Events

In 1831, Alexis de Tocqueville and Gustave de Beaumont were sent by the French government to study the American prison system. In his later letters Tocqueville indicates that he and Beaumont used their official business as a pretext to study American society instead. They arrived in New York City in May of that year and spent nine months traveling the United States, studying the prisons, and collecting information on American society, including its religious, political, and economic character.

— Wikipedia

Democracy in America was one of the products of this trip. It’s available in several translations, some free such as this one and this one, also free in audio format.  On March 29, the Political Economy Book Club will discuss volume 1.

PEBC meetings are free and open to everyone who has read and wishes to talk about the book under discussion. Convenor Bob Matter appreciates an RSVP if possible.

A subsequent meeting will discuss volume 2

In commemoration of “tax day,” the hypothetical due date for Federal and State personal income tax returns, we’ll discuss a sensible proposal by a man who understood the danger of an income tax: Henry George.  In this free introductory session, we’ll review the problems George saw in his time, and discuss how they persist today.  We’ll outline what he proposed to do about them, how his recommendations apply today, and provide an overview of the Progress & Poverty course.

The course continues on Friday afternoons thru May 20. Should  you choose to enroll, there will be a $25 registration fee.

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.