Originating as a field trip for students completing our Progress & Poverty course, this stroll thru downtown Chicago examines some of the ways that average people, and the community as a whole, are deprived of their just earnings. Among other things we’ll see who benefits from the expensive infrastructure and “economic development” projects, how Thomas Jefferson wanted Chicago to fund its public schools, what happens when a well-located building burns down, and how land speculators get productive workers to pay their taxes. Expect to walk about 2 km, maybe we’ll stop for snacks (individual settlement) along the way.
A $10 donation is requested from those who are not recent or current HGS students or donors, but nobody will be excluded due to lack of funds. You can make your donation by credit card here, or bring cash or a check.
Originating as a field trip for students completing our Progress & Poverty course, this stroll thru downtown Chicago examines some of the ways that average people, and the community as a whole, are deprived of their just earnings. Among other things we’ll see who benefits from the expensive infrastructure and “economic development” projects, how Thomas Jefferson wanted Chicago to fund its public schools, what happens when a well-located building burns down, and how land speculators get their taxes paid by productive workers. Hardcopy sourced notes will be provided. Expect to walk about 2 km; maybe we’ll stop for snacks (individual settlement) along the way.
A $10 donation is requested from those who are not recent or current HGS students or donors, but nobody will be excluded due to lack of funds. If you have a paypal account, you can make your donation by credit card using the link below, or better yet bring cash or a check.
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.
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
[Please note: There is no need to stay the full 3½ hours of this event. Come when you’d like and leave when you wish. ]
How much stuff do you think you “own,” but really only have a limited license to use in specific ways? You may be surprised to learn who is restricting your freedom to innovate and share information. As software-driven products become more common, how can you be sure that your possessions aren’t working against you? Is that the price we have to pay to live in an advanced economy? It need not be.
Find out how software freedom fits into the “liberty means justice” political economy that we teach, why and how we use open source software wherever possible (and it almost always is). Discussion and videos presented in cooperation with the Free Software Foundation.
Meanwhile, to learn more about DRM and why it might be a bad thing, visit Defective by Design.
Cook County isn’t broke either. Neither is Chicago.
In this session you will learn about the legitimate earnings that our communities generate every day, and how collecting these earnings would allow removal of barriers to productive work which make it unnecessarily difficult for working people to earn a living.
There’s plenty of waste and fraud throughout government, but that’s not the focus here. Even an honest and efficient government requires revenue, and the source of that revenue determines whether we can have prosperity and freedom, or — something else.
PREREGISTRATION MANDATORY. This program is free, but due to building policies you must pre-register by email or by phoning us at 312 450-2906.
Cook County isn’t broke either. Neither is Chicago.
In this session you will learn about the legitimate earnings that our communities generate every day, and how collecting these earnings would allow removal of barriers to productive work which make it unnecessarily difficult for working people to earn a living.
There’s plenty of waste and fraud throughout government, but that’s not the focus here. Even an honest and efficient government requires revenue, and the source of that revenue determines whether we can have prosperity and freedom, or — something else.
PREREGISTRATION MANDATORY. This program is free, but due to building policies you must pre-register by email or by phoning us at 312 450-2906.
More information about this six-session course is here. and here. This section of the course is free but you should preregister.
Event description at the registration link
Event description at the registration link