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--></style><title>Re: TownTalk Digest, Vol 5, Issue
2</title></head><body>
<div>Jack here:</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>For those wondering why the Chapter 3 is there, this is the item
that precipitated the Code addition. I am a member of the Board of
Trustees for the Henry George Foundation of America, one of my duties
is to inform the public of the tax reforms that the organization
lobbies for around the world at National, State, County, Municipal
levels of government and to the General Public. HGFA had offered to
pay the additional cost for printing, inserting, and delivering the
document with the Town Crier. The mayor prohibited its publication.
Two councilmembers worked to get a code for submittals that curtailed
her imperious abuse of the executive power. The code did end up
prohibiting the publishing of the document, as the two councilmen
could not get a majority to permit informing the public of interest
and concern to them.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><br></div>
<div
> <span
></span> <font
face="Calligrapher" size="+3"> The Riverdale Observer</font><br>
</div>
<div><font face="Times New Roman"
size="+2"><b
> <span
></span
> <span
></span>
Why Good Buildings Go Bad</b></font></div>
<div><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1"><br>
<br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>The
residents of Riverdale Park have watched the buildings in the Town
Center, the Route 1, and the Kenilworth Avenue areas deteriorate over
the past twenty years. They have been disheartened in the past and
despaired of improving the area. Take note there is something that can
be done to make these buildings turn good again.</font><br>
<font face="Times New Roman" size="+1"></font></div>
<div><font face="Times New Roman"
size="+1"><x-tab>
</x-tab>The reason these buildings have gone bad is because building
owners are PUNISHED FOR DOING THE RIGHT THING, improving their
building.The building owner is also REWARDED FOR DOING THE WRONG
THING, letting their building go to ruin. How is this punishment and
reward done? It is done with the property tax that is actually two
taxes, a tax on buildings and a tax on land. The tax on buildings is
an economically harmful tax, because it discourages building
improvements, the higher this tax is the faster buildings go bad. On
the other hand the tax on land is economically beneficial as it
encourages highest and best use of land. The higher it is up to near
the annual rental value of the land the more it encourages highest and
best use.<br>
<br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>The combination of
a high building tax and a low land tax would make the buildings go bad
even faster than they do now with an equal tax rate. The only way to
get the correct incentives are to lower the building tax and to raise
the land tax. To get the full benefit the building tax rate should be
lowered to zero per cent while raising the land value tax to near one
hundred per cent of the annual rental value of the land.<br>
<br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>In Maryland,
Incorporated Municipalities can split the rates with buildings and
other improvement having one rate, while land has a different rate.
This split rate can be done with revenue neutrality, with a transition
period to allow people to get used to change to good economic rules
from bad economic rules.</font><br>
</div>
<div><font face="Times New Roman"
size="+1"><x-tab> </x-tab>In
Maryland the land value tax could also provide the needed government,
big enough to protect our rights and small enough that it cannot take
our rights away. The present state government could replace all its
sale taxes, which punish the poor, and half of the present income tax
that punishes productivity with a land value tax and remains revenue
neutral in its operation. The improved economy from such an action and
the increased revenues could be used as a citizen's land tax refund
that could be added to the refund that also could be offered
locally.</font></div>
<div><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1"><br>
<br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>The
possibilities are here for citizens to change the economy so the
unfair tax laws do not take from them the rightful products of their
own labor. The citizen needs to let their local and state officials
know that they want this fair tax system and they want it now, public
officials will do what they need to do to stay in office. Enough
citizens asking for tax reform will give the officials the courage to
make the reform. If you the citizens will affect this change, these
are the benefits to be expected.</font><br>
<font face="Times New Roman" size="+1"></font></div>
<div><font face="Times New Roman"
size="+2"><b
> <span
></span
> <span
></span
> <span
></span> Benefits To Be
Expected:</b></font><br>
<font face="Times New Roman" size="+1"></font></div>
<div><font face="Times New Roman"
size="+1">*<x-tab> </x-tab>The
land value tax is the most economically neutral form of revenue
collection. It is most neutral when all levels of government
(local, state, federal) services are limited to those in which all
citizens benefit about equally, and the balance of the land value tax
is returned to the citizens in equal shares as a land tax
refund.</font></div>
<div><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1"><br>
*<x-tab> </x-tab>The best
economic use of land is encouraged because unused and underused land
adjacent to best use land would pay the same land value tax.
More efficient transportation networks, and utility infrastructure is
also encouraged. However, for full effect, repeal of suburban
subsidies is required. This is needed because land value
reflects efficient economics in that it is less expensive to build
within and up than it is to build outwards.<br>
<br>
*<x-tab> </x-tab>It can improve
economic productiveness by replacing the income tax, which punishes
labor for production; the property tax, which punishes capital for
production; and the sales tax, which punishes those who engage in
economic exchange.<br>
<br>
*<x-tab> </x-tab>It is an easy to administer
tax, since it is easier to assess land than improvements. Also,
it only involves the land title holders, which are less in number than
workers or consumers. The tax can be collected as property tax
is presently collected, as these systems are more effective and
efficient than income or sales tax collection systems.<br>
<br>
*<x-tab> </x-tab>The land tax refund will
serve as an irreducible income that can be used to defray the inequity
of the income tax between individuals and corporations, to defray the
regressiveness of the sales tax, and/or as a social catastrophe
insurance for those who are landless and perhaps jobless.<br>
<br>
*<x-tab> </x-tab>The Land
Value Tax/Land Tax Refund system will curb boom and bust cycles in the
economy, driven by real estate speculation.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Respectfully Submitted, April 1999<x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab> </x-tab>for
more information, contact</font><br>
</div>
<div><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1">Jack R.
Jones<x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab>Joshua Vincent</font></div>
<div><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1">4715 Rittenhouse
Street<x-tab> </x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab>HGFA/CSE</font></div>
<div><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1">Riverdale Park, MD
20737<x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab> </x-tab>1422
Chesnut Street, Suite 413</font></div>
<div><font face="Times New Roman"
size="+1">301-277-2242<x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab>Philadelphia, PA 19102</font></div>
<div><br></div>
<div><br></div>
<div><br></div>
<div><br></div>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><br>
Message: 2<br>
Date: Thu, 01 Dec 2005 19:05:10 -0500</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>From: Gerard Kiernan
<gerardkiernan@earthlink.net></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><br></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><br>
Clearly, I would not be seeking the repeal of this law had it worked
out<br>
well in practice. The very reason for the existence of the Crier
is to<br>
allow the town government to effectively communicate with residents.
You<br>
elect a mayor and council to work on your behalf and part of doing
that<br>
effectively is communicating town policies and actions to the
community. Can<br>
you depend on that occurring if the mayor and council CANNOT
exercise<br>
authority over the Crier? Chapter 3 forbids any elected official
to<br>
"direct" the editor or publisher (the town administrator
functions as the</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>publisher) about ANYTHING regarding the
Crier.<br>
</blockquote>
<div><br></div>
<div>Jack again:</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>The Code misses the right of the populace to be heard by
requiring a majority to approve a publication...a better approach
would be to follow the concept of the Maryland Declaration of Rights,
Article 23 "In the trial of all criminal cases, the Jury
shall be the Judges of Law, as well as of fact, except that the Court
may pass upon the sufficiency of the evidence to sustain a
conviction."</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>The Common Law Jury is composed of 12 jurors, which have to be in
unanimous decision to convict.</div>
<div>One person can stop a prosecution if they feel the law is unjust
or that the facts are not convincing.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>We could use a similar idea in that, when the Mayor or Council
wants to restrict a document from publication their decision must be
unanimous...if one of them is in favor of publication then the
document shall be published. That is 1 in 7 not as good as 1 in 12 but
moving to ward the freedom of the people as put forth in the
Declaration of Independence.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>"...Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long
established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and
accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed
to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by
abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long
train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object
evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their
right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide
new Guards for their future security...."</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>For those who were wondering what was missing in the ellipsis in
the Declaration of Independence at the Jefferson Memorial it is the
bit above governments seem to have a hang up about admitting that the
right to govern live solely in the people. Even on a Document so basic
as the Declaration of Independence, some one responsible for the
memorial was attempting to grab the power from the people. The price
of Liberty IS eternal vigilance.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>And regarding the comments on the previous editor Tracy Toscano
won the election by 80% and Jack Jones got 20% running against both
side. Both of them support Rob Oppenheim for Ward 1 that sounds like
100% in my books. As for the infractions, as I tell the students in my
Homeschool Soccer Class..."Don't let perfection get in the way of
your achieving excellence"</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Or as David advises me, be brief. In a few words "David
right, Gerry wrong"</div>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><br>
Message: 3<br>
Date: Thu, 1 Dec 2005 23:17:07 -0500</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>From: David Hiles
<hilesd@mindspring.com></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><br>
"We do not fund anything that we don't control."<br>
Frank Erwin 1971<br>
<br>
It is great to live in a town with a lively political culture.
Let's <br>
not muzzle it.<br>
<br>
The issue of who controls the printing press comes up when people
have <br>
divergent views from the ruling group and worry about being edited
out <br>
of existence. People want the chance to hear both sides.
Others know <br>
that they may not always be part of the "in" group. I
don't like being <br>
told to trust those in power. That doesn't always work out too
good.<br>
<br>
Chapter 3 tries to establish the Town Crier as a impartial carrier
of <br>
local news, albeit one that devotes lots of space to current office
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>holders, without a mechanism for
systematically including the opinions <br>
of the outs. I liked the return of the letters section, which
had some <br>
potential in that area. When I thought about weakening
the <br>
independence of the editor, I considered whether or not I would
like <br>
the results if various sainted/devilish past mayors had a
controlled <br>
Crier or an independent Crier. We were starting to see an
independent <br>
Crier over the last six months and we were getting some great
stuff. <br>
An independent Crier with a strong editor is in the best interests
of</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>our community.</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><br></blockquote>
<div><br></div>
<div><br></div>
<x-sigsep><pre>--
</pre></x-sigsep>
<div>"We have met the enemy, and he is us!" Pogo Possum<br>
http://theriverdaleobserver.blogspot.com</div>
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