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.
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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.
If you want to understand the underlying causes of persistent poverty in America, you’ll benefit from this course. This is the “modern” version, based on Bob Drake’s “Abridged for Modern Readers” edit of Henry George’s original book. As always, the first class session is entirely free, but if you decide to enroll in the course we request a $25 fee to help cover costs. Veteran HGS instructor Bob Jene will help you understand not only the causes of economic stagnation, but a workable remedy.
This course will meet for six consecutive Friday’s beginning January 6. Our space at Overflow Coffee Bar is directly served by CTA routes 62 and 29, and a reasonable walk from Red, Green, and Orange Line Roosevelt station, as well as Metra Electric’s Museum Campus and 18th Street stops.
International trade has been a continuing issue throughout our history. The issues Henry George confronted in the late 19th century were similar to those raised in the recent election. His careful analysis showed that both sides were wrong, and proposed a trade policy to raise real wages of working Americans.
Despite huge social, technological, and demographic changes since George’s time, his analysis requires only very minor updates, and concludes that today, again, both sides are wrong. Take this opportunity to understand and evaluate for yourself a proposal to achieve widespread prosperity, here and now, thru True Free Trade.
This free presentation by Henry George School instructor Chuck Metalitz is adapted from our “Protection or Free Trade” course.