Thursday, September 6, 2012

The Ultimate Gated Community

Disappointing that AP saw no need to report on what it costs to buy your own private city.  It couldn't be nothing ... could it?  I would like to see the memorandum.  Does it read like a contract?  Like a treaty?

3 comments:

  1. Probably the closest thing in American history to being able to "buy" a "private" city is the creatiin of Walt Disney World in Florida officially known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District where "landowners" of which their is primarily only one call the shots.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reedy_Creek_Improvement_District

    Some of the information is innaccurate such as the reference to nuclear power. None of the powers given by the State of Florida to Reedy Creek do anything vis a vis Federal Law and even in the context of FL State Law both the State of FL and the two local counties retain substantial powers in areas like sales taxation and law enforcement. Having said that the RCID has substantial powers that would normally be exectued by municipalities, counties, or the state of FL. It gets even more complex when the quasi public RCID contracts out many services it provides by law right back to the 100% Private Walt Disney Company such as utilities management, road maintenance, pest control etc.

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  2. A recent Marginal Revolution post suggests that this is no way an issue of extra-territoriality, that there is external control (along the lines you suggest). It seems to me it's just a free zone with a new branding strategy.

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  3. On this subject the Ottawa Citizen recently ran the following article on the whole charter cities started by NYU Professor Paul Romer(which I guess was the original inspiration for this Honduras project). It mentions specifically Romer's desire to have Canada play a key part in developing these charter cities(My understanding is the charter cities would use Canadian law and institutions). The article mentions that Romer was able to specifically pitch this idea to Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty at a recent retreat(Finance Ministers get pitched a lot of ideas from a lot of different people). Then I find out that Paul Romer has joined the Macdonald Laurier Institute in Ottawa. Well that is interesting for sure. MLI is going to become a lot more interesting place.

    For those who have never heard of MLI it isn't know for much yet other than its founder and main big wig wrote a recent book called the Canadian Century which is basically the Canadian 2011 equivalent to the 1980s Japanese Books The Japan that can say No and Japan as Number One. Basically Canada is best country in the world has the best form of capitalism in the world and despite having only 35 million is going to ground everyone into the dust. I am really waiting for the Canadian equivalent to Michael Crichton's book and movie Rising Sun. I would also like to see someone in the US Congress enter the Canadian Century into the Congressional Record just like they did for the Japan that can say NO.

    So back to MLI. I guess they first big proposal for Canada to take over the world is through the creation of "Canadian" Charter cities all over the world.

    http://www.ottawacitizen.com/opinion/columnists/world+ready+more+Canada/7237273/story.html

    http://www.amazon.ca/The-Canadian-Century-Moving-Americas/dp/1554702976

    http://www.amazon.com/The-Japan-That-Can-Say/dp/0671735713

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