Re: THC: Extropian Country -- Blueprint underconstruction...

Dan Fabulich (daniel.fabulich@yale.edu)
Tue, 17 Feb 1998 19:05:44 -0500


At 11:53 PM 2/17/98 +0100, you wrote:
>We will only use (at first) one half of the island. The rest is
>for public use, and is maybe not suitable for buildings, like
>the beaches, etc...

Public use?

> Double this so that we will have 30.000.000 to spend
> on the public places.....so we sell for 6,-- us per m2

>With the other 30.000.000,-- we will build, the harbour,
>the public liberay, activity-centre, web-conection,
>boats, a few cars...and other tools.

Public spending?

>It's a democtratic -webbased deciding/rule system.
>You can vote for everything concerning the public
>space of the island (for technical or difficult, things
>you have to do an "exam" so you will vote educated)
>Something becomes only a problem when one drops
>it in the "discussion group" and asks for a vote....
>e.g: a biotech firm, wants to expiriment with some
>dangerous viruses....then they first have to convince,
>the group that what they do will be save......

Direct democracy with no limits on the powers of government???

The premise is good, but... Why not try eliminating public areas, and
instituting a system of permanent (unchanging) minimalist laws?

Also, I'm dubious that Transhumans from around the world would come and
live on the island for fun. Frankly, if I were to start an island like
this, I would expect that the main source of immigration would not be
biotech firms or a camping industry; but rather those thought to be
criminals by authoritarian governments. Simply by making it publicly known
that the island is a permanent political asylum whose laws are strict but
minimalist, a community may emerge from those who simply have no place else
to go.

We may even supplement this by building the harbor and the airport first;
making the private choice (not the public policy!) to send out boats and
planes to those places desperate to escape from their homeland and bring
them to the island.

Thoughts on this?

-I *AM* GETTING BETTER-
-I THINK I'LL GO FOR A WALK-