Some rich people want to build an island!!!

[MOD ONE]

Silicon Valley billionaire funds the creation of a Libertarian nation on a tiny artificial island




Pay Pal founder and early Facebook investor Peter Thiel has given $1.25 million to an initiative to create floating libertarian countries in international waters. Clean places with little regulation, away from all the dirty people and their poorness.

Thiel has been a big backer of the Seasteading Institute, which seeks to build sovereign nations on oil rig-like platforms to occupy waters beyond the reach of law-of-the-sea treaties. The idea is for these countries to start from scratch—free from the laws, regulations, and moral codes of any existing place. Details says the experiment would be “a kind of floating petri dish for implementing policies that libertarians, stymied by indifference at the voting booths, have been unable to advance: no welfare, looser building codes, no minimum wage, and few restrictions on weapons.”

“There are quite a lot of people who think it’s not possible,” Thiel said at a Seasteading Institute Conference in 2009, according to Details. (His first donation was in 2008, for $500,000.) “That’s a good thing. We don’t need to really worry about those people very much, because since they don’t think it’s possible they won’t take us very seriously. And they will not actually try to stop us until it’s too late.”

The Seasteading Institute’s Patri Friedman says the group plans to launch an office park off the San Francisco coast next year, with the first full-time settlements following seven years later.

I say go for it, have fun and all that, but I think it’s naive to think that whatever policies one has on a tiny walled garden utopia of an island filled with wealthy people could in any way scale up to work at a level of social and economic complexity that exists in somewhere like the United States. But don’t let me stop you. Enjoy your billionaire pool party.

source:I Heart Chaos — Silicon Valley billionaire funds the creation of a Libertarian nation on a tiny artificial island

[Zorro]

Ah, thought this was about "The World" islands in Dubai

[MOD ONE]

I don't think it will happen... it kind of sounds weird.

[Hi i'm God]

[Subsonic Chronic]

The idea is for these countries to start from scratch—free from the laws, regulations, and moral codes of any existing place. Details says the experiment would be “a kind of floating petri dish for implementing policies that libertarians, stymied by indifference at the voting booths, have been unable to advance: no welfare, looser building codes, no minimum wage, and few restrictions on weapons.”

LOL. Like a permanent, floating Do What You Feel festival.



Oh well, as long as the band stage is double-bolted then I can't see what could possibly go wrong.

[praktik]

sorry, by "rich people" you really mean "job creators", right??

[ev]

wont people get seasick?

[the_fornicator]

That island has 'rape' written all over it.

[I_bRAD]

There`s no way that`s getting built for anything near 1.25 million.

[The Watcher]

Orgy Island with weapons

[Ho||yw0oD]

Originally Posted by the_fornicator

That island has 'rape' written all over it.

and/or 'sausage party'

[G3N3R4L]

Sounds like the start of a real life Bioshock.

[Snuffy]

In response, I'd create my own floating warrior pirate country and declare war.

[praktik]

More Libertopian Adventures:

Oceania - died out in 1994 due to "lack of interest" -> Oceania -- The Atlantis Project
2009 artice on Seasteading institute: The next frontier: 'Seasteading' the oceans | Politics and Law - CNET News
Sealand: The Principality of Sealand Principality of Sealand - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Republic of Minerva died a quick death in the 70s at the hands of the formidable Tongan Navy (same idea as in the OP)): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Minerva

And the Seasteader's FAQ, haha: Frequently Asked Questions | Seasteading Institute

What a bunch of maroons!

[glych t.anomaly]

Originally Posted by G3N3R4L

Sounds like the start of a real life Bioshock.

hahaha i read someones article on this the other day and they said the same thing !

[praktik]

IM surprised, Kevin O'Leary should be all over this!

[praktik]

Originally Posted by MOD ONE

The idea is for these countries to start from scratch—free from the laws, regulations, and moral codes of any existing place. Details says the experiment would be “a kind of floating petri dish for implementing policies that libertarians, stymied by indifference at the voting booths, have been unable to advance: no welfare, looser building codes, no minimum wage, and few restrictions on weapons.”

See this where the libertarian loons go off the deep-end. I can at least understand how a minimum wage is an affront to their religious beliefs about the free market, but building codes?? THAT makes the laundry list?

Oh ya, like making buildings so they don't fall down on people, have adequate fire/earthquake protections built into their design, what a horrible thing to ask of property owners!

We'd be SO much better off if we all just let people build how they wanted, you know, like in Haiti...

[le bricoleur]

[JamesM]

Originally Posted by I_bRAD

There`s no way that`s getting built for anything near 1.25 million.

that's what I was going to say. a million would probably just be enough to buy off at least just one of many people along the way to actually create a new state.

1 million is a "donation" to a "friend" to sit around on his computer and make a story! about a huge island in the pacific, where everyone is happy!

this thing's gunna cost hundreds of billions.. ugh. what am I reading.

[MOD ONE]

Originally Posted by praktik

sorry, by "rich people" you really mean "job creators", right??

No I mean people with a lot of money lol.

[tripleup]

Originally Posted by MOD ONE

I don't think it will happen... it kind of sounds weird.

What, no BRINK comparison?

[tripleup]

Originally Posted by praktik

See this where the libertarian loons go off the deep-end. I can at least understand how a minimum wage is an affront to their religious beliefs about the free market, but building codes?? THAT makes the laundry list?

You obviously have never met Ron Swanson.

[praktik]

Ron Swanson shits freedom.

[tripleup]

Originally Posted by praktik

Ron Swanson shits freedom.

Especially in his woodshop.

[alexd]

"Smiles everyone! Smiles!"