Events

Jan
19
Tue
Introduction to Progress & Poverty (classic version of the course begins) @ Henry George School #1207
Jan 19 @ 6:15 pm – 8:15 pm

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.

Nov
29
Tue
America’s #1 Problem: LOW WAGES @ Overflow Coffee Bar
Nov 29 @ 6:15 pm – 8:15 pm

Between 1948 and 1973, Americans’ real wages rose almost as fast as their productivity. After 1973, productivity grew 147% but wages rose only 19%. This raises two questions:

(1) If workers getting less, who is getting more?

(2) Is there a way to restore the balance?

To solve the problem of poverty, and the many other problems that follow from it, ordinary workers need higher wages. George Menninger describes how to raise wages without interfering in the free market and without taking anyone’s earnings.

George Menninger is an instructor at the Henry George School of Chicago, and attendees at this free program will have the opportunity to sign up for his Progress & Poverty course.

You can sign up for this free event thru Eventbrite, or RSVP directly by email.

 

Mar
1
Wed
America’s #1 Problem: LOW WAGES @ Green Briar Park
Mar 1 @ 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Between 1948 and 1973, Americans’ real wages rose almost as fast as their productivity. After 1973, productivity grew 147% but wages rose only 19%. This raises two questions:

(1) If workers getting less, who is getting more?

(2) Is there a way to restore the balance?

To solve the problem of poverty, and the many other problems that follow from it, ordinary workers need higher wages. George Menninger describes how to raise wages without interfering in the free market and without taking anyone’s earnings.

George Menninger is an instructor at the Henry George School of Chicago, and attendees at this free program will have the opportunity to sign up for his Progress & Poverty course.

No  reservation is required, but you can let us know  by email that you’re coming.

Mar
14
Tue
America’s #1 Problem: LOW WAGES @ Overflow Coffee Bar
Mar 14 @ 6:15 pm – 8:15 pm

Between 1948 and 1973, Americans’ real wages rose almost as fast as their productivity. After 1973, productivity grew 147% but wages rose only 19%. This raises two questions:

(1) If workers getting less, who is getting more?

(2) Is there a way to restore the balance?

To solve the problem of poverty, and the many other problems that follow from it, ordinary workers need higher wages. George Menninger describes how to raise wages without interfering in the free market and without taking anyone’s earnings.

George Menninger is an instructor at the Henry George School of Chicago, and attendees at this free program will have the opportunity to sign up for his Progress & Poverty course.

No  reservation is required, but you can let us know  by email that you’re coming.

Apr
1
Mon
Income Tax Appreciation Day @ TBA
Apr 1 all-day
detail from Alan O’Rourke’s Too Busy To Improve (CC BY 2.0)

Join us in celebrating Income Tax Appreciation Day. This page will be updated with specifics of our celebration as we figure out how best to do it.

Oct
12
Sat
Invisible Robbery Tour @ Van Buren/Wabash
Oct 12 @ 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Building sold — land not included (Henry George School photo by Chuck Metalitz)

Right on the streets of every American community, robbery takes place every working day. You might not realize how much value the people of Chicago (and every other community) already create, simply by going about our daily activities.  You’ll learn how we could comfortably produce much more, if only a smart tax policy were put in place.

Originally conceived as a field trip for Progress and Poverty students, this stroll — about 2 km and 90 minutes — presents some answers for those interested in finding out.  Additionally, we’ll take a look at recovered loot of a long-ago theft, learn how Thomas Jefferson proposed to finance Chicago’s public schools, see some infrastructure that you probably didn’t know about, visit a shopping mall that you paid for but don’t own, and glimpse a billionaire’s downtown garden.

Detailed sourced notes will be provided. This is now a free tour, no donation required, although we do appreciate (tax-deductible) contributions from those who can afford it and find the event worthwhile.

Please sign up using the Eventbrite link.