Report on the Council of Georgist Organizations
Conference held in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Edward J. Dodson

[July 20-25, 2004]

Some seventy-five stalwart adherents to the principles espoused by Henry George in the late 1800s gathered in Albuquerque, New Mexico during the week of July 19th for the annual series of organization meetings and conference sessions. Many of the sessions were designed to explore the social and economic challenges facing the people of New Mexico, and panels included representatives from a number of local public and private groups.

Prior to the main conference, the board of trustees of Common Ground, U.S.A. met to report on activities, approve a new budget and take care of other business. Common Ground's history goes back to the mid-1980s, with a desire to give local activists an organizational framework in which to function. Although its membership remains small, several chapters operate around the country with considerable impact. I serve on Common Ground's board as a member-at-large (i.e., not attached to any local chapter). Also, I contribute commentary to GroundSwell, Common Ground's bi-monthly memberhship newsletter. Common Ground members are committed to change in public policy leading to the full collection of location and other forms of rent (i.e., publicly-created values currently privately appropriated).

The general conference began the evening of Wednesday, July 21, with reports by members and affiliates of the Council of Georgist Organizations. I provided an update on the School of Cooperative Individualism's progress reaching an expanding community of activists, researchers, teachers and others.

An additional attraction was the previewing of a newly-released documentary titled "The End of Suburbia" narrated by author James Kuntsler, warned of the consequences of our increasing global reliance on fossil fuels even as total production is falling. Learn more about this documentary at the following website: End of Suburbia.

Thursday, July 22

The first session offered a discussion on strategies of how to build coalitions with other activist groups. This was followed by reports and discussion from representatives of the Henry George Schools in Chicago and San Francisco, Dan Sullivan (until recently the education director of the Henry George School in Philadelphia) and Lindy Davies (director of the Henry George Institute and the Institute's correspondence course program). The discussion focused on student recruitment and retention as well as content presentation.

The afternoon sessions began with a presentation by Spencer MacCallum, a life-long proponent of self-supporting communities. Scott Walton, of Evanston, Illinois, chaired a workshop on fund-raising methods, and the final discussion of the day addressed the challenge of obtaining media attention and journalistic coverage of issues important to Georgists. Walt Rybeck, a former newspaper reproter who heads the Maryland-based Center for Public Dialogue, offered the following recommendations for approaching editorial writers:

• Read the editorials on local issues regularly for at least a month.
• Note things you agree with and can sincerely applaud when you meet with the writer or writers.
• Be alert for an editiorial dealing with a "Georgist" topic that would benefit from an understanding of land econmics -- affordable housing, sprawl, financing of public works, as examples. Pick one of their topics about which you are knowledgeable and that you feel comfortable to discuss.
• Phone the newspaper, ask for the editorial page editor, and ask to speak to the writer of the editorial you selected.
• Introduce yourself and thank the writer for addressing an important topic. Say this topic is of great interest to you. Ask when (not whether) it will be convenient to meet to discuss the subject with him or her. Breakdfast or lunch is often a good idea.
• If there are other Georgists in your group, ask if it is OK to bring an associate along. (One person with new ideas is easily dismissed; two persons with the same views lend credence to each other.)
• Break the ice by getting to know one another. Ask about the editorial writer's background and share personal information about yourself. Seek common interests, outlooks and acquaintances.
• Do not assume antagonism on the part of the writer to your ideas.
• Ask about the editorial you have chosen: What did the writer think had caused the problem?
• Ask about the basis for the proposed solution.
• Only after you have probed the writer's explanations of the causes and cures of the problem, ask if the writer would like to hear your alternative views.
• Do not give the complete history or theory of land value taxation. Stick to the topic of the editorial and show how the upside-down tax structure contributes to the problem under discussion. Suggest how changing the system would ease the particular problem. Do not make exaggerated claims.
• Bring little or no literature. Ask if you might send some material that would shed further light on what you have discussed -- and to illustrate some success stories in the matters you have discussed.
• Keep the meeting short, just enough to spark interest. Do not push too hard to persuade that your views are correct. Let the writer see that you could be a useful source of information. Cut it off by saying you have another engagement but would be glad to meet again.
• Phone, email and regular mail are good once your have established contact. Short responses to future editorials, sharing your take on the problems and solutions discussed, can be frequent, say every month or so, but not so often as to be seen as a pest.
• Aim to become a friend and unofficial consultant to the editorial writer -- to influence what he or she writes. So put "Not for Publication" at the bottom of your written comments. If the editorial writer wants to publish your thoughts under your name, of course, happily go along with that.
• Let the editorial writer's responses guide whether this is a friendship to nourish and continue. If, after a reasonable effort, you conclude the case is hopeless, start over with another local editor, reporter or talk show host on your local radio and TV stations.

Friday, July 23

The day began with presentations and discussions on the link between Georgist values and Christian Economics. Brendan Hennigan delivered a paper comparing Henry George's theory of justice with the social teachings of the Catholic Church. The heart of the matter, he observes, is:

George and Catholic social teachings are in agreement that land is a gift from God to all humankind from generation to generation. Equal rights to land is based on the dignity of the human person. ...How one is to determine the rights to individual property and common property is what seems to separate George and Catholic social teachings."

Read the entire paper Comparison of Henry George's Economic Theory of Justice with the Catholic Church's Social Teachings.

Other presentations were made by Wyn Achenbaum and Alanna Hartzok. A second morning session explored "Economic Democracy and the Global Green Agenda." Author J.W. Smith and Green Party activist Anne Goeke delivered presentations.

During Friday's luncheon, local Albuquerue community leader Rob Dickson talked about an intensive redeveloment effort to create a mixed-use, walking community in the eastern section of the city. Josh Vincent, of the Center for the Study of Economics, responded with suggestions that Albuquerque ought to examine the benefits of moving to land value taxation as a tool to stimulate investment and redevelopment.

The first afternoon session continued the discussion on growth, focusing on the best means of financing new infrastructure. This was followed by presentations and discussion on the efforts to provide affordable housing. I participated in this panel by commenting on the more common approaches communities take by subsidizing construction costs, land acquisition costs and providing grants to low- and moderate-income homebuyers for down payments and closing costs.

That evening, Carol Miller, a healthcare professional in New Mexico, delivered a very sobering presentation on the long experience New Mexico's residents have had with nuclear testing carried on by the Federal government at Los Alamos. The following morning, she then discussed the serious problems of delivering health care to New Mexico's urban and rural poor.

Over lunch on Saturday, the conference heard from John Hooker, local host for the conference and candidate for the New Mexico state legislature. He offered a candid assessment of the challenges to structural changes in his state. At the same time, he expressed his own views that such changes are very much needed if New Mexico is to create an environment for sustainable development.

The evening banquet featured a talk by Mason Gaffney, professor of economics at the University of California (Riverside)on "The Taxable Capacity of Land in All its Forms and Tenures." Professor Gaffney's list is considerably long and detailed. He provided much food for thought.

The banquet also honored the late Robert V. Andelson, professor emeritus of philosophy at Auburn University, presenting a plaque to his wife, Bonnie, in recognition of Professor Andelson's life-long efforts on behalf of the Georgist cause.