Fwd: Common Ground Meeting October 2, 2010, 4:00pm at the Henry George School
scott baker
Cc: Nadine Stoner <nads...@aol.com>; Lindy Davies <li...@henrygeorge.org>; schal...@aol.com; Bill Batt <hwb...@gmail.com>; billyfi...@yahoo.com; Cay Hehner <chehner.he...@att.net>; Cay Hehner <karry...@yahoo.com>; s...@swwalton.com; Jeff Smith <j...@geonomics.org>; quisiag...@yahoo.com
Sent: Thu, September 9, 2010 11:29:05 AM
Subject: Common Ground Meeting October 2, 2010, 4:00pm at the Henry George School
I'm happy to announce our next meeting, to be held at the Henry George School, 121 East 30th street, at 4:00pm, October 2 (Saturday), room TBA.
Actually, there will be a session, to be directed by Lindy Davies, who designed and populated the Real Estate Database showing values of land and buildings in NYC (you won't believe some of the city's property valuations - they are so far off!). This is a great tool to evaluate assessed values and to see how much work needs to be done, and where the money could come from, from proper assessments. Anyone who wants to learn about this database should come at 3:00pm, October 2, an hour before our general meeting. Cay has granted us access to the school's computer to install and use the database, but I'll also bring my portable as another platform.
See the attached document for specifics on the 14 initiatives Common Ground could pursue this year. This includes everything from petition signing/drives (all online), to selling our new comic book ($1.00) to raise revenues for CG and get the word out, to outreach to other sympathetic groups, to passing out our new Common Ground Business Cards, to designing and selling t-shirts, to local government initiatives, to our film series.
A little more about our ecological-economic film series. This year, we will be focusing beyond all-too-narrow Georgist property tax relief to look at what we mean by Land. Land, as you know, really means ALL the non-manmade material in the universe, excluding Man himself. We need, as Georgists/Geoists, to focus on the proper use of all life-sustaining forms of land, what that takes, people's rights to Land (and their non-rights too), and how to leave Land in better shape than we began with it, for the next generation.
To that end, we would like to present the following four films, each broadening the focus on our Commons, our Land, more than the last.
- WHAT'S THE ECONOMY FOR ANYWAY? - This 40-minute film by ecological economist Dave Batker questions the value of the GDP in measuring what's really important to us. Is there a better measure? George didn't have such a statistic in his day, which made things purer when it came to deciding those things that "satisfy Man's desires." Can we learn from George to re-look at what we value, and how?
- A SNOWMOBILE FOR GEORGE – Ostensibly about a politically manufactured controversy over 2-stroke vs. 4-stroke snowmobile engines, the film is really a broader look at deregulation and its consequences. As Georgists, we should all be concerned about pollution of the Commons and how to manage it. Pollution of the air is pollution of our common Land.
- SPLIT ESTATE - Deals with the rights to Land below the surface. Who owns the Land for mineral rights, such as Natural Gas? It's usually open to private companies, even if a homeowner owns what's above. Most people are surprised to hear that. Who ought to own the mineral rights and should they be privately owned at all, or merely rented to private parties by a public owner in the public’s behalf? Who decides what that is? What are the implications for Georgism?
- A SEA CHANGE - Our oceans are running out of fish and the Ph levels are becoming too acidic to support many kinds of life. We may have already changed the ecosystem irreparably through CO2. How do Georgist principles deal with "every nation for itself" when it comes to the right to exploit the oceans vs. maintenance of the oceans for all?
As you can see, these are profound questions for our time. The school will host at least two of these films this fall, maybe more, during Saturdays when their regular Film Forums have nothing scheduled - times to be announced. Common Ground will present these feature length (except for the first one) films. These are all productions of Bullfrog Films, an independent producer of ecological films for General viewing, and have had limited theatrical release previously. Common Ground paid for a general showing license, and we can't charge admission, but donations will be cheerfully accepted to help defray our costs, past and present. Invite your non-Georgist friends too. These are all interesting and lively films, and I hope to have an interesting and lively discussion after each one! I hope you can join us.
Have you joined the Google group yet? http://groups.google.com/group/common-ground-nyc You should, to keep up with announcements, post relevant files, start online discussions etc. Don't forget to familiarize yourself with our main website too: http://commongroundnyc.org/ Set up a Land Value Tax & untax ALL productive activities to make California Healthy, Wealthy and Prosperous!
http://www.change.org/petitions/view/help_the_terminator_save_california Set up a State Bank in California to Terminate the debt and say Hasta La Vista to the Banks. For Florida: http://www.change.org/petitions/view/let_the_sun_shine_on_a_state_bank_for_florida
http://environment.change.org/petitions/view/close_the_gap_2 Complete the East Side Manhattan Greenway from 38-61 Streets and save bikers, help the environment, and clear up traffic.
http://www.change.org/petitions/view/tax_vacant_unused_land_to_return_its_value_to_the_community Tax Vacant & Unused Land to Return its value to the Community.
http://www.change.org/petitions/view/a_new_form_of_capitalism_geonomics Untax Production and Wages while taxing the use and abuse of natural resources. Polluters pay while workers and entrepreneurs profit from true production.
http://www.change.org/petitions/view/let_the_empire_state_finance_its_own_budget_gap Close New York State's budget Gap with money from its own agencies and the pension, by setting up a State Bank to make loans upon these funds. A State Bank can create credit from its asset base without ever touching its capital.
My Blog: http://newthinking.blogspot.com
I also have a presence on Facebook.com, Transportation Alternatives East Side Committee.
I am a Writer & Senior Editor for OpEdNews (A Technorati top 100 Blog site).
My latest novel, NeitherWorld is for sale on Amazon.com:
Neitherworld Book One Akiiwan
Kirkus Discoveries review: "Blending Native American myth, archaeological detail, government conspiracy and a sci-fi flair, Neitherworld covers a lot of ground with dexterity and grace. This unique story is populated with alien civilizations, 17th-century Ojibwe shamans, shady government agents and archaeologists. Akiiwan begins in the 1600s, when a talented Native American shaman-Voice-in-the-Sky-is contacted by members of an alien race who are interested sharing with the Ojibwe people their secrets and talents. Fast-forward to the modern day: government agents hire skilled archaeologist Samantha Horner to learn more about Voice-in-the-Sky's mysterious powers. But from the moment her excavation begins, strange occurrences, violent storms, unexpected attacks on crew members and baffling disappearances suggest to Horner that something strange is afoot. Horner's tale is told with skillful ease. The prose is elegant and precise. The descriptions-both of characters and of the natural world-are beautiful and evocative."
--
Scott Baker - Author, Community Activist; President: Common Ground - NYC
Petitions:
http://www.change.org/petitions/view/support_reform_that_will_revitalize_californias_economy_and_end_the_public_finance_crisis Set up a Land Value Tax & untax ALL productive activities to make California Healthy, Wealthy and Prosperous!
http://www.change.org/petitions/view/help_the_terminator_save_california Set up a State Bank in California to Terminate the debt and say Hasta La Vista to the Banks. For Florida: http://www.change.org/petitions/view/let_the_sun_shine_on_a_state_bank_for_florida
http://environment.change.org/petitions/view/close_the_gap_2 Complete the East Side Manhattan Greenway from 38-61 Streets and save bikers, help the environment, and clear up traffic.
http://www.change.org/petitions/view/tax_vacant_unused_land_to_return_its_value_to_the_community Tax Vacant & Unused Land to Return its value to the Community.
http://www.change.org/petitions/view/a_new_form_of_capitalism_geonomics Untax Production and Wages while taxing the use and abuse of natural resources. Polluters pay while workers and entrepreneurs profit from true production.
http://www.change.org/petitions/view/let_the_empire_state_finance_its_own_budget_gap Close New York State's budget Gap with money from its own agencies and the pension, by setting up a State Bank to make loans upon these funds. A State Bank can create credit from its asset base without ever touching its capital.
My Blog: http://newthinking.blogspot.com
I also have a presence on Facebook.com, Transportation Alternatives East Side Committee.
I am a Writer & Senior Editor for OpEdNews (A Technorati top 100 Blog site).
My latest novel, NeitherWorld is for sale on Amazon.com:
Neitherworld Book One Akiiwan
Scott on the Spot
already).
- WHAT'S THE ECONOMY FOR ANYWAY? *- This 40-minute film by ecological
economist Dave Batker questions the value of the GDP in measuring
what's
really important to us. Is there a better measure? George didn't have
such a
statistic in his day, which made things purer when it came to deciding
those
things that "satisfy Man's desires." Can we learn from George to re-
look at
what we value, and how?
- A SNOWMOBILE FOR GEORGE *– Ostensibly about a politically
manufactured
controversy over 2-stroke vs. 4-stroke snowmobile engines, the film is
really a broader look at deregulation and its consequences. As
Georgists,
we should all be concerned about pollution of the Commons and how to
manage
it. Pollution of the air is pollution of our common Land.
- *SPLIT ESTATE *- Deals with the rights to Land *below* the surface.
Who
owns the Land for mineral rights, such as Natural Gas? It's usually
open to
private companies, even if a homeowner owns what's above. Most people
are
surprised to hear that. Who ought to own the mineral rights and
should they
be privately owned at all, or merely rented to private parties by a
public
owner in the public’s behalf? Who decides what that is? What are the
implications for Georgism?
- A SEA CHANGE - *Our oceans are running out of fish and the Ph