Why Not Enroll?

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. It should be in your local library, at better bookstores, or order 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.