4 ms·

You know those quasi-libertarian dreams of independent privately-owned city-states? Yeah, doesn't seem like such a good idea now, does it? (I'm kind of surpris

You know those quasi-libertarian dreams of independent privately-owned city-states? Yeah, doesn't seem like such a good idea now, does it? (I'm kind of surprised none of those crypto-libertarian groups have tried Myanmar, actually; it is, at least at the moment, particularly vulnerable to this sort of thing.)

Muromec 2y ago
Does anybody dream of living in one or just dreams of owning the one? I fail to see the upside of living in somebody's pocket soviet union when places like Singapure actually exist.
- lupusreal 2y ago
  Singapore certainly isn't for me, but I don't think you can call it unpopular by any means.
  - thfuran 2y ago
    I wouldn't call it libertarian either.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- rsynnott 2y ago
  Some weirder libertarians do indeed seem to dream of living in one. > I fail to see the upside of living in somebody's pocket soviet union The sort of extreme libertarians who are keen on this sort of thing don't acknowledge that it would be like that, though; in their worldview, without a government, (only, effectively, an _owner_), all would be well. Now, this may sound suspiciously like warlordism or feudalism to some of us, but we're not the ones who want to live in these sorts of places. Singapore's completely different; it's rather authoritarian, but is generally a functioning state with strict regulation.
misja111 2y ago
Libertarians would answer that in a True Libertarian World, gambling would be legal everywhere: so gamblers would have a rich choice between casino's and wouldn't have to resort to shady casino's with bad reputations, as they do now.
- dr-detroit 2y ago
  [dead]
- rsynnott 2y ago
  This isn't primarily gambling, though, it's _fraud_.
  - Muromec 2y ago
    Just wait two weeks till CFPB is disbanded and all the crypto scam will be legal too.
rob74 2y ago
Depending on a local warlord to protect your independent privately owned city-state (in exchange for a healthy cut out of your profits, of course) doesn't sound like something that is likely to work long term. But at least one well known crypto-libertarian seems to be making some money out of it: > With Thailand cutting off power and telecommunications, electricity comes from diesel generators, which are expensive to run. And communications go through Elon Musk's Starlink satellite system, which is also very costly.
- noja 2y ago
  Musk, the crypto libertarian who works for the US government?
  - rob74 2y ago
    I suspect that when he's done working for it, there won't be a (functioning) government anymore, so yes.
    - dr-detroit 2y ago
      I am offended by the foul Musk as much as the next guy but if we are being fair wasn't the story always that the federal government was a disfunctional mess? Does anybody think our leadership over the last 50 years accomplished anything worth preserving? I was taught in civics nobody is really trustworthy to open a new constitutional convention and change things but if we never take any risks wont that be bad too?
      - noja 2y ago
        Muskism dictates that you must decry the terrible state of whatever-it-is before destroying it (but skip over the part about what the replacement will be).
- rsynnott 2y ago
  > Depending on a local warlord to protect your independent privately owned city-state (in exchange for a healthy cut out of your profits, of course) doesn't sound like something that is likely to work long term. Well, you're going to need _something_ like that (I suppose there's also the Be Your Own Warlord option, but that's presumably even more expensive). Provided the warlord is getting paid, they seem less likely to ask questions of dodgy fake cities than an actual government is (for instance see Honduras, where the current government is trying to get rid of the weird libertarian fake-city authorised by the previous government).
PaulHoule 2y ago
Not enough law 'n order. If you had $10M in crypto they would torture you for the keys and then kill you. Almost as bad as Florida: https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/twelve-defendants-sentenced-violent-home-invasion-robberies-steal-cryptocurrency https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/twelve-defendants-se...

Muromec 2y ago

Does anybody dream of living in one or just dreams of owning the one? I fail to see the upside of living in somebody's pocket soviet union when places like Singapure actually exist.

lupusreal 2y ago
Singapore certainly isn't for me, but I don't think you can call it unpopular by any means.
- thfuran 2y ago
  I wouldn't call it libertarian either.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
rsynnott 2y ago
Some weirder libertarians do indeed seem to dream of living in one. > I fail to see the upside of living in somebody's pocket soviet union The sort of extreme libertarians who are keen on this sort of thing don't acknowledge that it would be like that, though; in their worldview, without a government, (only, effectively, an _owner_), all would be well. Now, this may sound suspiciously like warlordism or feudalism to some of us, but we're not the ones who want to live in these sorts of places. Singapore's completely different; it's rather authoritarian, but is generally a functioning state with strict regulation.

misja111 2y ago

Libertarians would answer that in a True Libertarian World, gambling would be legal everywhere: so gamblers would have a rich choice between casino's and wouldn't have to resort to shady casino's with bad reputations, as they do now.

dr-detroit 2y ago
[dead]
rsynnott 2y ago
This isn't primarily gambling, though, it's _fraud_.
- Muromec 2y ago
  Just wait two weeks till CFPB is disbanded and all the crypto scam will be legal too.

rob74 2y ago

Depending on a local warlord to protect your independent privately owned city-state (in exchange for a healthy cut out of your profits, of course) doesn't sound like something that is likely to work long term. But at least one well known crypto-libertarian seems to be making some money out of it: > With Thailand cutting off power and telecommunications, electricity comes from diesel generators, which are expensive to run. And communications go through Elon Musk's Starlink satellite system, which is also very costly.

noja 2y ago
Musk, the crypto libertarian who works for the US government?
- rob74 2y ago
  I suspect that when he's done working for it, there won't be a (functioning) government anymore, so yes.
  - dr-detroit 2y ago
    I am offended by the foul Musk as much as the next guy but if we are being fair wasn't the story always that the federal government was a disfunctional mess? Does anybody think our leadership over the last 50 years accomplished anything worth preserving? I was taught in civics nobody is really trustworthy to open a new constitutional convention and change things but if we never take any risks wont that be bad too?
    - noja 2y ago
      Muskism dictates that you must decry the terrible state of whatever-it-is before destroying it (but skip over the part about what the replacement will be).
rsynnott 2y ago
> Depending on a local warlord to protect your independent privately owned city-state (in exchange for a healthy cut out of your profits, of course) doesn't sound like something that is likely to work long term. Well, you're going to need _something_ like that (I suppose there's also the Be Your Own Warlord option, but that's presumably even more expensive). Provided the warlord is getting paid, they seem less likely to ask questions of dodgy fake cities than an actual government is (for instance see Honduras, where the current government is trying to get rid of the weird libertarian fake-city authorised by the previous government).

PaulHoule 2y ago

Not enough law 'n order. If you had $10M in crypto they would torture you for the keys and then kill you. Almost as bad as Florida: https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/twelve-defendants-sentenced-violent-home-invasion-robberies-steal-cryptocurrency https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/twelve-defendants-se...