International Petroleum Fiscal Systems and Production Sharing Contracts

Customer Reviews:

An excellent practical tool........2001-04-28

This book is an excellent practical tool to gain understanding on how the Production Sharing Contracts/ Agreements of the international oil industry work and how the negotiations on PSA normally flow. Johnston does not concentrate on cultural aspects of a particular country, but rather on the mechanics of the PSA and its major issues. The topics that Johnston covers are "Petroleum Fiscal Systems," "Concessionary Systems," "Production Sharing Contracts," "Risk Service Contracts," "Threshold Field Size Analysis," "Global Market for Exploration Acreage," "Production Sharing Contract Outline" "Accounting Principles," and "Double Taxation." This introductory comprehensive overview of PSA concepts is written in a clear and understandable manner so that even a person without a background in accounting, taxation, and oil engineering is able to understand the author's explanations and conclusions. This source will be most helpful to consult if one is interested in learning or simply clarifying the concepts of exploration economics, oil taxation, contract/fiscal terms, and PSA negotiations in the international context.

Perfectly Legal: The Covert Campaign to Rig Our Tax System to Benefit the Super Rich - and Cheat Everybody Else

Average customer rating:

Review of Perfectly Legal
Excellent
The prize is capital gains.
interesting, very needed yet a little over the top
Blinded by numbers

Perfectly Legal: The Covert Campaign to Rig Our Tax System to Benefit the Super Rich - and Cheat Everybody Else
David Cay Johnston
Manufacturer: Portfolio Hardcover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Taxation | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

U.S. | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1591840198
Release Date: 2003-12-25

Amazon.com

Most Americans would agree that they are duty bound as beneficiaries of our democracy to pay taxes, and the majority of us do pay—-exorbitantly. But what about those who do not pay their fair share? David Cay Johnston, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for the New York Times, here reveals how fairness and equity have eroded from the American tax system. Johnston describes in shocking detail the loopholes our government provides the "super rich"--from private individuals to profitable corporations—-to hide their wealth, to defer or evade tax payments, and to pass the bill to law-abiding middle-class Americans. The loss in revenue "imposes a severe cost on honest taxpayers" through reduced services, increased federal debt, and a weight on the middle class that threatens to impede its ability to achieve upward social mobility.

Admitting the extreme complexity of our economy and by extension our tax code, Johnston points out that the very wealthy do, of course, pay taxes. However, because of shelters that allow them to understate most of their income, they pay little more on average than most Americans on the dollar. This is regressive, and unquestionably favors the superrich. Johnston includes examples of outrageous corporate malfeasance (such as companies that establish off-shore tax addresses) and exposes the tax benefits of the particularly loathsome practice made famous by Jack Welch, in which thousands of wage earners are laid off while a handful of executives are granted hundreds of millions of dollars through deferred compensation, company stock options, and lucrative retirement packages, all at stock holders' xpense. In addition to these offenses, he describes the tax evasion methods of those who simply defy the law and are emboldened by a beleaguered IRS that is too underfunded to serve as an effective deterrent to tax cheats. Johnston calls for a complete overhaul of the system. But because those who most benefit from these laws comprise the "donor class" that supports the government power structure, our prospects for reform remain very bleak. --Silvana Tropea

Book Description

One of the country's top investigative reporters reveals how the richest 1 percent of the country has rigged the tax code and other laws in its favor.

Since the mid-1970s, there has been a dramatic shift in America's socioeconomic system, one that has gone virtually unnoticed by the general public. Tax policies and their enforcement have become a disaster, and thanks to discreet lobbying by a segment of the top 1 percent, Washington is reluctant or unable to fix them. The corporate income tax, the estate tax, and the gift tax have been largely ignored by the media. But the cumulative results are remarkable: today someone who earns a yearly salary of $60,000 pays a larger percentage of his income in taxes than the four hundred richest Americans.

Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter David Cay Johnston exposes exactly how the middle class is being squeezed to create a widening wealth gap that threatens the stability of the country. By relating the compelling tales of real people across all areas of society, he reveals the truth behind:
* "middle class" tax cuts and exactly whom they benefit
* how workers are being cheated out of their retirement plans while disgraced CEOs walk away with millions
* how some corporations avoid paying any federal income tax
* how a law meant to prevent cheating by the top 2 percent of Americans no longer affects most of them, but has morphed into a stealth tax on single mothers making just $28,000
* why the working poor are seven times more likely to be audited by the IRS than everyone else
* how the IRS became so weak that even when it was handed complete banking records detailing massive cheating by 1,600 people, it prosecuted only 4 percent of them

Johnston has been breaking pieces of this story on the front page of The New York Times for seven years. With Perfectly Legal, he puts the whole shocking narrative together in a way that will stir up media attention and make readers angry about the state of our country.

Download Description

"One of the country's top investigative reporters reveals how the richest 1 percent of the country has rigged the tax code and other laws in its favor Since the mid-1970s, there has been a dramatic shift in America's socioeconomic system, one that has gone virtually unnoticed by the general public. Tax policies and their enforcement have become a disaster, and thanks to discreet lobbying by a segment of the top 1 percent, Washington is reluctant or unable to fix them. The corporate income tax, the estate tax, and the gift tax have been largely ignored by the media. But the cumulative results are remarkable: today someone who earns a yearly salary of $60,000 pays a larger percentage of his income in taxes than the four hundred richest Americans. Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter David Cay Johnston exposes exactly how the middle class is being squeezed to create a widening wealth gap that threatens the stability of the country. By relating the compelling tales of real people across all areas of society, he reveals the truth behind: ""middle class"" tax cuts and exactly whom they benefit how workers are being cheated out of their retirement plans while disgraced CEOs walk away with millions how some corporations avoid paying any federal income tax how a law meant to prevent cheating by the top 2 percent of Americans no longer affects most of them, but has morphed into a stealth tax on single mothers making just $28,000 why the working poor are seven times more likely to be audited by the IRS than everyone else how the IRS became so weak that even when it was handed complete banking records detailing massive cheating by 1,600 people, it prosecuted only 4 percent of them Johnston has been breaking pieces of this story on the front page of The New York Times for seven years. With Perfectly Legal, he puts the whole shocking narrative together in a way that will stir up media attention and make readers angry about the state of our country."

Customer Reviews:

Review of Perfectly Legal.......2007-06-22

This book is well researched and addresses an area every American should be aware of, but I suspect too few are. The author has done everyone a service by pulling together evidence that is both comprehensive and detailed. It acts as a sad indictment on American society, showing that many wealthy Americans maintain and enhance their wealth by corruption. That the book shows the US authorities actively support it is all the more cause for concern. I recommend evey American to read this book thoroughly and demand appropriate action from those in power.

Excellent.......2006-07-12

Another book which confirms my own. This book in general shows that the super-rich are (in general of course) evil, but it also shows that the U.S. Government is also very evil.

He points out something interesting which is that it was found by a scholar, that the laws of the former Soveit Union were better than those of the U.S.'s, and mainly because of our tax laws, which he found to be worse than those of all the socialist countries of Europe.

The prize is capital gains........2006-05-23

Blattmair devised a scheme where he would use a charitable trust for MS Bill Gates as a way to avoid paying $56 million in capital gains taxes for $200 million in stock profits. Charitable Trust provided a shelter from taxes for stocks or buildings that appreciated in asset. The asset is transferred to the charitable trust and the charitable trust sells the asset tax-free and invests the proceedings. The trust gives the donating individual a lifetime income typically 6% a year. However, Blattmair plan was to take back 80% per year for two years and Gates would pocket $192 million without paying taxes and the charity would fold, but not before 92% of the funds had been converted into cash. The government would collect nothing. Instead, Bill Gates could claim a tax deduction of $2 million. It became questionable whether the IRS reviewed or challenged the tax shelter devise or even if the device was used. The only fact known is that at one time it existed and provided a shelter against the capital gains tax. The capital gain is the source of ½ of all the income of the super rich. Capital gains tax fell from 28% rate in 1987 to 15% in 2003.

The rich are getting richer. Money is moving from the middle class too the super rich. Both the middle class and the poor are increasingly burdened with tax while the super rich repeat all the social benefits of the tax. The Reagan "Trickle down Wealth effect" is mythical: 1. Working class wages increases have not increased in three decades 2. Food and consumer products have become cheaper offsetting the cost of living for the middle class. Cost reductions made possible because of government subsidies and manufacturing efficiency 3. Government debt in the form of government bonds has absorbed cheap money supply making market growth slow and become more competitive for available money. Business profit margins have slimmed jeopardizing survival long term. Interest rate thresholds have lifted increasing bankruptcies and reaching levels of about 1 million claims a year. 4. Stocks returns averaging a 7 percent real return less inflation have barely broke even. The Stock market is transferring wealth from the middle class to the super rich. The super rich are realizing profits of about 25 to 40 percent a year on their money. 5. Property taxes, fuel taxes, and income taxes have placed a heavier burden on the working class reducing the percent diverted to savings and retirement. The US has the highest percentage separation between rich and poor (1 dollar saved in the lower percentile equates to 7,500 dollars saved in the top 5 percentile). The middle class is in trouble as interest rates rise, the dollar weakens, the stock market routes, the housing market deflates, and the commodity market switches back into bear territory.

The weakness discovered in Title 26 of the US code are the law is based on politics and not principles; the tax system in America is being rigged to benefit the super rich; the tax system is a vehicle designed to finance social change; the rules that government sets for their tax system and the degree they enforce them, affects and determines who will prosper. "Congress lets business owners, investors, and land lords play by one set of rules, which are filled with opportunities to hide income, fabricate deductions and reduce taxes," and on the other hand, "Congress requires wage earners to operate under another, much harsher set of rules in which every dollar of income from a job, a saving account or stock dividend is reported to the government, and taxes are withheld from each pay check to make sure wage earners pay in full."

The richests 1 percent, whose adjusted gross income of more than $313,000 in 2000, earned almost 21 percent of all reported income and pay more than 37% of individual federal income taxes. For three decades profits have been growing 1/3 faster than corporate income taxes; in 1993, 26 cents went to taxes for every dollar and in 1998, 22 cents per dollar earned while corporate income tax remained 35%. Many of the rich owned businesses, creating opportunities to charge a portion of their lifestyle to the company and managed to keep profits near zero while the owners built up wealth in the company; wealth that would not be taxed until they died.

The share of income going to taxes for the top 400 in 2000 was about the same ratio as that paid by a single person making $123,000 or a married couple making $226,000. The average amount been paid was about $38.6 million dollars each.

The super rich are finding the tax shelter opportunities in the law and is perfectly legal. Law-makers are haphazardly allowing these opportunities to be put into the law because from lack or scrutiny or from pressure both politically and economically to allow these opportunities into the law. Lawyers and tax consultants study the law and discover these opportunities and advise the super rich on the tax shelter mechanisms. The super rich are able to increase their accumulation velocity. The accumulation of money is invested into bonds, commercial paper, bank notes, and stocks that pay the super rich a dividend. The capital gains are sheltered and increase the velocity of accumulation favoring the super rich. The middle class and the poor divert more of their money away from savings and retirement into taxes used for social change. Big government threatens to slow-down the availability of money causing rising interest rates for companies and business seeking to borrow money for capital projects. A business growth slows down employee wages are fired, unemployment increases, and retirement funds are jeopardized in survival tactics to save the company. The super rich do not have an economic incentive to risk their money on growth companies that generate almost all of the new jobs, innovations, and consumption trends. Instead, the super rich invest in large cap companies that are cash rich and promise a fat dividend payment and capable of withstanding short term distress in the business cycle. Financial devises like hedge funds become popular as the super rich dump billions of dollars into these funds. Insurance devises are also a popular tool for shelter vast amounts of money from taxes. The super rich are accumulating rather than creating jobs and that is the wealth illusion. Taxes do not create wealth. Capital creates wealth by creating jobs.

interesting, very needed yet a little over the top.......2006-05-10

This book was incredibly interesting and probably the most useful piece of investigative journalism I have seen on this topic. The tax code is rediculously complex and this book shows how that complexity is exploited by the rich and their friends.

The only problem I had with the book is the built in asumption that the rich should be taxed more that the poor. The point of his analysis is that the code is too complex, exploited, etc. The logical conclusion is to SIMPLIFY or CLOSE LOOPHOLES. However, the author repeatedly claims that as the taxes fall on the rich they must go up on the poor and middle class which is not always true and certainly need not be true. Taxes can go down on everyone. Or we could just as easily easily lower taxes on the middle and poorer citizens as raise them on the rich. There are more than one option.

The author seems to set up a case for a major reform of the tax code but his bias for an old fashioned 1930's style progressive tax policy is clear. Advocating for a retro tax code is fine and I might even agree to an extent but it seems to be a failing of many financial journalists to not understand the economics ramifications of their proposals. The economy is to different to go backward and we need a tax code for a global, serviced based economy. Robert Reich has good ideas as do many conservative advocates for a consumption tax. Which is best is still open for debate.

In conclusion the book is a vaild analysis of the problems with our current tax code but combines this analysis with advocating an old fashioned progressive system that I am afraid would be economically hurtful.

Blinded by numbers.......2006-04-27

Simply put, this book uses statistics and uncited claims to wow the reader whenever possible. This book had tremendous potential to show how broken the US tax system is and how much in need of reform it is. Instead of doing this it appears that the author took more or less substantial research and well developed hypotheses and ran it through the NY Times Krugmanizer, making everything seem like a grand right-wing conspiracy that with a wink and a nod politicians and multi-billionaires are bilking "American families" (the political buzzword du jour) from their hard earned cash.

Furthermore, as the Supreme Court has ruled explicitly, it is not an American's citizens duty to pay anything but the minimum amount of taxes required by law by using whatever lawful deductions or tax shelters he/she chooses.

So the thesis of the book is that the super-rich have taken advantage of and, the horror of it all, used their money to influence lawmakers to make tax laws even more favorable for them. I'm aghast!! The thought that lawmakers could sacrifice the principals of fairness and their constitutional duty for monetary gain?!? Thank goodness we have such paragons of virtue (Randy Cunningham, Tom Delay and his good friends Jack Abramoff and Mike Scanlon, and my new personal favorite W. VA congressman Allan B. Mollohan) protecting we plebians.

Fiscal Policy and Social Welfare: An Analysis of Alternative Tax and Transfer Systems

Average customer rating:

Fiscal Policy and Social Welfare: An Analysis of Alternative Tax and Transfer Systems
John Creedy
Manufacturer: Edward Elgar Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Public Finance | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Taxation | Law | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1858982464

Fiscal Systems (Studies in Comparative Economics)

Average customer rating:

Fiscal Systems (Studies in Comparative Economics)
Richard Abel Musgrave
Manufacturer: Greenwood Press Reprint
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Public Finance | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Debt & Deficits | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0313224315

Fundamentals of Health Care Financial Management: A Practical Guide to Fiscal Issues and Activities (JOSSEY-BASS HEALTH SERIES)

Average customer rating:

Fundamentals of Health Care Financial Management: A Practical Guide to Fiscal Issues and Activities (JOSSEY-BASS HEALTH SERIES)
Steven Berger
Manufacturer: Jossey-Bass
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Administration & Policy | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Hospital Administration | Administration & Policy | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Public Health | Administration & Policy | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Medicaid & Medicare | Administration & Policy | Medicine | Subjects | Books

General | Medicine | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Medicine | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0787959804

Book Description

Fundamentals of Health Care Financial Management, Second Edition, is the revised and updated version of the classic book that offers health care financial managers a practical tool for addressing the financial issues that are unique to the health care industry. Throughout the book, author Steven Bergerâ an expert in the field of health care financial managementâ relates real-world experiences that reveal how to execute the complex activities a health care financial manager must handle on a day-to-day basis. Intended for use as both a text and a professional resource, Fundamentals of Health Care Financial Management also includes critical information about the rules, regulations, policies, and procedures that influence American health care practice. In addition, this new edition contains timely information on a variety of topics including the latest changes in the tax laws, reimbursement patterns, and an update on privacy regulations.

Financing Government in a Federal System (Studies of government finance)

Average customer rating:

Financing Government in a Federal System (Studies of government finance)
George F. Break
Manufacturer: Brookings Inst Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Public Finance | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

American Federalism and Public Policy: How the System Works

Average customer rating:

American Federalism and Public Policy: How the System Works
Thomas J. Anton
Manufacturer: Random House Inc (T)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

History & Theory | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Federal Government | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0075537893

Book Description

This is a study of the ways in which the federal, state, and local governments share responsibility for policies, producing a system that combines uniformity and diversity. While numerous empirical studies in recent years have detailed particular examples of reforms in federalism, there has been no widely accepted theory by which to evaluate the significance of those details. Thomas Anton synthesizes the particulars to discover what is true in general about the state of American Federalism. He uses a "benefits coalition" conceptual framework on which to organize his discussion.

The author sees the purpose of American government as the creation and distribution of benefits to designated populations. He identifies three main types of benefits, which are directed toward individuals both outside and within government: (1) economic—the improvement of economic well-being; (2) juridical—assigning rights and obligations, as in determining eligibility to vote; and (3) symbolic—for example, in designating holidays and in fostering public activities that promote pride in and support for the system.

Amazon.com

The main obstacle that many young people face in building their future is a lack of initial resources. Now here's a radical idea--what if every United States citizen with a high school diploma was guaranteed, on their 21st birthday, $80,000, no strings attached? Bruce Ackerman and Anne Alstott believe it's a doable scheme to ensure that every American will get "a fair share of the nation's resources as they accept the full responsibilities of adult life." The Stakeholder Society lays out the basic principles of their plan and rebuts potential objections. No, it's not a gift--you have to pay it back, if you can, towards the end of your life. Yes, some people will use their stake unwisely--but the authors argue that freedom is better served by having the opportunity to make mistakes than by never getting a chance to move forward. They are also careful to point out that, ultimately, the stakeholder system is not so much a full frontal assault on poverty as it is a citizen-building program, helping people feel like a valued part of U.S. society and making it easier for them to contribute to that society's success. "If America drifts away from the promise of equal opportunity," the authors warn, "it is not because practical steps are unavailable, but because we have lost our way." Whether The Stakeholder Society contains those "practical steps" is a matter that should be considered very attentively by policymakers and all citizens concerned with the fate of the United States in the 21st century. --Ron Hogan

Book Description

Must we resign ourselves to a growing chasm between rich and poor? Bruce Ackerman and Anne Alstott propose an innovative alternative in this thought-provoking book: an eighty thousand dollar grant for every qualifying young adult. The authors analyze this plan from many perspectives and argue that such a citizen's stake would open the way to a society that is more democratic, productive, and free.

Customer Reviews:

Also read "In Our Hands".......2006-06-25

I recently read Charles Murray's "In Our Hands."
A reviewer of it suggested "The Stakeholder Society" as an
alternative drastic change. I recommend both books to anyone
that considers reading either.

At the risk of oversimplifying, here are the proposals.
"The Stakeholder Society" recommends a one time cash payment
of $80,000 as citizens turn 21, financed by a wealth tax.
"In Our Hands" recommends an annual cash payment to all adult
citizens financed by the elimination of all other transfer
payments.

Both books have lots of detail to explain how and why to
implement their proposal. Both admit that some details will
have to be worked out based on experience, and both identify
some potential weaknesses of their proposal.

The biggest problem with "The Stakeholder Society" is the
observation that leads to the proposal. Since there is an
unequal distribution of wealth, there must be an unequal
opportunity to accumulate wealth. If the stake increases
the disparity in wealth, the same arguments can be used to
increase the stake and the corresponding wealth tax. If the
stake decreases the disparity, but does not eliminate it,
the same arguments can be used to increase the stake and the
corresponding wealth tax.

Those that favor equal outcomes will favor "The Stakeholder
Society." Those that think there is a large degree of
opportunity for most will favor "In Our Hands." Both books
are worth considering carefully, but not worth worrying about.
The authors of both admit there is no chance of either scheme
being implemented any time soon.

Most ratings of books with political implications are based
on agreement or disagreement with the conclusion. This one
is based on the presentation of the arguments.

great, smart work that could change America.........2005-04-20

Bruce Ackerman and Anne Alstott have written a great book on how to realize the American Dream. "The Stakeholder Society" tells us how we can practically achieve true equality, so that America will have many that will have many more productive citizens, while ensuring that women have a true equal footing with men. It is a complex idea, but written simply enough so most of the Stakeholder plan could be understood by the average American. This book ought to be read by all politicans, and then maybe we'd have true economic prosperity.

Brilliant and Flawed.......2003-03-09

In an outstanding new book called the Stake holder society, Bruce Ackerman and Anne Alstott propose having the government give every American $80,000 in their early twenties. This would be funded by a two percent tax on wealth above $80,000. They also suggest a privilege tax on those who have had financially privileged childhoods. These proposals are carefully thought out and well motivated by the idea of giving some substance to our common empty talk of "equality of opportunity."

Ackerman and Alstott dismiss a number of other approaches, such as funding education better or raising minimum wages as too small and/or actually harmful and/or politically difficult. Unhappily, I'm inclined to think that their proposals are just as politically difficult.

And I have a quibble with the digs scattered through this book against "utilitarians," who are never named. As in all American ethical arguments, the example used is that of Nazi Germany, where Jews were one percent of the population. "[I]s it so clear," the authors ask, "that the average Jew suffered NINETY-NINE times as much as the average Aryan gained from his feelings of racial superiority?"

One response to this is that feelings like those often involve hatred, which, being unpleasant, is not a gain at all. But, even accepting that there was a gain for many racists, the trade-off is not necessary. The racists could have felt superior without killing anyone, an action which, if completed, would have deprived them of the allegedly beneficial presence of people they perceived as inferiors.

More importantly, these numbers (one and ninety-nine units of pleasure or suffering) do not mean anything. We could give a vivid description of the concentration camps and then ask "Isn't it abundantly clear that the average Jew suffered at least ninety-nine times as much as the average Aryan gained from his feelings of racial superiority?" The case for this "calculation" is exactly as good as for its opposite.

The value of utilitarianism lies not in calculations (calculations which Ackerman and Alstott accept while trying to dismiss) but in placing the well-being of people above adherence to any rule. Utilitarianism ought to be an ally of anyone who recognizes the harm done by devotion to certain rights and freedoms, such as the freedom to engage in unfair and cruel labor practices, the "right to work", and the faith that people have what they "deserve."

And don't get me started on the way readers of Foucault tend to characterize Bentham...

I've encountered two arguments against the Stake holder society. The first, which is well addressed in the book, is that some people would waste their $80,000. I agree with the authors that relatively few would waste their money, and that many would be much better off than they are now. I find that people who make this criticism are not themselves suggesting an alternative remedy to the drastic disparity in wealth in America, and are not even aware of it. In many cases, they profess a belief that there is no hunger in this country, that people only suffer if they don't work, and that everyone has a chance to make it.

The second argument I've encountered is that charity must be done "privately," that is, without the government. In some cases, advocates of private charity support huge organizations known for as much corruption and inefficiency as any government, real or imagined. In other cases, they support only one-on-one charity without any intervening (or skilled, organized, or powerful) agency. Often in supporting these charities, government -haters make clear that they do know that hunger exists in America, if not that people working 60 hours a week can qualify for food stamps (temporarily, of course).

Sometimes supporters of private charity argue that the way to help is to teach entrepreneurism, apparently oblivious to the pertinent absence of capital. Other times they argue for simply giving fish instead of fishing skills. After all, this is good for the giver, and the poor will always be with us.

Why do private and public charity need to be in conflict? I give some tiny amounts to organizations and to people I meet on the street, and I simultaneously argue for living wage laws, campaign finance reform, an end to corporate welfare and waste on weapons, spies, highways, and subsidies for cutters of national forests. I will now argue for a Stake holder society without feeling any conflict with dropping some canned food in a basket or helping build Habitat for Humanity houses.

If private charity were doing the job, no one would propose government charity (and vice versa). And a lot of what is proposed amounts to government neutrality. Many of our taxes are regressive. Our services are unevenly distributed, notably in education. And we have the money. Just yesterday (May 6, 1999) we threw an extra $13 billion at the Pentagon. That kind of money could end many debates over education by providing better schools in poor counties and cities. Our cities routinely give huge tax-breaks to companies that move to certain areas promising jobs that no one ever bothers to make sure are actually provided. These funds could be better spent.

And isn't it important that the top one percent of wealthy people in the U.S. could end poverty and still live like emperors? Need I be selfish and hypocritical and out-of-line to mention this fact. I don't think so. I cannot myself reach into my pocket and end poverty. I would if I could. By all means, let's have lots of private charity and local assistance. But let's think bigger than that too.

A truly novel idea.......1999-08-24

The idea at first sounds crazy, but trying to figure out why will force you to examine many of your own opinions--and perhaps ultimately to reach a different conclusion than your first.

An interesting - and new - idea. But, oh, the side effects!.......1999-05-17

It was winter; the ants' store of grain had gotten wet and they were laying it out to dry. A hungry cicada asked them for something to eat. "Why didn't you gather food in the summer, like us?" one of the worker ants asked. "I didn't have time," it replied; "I was busy making sweet music." The worker laughed at it. "Very well," it said; "since you sang in the summer, you must dance in the winter."

A few ants of the drone caste heard what the worker said and were morally outraged. They convinced their brother drones to force the colony to share its grain with the cicada and all its relatives. "From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs," they said. For several years the drones ran the colony in the new, moral, way. The cicadas and the ants all nearly starved to death. Equally.

The drones of another colony, who agreed with the moral claim of the cicadas, pondered the sad fate of first colony. "The worker was right; the cicada made its own choices and had no moral claim on the ants' store of grain," they said. "But not everyone gets a fair start. To fix this, we will give everyone a share of the grain at the beginning of the summer, not at the end. Then at the end of the summer everyone will pay back the share he or she got at the beginning, plus interest. And those who do well and have extra grain will pay back extra to make up for those who don't have enough."

The cicadas thought this was a great idea. The workers weren't so sure. All that summer, the cicadas sang sweetly, the workers gathered grain (but not too much since they knew they'd have to give away any extra), and the drones watched. That winter they all nearly starved to death. Equally.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books