1976 DECLARATION of INDEPENDENCE
WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS TO BE SELF EVIDENT:
1 - THAT all human beings are born with equal rights to the earth, which is the source of their physical needs and the field and opportunity of all their creative enterprises and labors.
2 - THAT the returns to labor in the production of goods and services are the property of the producers.
3 - THAT the land, which is not of human production but is necessary to ail life, can never be man’s property. But in order to secure the right of the producer to his product, a private and exclusive possession of land shall be conferred upon individuals, by society, on equal terms.
4 - THAT society, as a whole, by its presence and activities, gives value to land in various degrees according to where it is situated. This social value belongs to all, and should be collected and distributed annually, in equal shares, to the people so as to give to each an equal economic opportunity.
5 - THAT the present practice of allowing the landowners, by virtue of their land-titles, to keep cost of this socially-created value, gives them an unearned income which, when capitalized for sale, becomes the selling price of land.
6 - THAT this ever-increasing price of land, by fostering land monopoly and land speculation, is the origin of great fortunes and the fundamental cause of unemployment; poverty; over-taxation; inflation; business stagnation; depressions; etc. etc.
WE THEREFORE URGE:
1 - The abolition of all land-titles, to be replaced by leaseholds.
2 - The creation of a national body elected and controlled by the people to administer their common heritage. To collect and distribute the rent of land, annually, in equal, shares to all citizens living in the United States.
3 - The abolition of all indirect taxes on business; labor and labor products, now shifted to the consumers in higher prices.
4 - A direct tax levied on all adult individuals to pay the cost of the services rendered to them by government.
These measures would be the subjects of amendments to the Federal Constitution.
HOW THE FREE LAND SYSTEM WORKS:
1 - There shall be no private ownership of land, but every citizen shall be entitled to all the land needed for a home and any legitimate business, upon payment of a rent based on the superior advantages of the locations. The least advantageous locations shall pay no rent.
2 - The total rent (minus the cost of administration) shall be paid out in equal shares to every adult citizen living in the United States, thus giving to each one an equal opportunity to make an honest living.
3 - There shall be no taxation upon any legitimate business; occupation; goods or services, thus reducing prices and the cost of living.
4 -For the support of government, every adult individual shall be charged for the services he had received. There shall be no public debt.
FROM THIS PLAN THE FOLLOWING MAY BE EXPECTED:
1 - A much lower cost of living.
2 - Free land and a good home for every family.
3 - Unlimited opportunities for new enterprises with an ever-increasing demand for labor, until labor would become scarce.
4 - From then on, labor would remain scarce because, while land is available free and capital can be produced quickly, it takes twenty years or more to produce a laborer.
5 - This would, automatically, bring the wages of labor and the profits of capital to the full value of their respective contributions. And this without labor disputes and strikes, since they would no longer have to share their production with the owners of the earth.
6 - It would insure an equitable distribution of wealth and bring to an end the recurring cycles of inflation and business stagnation.
7 - It would induce a reduction of the functions and cost of government at all levels.
8 - It would pave the way for the undertaking of other much-needed reforms such as money; banking; political; labor; business; and others.
ALL CITIZENS who want a world of Peace and Plenty are invited to Join:
THE FREE LAND LEAGUE Box 908 250 58th St., North
St. Petersburg, Fla. 33710
There are no membership dues and no obligation whatsoever.
WRITE NOW! RIGHT NOW!
Mr. Gaston Haxo is the founder of The Free Land League. He has been active in the Henry George movement for many years and has written several books on the subject. On the Board of Directors of the League are two former Trustees of the H.G.S., N.J. - C.D. Reinhart and Stewart D. Woolley.
The GARGOYLE is pleased to publish this Special Bicentennial Issue with the sincere hope that readers will seriously consider the proposed -1976 Declaration of Independence, set forth herewith.
source: https://hgarchives.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/july-1976.pdf