RE: Libertarian Social Democracy: Delegative Democracy, Land Value Tax, & Universal Basic Income
You have clearly done a great deal of research. I am thrilled to have the benefit of your erudition.
While practically every point you make is without dispute, the devil's in the details, and the ultimate effect of policy is determined by how it is implemented. It is impossible to expect folks to pursue such egalitarian policies without seeking to preferentially benefit themselves.
Particularly in our present circumstances, which have contrived to train us to do so by hook or crook.
One question that immediately plagues me, is how to establish land value for taxation purposes, if sales of land are not possible. What about your example of contributing development, and how that impacts the value of real property? What about eminent domain, eviction for non-payment of tax, and etc...? Ok, that's a lot of questions LOL.
Clearly, these questions can be answered only speculatively at present. I'd very much like to conduct experiments and find out answers to them, though!
Are you familiar with 'Manifesto of the Free Humans' by Derrick Broze and John Vibes? Both of those authors have accounts here, and I expect that through such discussions as your posts might engender, all of us will be enlightened.
I cannot thank you enough for your well considered positions, and sharing them.
I'll be looking forward to many more.
Land value tax has been used in several countries over the last 100 years, so there are proven methods for valuing the land. Here in Australia, it's currently only used at State/Territory level.
So, as far as countering "hook and crook" goes...I'm pretty pessimistic about the prospects for America. The populace is too stupid and fascistic to be saved. Americans basically just have to wait for the older generation to die off before they have any hope of a just or sane society. Other countries, like Sweden, Switzerland, Estonia, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, New Zealand, and Australia have more hope. In general, I think something like an Occupy Wall Street approach or a "libertarian municipalist" approach is probably the best bet for keeping the government in check or countering its corruption. You should check out "The Politics of Social Ecology: Libertarian Municipalism" by Janet Biehl, "Democratic Confederalism" by Abdullah Ocalan (also look into the YPJ/YPG and the quasi-anarchist confederation of Rojava), and the works of Murray Bookchin are worth looking at too. Really, it takes people coming together in citizen's assemblies en masse to counteract government corruption.
As for the questions regarding land value tax and assessing land value, I would just say that most places actually already have/use methods of assessing land value apart from structures. If you take a chunk of land under eminent domain to expand a road or whatever, you have to assess the value of the land without structures so you can pay the owner. There's many other reasons that land value is assessed apart from structures too. In most cases, we already have that information (or can easily get it) since it is used for other purposes. I'd recommend checking out "Progress and Poverty," by Henry George (particularly the abridged edition from the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation)...this is truly one of the best books ever written. It's a book that really changed me, made me go from being a totally anti-tax anarchist to advocate tax reform and welfare measures. I really can't recommend it enough. Also, maybe check out Fred Foldvary, Dan Sullivan, Scott Santens, and Martin Farley. I can't really answer some of your land value tax questions, simply because of time...but reading Henry George or getting acquainted with how land value tax works would really answer those questions. I just don't have the time to give a comprehensive intro and elaboration of how land value tax works at the moment. Might tackle that task at some point in the future though.
That is quite a reading list! Thanks for the very substantive reply =)
The Beihl, Ocalan, and George books are all relatively short. A lot of the others are folks you can find as speakers on vids on YouTube. I love books. If you know of any good books, I'm always looking for more reading material. I'm mostly into economics, politics, evolutionary theory, epistemology, and ethics.
I actually have Ocalan's work, in PDF, but have managed to avoid actually reading it yet =p
I did ask if you had read 'Manifesto of the Free Humans' by Broze and Vibes.
I've managed to not get past the very beginning of that either, but both authors are on Steemit now, and I do enjoy their posts here.
Thanks!
I haven't read Broze & Vibes' stuff yet, but did look it up and add it to my reading list.
You're going to have to turn this comment into an actual post.
While I can certainly relate to this as an American, I have to disagree. Americans aren't any more stupid than anyone else. They are heavily propagandized, censored, under the boot heel of a fascist state, and surveilled incessantly. As would anyone in such a position, as did the Eurasian peoples under Stalin, they are circumspect, pander volubly, and hunker down with such treats as they can manage to gather.
People respond to their environment. As the environment changes, they change. Crisis is upon us, in short order, and Americans will respond accordingly.
Smedley Butler refused to transform America into a fascist dictatorship, despite his long service as a thug for crony capitalist corporations. Perhaps there are many more such heroes among us yet.