We went this way before. the initial investment would have to be pretty healthy. The island concept is still a viable one. A Fast Ship (based on the SL-7 ships) would be the best way of getting materials to the island. An airstrip is a bad idea, it could be seen by orbiting satellites. A Fast Ship could off-load at night and leave before dawn. Heat signatures are more easily masked on a ship than aircraft. Refurbished containers could be used for housing so long they are masked by vegetation or camouflaging. Tidal generators could provide electricity w/o heat signature. The biggest expenditure besides the Fast Ship, would be mining equipment to excavate underground infrastructure so it's masked from spies in the sky. Then you could use mined materials for building purposes. I could go on, these are just some ideas on building the Island Gulch.

Unfortunately even if you could build something to shield you from being seen from the outside world if you had to have any dealings with it the socialists will be immediately aware of your existence and try to destroy you. The best possible alternative that I see now is to live unobserved, a permanent traveler that no one is really keeping track of. Don't get noticed. Read Harry Brown's 'How to Live Free in an Unfree World'. Although it is no longer possible because of the number of methods that can now be used to track and identify any movement or money making not everything in the book applies anymore. Used it successfully until computers came along and giant databases track everyone all the time. The tracking is going to get worse with the real ID Act and implanted RFID's that will be eventually required to get any medical assistance. It will be very difficult at best to disappear or live unobserved.

The approach we take at SpaceFarers Corporation is to implement small, isolated communities surrounding theme parks dedicated to entertainment and the demonstration of technologies on the path to space colonization. The parks we envision, and are currently trying to fund, are as self-contained as possible at this point, with microgrids for water and wastewater as well as electrical power, communications, solid waste, and agriculture. Ayn Rand's philosophy is a subset of ours. Ours includes the idea that the most fundamental right is the right to leave, which is the basis of all competition.

Your reply goes along with the idea that products and services desired and actually used by the individual are to be paid for, which I agree with. However, I have yet to see a housing complex (single, duplex, condo, etc.) that has a "community center or clubhouse" that doesn't require buyers to sign a contract which forces them to pay for such items even if the home owner never uses them. These "Home Owners Associations" can gain a pipeline to your wallet with never ending fees and literally hold your home hostage to blackmail you into whatever they want. Be wary of them whenever you look for real estate. To me, and this is MHO, such things are a red flag saying "Don't Buy Here!". Such places put a lien on your financial freedom before you even step over the threshold and are very un-Gulch-like.

Well that's the real problem with maintaining a gulch. You could buy an island nation, set up your own government and make a prosperous free society. Others would come, attracted by the prosperity who weren't as committed to the philosophy. You would have children grow up, some of whom would go to U.S. Universities and come home convinced that as good as it was, becoming socialist would make everything better and, after all, some people had more prosperity than others and it wasn't fair.

If the majority of the residents come to believe that they need a new deal it doesn't matter what your founding documents say.

ewv- ( long absence? )
The point you make about Rand's purpose in describing the Gulch in AS is obvious, but necessary to make. As you say, the Gulch shows how humans can interact rationally in a civilized manner. AS is what our MM calls romantic writing, it is not a set of instructions.

I agree with you, micro gulches communities are ideal, less is more. Is not sustainable to have over populated communities with limited natural resources,

I don’t mention any fees or costs, but if the community serve us with organic foods or any necessary service, we must pay or serve back in some way. Galt Gulch is not about free stuff, is about community, being resilient and self sufficient.

"...benefits include comunity center or clubhouse...". That means forced association fees for something I don't want. May as well be government sticking it's hand in my wallet. Thus, not a Gulch. No thanks.

True, but less likely to cause territorial disputes. Or maybe I don't know what I'm talking about. Which is quite likely.

Oh, I see. Because the Muslims are politically protected at this time in history. I dont think they would be protected here if they started a colony. Maybe women could start a colony, and maybe black people could start a colony and be left alone unless they got too big

Yes, when I graduated from college, a decent car was $3000. Now to get a similar car would cost $40,00. So if I had saved money, I would have some serious sticker shock today.. Gold went from about $40 an ounce then to $1200 today, so its a much better store of value than the dollar, which is only good as a medium of short term exchange

Absolutely. It is pretty much impossible to escape property and sales taxes unless you are in a gulch, and can be fed by trading with other gulchers.

Privately held islands I can understand, but certainly still considered a part of an existing country's territory. That is the real political issue, not deeded ownership.
The issue with the members of Fortune 400 is that they are part of the elite, have already set up access to political "pull", and rarely want to rock that boat. Too bad they don't recognize the blind spot in that thinking that enslaves them, too

Yes. except if you're Muslim in German, Australia, even England and some other places where they even refuse to report on what's really happening.

But those smart people still pay a fortune in taxes to maintain their own slavery. That is a significant issue that a real Gulch can solve, and one that makes it marketable to many.

"that tends to be slow enough so as not to get politicians fired"
It has worked so far.
When I took my first job after graduation, the CEO of that large NYSE company had an annual salary of about $110k and the CFO had an annual salary of about $33k. Today it would take +- ten times those salaries to get decent talent for those positions. Slow, indefatigable inflation destroying value and discouraging savings every instant of every day.

There are, I am told by a geologist aquaintence plenty of unattached nation sized islanda which are privately held. Any continental land, formerly belonging to a nation spells trouble. If it is a primitive country, their governments tend to change every 8 years or so. Some islands which are too small at first can be dredged to size. The advantage is that Its boundries are unquestioned and it is more easily defended, particularly if mountainous. But so long as we are in fantasyland, all options should be explored. All current attempts at the Gulch are very premature and are bound to fail under current geopolitical conditions, not to mention inadequate seed money.Unless the Koch Bros. were to die and leave their fortunes to --well, whomever's in charge I would have to say that patience is the better part of ambition.

Isnt it when you flaunt it the government GETS you? I think its the size and visibility that brings the government down on you

It is possible but only mentally. Create your own Gulch in your mind and only deal with like thinkers.

Its a short term solution, and maybe the ONLY one that is practical. It means staying under the radar and not standing out among the people you are around. I say the smart people already do this all the time currently to some extent.

Chile is off the radar, almost no influence from the USA, no property taxes on farms, almost no regulations, and low taxes. Just start a sustainable Galts gulch comunity in Central Chile, 82 acres that includes river w. Fish, irrigation canal with unlimited water, we’ll and spring. Extremely self sufficient and I’m looking for partner or lot buyers to start the next phase of development.

All tittled and closing is done in notaria, like a title company in the USA, only 18 lots available and benefits include comunity center or clubhouse and unlimited organic food.

Working on my web page, is not done but I’m getting there. www.movingtochile.com

I’m in Houston and moving to Chile soon and i can meet anyone in Houston or Chile. Thanks for looking. Caesar

To make a gulch that is really habitable and a good alternative for people like us is NOT an easy endeavor. There are many obstacles to be overcome including physical ones involved in making the area inhabitable, providing for basic needs like food and water, and arranging defense for the obvious attacks that would occur.

Not to say that it cant be done somewhere, but it would be expensive and definitely not easily up the normal standard of living we enjoy today. That assumes we are all healthy, or are willing to just die natural deaths without current medical care.

by independently wealthy, I mean that you can up and listen to a john galt and just go with him to a retreat. Those people in AS had no significant medical issues, seemed to have some "wealth" provided by Midas Mulligan and some gold that was arranged for by Ragnar from what was stolen during their time outside the gulch.

You are probably in as much of a gulch right now and you could ever hope for. I doubt the country is going to collapse during the time you (or I) have left, and if you can live it out without the government bothering you too much, thats great.

The collapse will be the destruction of the US dollar through inflation, but that tends to be slow enough so as not to get politicians fired.

No, not possible. If you tried, they would cite racism, or some other -ism. Then they would send in the EPA to look for endangered tree toads where you wanted to build. Then they would try to limit your freedom by citing UN Agenda 21 population density limits and would deny permits. Then they would require you have solar panels, Before long, there would be no self-responsibility nor freedom.