Harry P. The revenue for basic government services (police, fire, infrastructure) would be provided by a collection of economic rent. Rent measures the advantages given to locations by the surrounding community. Collecting it and using it for basic services is simply giving it back to the community that created it.
arthur How would consensus take place on the amount of rent to be charged? Who would collect this rent? How would decisions get take when new infrastructure is needed(say expanding the sewer system). -----Original Message----- From: Harry Pollard [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, November 7, 2003 5:33 PM To: 'Ray Evans Harrell'; Cordell, Arthur: ECOM; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: [Futurework] E.European Women discover the Joys of Free Trade Ray, People who have friends within the bureaucracy are worth more than those who don't. In California, pensions after retirement, or early retirement, are very high (I believe 90-95% of salary). With the combination of a high pension and a close connection with people engaged in ladling out money -- I think bureaucrats could do well. I do like Bush's rather pointed remark that the people of America should have the same kind of health service enjoyed by those in Congress. Yes, I like that. Whether you like it or not, elected politicians and their bureaucratic friends are favored classes in the US -- as indeed they are in every country. As was said about the missionaries, they became 'servants of the people' to do good, and they've done very well. I don't understand how: "jobs that are necessary but unable to generate income" can occur. Surely, if they are necessary they will generate income. It doesn't it make sense? Why do you see the private sector is terrible at healthcare? I've already described the Kaiser-Permanente system, which I would say was the equal of any other in the world - private or government. I read with amusement of the parliamentary debate in the UK where the minister pointed out that they had practically reached their target of a 17 month wait to get into hospital. We also have the description by Keith of his fear of entering a British hospital because of infection. National Health hospitals vary a lot, from very good to awful - which is probably true of many systems. After care and senior care is very good - or is within my limited experience (outside of London). But, the reaction to my sister-in-law's surgery in Germany after a fall was "Thank God it was done in Germany." Probably unfair to Brit surgeons (those that haven't emigrated to the US). I'm sure that the government run hospitals here are under-funded and overworked. But, it seems that many of the private hospitals are in pretty good shape and provide excellent service. Before government education, schooling seemed not at all bad. A lot of people across the US and around the world -- ordinary people -- were able to read Progress & Poverty and find themselves roused to take action. Present school funding in the US is around $7,000 per student. If six teachers -- each specializing -- were to set up six classrooms each with 35 students, they would have close to $1.5 million with which to teach the children. If they gave themselves $100,000 a year in salary they would still have close to $900,000 to pay the rent and supply the textbooks and other materials (much of which would have a life of several years). They might not have a cafeteria, but they would probably contract with outside providers to supply low-cost school lunches. Heck, with that amount of money they could probably take the kids on a field trip to Paris. Or, they could add to their salaries, or perhaps save enough money to erect their own school. I suppose they would become something like existing Charter Schools, most of which seem to do very well (though a few fail). Ordinary public schools cannot fail, no matter how bad they are. Think about that. Religion is at the moment in the private sector. I must say I have visited Gwen's Methodist Church on a number of occasions and haven't found much sign of fascism, just lots of very nice people. As for the cheap thrills and shallowness in the entertainment area, they are part of the marketplace and apparently people in the market want cheap thrills and shallowness. If you were a fascist you would force them to listen and view things which are good for them. If you think they are ill educated in the finer things of life, perhaps you should blame government education. But, you wouldn't do that. You said: "So you have not explained an overall system where all of the human needs both physical, emotional, cultural and spiritual are met in your society." In my "system" there would only be voluntary poverty. Wages at every level would allow people to enjoy life in any way they chose. There would be no government services to explain what is good what is bad. People would have to find these things out themselves. Oprah is always available. Most importantly, privileges would have been ended (you'll recall these are government laws which benefit one of the expense of another). Instead of the massive mountain of privilege draining wealth from the people, which is our present experience, there would be justice -- a name for equal treatment under the law. The revenue for basic government services (police, fire, infrastructure) would be provided by a collection of economic rent. Rent measures the advantages given to locations by the surrounding community. Collecting it and using it for basic services is simply giving it back to the community that created it. So it's not really a tax -- more properly the charge. The person who occupies a location gets the advantage, which is paid back to the community -- a zero-sum. Whether or not this free people would listen to choral music, or to the frustration of the Yankees losing the series, is their choice. If you do your teaching job right, you'll create your support. Trouble is it might be from the great unwashed rather than the elite. If you can stand that, you'll have a pretty good time. Harry -----Original Message----- From: Ray Evans Harrell [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [Futurework] E.European Women discover the Joys of Free Trade Harry, Its been my experience that Bureaucrats do better than normal in the private sector. You have not explained to me how jobs that are necessary but unable to generate income due to free riding by the consumer can sustain themselves. On the other hand the private sector is good at exploitation period. They are terrible at healthcare, education, religion would be fascism under the private sector and arts and entertainment are cheap thrills and shallowness. So you have not explained an overall system where all of the human needs both physical, emotional, cultural and spiritual are met in your society. But to constantly knock people working for the government ignores the fact that most jobs are useless and have little meaning other than to move money around and keep people off of the streets. In the case of this government you can add "helping your friends and economic class" to the purpose of government money. Ray Evans Harrell ----- Original Message ----- From: "Harry Pollard" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, November 06, 2003 9:23 PM Subject: RE: [Futurework] E.European Women discover the Joys of Free Trade > Arthur, > > I'm not an anarchist. > > But whenever the joys of government are discussed, they revolve around > police, ambulances, and fire. Oh, yes, and education. > > I rather think that money for police, ambulances, fire, and education, > comes from what's left after the bureaucracies have been fed. As I > mentioned in a previous post, the last time more money was asked for > education by a bond vote, they stressed that the money would be spent > only in the classrooms. Does that tell you something? They know that > the voters no longer trust them to use the money properly, so this > time they promised they would. > > Didn't do them any good. The bond failed anyway. > > It seems that my mention of 1,400 laws passed in Sacramento in one > year made no impression on you. At least the 75,000 pages of the US > Federal Register doesn't apply to you - but I know you wish they did. > I wonder how many pages there are in the Canadian equivalent that > lists all the regulations without which you would feel so alone and > unprotected. > > However, most interesting is your thought that without government, we > wouldn't have police and fire protection - and probably no education. > It implies we are a bunch of ignoramuses - helpless without government > to hold our hands and lead the way. > > Will Rogers said "Thank God we don't get all the government we pay > for." > >I fear we do. > > Harry _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
