Mid-East Views, Land and Resources.

[tcpip]

YouTube has an excellent six minute video that show many of the difficulties of Palestians living under Israeli occupation. Many of el-jays resident libertarians show themselves to be against freedom (for Palestinians). On topic, homais says some very sensible and balanced things about the current conflict in Lebanon, which are quite similar to the concerns of Johnathan Steele. How could both sides have blundered so badly?

A certain trouble maker has been warbling on about land and housing issues. The fundamental claim is correct; well meaning legislators who ration land are just as much to blame for rising house costs as a taxation system that does not capture the unearned increment in rising land prices. In other resource related news, the ALP is set to ditch their uranium policy, an action will undoubtably lose more votes than what they'll gain. Professor Emertius Ian Lowe has a different idea about energy. Further on-topic (from soulvessel Exxon is still avoiding payouts from the Valdez oil spill of 1989. You can email the CEO here.

claudine_c's speech at the Unitarians on rural health work in India was excellent. Noted the particular difficulties of dealing with an entrenched caste system and the inappropriateness of "western" medical mores. Followed by Brent McAuslan's discussion on the history of war at the philosophy group. Discussion tended towards the psychological motivations. Then the Cybernoia game which imajica_lj has summarised. In rodent news, Vagabond has hurt his spine, probably following a fall. Every dozen steps he lets out a sharp squeak of pain. He's currently drugged up on metacam and sleeping soundly ;-). Well done to dr_nic for providing the worst company URLs.

Comments

[greylock.livejournal.com]

I tried to scan the land issue.
It seemed as if he was saying one should build where one wants.
But it can't be.

I'll have to bookmark that one and puzzle it later, as I will what "a taxation system that does not capture the unearned increment in rising land prices" means.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

What he's saying is that artificial restrictions on land supply will lead, well, to less supply. Inevitably, the less supply of land available the higher the prices.

By unearned increment what is meant is the tendency for land prices to increase in market value without the owner contributing to that increase in price.

[greylock.livejournal.com]

What he's saying is that artificial restrictions on land supply will lead, well, to less supply. Inevitably, the less supply of land available the higher the prices.

As I said, I'll have to sit down and read it, but that seems like Economics 101 right there. Once read and digested, I'm sure I'll compose some sloppy rhetoric on why restrictions are important, and why (in Perth at least, there's no shortage of land, there's just a shortage of quarter-acre blocks close to the beach.

By unearned increment what is meant is the tendency for land prices to increase in market value without the owner contributing to that increase in price.

Nothing wrong with that, surely, at least for one's primary dwelling place? I should loathe to have to pay tax if we ever sold this house, mostly because I suspect we'd struggle to get back into the property market.
I think we have have discussed this in the dim past.

On the other hand, if you want to take the whip to speculative property investors, have at it.

[zey.livejournal.com]

The problem with releasing land, willy nilly, is that councils and the state government gets lumped with the cost of providing infrastructure to support it: water, sewerage, electrickery, telecoms, public transport, roads, etc.

Land rationing encourages subdividing the land that's already serviced. It's always a lot cheaper to add an extra outlet than build new pipes. The land might be more expensive in the short term, but, everything else ends up cheaper. (One of the benefits seen from severe land rationing in places like Japan is how cheap it is to provide massive broadband speeds to their citizens.)

The biggest problem re housing affordability these days is all the old governments who used to be active in providing public housing alternatives have pretty much packed up and left, in an era like the last 20 years where prices have rocketed up versus annual earnings, at the same time as we've had massive tax breaks put in for investment properties which has caused investors to pump up prices to a point past which a large proportion of first home buyers can't afford without intergenerational asset transfers.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Your arguments regarding infrastructure are partially true and, I suspect your arguments concerning the government giving up on that nasty socialist enterprise, public housing, may also have a grain of truth.

The main difference however has become land prices. Data from the HIA clearly indicate that the price of housing per se has no increased proportionally to land. For example a new house and land in Sydney in 1993 was $107,000 for the land and $121,000 for the house. In 2003 it was $128,500 for the house and $460,600 (!) for the land.

I have links to a couple of Housing Industry Association pdf on my journal a couple of weeks back; grab them - they make fascinating reading for something that is dry as tables and numbers.

[thebaronmk1.livejournal.com]

Bwaaaa haaa haaa haaaaa :-)

Got very strange looks in the office when looking at the URL's

Oh - and good thoughts on the difference between energy and the services it provides...

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Got very strange looks in the office when looking at the URL's

Some are very scary... However I must confess I've gone to expertsexchange many times and never parsed it the way they suggested...

Oh - and good thoughts on the difference between energy and the services it provides...

Indeed! Professor Lowe seems to know what he's on about. GLW has scored quite a coup getting him to submit that article.

[severina-242.livejournal.com]

Vagabond has hurt his spine, probably following a fall.

Are you sure he didn't injure it in a Rabbit MkII vs Rat shit fight? ;-)

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

No, Astaroth The Second Summoning has been segregated into a protected bunny zone whilst the rodents have a rat zone. Unless he hurt it trying to bash down a door, like Balbi used to.

[strangedave.livejournal.com]

Oh, come on, anyone for home uranium mining was a knee jerk vote changing issue has probably already defected to the Greens long ago, and it might win a few votes back the other way if the Greens are seen to be weak on greenhouse as a result of a hard anti-nuclear stance. Like it or not, nuclear energy is likely to form a part of any global shift away from coal, and certainly must form part of the debate, no matter how much Ian Lowe politely avoids mentioning it while preaching to the choir.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

I wasn't really thinking about people changing their primary vote, although that will be a factor. I'm rather thinking that Labor party activists will be significantly disinclined to do the hard yards for the party come the election period and the probable reaction of the media ("U-Mine Backflip" the front page blaze on the Herald Sun today) and the resonance in the community.

[strangedave.livejournal.com]

If you think the party activists on the Left (and its obviously the Left we are talking about) are so invested in uranium policy that its going to overwhelm their feelings about industrial relations, etc, I'll have to say you know the Left better than I do - but I'd be pretty appalled and disappointed.

Its my feeling that the Uranium issue is an '80s hangover - firmly entrenched positions on both sides that have barely changed since then, but less of a big issue. Its something thats important as an issue within the ALP because its one of the few clear factional lines of division, but the people who cared about it more than they care about traditional ALP issues like industrial relations have largely left the ALP, IMO (or moved towards the centre like, well, just about everybody). Like most of the Green Left/Greens/left of the Dems corner of Australian politics, they will never vote for the ALP as a primary vote, and always give it a two party preferred boost over the Libs, so the ALP has stopped caring.

That, and the muddying of the waters with nuclear power being painted as a potential part of the green house solution, makes me think its not the issue for the broad electorate it once was, more an issue for people who still remember the battles of the 80s.

...

[imajica-lj.livejournal.com]

- "Then the Cybernoia game which [info]imajica_lj has summarised."
+ "Then the Cybernoia game which [info]imajica_lj has summarised, poorly."

I kind like the notion that your flat now has a DMZ ... local sources on the ground are suggesting that perhaps Vagabond has "injured" his spine in order to attract attention and sympathy from international aid agencies.
There are reports that Bob Geldof is standing by with a battalion of aging prog-rockers, ready to halo drop in and bore both sides into submission.

Re: ...

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

There are reports that Bob Geldof is standing by with a battalion of aging prog-rockers, ready to halo drop in and bore both sides into submission.

I have been listening to a lot of Hawkwind, no doubt about it.

However, apparently they are not just prog-rock, but also... protopunk!.

I quite like the descriptive of space-rock as well.

"attracted a motley but dedicated collection of psychedelic drugs users, science-fiction fans, and motorcycle riders."

Re: ...

[imajica-lj.livejournal.com]

> I have been listening to a lot of Hawkwind, no doubt about it.

The UN is asking the Bush administration for additional military support in the event that sanctions against the cruel and unusual tactics of the Humans of the house hold fail... the AP is also reporting that psychedelic drugs users, science-fiction fans, and motorcycle riders world wide are converting on mass to the Raelian sect.

Re: ...

[zey.livejournal.com]

There are reports that Bob Geldof is standing by with a battalion of aging prog-rockers [...]

That would probably outnumber the 45 fans who turned up to his last concert ;-). In a stadium built to hold 11,000! :-)

Re: ...

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

That's the end of an era.

Mind you, it would have been an amazing concert for the 45 fans...

[wolf-in-winter.livejournal.com]

I scanned the charming argument in the libertarian community- I found myself primarily being amused by the fact that it sounded like an argument from the "Your Say" section of The Age :)

I was lucky enough to see Ian Lowe speak at the National Press Club last year (ah, the joys of connections to Parliament that earn you a $60 lunch w. talk). I think whatever your political stance, or environmental stance, he's one of the best speakers and thinkers that the Left have on environmental issues. Not that there are not plenty of others, but certainly from his reception at the Press Club he seems to go down as less of a bitter pill to swallow, for those who might not normally agree with his standpoint.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

That doesn't bode well for The Age ;-)


Not that there are not plenty of others, but certainly from his reception at the Press Club he seems to go down as less of a bitter pill to swallow, for those who might not normally agree with his standpoint.

That's certainly true; why do you think it's the case?

[wolf-in-winter.livejournal.com]

Several factors, that revolve around a core of respectibility.

Predominantly: well educated, well spoken, well dressed. Ian Lowe defies the 'Greeny' stereotype, and his research and educational background at least ensure that even people who are not supportive of environmentalists in general are at least willing to listen and give him his due.

pfft

[decrypt-era.livejournal.com]

homais says some very sensible and balanced things

Wasn't all that impressd, really.
While homais has collectd more data than th average person
before beginning their analysis,
and claims the aim of objectivity and avoidance of moralism,
they still fall prey to many of th ridiculous assumptions receiving widespread acceptance,
eg: the idea that Hezb'Allah instigated all this with their abduction.
The Guardian article was even less insightful.
Both pieces amount to little more than head-scratching.
Th reason for their confusion is
that they'r easily distracted by th stated aims of power structures,
which rarely match their intended aims
(altho th stated aims generally do serve th intended aims in some way).
Also, as Said pointd out time & again,
yr understanding will never be very deep
if you insist on viewing groups composed of many millions of ppl
as monolithic objects.

Re: pfft

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

There is a suggestion (and I have certainly raised it) that a body of "biblical fanatics" in Israel want a greater state that stretches from the brook of the Nile to the Euphrates (as per the divine promise).

These people would be in concord with those in the US military who see the sense of a single front from Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan rather than several diconnected fronts.

Which would also accord with sections of Hezb'Allah (love that rewording) wanting to develop further public support in a "bring it on" sort of fashion.

You are quite correct in suggesting that even the most monollithic of groups have more factions and subfactions that anyone cares to mention. After all, one would expect an ALP insider such a myself to be painfully aware of this.

Re: pfft

[omnot.livejournal.com]

For every faction, there will be an equal and opposite refraction? :-P

Re: pfft

[homais.livejournal.com]

Out of curiousity, what are the intended aims in question?

For the record, I don't believe that Hizballah instigated this with the abduction, or not exactly anyway. It sparked the latest conflagration, but the Israeli government has been afraid of Hizballah's increasing sophistication (and even more so of Iran's regional reach) for a while, so I'm inclined to think that they'd been looking for a reason, any reason really, to try neutering Hizballah.

[anthonybaxter.livejournal.com]

Many, many supposed "libertarians" (particularly in the US, to a lesser extent here) seem to have traded in their spines the day after 9/11, and are now all in favour of authoritarianism, so long as Dear Leader protects them from the terrorists. Probably the most prominent example in the blogosphere is Glenn (instapundit) Reynolds, who hasn't seen an example of government control he hasn't liked.

There's still sane libertarians out there, though. And by and large, they are pissed.