We can have one without the other
Behold the 5G mid-band auction. The trade press and the FCC itself have touted the auction, concluded late August 2020, as a long-overdue boon to the U.S. But something about it gives me that “Watch Out” feeling. That something is the 19th Century predatory monopolism… Read More »The 5G Auction: Boon or Trap?
As has become the norm, the weeks since the publication of our December newsletter have been full to the brim with breaking news and accounts of personal struggle and heartbreak too numerous to begin to address here. Today though, two main stories capture the headlines:… Read More »Forging Ahead in 2021
If you were following the tax assessment beat during California’s 2020 election, chances are you heard plenty about Proposition 15. As a bill that would unfreeze assessments for commercial properties, it was flashy, impactful, and activated political blocs both For (teacher unions) and Against (the… Read More »California Election Update: What Is Prop 19, Anyway?
How can a tax help rather than hinder an economic recovery? Believe it or not, a tax on land value would best stimulate economic recovery. A land value tax, like today’s property taxes, is based on the value of land when put to its best… Read More »The Tax We Need for the Pandemic Economic Recovery
A Paradigm for Understanding Budgeting; What Role is there for Land Reformers? It’s in the air: something called “Modern Monetary Theory” (MMT). MMT purports to have answers on how to pay for public goods without burdensome taxes, how to shift more earning power to workers,… Read More »Book Review: “The Deficit Myth”
There is little doubt that much of the turbulence and uncertainty in recent politics stems from the financial insecurity Americans are feeling. There are many explanations for this – the uncertainty in the current job market and the dramatic fluctuations in the American economy. One… Read More »Financial insecurity among the Public
This past September, tens of thousands of people, including myself, sheltered indoors. Not just because of COVID mandates, but to escape the forest fire smoke engulfing the west coast. The sky was an eerie blood-orange and the air quality index exceeded 500, an extremely hazardous… Read More »Using a Carbon Fee and Dividend: A Tool to Overcome the Climate Crisis
As we collectively stare down the holidays, the reality that our celebrations won’t look or feel the same as in other years is inescapable. The range of differences varies, of course. For my family, it’s planning our winter holidays without extended family for the first… Read More »It’s time to get creative
As a rule, people have a general aversion to discussions of tax policy. Except for the most elementary understanding – progressive, neutral, regressive, or exempt or non-exempt – public discourse on taxation is mostly banal or non-existent. It’s really no wonder, because political leaders have… Read More »The Common Aversion to Tax Study
In response to an article written by Harrison Astbury on November 18, 2020 Why a property tax is not the answer, I believe that Astbury is half right. Real estate consists of two types of property, land and improvements. A property tax on buildings and… Read More »Why a property tax on land value is indeed the answer – Op-Ed
