That long-teased Henry George post

I have been only-peripherally aware of Henry George, one of too-many political philosophers touted by the coffeehouse set. I know the name because McEachran revered George, and several teachers in Shrewsbury revered Kek - this despite, or maybe because, Kek's students ended up servitors of Stalin. Anyway the American "Thinker" recently associated George with that crackpot Mamdani, linking to a summary which... doesn't consider George a crackpot. Timothy Taylor last March linked an historical critique. Kek, the Liberal, didn't let results inform his principles; Liberals rarely do.

In plain English, George liked property-taxes. He ran for Mayor in New York City, on that platform.

I am slotting this poast for Independence Day. Arguably, Constitution Day would be better. The Declaration was done by landowners but supported by the likes of Henry and Paine. The Constitution devolved the franchise upon the States only demanding they be "republican", small-r. Several of those States, famously, restricted the franchise; those outside it (excepting women, and such Nations as the Cherokee) would count for 3/5 of the purpose of Representation-therefore-Electoral-College. Landowners are exactly the people George wants to screw over I mean, "tax". We are, then, dealing with an antiConstitutional movement; a movement such as has driven our most famous Amendments.

Midwits could talk how "land value" means that apartment-complexes must shift the cost to their renters, but feh. I do not write for midwits. What I want to flag, is that the supply/demand curve gets distorted. George doesn't encourage owners of the land to increase value - by, say, adding floors as might increase supply. The YIMBY/Abundance crew cannot join George's coalition. Probably why George lost, and his ideas had to be tested afield in Blighty.

For my part I live in a state with a lot of land which is marginal land. George would understand that and not tax it, I hear the midwits - rather halfwits - squeal. To that: take rich mercantile interests, perhaps even not American, as would bid on the land. That would drive up the value, yes. But the rancher cannot pay his bills from that. The best he can do is borrow. George's tax wouldn't fall upon the speculators; it would fall upon the rancher. The rancher can barely keep his tractor in repair for all his "wealth".

To sum up, go away Georgists. UPDATE 12:30 MST: I'm in good company.