Restore the Frontier
introductory meeting
Saturday, February 18 7-9 pm
189 Ellsworth St. SF 94110
36 minute film: Real Estate for Ransom
5 minute street theater conversation starter
40 minutes of conversation
40 minutes of nosh and josh (eating and socializing)
There's been something missing from the discussions and events we've attended addressing social justice, and notably absent from the Occupy/resist foreclosure events we've attended, and that something is a philosophical and cultural norm conversation regarding justice.
Come to an evening The Commons SF is hosting that takes up this conversation. A 36 minute film, Real Estate for Sale, followed by a five minute piece of political street theater will lead into a conversation titled, "Securing natural (land) opportunity is the basis of social justice."
Rigorous regulation of the banking industry is needed, no doubt. An emphasis on meeting human needs, not corporate bottom lines is essential. Deconstructing many instances of centralized planning and control will foster democracy and provide real-time political issues feedback. But these remain causes of balkanized social interests in the absence of a cultural normative regarding essential principles.
If you're willing to consider that equality of access to the material universe--to the earth, air and water that no human made--is the fundamental, irreducible basis of justice, then we'd like to see you at this evening, titled "Restore the Frontier."
We'll pay you $5 to attend. If you like what you see and hear, we'll pay you $10/ hour to take up to 10 hours of our social justice philosophy training.
Be on time.
RSVP
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Restore the Frontier
introductory meeting
Thursday, February 2 7-9 pm
Social liberty and economic opportunity require equality of access to geography, to land, to place. The frontier, the place where land is accessible to all and any on an equal basis with others, is the starting place for understanding what liberty and opportunity are truly about.
And then, considering the social nature of human beings, restoring the equality of the frontier by eliminating private gain from mere ownership of nature--and positively stated as the socialization of land values--we seek to enable fuller social liberty and broadly increase economic opportunity by Land Value Taxation.
Are you prepared to consider going public in declaring, "The earth, by which is meant land and the entire material universe, is the birthright of all people" ?
Are you prepared to consider working with social movements and social justice movements in advocating that the community-generated value of land belongs to the community?
If so, come to a paid introduction to Restore the Frontier. We'll pay you $20 to attend this two hour in-service on why socializing land values is morally righteous, economically sound, and socially therapeutic. If you like what you hear, we'll pay you to become an advocate for world transformation through the socialization of the market rent of land. The end of of debt for nature.
You must RSVP HERE
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Film screening: 7 pm, Thursday, Jan. 26
Real Estate for Ransom
This 35 minute film produced by Prosper Australia identifies root causes of land speculation and land rent privatization, and proposes public policy that resolves those social and economic banes.
Crazy high real estate prices are not the high price of housing, they are the high price of land. Foreclosures are not, in a meaningful economic or moral sense, foreclosures on debt for housing, they are foreclosures on the debt owed for land values. Land values have retreated, but the debt owed for the mortgaged land values ha not. The result is foreclosure, depressed wages, business recession, and a great deal of confusion.
Real Estate for Ransom opens up the profound question, who owns nature, and who should benefit from the value of nature?
Thursday, January 26, 7-8 pm screening, with 8-9 pm roundtable discussion hosted by the Henry George School.
189 Ellsworth St. in San Francisco 94110 FREE
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Saturday,
January 14
"Occupy Housing" solutions
walking tour
9 am start, 312 Mason Street
Occupy Wall Street events are popping up like bread yeast proofing, but a frequent refrain from pedestrian on-lookers is, "But what are you proposing as solutions?"
Come along on a walking tour through San Francisco's financial district that proposes specific solutions to the banking/debt-germinated economic crisis.
Provocative at least. Credible certainly . . . as credible as China's booming economy which employs policy presented on the walk. It's a hands-on land use and public revenue primer, and a mind-bender that is also a perfect antidote to Foreclosure prattle.
Land, we take it, is a gift of nature. Existentially speaking, land precedes humanity and is not anything other than a common birthright. Its economic value is a function of the growth of community, both in population and wealth-producing capability. Land values are the evidence of the social and commercial desirability of community. Land values reflect the sum total of human activity. The private use of land necessarily inhibits every other interested party's use of that birthright land.
On the other side, buildings, businesses, and commercial activity are products of human labor. Existentially speaking, labor and capital depend upon the activity of human beings. The economic values of work and of capital goods (and buildings) are a function of suitability for others' use of those human-produced goods and services. The exchange of goods and services is a matter between private parties, e.g. my labor exchanged for your labor does not impose upon anyone else's access to exchange or use of their own labor abilities.
What we of The Commons SF advocate is recognizing that land values are overwhelmingly the product of community and therefore belong to community. We spend very little time arguing the housing (literally the building) rights of citizens, but instead argue for the land value rights of community. We propose that upwards of 90% of potential market land (location) rent belongs to the community as the community appears in its several layers of jurisdiction--precinct, city, county, state and nation. Without elaborating at all on the corollary, I will simply state that the corollary to socializing land values is to massively reduce taxation of goods and services.
How this relates to housing and urban development is clear. When potential land rent is no longer privatized, but submitted as public revenue,
1)land speculation ceases
2)owners of land, deriving income only from activity, rather than from mere ownership of land, will optimize use of land: building to suit the market, filling up buildings since land rent income no longer subsidizes vacancies in structures
3)private owners of land no longer hold land hostage against community use for parks or housing or whatever; where the greater part of potential land rent is removed from private pockets, the sales price of land descends towards ZERO (no income potential from land = no capitalized sales price of land); in short, where potential land rent is community revenue, society will face no high purchase price of land hurdle in acquiring parcels.
Consideration of just these three circumstances will suggest to your imagination the increase in provision of housing that would follow as owners of land desperately competed (through construction and lower building rents) with other land owners to optimize use of their land to offset the reduction of income from mere ownership of land.
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Saturday,
December 24
"Occupy Bernal" solutions
benefit walking tour
9 am start, 312 Mason Street
It's true, the Leon Phat for SF Mayor campaign is offering $10 to Occupy Bernal.
Occupy Wall Street events are popping up like bread yeast proofing, but a frequent refrain from pedestrian on-lookers is, "But what are you proposing as solutions?"
Come along on a walking tour through San Francisco's financial district that proposes specific solutions to the banking/debt-germinated economic crisis.
Provocative at least. Credible certainly . . . as credible as China's booming economy which employs policy presented on the walk. It's a hands-on land use and public revenue primer, and a mind-bender that is also a perfect antidote to Columbus/invasion week prattle.
And the kicker is that we'll donate $10 to the Occupy Bernal (in San Francisco) action fund for every person who comes on this walk!
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Thursday,
November 3
Drinks in Common hosts Seasteading advocate Michael Keenan addressing
When land's hard to come by, build on water! Seasteading: What are the environmental, social, and business COST/Benefits?
7 pm
at Notable House
189 Ellsworth St. in San Francisco
Complimentary supper at 7, remarks at 7:30,
Q & A at 8 pm.
FREE
for more about seasteading, visit
Michael Keenan - President
Michael Keenan is a software developer and entrepreneur from New Zealand. At First NZ Capital, he helped develop the software that launched the company from New Zealand's market leader to a world-class financial services platform. Since then, Michael joined The BECC Consulting Group, developing software that has been used by almost all Taiwan's top multinational companies, and has helped consolidate BECC's position as the premier solution for companies seeking communications consulting in Taiwan. The son of two economic scholars, Michael has been interested in improving governments since he was a youth. Before becoming president of The Seasteading Institute, Michael was a seasteading member and volunteer, traveling all the way from Taiwan to donate months of work to the mission. He had also traveled from the UK to attend the first seasteading conference in California in 2008, and he flew from Taiwan to participate in the seasteading cruise conference out of Florida in 2011.
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Thursday,
October 27
"What's The Big Deal?"
come share the Society's quarterly awards supper. This quarter we award one $300 prize for creative writing regarding the commons.
Poet on a tear, with stories aplenty, Dee Allen is the recipient of the Kate Kennedy Prize.
7 pm
at Notable House
189 Ellsworth St. in San Francisco
No charge, but you must RSVP
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Saturday,
October 22
"Occupy Wall St." solutions
benefit walking tour
9 am start, 312 Mason Street
It's true, the Leon Phat for SF Mayor campaign is offering $10 to Occupy Wall Street and $15 to KPFA for each person who comes along on this walk.
Occupy Wall Street events are popping up like bread yeast proofing, but a frequent refrain from pedestrian on-lookers is, "But what are you proposing as solutions?"
Come along on a walking tour through San Francisco's financial district that proposes specific solutions to the banking/debt-germinated economic crisis.
Provocative at least. Credible certainly . . . as credible as China's booming economy which employs policy presented on the walk. It's a hands-on land use and public revenue primer, and a mind-bender that is also a perfect antidote to Columbus/invasion week prattle.
And the kicker is that though the walk is free to you, we'll donate $10 to the Occupy Wall St. San Francisco action food bank for every person who comes on this walk! And another $15 to KPFA ! !
Be on time!
Feel free to repost on any and all social networks.
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-----Rained out-----
Monday,
October 10
"Occupy Wall St." solutions
benefit walking tour
Cable-car turn-around, Powell St. at Market St in San Francisco, 3 pm start; 2 hours long
Occupy Wall Street events are popping up like bread yeast proofing, but a frequent refrain from pedestrian on-lookers is, "But what are you proposing as solutions?"
Come along on a walking tour through San Francisco's financial district that proposes specific solutions. Provocative at least. Credible certainly . . . as credible as China's booming economy which employs policy presented on the walk. It's a hands-on land use and public revenue primer, and a mind-bender that is also a perfect antidote to Columbus/invasion day.
And the kicker is that though the walk is free to you, we'll donate $10 to the Occupy Wall St. San Francisco action food bank for every person who comes on this walk!
Be on time!
Feel free to repost on any and all social networks.
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Thursday,
September 22
"What's The Big Deal?"
come share the Society's quarterly awards supper. This quarter we award one $300 prize for creative writing regarding the commons.
Poet on a tear, with stories aplenty, Dee Allen is the recipient of the Kate Kennedy Prize.
7 pm
at Notable House
189 Ellsworth St. in San Francisco
No charge.
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Wednesday, July 20
Film: Boom- the sound of eviction
9 pm
Corner of 20th St. and Valencia St. in
San Francisco
Join SF mayoral candidate Leon Phat when he inaugurates his 2011 campaign with the screening of an outdoor film, and stumps (very briefly) from his campaign truck.
"Boom! The sound of eviction" is a film produced during the housing mayhem of the Tech Boom of 1998-2000 here in San Francisco. The film begs the question, "What do we, as a community, do about an economy that leaves many behind?"
Leon Phat has some big ideas. Let's deliberate together.
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Sunday, July 3
A walking tour through a bit of SF Hotel and Restaurant strike history
amateur historian Dave Giesen
leads this LaborFest survey of the roots of labor stress as it relates to Hotel and Restaurant Employees & Bartenders workers
1-3 pm
cable-car turnaround, Powell at Market
Some hands-on fun and you'll get to picket!
FREE
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Thursday, June 16
Natural Law and public policy
a round table discussion
We'll survey Aristotle, the Stoics, John Locke, Thomas Jefferson, and the latterday natural law dunderheads before relating natural law thinking to public policy
Thursday evening, June 16
7-9 pm
Notable House
189 Ellsworth St.
San Francisco, 94110
Supper provided
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Thursday May 5
7 pm
Don't shoot the messenger!!
but SF real estate stories will make you seeth
former national magazine--Business Week-- editor Elizabeth Lesly Stevens addresses the juiciest San Francisco real estate stories of 2010 and 2011.
Ms. Stevens currently writes on real estate matters for the online San Francisco city focused newspaper Bay Citizen.
Visit here for an introduction to that journal and Ms. Stevens.
Door opens at 6:30, supper provided from 7 pm, remarks at 7:35, and Q&A followed by open discussion on topic from 8 until 9.
We hope to toast you there! Pass this along to friends. An RSVP is appreciated in deed, but not obligatory.
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Red wounds in a green earth
Sat. March 12 2-4 pm
24th Street and Mission to start,
then we move to two other Mission District sites,
not yet selected
Revolutionary Poets Brigade members Dottie Payne, Maketa Smith-Groves, James Byron and Jiancarlo Campagna decant their politically charged combustible poetry from the mobile stage of "Pickup Line Theater's" 1985 white Toyota truck.
The lifeforce of blood turns red when it reaches the light of day, and these poets turn the oxygen on when the issue of justice on planet earth finds utterance in their voices.
This program continues The Commons SF's season of "poetic political punch" scenes.
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Red Hill Jumps!
Three poets:
Jack Hirschman, Dee Allen,
Kristine Brown
shake the ground we walk on Saturday, March 5 7 pm
Notable House
189 Ellsworth St. in San Francisco
these poets of the Revolutionary Poets Brigade chant the social possibilities of humanity in a world of abundance straitened by scarcity-mongering privatization of Nature. Food, drink, music and punchy poetic politics kick off a season of word and performance hosted by the folks who define justice as "opportunity for all, privilege for none when it comes to nature."
FREE
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Critical Reading Group:
Our next text is Glenn Beck's BROKE
Join The Commons SF in examining Beck's analysis of portions of America's economic history. Beck makes a case for America's trajectory towards state collapse because of the multi-trillion dollar national debt. Moreover, he argues for a flat tax as part of the remedy. Let's read this hefty, content-rich tome together.
FULL DISCLOSURE: the leader has some significant criticisms of Beck's scholarship, but this is a discussion circle, not a lecture
Four Thursdays beginning January 27, and running through February 17.
7-9 pm (with light supper supplied)
Notable House 189 Ellsworth St. in
San Francisco.
RSVP: HERE
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Auditions!!
vaudeville, circus and music acts
requested for
Ack-Act Theater's
theater on the back of a truck program.
Using music, theater and vaudeville, Ack-Act Theater aims to attract publicconversation regardingneighborhood issues of the day and year as we travel around the city with our mobile show.
When: Tuesday through Thursday, December 21-23, 4-8 pm by appointment.
Where: Our studio at 189 Ellsworth in San Francisco's Bernal Heights.
contact: info@TheCommonsSF.org
for more information or to make an audition appointment.
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Readers' Theater
Dogs and Coyotes,
Baseballs and Rabbits
Saturday, July 10
11 am
Bernal Heights Branch Library
500 Cortland Avenue in SF
What's a 13 year old boy and his grandma to do when the mayor of San Francisco wants their house and garden for his girlfriend? Unionize? Burn down the Mission? Or simply use a red rock from Bernal Heights to fight Goliath?
produced in coordination with LaborFest
http://www.laborfest.net
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Auditions
for
Camp Hank Theater's
LaborFestreaders' theater production
Auditions: Thursday,July 1 6-8 pm
Five adults: 4 men,1 woman
Performance: Saturday, July 10
11 pm
Rehearsal: once by arrangement the week of July 4-8
189 Ellsworth St. in San Francisco
Call 415-948-4265, or
email: info@TheCommonsSF.org
the play concerns five 13-14 year olds, living in San Francisco in 1914
Have fun!
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Sacco Vanzetti Immigrants' Rights Supper
Join us Friday, May 28 on Mission Street in San Francsico, between 17th and 18th Streets for a complimentary supper. Supper talk will includediscussion of humanity's rights in the context of the commons.
We'll alsoraise our hearts andour glasses toSacco and Vanzetti for inspiring commitment to community!
