Special to L. Neil Smith’s The Libertarian Enterprise

"We envision a world in which all systems, management, charters, and performance bonuses are written into smart contracts and stored in the blockchain in an enterprise. Connect all the individuals and organizations in the house through smart contracts. We no longer need roles such as CEO, CFO, CTO, and our members are all over the world, we don’t even need offices, we don’t have utilities, nor going to pay for water and electricity. All choices and governance will be adopted through rules and incentives, we can avoid relying on the central authority or person, which can also greatly reduce the risk of fraud."
— Overview of Decentralized Autonomous Organization

Over the last twelve years, a great deal of thought has been put into the development of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. There are now many thousands of similar currencies. The market has valued them at various levels, and you can look up their "market cap" and other details at sites like CoinMarketCap.com if you wish. One of the vitally important concepts to come out of all this thinking is the smart contract, which has led to the development of decentralised structures for finance and for operations.

A simple way of looking at the opportunities thus created is to consider the "ringleader problem." If there is a rebellion against authority and one or two people are the prominent voices, then the evil wicked authoritarians in government merely have to target those leaders. Take them out by killing them, or discredit them by a campaign of lies and persecution, and before long the rebellion is suppressed. Free people are again thwarted and the mass murdering baby raping cannibals in government and their baby raping cronies in giant multinational corporations are able to continue in power and keep raping, killing, and looting.

Decentralised finance or DeFi is a collection of autonomous enterprises, led by outfits like Compound.finance which provide smart contract systems for reliable lending. An overview here seems worth a look for people new to the ideas. One important take away is that as of two weeks ago, there were over $2 billion of value being lent and earning returns for investors, in various DeFi structures.

Freedom Land

The goal of Freedom Land is to build a large number of communities on land secured by purchase. Each participant in the DAO is paying for a deposit on a long term lease for a home site on one of the properties. We will seek to purchase not less than 40 acres in any given purchase, so that an effective number of freedom enthusiasts are able to live near one another at each project. Once we purchase land, nothing prevents participants or non-participants in the DAO from buying additional land nearby.

Among our goals:

• Take the high ground;
• Get rural
• Have acreage that is agricultural use exempt from property taxes;
• Develop as participants move;
• Think strategically

We are not a real estate broker, we are going to be a leasing agency. We will purchase land and lease home sites through a structure such as a real estate investment trust, non-profit organisation, limited liability company, or other company as best suited to the particular jursidiction (nation, province or state, county or region) where we are buying land.

Our DAO will contract with lawyers, accountants, realtors, and other parties to provide strategic relationships with government tax authorities, government regulatory agencies (if any—many rural counties have none), utility services, road contractors (muh roads!), and others to provide long term usability to all DAO participants.

Freedom Land DAO will track the order in which deposits are received. DAO participants will be able to designate rank order preference for location. Once land is purchased, DAO participants will be able to choose whether to locate in that community and choose a particular location within it, first come first served—with off-chain trading possible for people who choose. Space will be set aside for a community centre and roads. You'll be able to camp on your land as soon as it is purchased. You may buy as many units at each size as you wish, so if you want to have a quarter acre in three different parts of the country or world, we will accommodate you.

Our goal is to provide long term leases on great accommodations for freedom enthusiasts. Based on work the author of this essay performed in 1995-2002 with Spencer MacCallum and Michael van Notten, there are places where 999 year leases have been renewed, meaning that after almost a thousand years of working together, tenants and landlords have decided to go for another thousand years of success.

In his book The Art of Community, author and freedom activist Spencer MacCallum writes about the use of leasehold to keep land together and avoid the difficulties and outrages of homeowner associations; of placing the streets, sewers, street lighting, and other common facilities in the hands of government; and many other problems that the last century of subdivision and freehold have revealed in old-style real estate development. Back in the 1990-1993 period, working with real estate developers in Texas, I was involved in developments with homes now worth on the close order of $600 million or more. So, I know a lot about that approach.

I'm convinced by Spencer's arguments and the experiences of land developers who have kept large tracts of land undivided that the path to both freedom and profitability is with careful land use planning and leasehold-based communities. For example, a friend in Belize recently told me about an intentional community built on 50,000 acres in that country which has succeeded for many decades already. More information on Spencer's ideas can be found at ScienceOfSociety.net

The general idea is that people who are interested buy into the DAO and contract for a home site (which they can use for purposes of their choosing, within the tenancy agreement which will be forthcoming real soon now). Their initial payment is a deposit on their home site. A person can choose to buy into more than one location. Every year on the anniversary of their deposit payment, their annual lease payment on that home site is due. For a quarter acre property the goal is that the deposit be about US$1,000—though given the anticipated hyperinflation that is probably going to be some other number like one-tenth of a bitcoin or 5 ounces of gold or 500 ounces of silver. Anyway the buy-in should be within reach of a great many people.

With the funds provided from the deposits, land will be purchased and work will begin on the development of the land. The net present value of the future streams of income from the tenants should allow for significant financing of roads and decentralised utilities (natural gas well on property, solar power, efficient hydroelectric, etc.). Other amenities and community features (mutual aid, rapid response teams, local clinic) and development of nearby land will be included as the project continues. Based on Wendy McElroy's excellent review of the work of Josiah Warren, it will be useful for each community to have a community centre, such as a large pavilion or building in which facilities for preparing food and for dining together as a group can be found. Being able to meet regularly and share food together seems to bring people together and help a community thrive. Having their own internal or local currency does, too.

So the smart contract facilities involved in Freedom Land DAO will include a list of the things provided to the leaseholders by the developers. Some of those things would be a community centre, secure perimeter defence including fencing, and access roads.

I am personally interested in land near Newport, Tennessee; Jasper, Georgia; Sittgreaves Forest, Arizona; White Mountains, New Hampshire; Bitterroot Mountains, Idaho; St. James, Missouri; Spavinaw, Oklahoma; and other areas. I don't think this DAO should focus on only one location, though inevitably the first location will be of great significance to the success of the project.

Progress Thus Far

In the last four days, I've been approached by people and landowners in Belize, Canada, Texas, Georgia, West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, Kansas, as elsewhere about opportunities and possibilities. There are going to be many of these project locations.

The largest one is close to Alpine, Texas and is at least 320 acres. A small one, 40 acres, is located in Belize.

I've told enough people that the ideas involved will be implemented by other people, too, and I'm very happy about that. When it is railroad time, you see lots of people building railroads. Competition makes a free market huge, and there are 150 million freedom enthusiasts in America who need to have good communities and happy homes—far more than any one business can serve.

There are also more gatherings. This weekend and through 10 August Jackelope freedom festival is in Arizona. The weekend of 24 to 27 September IglooLuau.com is happening in Naturita, Colorado where there are people planning to pursue a sovereign community strategy. The weekend of 10 October is MidFest.info and the following weekend Luau East will be in eastern Kentucky. The weekend of 24 October will see a Georgia event. I plan to be at the events in September and October, all of them.

 

Jim Davidson is an author, entrepreneur, actor, and director. He has served as the cfo of KanehCN3.com and as the vision director of HoustonSpaceSociety.net You can find him on Twitter.com/planetaryjim as well as Pocket.app and Flote.app also as planetaryjim. He appreciates any support you can provide as times are very difficult. See the Paypal link on this page. Or email your humble author to offer other choices. Visit IglooLuau.com for more information on an upcoming event. Those seeking a multi-jurisdiction multi-hop VPN for communications privacy please visit https://secure.cryptohippie.com/houstonspacesociety.php For those seeking colloidal silver try ppmSilver.com/Jim Ask Jim about CryptoWealth. Help ranchers avoid destroying their heards, buy Bedrock Beef. http://bedrock-beef.myshopify.com/?aff=2