To End Deficits, Allow Localities to Raise Property Taxes

In Higher Taxes Wouldn’t End Some Deficits (Jan 20) the New York Times reported how a few state governors have timidly proposed small income tax increases. There’s a better alternative: undo the legal shackles that keep residents of towns or school districts from voting themselves higher property taxes.

Property taxes are wealth taxes, intrinsically more . . . → Read More: To End Deficits, Allow Localities to Raise Property Taxes

Income Inequality and Financial Crises, NYT, Aug 21

A New York Times article by Louise Story asks, “Do widening gaps between rich and poor necessarily lead to financial crises?” (Aug. 21) The answer is yes, for a reason observed over 100 years ago by American economist and reformer Henry George: Economic growth enhances the value of titles to real estate and other natural . . . → Read More: Income Inequality and Financial Crises, NYT, Aug 21

To Rebuild the Economy, People are the Best Investment

Louis Uchitelle is absolutely correct that President-elect Barack Obama’s spending plan may fail – or worse, backfire (“Maybe It Can’t: A Trap in Obama’s Spending Plan,” Week in Review, Dec. 21). Spending on infrastructure, even green infrastructure, is a relatively slow, low-return investment. To rebuild the economy right now, we need fast, high-return investment, public . . . → Read More: To Rebuild the Economy, People are the Best Investment