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Comment by mlinksva | Hacker News Reader

Did you move for your passion, or did you learn your passion from living there?

If you have the inclination, please add references to the relevant Wikipedia articles as you read old news! Thank you. :)

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I moved there because it was lovely, and was consistent with something I have long felt strongly about. My late grandparents were lifelong Georgists, and never mentioned the Ardens to me. (I'm a late-bloomer -- I shared their perception of the problems, but kept thinking there had to be another way to solve them; when I failed to find it, I looked more closely at what Henry George had to say, and found it very persuasive.) For a recent article, look at Michael Kinsley's, in the September Vanity Fair. But people from across many spectra embrace George's analysis and George's remedy; it is a third way, coming out of the traditions of classical economics, not the neo-classical economics that is widely taught today.

George's most famous book was entitled "Progress and Poverty" ... it was dedicated, "to those who, seeing the vice and misery that spring from the unequal distribution of wealth and privilege, feel the possibility of a higher social state and would strive for its attainment." Its subtitle is a mouthful:"an inquiry into the cause of industrial depressions and of increase of want with increase of wealth ... The Remedy."

The book is quite analytical, a logical analysis. If you want to see where it is going, jump to the final "book" before you read the rest.

Or you might start with a collection of essays entitled "Social Problems." They still read well today, and, among other things, show why a Constitution written in the 18th century simply can't be frozen in time, and needs to be reconsidered in light of 21st century realities. Some of my favorite quotes are from "Social Problems."

Both books are online and at Amazon or schalkenbach.org; there is also a fine modern abridgment of P&P, and audio is available at hgchicago.org.

I've read Progress and Poverty and much more by still living Georgists (eg Polly Cleveland and Mason Gaffney). I'm pro-LVT.

Your response however typifies one reason I'd never call myself a Georgist -- people who call themselves such come off as believing they've discovered the single truth that obtains social salvation, ie religious nuts -- who need to dump that single truth on people they encounter at the first opportunity. Seriously, if you want to be effective, and I want you to be, please tone it down.

Thank you very much for sharing your experience in the fist 3 sentences of your comment. That's what I was hoping to learn!

fair enough! and not easy. My grandparents, remarkably, were subtle and much more patient than I am.

I do not believe that HG's ideas will solve all our problems, but I do believe that recognition of what he saw and enactment of his recommendation will put us on the road to solving a lot of problems that are generally regarded as unsolvable -- housing affordability and supply, poverty, sprawl, pollution, water shortage, wealth concentration, money in politics, better cities among others. Necessary, though not sufficient. And it is frustrating that so few people are even remotely familiar with the ideas.

Two of my favorite recent books on the subject are "The Mason Gaffney Reader: Essays toward Solving the Unsolvable" and Walt Rybeck's "Re-Solving the Economic Puzzle."

I think there are solutions, and want others to have the chance to consider them!

Thanks for he response. I don't see any of the problems you list as being generally regarded as unsolvable. There are lots of solutions for each that have nothing to do with LVT. I agree that widespread implementation of LVT would help with many of those problems, but claiming that they are regarded as unsolvable or that LVT is necessary to solve them doesn't make you seem very credible. Anyway, I agree that's it's frustrating that more people aren't aware that LVT could help.

My favorite LVT-influenced person is Donald Shoup. He doesn't talk much about LVT, but is making as big a positive difference on land policy as anyone -- in the US/English language anyway; I hope there are people informed by LVT theory making a bigger difference elsewhere, probably China.

> Your response however typifies one reason I'd never call myself a Georgist -- people who call themselves such come off as believing they've discovered the single truth that obtains social salvation, ie religious nuts -- who need to dump that single truth on people they encounter at the first opportunity. Seriously, if you want to be effective, and I want you to be, please tone it down.

What? Of places to share one's enthusiasm for Georgism, there are few more appropriate than in an internet thread about a Georgist town they're a resident of, after explcitly being asked for references.

Citing Progress and Poverty when asked about adding references to Wikipedia about the history of a Georgist town strikes me as like citing the Bible when asked about adding referenes to Wikipedia about the history of a Christian town -- and it's available on audiotape! Of no use other than identifying oneself as a true believer.

It’s likely that they weren’t responding to your question about Wikipedia.

Your other question, “Did you move for your passion, or did you learn your passion from living there?”, suggests unfamiliarity yet genuine interest in the topic. So, their response makes total sense.

However, if that Christian town was founded with the explicit intent to reflect some passage of the Bible it makes sense to add references, don’t you think?

> if you want to be effective, and I want you to be, please tone it down

I really have no idea what you're talking about. LVTfan's answer certainly displayed enthusiasm, but to me it stopped well short of fanaticism.

I suppose I should mention the title of the Michael Kinsley article in Vanity Fair: "The Obscure Economist Silicon Valley Billionaires Should Dump Ayn Rand For"

And if you're curious about the range of people who have taken notice of George's ideas, search on "quotable Nobels" and from that page, see "quotable notables."

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