Do we believe the below? The centripetal effects of capitalism have become extremely powerful. It is apparent on a world scale. In England the economy around London is seriously overheated while the periphery struggles. A house in London costs three times that of a comparable house in the Midlands of England. Will the free market address these discrepancies in any socially rational way? Probably not. If reforms are needed for social foresight in planning economies, how about 1) a differential tax on petrol on a sliding scale so that it is progressively cheaper in rural areas. (eg making the tax a inverse function of the distance from the nearest next filling station) 2) the socialisation of land so that the licence to use land for any purpose is open to competitive bidding but within a socially controlled development plan? Chris Burford London. >The technology boom that has left many rural communities behind in recent >years also has the power to rapidly improve the economic conditions in >rural America, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said in a speech >Thursday. > >"Although dislocations are bound to accompany economic growth, we should >not shrink from accepting the changes that technology will bring but >rather should rise to its challenges and look forward to the great >benefits that it can provide over time to all our people, whether they >live in congested urban areas or in the still-open spaces of rural >America," Greenspan said in prepared remarks. > >Speaking via video link to a conference on rural America in Kansas City, >Greenspan trumpeted the value of the Internet in linking rural citizens >with companies eager to tap new sources of workers. > >"With communications linkages tightening, businesses that are seeking a >location in which a supply of dependable workers is readily available can >more easily gather information about distant rural locations than in the >past, and energetic rural communities with access to the Internet should >find it easier to make themselves known to firms that are seeking a >place," he said. > >In addition to bringing new job and economic opportunities to rural >America, the Internet and other telecommunications advances are also >helping to raise the basic quality of life in those communities, Greenspan >contended. > >"The standard of living in rural places also is being enhanced by >technological changes that are expanding the menu of consumption >possibilities," Greenspan said. "Rural citizens are gaining access to a >broader range of goods and services, and the already existing goods and >services are available more expeditiously and at lower cost." > >Greenspan's comments follow close on the heels of President Clinton's >cross-country digital divide junket during which the president visited >both rural and inner-city communities to call attention to the so-called >"digital divide" between information technology haves and have-nots.
