DanGville, USA (or Philville?)

[fencerowphil (Phil L.)]

Okay, DanG, I will not think about the French Revolution any more.
 
What Don P said about his youthful experiment with an un-Harmonious "co-op" makes one
see how hard it would actually be.  The ones which come closest have very strong
moral commitment, but they also have a cultural and psychological enforcement
system as well.  Sadly, even a Christian-morals-based group can go awry (as we
recently saw on the media) by distorting the truth of it.

FlaD has me curious about the Harmony and Expressions communities.  I still betcha the
don't allow any bad smells there, however.

[Don P]

Good old erewhon (nowhere)

I'm not sure there are any winners among the people in a collapse. My folks worked in the former soviet republic several times after their collapse. Infrastructure fails, water, sewer, power,bridges, roads. Services fail, cops become corrupt, affluent school kids require private tutoring to pass, even the olympic athletes were running a protection racket. One of my parents hosts was an ingenious survivor. He had dug a well, had a privy, garden, pigs, made his own wine, every square foot was put to use. All on about 1/2 acre in town. The neighbors were doing similar. Dad noticed the well was replenished after every rain  . He would buy bread each day, have a hunk and hang the bag on his way, it was always gone on his return.

Would I survive, most likely, would I be better off, very doubtful.

I had to see... how about that, they made it 
http://communities.ic.org/94/3894.php

[fencerowphil (Phil L.)]

Nope, sorry, there will be no smelly type businesses in Harmony, Florida.
It turns out to be just a golf community with an elementary school within it.
No businesses, not even stores.  High school is just outside the boundary.

Don P,
It was interesting to see the condensed account of Shannon Farms and
Heartwood Design.

[fencerowphil (Phil L.)]

It turns out that there are still a lot of dreamers, responding to their intimations
with "intentional communities."  The following is the descriptive paragraph used
on the website for Communities Magazine:

"Since 1972, the primary resource for information, issues, and ideas about intentional communities in North America - from urban co-ops to cohousing groups to ecovillages to rural communes. The 80-page quarterly is focusing increasingly on cohousing communities and aspiring ecovillages, as those are two of the fastest-growing kinds of communities in North America today. Articles and columns cover practical "how-to" issues of community living as well as personal stories about forming new communities, decision-making, conflict resolution, raising children in community, sustainability, and much more."

[DanG]

There were a lot of those "intentional communities" in the 70's that were just leftover "flower children" from the 60's that couldn't let go of their utopian dreams.  They just wanted to keep on tiptoein' through the tulips and run around nekkid, instead of really making a life for themselves.  Those folks have mostly gone in other directions, whether it be moving on to a real life(growing up), OD'd on drugs, or out there panhandling and claiming to be a Vietnam Vet.  There were(are) others that survived by evolving into neighborhoods where good things have happened.  The one where many of my friends live has not only produced many wonderful, broadminded and productive offspring, it has saved one of the most precious biological resources in our Country, the Torreyan Ravines, from extinction by protecting it from developers. 

My idea however, is not for an "intentional community" but for an intentional opportunity.  This would be a haven for good ol' hard working, freedom loving, solid American Citizens.  The kind who aren't afraid to bend their back and get their hands dirty, and earn an honest living for their families.  This town, or community, or neighborhood, or whatever you want to call it, that I have in mind is not a gathering of winners, but a group of people who refused to lose.

[Don P]

Those folks appear to have worked through their problems and have made their community work, for over 30 years. I do suspect they have fine children. They didn't sit on a pile of aluminum cans and complain. Those solid Americans sweated, completed their off grid homes, built businesses and have obviously made something. It is mighty hard for me to judge them harshly and dismiss success. I however am obviously not as keen judge of my fellow man.

[fencerowphil (Phil L.)]

My idea however, is not for an "intentional community" but for an intentional opportunity.

You are so deep, Dang, Deeeeeep!
The problem with living together can be the difference between those two.
The nature of the intention soon meets the nature of the opportunity.
That nexus may engender, stimulate, and nourish community, or may
undermine it.  Harnessing similar intentions directed toward the same perceived
opportunity, now that is what real partnership seeks - a rare event.

[fencerowphil (Phil L.)]

Well, what do you know?!
 
This link shows about 27 parameters (if I counted correctly) on a given "Community."
We only have to come up with 1,005 more to complete the DanG-Harmony.com questionaire!
 
Just a sample:          http://directory.ic.org/21616/naturally_home
(One of over 700
  portfolios available)

[fencerowphil (Phil L.)]

I can't resist the themes underlying some of the "intentional communities" which
people are trying to form.  Some of the most unusual ones state their status as:
"forming."   Take at look at these and I think you may say:  "Forming?  I doubt it."

CelestialSeedings

      "It is important to understand that the reason why some feel a strong inner urge to gather
       and protect each other is because between 2012-2014 the earth will experience the gravity of "NIBIRU" The passing
       of this planet near earth will cause Massive Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Tidal waves etc. Unless you know what type of
       structures to Build and Where to build them you will not survive!!!
       All Governments of the earth know this Truth."


Conceivia

      "This is an experimental society based on the model of society used by ants. To try to
       achieve the same highly advanced decision making system which allows an insect intelligence to do agriculture, both
       crops and livestock, and build complex structures extremely fast."


  [Now let's see.  Ants.   Insects completely governed by instinct attached to rigid roles and classes;
                          Guided by phermones within behaviors designed into their DNA.  Yep, that's a model of freedom!]

[Don P]

I don't care who you are, that's funny 

[DanG]

Boy, that's inspiring.  Kinda makes ya wanta chop off yer manizzles, wrap up in a purple blanket, and go chase a comet...or join the Democrat Party.

[Don P]

With over 700 choices, I'm sure we can find one where we can each shoot our tax collector and publicly fast at least twice each week    

[OneWithWood]

Boy, that's inspiring.  Kinda makes ya wanta chop off yer manizzles, wrap up in a purple blanket, and go chase a comet...or join the Democrat Party.

See, there are good reasons to join the democratic party. 

[DanG]

I can see that there will be differences between DanGville and Philville.  I would just hire my workers like any other company, then offer them the chance to establish a residence nearby.  They wouldn't have to take advantage of it if they'd rather live elsewhere.  The "village" wouldn't be anything like a commune, it would just be a neighborhood where you could be buddies with your neighbor or not.  Of course, there would have to be some restrictions to keep employees from just buying and building on the cheap and selling on the open market for a huge profit.  I had in mind restricting the purchases to "one per customer" or something like that.  The only way an employee could get a second lot would be to sell to another employee.  He could however, purchase an additional contiguous lot to expand his space, or sell to another employee in order to buy a bigger lot.  If he sold to an outsider, which would be allowed, he couldn't buy another place from the company.  Like most neighborhoods these days, there would be a list of covenants and bylaws, which I already posted.  On the phone the other day, Tom suggested a simpler set of rules:

1. There are no rules.
2. See rule #1.

   As Utopian as that sounds, total anarchy just plain doesn't work if there is more than one person involved.

The crux of this whole fantasy is that the Co-op, or Company would be benevolent to its employees, which would foster loyalty from the employees toward the Co-op.  Also, the employees would be members of the Co-op, and share in whatever profits there might be, so even more loyalty(and hard work) are encouraged.  Otherwise, the Co-op would be run just like any other business.  Workers would be hired or fired just like elsewhere.  Some would leave for whatever reason, but I think the turnover rate would be very low.  They wouldn't be captives, or owe their souls to the Company Store, like pore ol' Tennessee Ernie did.  If something should cause the Co-op to go under, they will have had benefit of good employment for however long it lasted, and as members, would get a share when the assets were liquidated.  Their land would belong to them, because it would have been sold to them at cost, not "given" or leased to them by the Co-op.  If they had borrowed from the Co-op to get it, they would still owe for it.

I should say here, that none of the aforementioned ideas are really mine.  I just borrowed them from different places and put them all together.  Much of it comes simply from the way things were done in the past, when companies took care of their employees because they knew that their workers were their biggest asset.  The plan I have outlined here merely brings that concept back into play, and adds the benefits of the co-op concept to it.  Part of it comes from our local Rural Electric Co-op, which I am a member of by virtue of being a customer.  As a member, I am kept informed of their status as a business, and I get a little check as my share of the profits every year.  As a long-time member, that little check is now equivilent to about a month and a half of my power bill.  They are able to do that while providing the highest level of service I've ever seen, and charging the lowest rates anywhere around here.  Their employees are well equipped, well trained, and well paid, along with having an excellent benefits package.  It is mostly because of them that I know the plan I have outlined could be made to work.  Oh yeah, one other thing about the Electric Co-op, they don't have no talking machine to answer the phone.  They got people, 24/7, and those people are right here in the service area, not in India.  They only respond in Spanish if you speak Spanish to them, too.

[fencerowphil (Phil L.)]

Excuse my absence, please.  I actually had some sawing to do, ( Imagine that!)
and some peenanner work to do, too, for which I am even more thankful.  That
way, after I sweat completely through every stitch on me, I can come home for
a refreshing shower and go tune in AIR CONDITIONED COMFORT!   AAAAAAHhhh!

Perhaps we are imagining quite different ideas: 
                                                                                 "The Benevolent Fiefdom of DanGville"
                                                                                                          versus
                                                                                "The Jetson's-meet-Walton's-Mountain"
                                                                 [Which would be a non-co-opted combination of families,
                                                      linked by a commitment to a pre-planned community/workspace design.]

But, not to worry,  many fiefdoms would be required to make PhilVille work.

You have the advantage, however:  You only need $2 million.  I still need that $200 million.