The economic theories of Henry George

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston University, 1940Henry George, the champion of the single tax movement in the United States, was born in Philadelphia, September 2, 1839. After a brief schooling he tried sailoring for one voyage, and then became an apprentice printer. At the age of eighteen he migrated to California in search of better work and higher pay. He became an itinerant printer, then later gave up this end of the work to become a reporter and editor. The fact that he was in San Francisco during the boom period and saw the coming of the transcontinental railroad, led to his first economic writinJS. The article, "What the Railroad Will Bring Us," was published in the Overland Monthly, and shows his power of inductive inference, although it was not a literary masterpiece. On a business trip to New York, he was struck by the sight of filth and poverty so rampant, side by side with great wealth . Years before he had been curious as to the reason that wages are higher in new sections or countries, than they are in older sections. The two questions were combined and answered in his pamphlet Our Land and Land Policy which he published in 1871. He proposed to solve the problem of "advancing poverty with advancing wealth," by absorbing the "unearned increment" of John Stuart Mill, through a land tax. After a number of years of mulling over the pamphlet in his mind, between his job as an editor and his work as a political orator, he amplified this essay into Progress and Poverty, published in 1880. After a slow beginning, the book caught the attention of the public, and George was famous. He had moved to New York, meanwhile, and the rest of his life was spent lecturing and writing, both here and abroad. He was associated with the Irish Land Reform movement, and made two lecture tours of Great Britain in its behalf. He was a great orator, one of the best of his day. In 1886, he ran for the mayoralty of New York, on a coalition ticket, but lost by a narrow margin. He entered politics twice again, once in the race for the Secretary of the State of New York, and, just before his death, again for the mayoralty. He was not successful at any time. In the middle of his last campaign he died; the date was October 28, 1897. The chief problem always in Henry George's mind was poverty. He felt that the "wage -fund" theory (which maintained that wages tended to a minimum because there was a fixed fund of capital set aside for the payment of wages, and every increase in the number of laborers decreased the individual share of each laborer) was wrong, for he said that wages are not paid out of capital but out of product. George regarded labor and capital as but different forms of the same thing--human exertion. Only these two are productive. Rent is an unearned increment, and it reduces wages and interest by its total amount. His problem, in the final analysis, was to find the best method of freeing the real producers of wealth by dispossessing the holders of the unearned increment. The solution of the problem, as advanced by Henry George, was to remove the cause of the evil, and make land common property. Not, he says, the nationalization of land; confiscation of land is not necessary, but the purpose will be served oy the confiscation of rent. The value of land is built up by society. Therefore, the land tax is the most just of all taxes, for only those people who have received a peculiar benefit from society in the form of land will be required to turn back some of their income into the common treasury. A summary of his theory would run in this manner: Land is the creation of God and everyone of his creatures has a right to a share. Increase in value is due largely to the efforts of society, and is an unearned increment properly belonging to society. As a result, the returns from the land should be appropriated by the government in the form of a single tax, which will be economic rent. Such a plan would eliminate uoverty, and at the same time do away with monopolists of natural rights. The whole society will tend, therefore, to level off, with the two extremes being exterminated Man's ingenuity or greater skill will not be taxed, and labor will receive its just reward. None of Henry George's ideas are entirely original, but he joined his thoughts to the stream begun many years before. He had many predecessors in the land-reform movement down through the ages. However, it must be emphasized that he knew nothing of the work of Spence, Ogilvie, Paine, the Physiocrats, or Dove until after he had written Progress and Poverty. He was only slightly familiar with the classical economists, Smith, Ricardo , and the Mills, but knew a little more about Spencer than the others. The turning point of his career came with the nomination for mayor in 1887. From then on, his influence declined. Unfortunate quarrels and fancied aspersions led to his writing polemics against Pope Leo XIII and Herbert Spencer, both of which hurt his cause irreparably. His followers have carried the fight for the single tax into politics; the greatest success has come in Australasia and Great Britain, although it is impossible to say how much is due to his influence alone. Canada instituted land reform acts in the western provinces, but none proved too successful. In the United States, only a few high points can be traced directly to George, particularly an experiment in Houston, Texas, and the enclaves. All else has met with dismal failure. The stress has changed from politics to education, and through the good work of some early leaders, Shearman, McGlynn, Fels, and Fillebrown, much was accomplished. Of recent years, the gospel has been spread abroad through the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation and the Henry George School of Social Sciences. There is evident a great awakening of interest in economics and tax reform

The Effect of Galectin-3 in Experimental Uraemia.

PhD (Md res)The effect of Galectin-3 in Experimental Uraemia Gal-3 is a glycoside binding protein elevated in inflammatory and fibrotic disease and highly expressed on cells of a monocyte/macrophage lineage. Elevated leucocyte Gal-3 expression encourages leucocyte-endothelial attachment and tissue transmigration. We demonstrate for the first time plasma soluble and monocyte Gal-3 is elevated in an experimental model of adenine induced uraemia and renal interstitial fibrosis. Galectin-3 knockout mice demonstrate an ameliorated adenine diet phenotype with less weight loss, lower serum creatinine and less severe renal tubular interstitial injury. This ameliorated phenotype is independent of numbers of infiltrating renal interstitial macrophages. Extra-renal leucocyte-endothelial transmigration in the cremasteric microvasculature visualised by intravital microscopy is not reduced in Galectin-3 knockout mice with adenine induced uraemia. The less severe disease phenotype of adenine induced uraemia in Galectin-3 knockout mice is therefore independent of effects on leucocyte-endothelial interactions. We show circulating monocyte subset phenotypic change and renal macrophage differentiation in adenine induced uraemia is altered in Galectin-3 knockout mice with reduced monocyte Ly6C expression and elevated renal macrophage markers of alternative (M2) differentiation. We conclude that Galectin-3 does play a role in chronic kidney disease and the development of renal fibrosis by influencing monocyte and macrophage differentiation towards an inflammatory 15 phenotype. Strategies to reduce monocyte and macrophage Galectin-3 may benefit progressive renal fibrosis in chronic kidney disease

KSHV-Encoded MicroRNAs: Lessons for Viral Cancer Pathogenesis and Emerging Concepts

The human genome contains microRNAs (miRNAs), small noncoding RNAs that orchestrate a number of physiologic processes through regulation of gene expression. Burgeoning evidence suggests that dysregulation of miRNAs may promote disease progression and cancer pathogenesis. Virus-encoded miRNAs, exhibiting unique molecular signatures and functions, have been increasingly recognized as contributors to viral cancer pathogenesis. A large segment of the existing knowledge in this area has been generated through characterization of miRNAs encoded by the human gamma-herpesviruses, including the Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV). Recent studies focusing on KSHV miRNAs have led to a better understanding of viral miRNA expression in human tumors, the identification of novel pathologic check points regulated by viral miRNAs, and new insights for viral miRNA interactions with cellular (“human”) miRNAs. Elucidating the functional effects of inhibiting KSHV miRNAs has also provided a foundation for further translational efforts and consideration of clinical applications. This paper summarizes recent literature outlining mechanisms for KSHV miRNA regulation of cellular function and cancer-associated pathogenesis, as well as implications for interactions between KSHV and human miRNAs that may facilitate cancer progression. Finally, insights are offered for the clinical feasibility of targeting miRNAs as a therapeutic approach for viral cancers

Implementing Corruption Prevention Strategies through Codes of Conduct

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LGMDD1 natural history and phenotypic spectrum: Implications for clinical trials

OBJECTIVE: To delineate the full phenotypic spectrum and characterize the natural history of limb girdle muscular dystrophy type D1 (LGMDD1). METHODS: We extracted age at clinical events of interest contributing to LGMDD1 disease burden via a systematic literature and chart review. Manual muscle testing and quantitative dynamometry data were used to estimate annualized rates of change. We also conducted a cross-sectional observational study using previously validated patient-reported outcome assessments (ACTIVLIM, PROMIS-57) and a new LGMDD1 questionnaire. Some individuals underwent repeat ACTIVLIM and LGMDD1 questionnaire assessments at 1.5 and 2.5 years. RESULTS: A total of 122 LGMDD1 patients were included from 14 different countries. We identified two new variants (p.E54K, p.V99A). In vitro assays and segregation support their pathogenicity. The mean onset age was 29.7 years. Genotype appears to impact onset age, weakness pattern, and median time to loss of ambulation (34 years). Dysphagia was the most frequent abnormality (51.4%). Deltoids, biceps, grip, iliopsoas, and hamstrings strength decreased by (0.5-1 lb/year). Cross-sectional ACTIVLIM and LGMDD1 questionnaire scores correlated with years from disease onset. Longitudinally, only the LGMDD1 questionnaire detected significant progression at both 1.5 and 2.5 years. Treatment trials would require 62 (1.5 years) or 30 (2.5 years) patients to detect a 70% reduction in the progression of the LGMDD1 questionnaire. INTERPRETATION: This study is the largest description of LGMDD1 patients to date and highlights potential genotype-dependent differences that need to be verified prospectively. Future clinical trials will need to account for variability in these key phenotypic features when selecting outcome measures and enrolling patients

Phenotypic diversity in an international Cure VCP Disease registry

BACKGROUND: Dominant mutations in valosin-containing protein (VCP) gene cause an adult onset inclusion body myopathy, Paget\u27s disease of bone, and frontotemporal dementia also termed multisystem proteinopathy (MSP). The genotype-phenotype relationships in VCP-related MSP are still being defined; in order to understand this better, we investigated the phenotypic diversity and patterns of weakness in the Cure VCP Disease Patient Registry. METHODS: Cure VCP Disease, Inc. was founded in 2018 for the purpose of connecting patients with VCP gene mutations and researchers to help advance treatments and cures. Cure VCP Disease Patient Registry is maintained by Coordination of Rare Diseases at Sanford. The results of two questionnaires with a 5-point Likert scale questions regarding to patients\u27 disease onset, symptoms, and daily life were obtained from 59 participants (28 males and 31 females) between June 2018 and May 2020. Independent of the registry, 22 patients were examined at the Cure VCP Disease annual patient conference in 2019. RESULTS: In the questionnaires of the registry, fifty-three patients (90%) reported that they were with inclusion body myopathy, 17 patients (29%) with Paget\u27s disease of bone, eight patients (14%) with dementia, two patients (3%) with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and a patient with parkinsonism. Thirteen patients (22%) reported dysphagia and 25 patients (42%) reported dyspnea on exertion. A self-reported functional rating scale for motor function identified challenges with sit to stand (72%), walking (67%), and climbing stairs (85%). Thirty-five (59%) patients in the registry answered that their quality of life is more than good. As for the weakness pattern of the 22 patients who were evaluated at the Cure VCP Disease annual conference, 50% of patients had facial weakness, 55% had scapular winging, 68% had upper proximal weakness, 41% had upper distal weakness, 77% had lower proximal, and 64% had lower distal weakness. CONCLUSIONS: The Cure VCP Disease Patient Registry is useful for deepening the understanding of patient daily life, which would be a basis to develop appropriate clinical outcome measures. The registry data is consistent with previous studies evaluating VCP patients in the clinical setting. Patient advocacy groups are essential in developing and maintaining disease registries