Liberty and Society

John Stuart Mill and Henry George : A Polarity in Thinking

He that will not apply new remedies must expect new evils ' - Roger Bacon

I . In a free society , no legitimate law would make it a duty of government to take from the landed to build the wealth of the landless

If land is treated as private property , then land speculation will inevitably result . Pieces of land that are deemed to have the highest commercial potential will become increasingly overvalued as time goers by , with one eye looking forward to ever-higher valuations

in the future . The net effect will be to seal off the land for investments of capital and labor , which , in the course of the normal economic cycle will result in lower production , lower wages , and poverty

As long as tracts of land are held by private individuals for purposes of selfish profit , inefficiencies in the economic system will persist Those who own land will gain wealth at the expense of those who do not even if they contribute nothing else to the productive process . In fact the inequality of wealth distribution can be traced to the inequality in land ownership and access . Unless this situation is remedied , one must always expect societal problems to arise , as a necessary offshoot of wealth inequality

Today there is a select , powerful few who are in possession of much of the world 's resources . The term `resources ' not only encompasses land but also natural riches and the economic rents and franchises that go along with them . The power and financial position of this select few must be seen as monopolistic in large part because governments are either unwilling or unable to break their economic stranglehold

On the other side of the coin , the poor have almost nothing , surviving on the charity and alms of the extremely wealthy . In the majority of cases , the rich do not even undertake to provide for this section of society , though it would not be too unreasonable a burden for them to do so . In fact , oftentimes it is the poor and middle-class who are made to pay for national expenses , in the form of taxes on the production process . This inherently inequitable arrangement makes it very difficult for many people to enjoy the fruits of their own labor

Inevitably , this situation will produce masses of discontented people who will no longer abide a system which takes advantage of them with such impunity . Add to this the insult of ostentatious opulence as visible in the great cities of America , and one can justifiably expect social upheaval to envelop the country at one point or another -unless steps are taken to redress the economic imbalance . Lest one take lightly the risk of such an event , it must be pointed out that some of the greatest empires in human history entered their decline when they allowed extreme socio-economic inequality first to exist , and then to persist

Thus , if governments are to safeguard the future of the nation-state it...