"At the
bottom of every social problem we will find a social wrong."
-Henry George
Which
of the reasons below prevents you from enrolling?
1.George's ideas may
have been important in the 19th century, but today we're in
an information economy, land doesn't really matter, and besides,
poverty really isn't much of a problem anymore. George
described fundamental principles that always apply
as long as people need a place to live and don't want to work
for nothing. Sure, the economy has changed, but land remains
extremely important. Ask anyone struggling to remain in a
gentrifying neighborhood. Poverty no longer a problem? Worldwide,
by any measure, billions of people remain in poverty. In the
U. S., few of us starve but many of us suffer from high cost
of living, low wages, and poor working conditions. Why should
supporting a family require both parents to have full-time
employment? Why should people have to commute an hour or more
from areas with affordable housing to areas with decent jobs?
These thoroughly modern problems are clearly analyzed in our
courses.
2. Progress and Poverty
may be great literature, but it's a big book written in 19th-century
style, and I don't enjoy reading stuff like that. It's too
much work. Then take the modern version of Progress
& Poverty. The text has been revised into
21st-century English. Furthermore, you don't really have to
do all the reading. All the important concepts are discussed
in class, and our instructors will never make you feel
like a dummy just because you didn't read, or didn't understand,
part of the book. And it is great literature.
3.I'm just not interested
in this stuff. Economics is complicated, and I've got enough
complications in my life already. Economics affects
you whether you're interested or not. Do you really
want others to do your thinking for you? Anyhow, it isn't
as complicated as you may think, and you might even enjoy
the class.
4. George's ideas couldn't
be very important, because few people seem to know about them.
So you only want to know about things that lots of
other people know? Wouldn't you like to try thinking
for yourself? In fact, several Nobel Prize winners, and other
prominent economists and social critics have endorsed George's
analysis.
5.I'm too busy. By the
time I've earned a living, fulfilled my family obligations,
taken care of eating and sleeping, and had a little fun, there's
no time left for learning. Yes, that's a problem
for a lot of us. Want to know why? It's covered in
our courses.
6.I'm really much smarter
than most people. I don't need to spend time in a class in
order to learn. Then read Progress and Poverty
on your own. The text is here, or get It at your local library, better bookstores, or from Robert
Schalkenbach Foundation (800/269-9555). After you've finished
it, you might say, "This is interesting. I'd like to
discuss it with somebody, get some of my questions answered,
and see how it applies today." That's what we do in our
classes.
7.Henry George's fundamental
idea is simple, and is described in modern economics texts.
I already know it, so I don't need to read a big book and
spend hours in a classroom to learn it. Henry
George's fundamental idea is that, by observing
what happens in the world, maintaining consistent definitions,
and applying common sense, one can determine the basic principles
which explain, among other things, the causes of poverty and
periodic recessions. Our Progress
and Poverty course takes you through his reasoning process
and equips you to apply it in any situation.
Intrigued? Schedule information is here.
And be sure to bring your doubts. At the end of the course,
we review practical and philosophical objections to George's
analysis, and we don't want to omit yours.
