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Paypal Founder Peter Thiel Invests to Create Floating Micro-Countries

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Re: Paypal Founder Peter Thiel Invests to Create Floating Micro-Countries

#21

Post by ajays »

ddw wrote: post #18

Funny how these guys can only afford these things from their profits in "nanny states." Basically this guy is keeping it close to San Francisco so that he can earn him money here and suck it over to his amusement park. If he really believed in "libertarianism" he would just do it without the money and see how he can prosper then. But alas, the super rich are not like everyone else.

I don't know why you're being downvoted. I came here to say the same thing. These people will do all this song-and-dance of making a "libertarian utopia", but still keep their money in dollars; their house on Sea Cliff; their kids in US universities.

You really think you can do better, Mr. Rich Guy? Then put your money where your mouth is, and move your family there. Live there. Don't go to any of the so-called "socialist hells"; try to survive on your little parcel of paradise and see how long it lasts.

Re: Paypal Founder Peter Thiel Invests to Create Floating Micro-Countries

#22

Post by ajays »

watchandwait wrote: post #9
cleaver wrote: post #5

Better invest in lots of defences... If you're an independent micro-country, nobody's going to rush to defend you from pirates.

The risk-reward isn't there for pirates. Seasteads will likely be well-armed, populated, far from Somalia and other pirate operating areas, and lack the large material payload of a cargo ship or oil-tanker.

And when the next hurricane strikes, guess who they're gonna call? The US Coast Guard! "Help, Nanny State! Please help us!!!"

Re: Paypal Founder Peter Thiel Invests to Create Floating Micro-Countries

#23

Post by ddw »

ajays wrote: post #21
ddw wrote: post #18

Funny how these guys can only afford these things from their profits in "nanny states." Basically this guy is keeping it close to San Francisco so that he can earn him money here and suck it over to his amusement park. If he really believed in "libertarianism" he would just do it without the money and see how he can prosper then. But alas, the super rich are not like everyone else.

I don't know why you're being downvoted. I came here to say the same thing. These people will do all this song-and-dance of making a "libertarian utopia", but still keep their money in dollars; their house on Sea Cliff; their kids in US universities. You really think you can do better, Mr. Rich Guy? Then put your money where your mouth is, and move your family there. Live there. Don't go to any of the so-called "soci…

Of course I was downvoted, everyones' startup is going to be bought by Google and we'll all be rich! Woo hoo!

(and yes I realize I'll get it for this too)

I'm really fine with people living in the woods like the Unabomber and giving it a shot. Or even New Hampshire becoming a libertarian state, why not, go for it and see what happens.

But don't put a lot of money behind something and call it an "experiment" that we can actually apply in the real world.

Re: Paypal Founder Peter Thiel Invests to Create Floating Micro-Countries

#24

Post by justincormack »

wisty wrote: post #4

It looks like their financial model revolves around skirting regulations. The example they give is "medical tourism". But it's basically going to be floating casinos and brothels, right?

There was a floating abortion clinic off Ireland at one point. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/1382412.stm

And of course there used to be pirate radio offshore from the uk beaming pop music, bypassing government broadcast regulations.

So there have been other uses...

Re: Paypal Founder Peter Thiel Invests to Create Floating Micro-Countries

#25

Post by tomjen3 »

dstein wrote: post #20
eegilbert wrote: post #3

Wouldn't "countries" like this be super vulnerable to attack? A few well-placed charges and it's like the place never existed.

One guy with a machine gun could conquer this country in 10 minutes. And if it's truly sovereign then it would be completely legal.

Actually not. Agressive war is no longer legal (you can end up in Hague).

Re: Paypal Founder Peter Thiel Invests to Create Floating Micro-Countries

#28

Post by dstein »

tomjen3 wrote: post #25
dstein wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One guy with a machine gun could conquer this country in 10 minutes. And if it's truly sovereign then it would be completely legal.

Actually not. Agressive war is no longer legal (you can end up in Hague).

Perhaps, but you'd be stretching the definition of "legal".

Re: Paypal Founder Peter Thiel Invests to Create Floating Micro-Countries

#29

Post by SeoxyS »

gexla wrote: post #19

Floating countries for rich people. Products: Gambling licenses. Dual citizenships. Offshore banking (tax havens.) What am I missing? Edit: Of course, nobody would actually be living in these places other than system admins. All the available space would be stuffed with servers to run the above services.

Note that these already exist. There's a few retired oil rigs that serve as server farms and mini-states.

Re: Paypal Founder Peter Thiel Invests to Create Floating Micro-Countries

#30

Post by haecib »

SoftwareMaven wrote: post #13
rvkennedy wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I love the "libertarian" basis for it as well - loose building codes, few weapons restrictions - just what you need in an experimental floating structure thousands of miles from help!

I thought that was an odd thing for the article to focus on, too. When I think of something like this being libertarian, a far different picture emerges, like being free from the nanny-state and its attempts to infiltrate my life.

>a far different picture emerges, like being free from the nanny-state and its attempts to infiltrate my life.

I think people living on something like this would illustrate that there is no such thing as a non-nanny state. We're a democracy, and we have an elected government that creates laws that govern us by our decree for the good of society on the whole. (This is obviously simplified, and ignores corruption, which is fine because that cannot be removed from any system, including the proposed one for this topic).

Those living together as a social community would find that they would need to adopt thousands upon thousands of rules that community members have to abide by or face consequences (anarchy being the alternative). They will find that what they are emulating is our democracy, just on a smaller scale. Sure, they may make different rules on a range of issues, but they will, and must, make rules all the same. And they will go beyond the theoretical brain exercises that Libertarians often substitute for law, -revolving around property law as the main focus. The only reason people will feel more free from the law is because there will be fewer of them, -it would be function of the extremely tiny size of the population itself.

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