The breakdown of government

[Freya]

Of course its more important to spread the philsophy of liberty in the now. But sometimes it can be interesting to talk about the future, at a point where we have succesfully removed the government. But rarely have I heard people discuss what happens if we suddenly were succesful in rejecting the government in a certain area.

Let's for example say that everyone in the state of New Hampshire embraced liberty and all at once rejected the US government. And lets imagine that because of international pressure the US doesn't attempt to forcibily reclaim the territory.

What happens next? I mean, almost everyone usually owns some property already. Currently property might not always be protected clear enough to be considered such in a state of anarchy. (A deed proves ownership under government, there might be no need to build a fence or mark it like you would in AnCap society). There is also a large amount of public, formerly government owned land and assets.

How is it decided what happens with these assets? What rules are used? Do you think it will be a race to see who can grab (homestead) the most land for himself? Will people get together and decide who has the best means of managing a certain property such as roads?

[Seth King]

If the government doesn't sell off the lands before it goes extinct then I imagine there would be a lot of homesteading going on after it does.

[Syock]

While I find it amusing that the US gov would allow New Hampshire to go...

Of course they would also need to reject the state government for things to really change on the government land ownership.


There are already surveys for land ownership.  Having seen neighbor squabbles first hand over property lines, I assure you that not having a clearly marked line on the property won't matter.  It can and is settled with private surveyors and arbitration already.

I would bet government land would have homesteaders and squatters all over the place.  Not everyone is going to agree to the homesteading principals, but will still want some of the land. 

There are systems in place for things like roads already, and they tend to be private companies with government contracts.  I would count on some people attempting to claim the road around their home to be theirs, but attempting to collect a toll is not likely to be something people want to waste their time with, and people won't want to pay it if the road is falling into disrepair.  The private companies will likely claim and set up RFID tolls on the highways first, and move into the secondary roads after that.  They may end up paying some homeowners, most people probably won't be looking for money if the companies will maintain the roads. 

People already have jobs and expertise in the existing systems.  They will likely all just fold over into a more direct and competitive market rather than all radical new things happening overnight.  The better systems will replace others in time, as the market does.