15 pm.
The Battle of Lincoln Park tells the story of how people with clashing visions and values fought to determine the path gentrification would take before anyone was using that word. Calling on the power of private funds, public policy, moral appeals, and both nonviolent and violent protest, residents of Old Town and Lincoln Park struggled over the meaning of “desirable” homes, “neighborhood character”, and what kind of city Chicago should be. The outcomes set the tone for profound changes to the city that are still unfolding today.
Acclaimed author Daniel Kay Hertz has written extensively on subjects relating to gentrification, housing, urban demographics, and transportation. This is his first book.
Registration is required for this free event. Building security will print a badge for you to go upstairs. If you plan to come, or are just considering the possibility, please let us know by email events@hgchicago.org or by phoning us at 312 362-9302.