Progress.org: News & Opinions on the Economy, Society, and Nature

Counting Surplus #20: At the Official Data Watering Holes

Why It Matters:

People tend to think an official stat is the answer. But is it? Is it accurate? Tainted by politics? Is the unofficial better?

Jeffery J. Smith

Our mission is to promote equitable and scientific ideas that practically support our evolving humanity. By recognizing the interconnectedness of all living things, Progress.org provides deep insight in the areas of economics, society, and nature to affirm a world that works for everyone.

Hobbes and Kaldor on Taxing Expenditure

The alternatives of taxing income versus spending is a fallacy of the excluded option.

Fred Foldvary, Ph.D.

Counting Surplus #25—Is Now, Hopefully, Feasible

If there are reasons to be encouraged, to not foolishly feel hope, then you have to know them.

Jeffery J. Smith

Could a 137 Year-Old Equation Explain the Financial Collapse?

These days, only First Peoples hold to 'outdated' traditions: That land should be rented, not sold. We know better now, or so we think.

Counting Surplus #24: With the Help of Leaders

We have elected politicians to serve us. Here's chance to ask them to do their job in a very big way.

Jeffery J. Smith

When to Preserve? When to Develop?

Powerful people with limited values tell us losing pristine nature is good for us. How can we tell when it’s not?

Jeffery J. Smith

Morality is the basis of proper governance.

Fred Foldvary, Ph.D.

Counting Surplus #23: When Less Is Less

When public servants quit serving, to whom do you turn? Somebody out there must be the true answer man, eh?

Jeffery J. Smith

Wildlife Conservation

Economist Fred Harrison talks with conservationist Peter Smith about how the economy produces environmental disasters, and what solutions can create a environmental sustainability.

Real Estate 4 Ransom

Land is the most precious physical gift we have. “Real Estate for Ransom” shows how real estate speculation is responsible for the decline in culture and human society.

Make Prices Reward “Green” Choices

Target the most sensitive body part—the wallet. Make prices tell the truth. Earth as object of speculation? Not with geonomics.

Jeffery J. Smith

The Game of Monopoly versus Equopoly

The Monopoly game originated as an economic lesson, and still offers economic policy insights.

Fred Foldvary, Ph.D.

Counting Surplus #22: Up to My Own Best Guess

You can hear how much Earth is worth from somebody afraid of the answer or from one who's determined to tell the truth.

Jeffery J. Smith

City Density—Friend of Trip Efficiency

Cities cater to cars, not people. New fuels, motors, and modes of transport all pale beside fewer, shorter trips.

Jeffery J. Smith

Oshan Cook: A Call for Presidential Clemency

Seeking Presidential Clemency for Oshan Cook is not only the right thing to do—it’s a quick and easy task you can do right now.

Buildings Waste Energy. But We Tax’em!

You want efficient buildings yet you tax them—improving them raises their tax liability. How rational is that? Not very. So do something else!

Jeffery J. Smith

The Right to Arbitrarily Discriminate

Arbitrary discrimination is a social vice, but liberty requires freedom of association.

Fred Foldvary, Ph.D.

Land Worth = More than Enough

There is enough for all of us. But will we look in the right places?

Counting Surplus #21: Officials Guesstimate the Price of Non-Housed Lots

The US owns about 1/3 of America and from it raises revenue—enough for all Americans?

Jeffery J. Smith

It's possible to pay for public goods without taxation in substance.

Fred Foldvary, Ph.D.

Counting Surplus #20: At the Official Data Watering Holes

People tend to think an official stat is the answer. But is it? Is it accurate? Tainted by politics? Is the unofficial better?

Jeffery J. Smith

The Multiplier Myth

Economic growth depends on real investment, not more spending.

Fred Foldvary, Ph.D.

Land in Ancient Israel and Early Zionism

The ills of stratification and sectarianism can be alleviated when we acknowledge that land is under a jurisdiction that is more sacred than its commodification.

Counting Surplus #19: As Done by Academics

How much do we spend on nature? On land under our homes, on the farmland portion of our food, on the oil portion of our gasoline? Not even the pros are sure.

Jeffery J. Smith

Subsidies, Politics, and Pollution

Political turmoil has its roots in the unequal distribution of economic rent in Thailand and elsewhere.

Thugs Destroy Democracy

Disruptions of political campaigns destroy democracy.

Fred Foldvary, Ph.D.

Counting Surplus #18: Goes Easier With Volunteers

Helping shift the paradigm, it happens faster—and feels good.

Jeffery J. Smith

Counting Bounty #17: Gets an A for Apolitical?

You want your information straight up, not massaged by the messengers POV.

Jeffery J. Smith

Counting Surplus #16: Diving Into Edited Data

Cutting-edge bloggers in recent years have published what they discoverd about how much we pay for Earth.

Jeffery J. Smith

The Mad Policy Hurting Bank Recovery

Why bank shares have been depressed and negative interest rates could lead to recessions.

Michigan’s Government Failure

Examples of government failure should make us think of why governments fail.

Fred Foldvary, Ph.D.