If you could, would you own your own island?

[higgmond]

@Flashback

I would rather buy mountain or forest, not island if money is not constraint and no matter tax or any other impact.

There are many little islands in my country which local individuals (families) own, anyway 7 m distance from the sea level is always public good.

How about an island with a mountain and a forest?

[Matt_Likes_Analysis]

@Black_Swan

@mk17

like geo said. huge infrastructure issues. if you had unlimited money you could solve the plumbing, drinking water, food shipments, staffing, lawn maintenance and wildlife control but I think I’d be bored after a while. Buying a slice of an island with neighbours of similar vein and interest would be alright though.

You could just choose not to develop it. Yes, it won’t be like Turks & Caicos, but the upside is a super beatuiful, secluded, untouched island in which your law is the only law. Hence the burning man esque parties. If you were that rich, you’d most likely be in with the mega yacht group, which removes need for infrastructure altogether. Put in a few beatiful party areas and you’re all set to rage.

Beyond that, a few rain collecting freshwater tanks and basic sewage wouldn’t be too hard. Add a block of solar panels in a building with a retractable roof and you’re all set.

the key is sovereignty. am i buying a country or just an island? just an island is probably one of the least efficient ways to spend money. buying a country allows you to hunt humans for game as they run through vast coca fields.

[Flashback]

@higgmond

@Flashback

I would rather buy mountain or forest, not island if money is not constraint and no matter tax or any other impact.

There are many little islands in my country which local individuals (families) own, anyway 7 m distance from the sea level is always public good.

How about an island with a mountain and a forest?

Sounds good. Is vulcan also included in price?

[igor555]

i already own one, staten island

[Black_Swan]

Yeah, I’m more angling for a sovereign island. A non-sovereign island would still be pretty sweet though because of the isolation. Rule of law would obviously still be pretty loose there.

[geo]

Well, my own sovereign island would be pretty awesome. I’d definitely turn it into the ultimate tax haven.

[Griingo]

Richard Branson bought his island for $180k, developing it took $10m

[ohai]

Imagine all the crimes against humanity that you could commit there without legal interference.

[Matt_Likes_Analysis]

@ohai

Imagine all the crimes against humanity that you could commit there without legal interference.

even better. you could create legal code to promote and protect crimes against humanity. viva la liberte!

[Greenman72]

I choose Manhattan as my island.

[el_macca17]

@Matt_Likes_Analysis

@Black_Swan

@mk17

like geo said. huge infrastructure issues. if you had unlimited money you could solve the plumbing, drinking water, food shipments, staffing, lawn maintenance and wildlife control but I think I’d be bored after a while. Buying a slice of an island with neighbours of similar vein and interest would be alright though.

You could just choose not to develop it. Yes, it won’t be like Turks & Caicos, but the upside is a super beatuiful, secluded, untouched island in which your law is the only law. Hence the burning man esque parties. If you were that rich, you’d most likely be in with the mega yacht group, which removes need for infrastructure altogether. Put in a few beatiful party areas and you’re all set to rage.

Beyond that, a few rain collecting freshwater tanks and basic sewage wouldn’t be too hard. Add a block of solar panels in a building with a retractable roof and you’re all set.

the key is sovereignty. am i buying a country or just an island? just an island is probably one of the least efficient ways to spend money. buying a country allows you to hunt humans for game as they run through vast coca fields.

You’re buying SeaLand.

[Isaiah_53_5]

I was talking to someone about their intention of buying an island. I thought it was $20mm or so, but he tried to tell me $5mm is all you need. How much is it really I still think for even $5mm it is silly. Theres nothing on the island except you. Maybe that is the allure.

[SportBiker]

@Isaiah\_53\_5

I was talking to someone about their intention of buying an island. I thought it was $20mm or so, but he tried to tell me $5mm is all you need. How much is it really I still think for even $5mm it is silly. Theres nothing on the island except you. Maybe that is the allure.

To buy? According to Private Islands, prices for just Floridian islands range from $500,000 to $95m. Buying an island is, apparently, not so outlandish. As others have mentioned, the real cost is in developing said island. Unless you’re just using it to park boats and host raucous parties with minimal structural amenities.

I wouldn’t mind a lake island somewhere. Some seclusion, plenty of fishing. A bridge to the mainland and minimal risk of storm surges seem pretty important to me though. But no one in my family has ever owned a helicopter, so maybe I just have the mindset of a pleb.

[former_trader]

Tom Hanks was on one in Cast Away and he couldn’t wait to get off it.

You apparently end up talking to a volleyball.

[hashtag]

@SportBiker

…no one in my family has ever owned a helicopter, so maybe I just have the mindset of a pleb.

C’mon man, piloting one can’t be that hard – it’s just drag versus lift and rotation.

#MeMyself&Irene

[Isaiah_53_5]

@hashtag

@SportBiker

…no one in my family has ever owned a helicopter, so maybe I just have the mindset of a pleb.

C’mon man, piloting one can’t be that hard – it’s just drag versus lift and rotation.

#MeMyself&Irene

You know how you can tell if a person is a good helicopter pilot?

#IfHeIsStillAlive

[birdman12345]

Oh fuck… I’ve always wanted my own island. With a hollowed out volcano. Or just a hollowed out mountain on the mainland, or something in antarctica. That shit would be so fucking slick.

[Isaiah_53_5]

I used to think it would be cool to have your own island with your own laws and country. How hard would that be to set up? I’m not interested in that anymore, but I wonder how hard it is to make your own country?

[SportBiker]

@Isaiah\_53\_5

I used to think it would be cool to have your own island with your own laws and country. How hard would that be to set up? I’m not interested in that anymore, but I wonder how hard it is to make your own country?

Say you’re a billionaire, and you buy a 1,000 acre island off the coast of South America. You could likely bribe enough of the government to get the country to either retract its claim on the island or sell the land to you outright. Build a hut, design a flag, and declare yourself a country. Easy.

Now, two years later, you’ve got 1400 women tending the gardens, building a chalet, and constructing a helipad to complement your yacht dock. One of the chicks in a bulldozer notices a dark colored liquid bubbling up where the 16th guest bathroom would be. You’ve suddenly got 100s of billions of dollars worth of oil. What’s to prevent the country you bought your island from saying “Hey bud, we’re rescinding the contract. You don’t have a military, so go F yourself.”

Or, if said country has suddenly cleaned out its government and follows ethics guidelines, what’s to prevent Russia or Venezuela from saying, “Hey pal, thanks for finding that oil for us! Here’s $50 for gas for your yacht ride back to the U.S.”

Now you’re back at square one, except you’ve lost your charter because of all your ethics violations when you were bribing your way through bureaucracy.

[birdman12345]

@SportBiker

@Isaiah\_53\_5

I used to think it would be cool to have your own island with your own laws and country. How hard would that be to set up? I’m not interested in that anymore, but I wonder how hard it is to make your own country?

Say you’re a billionaire, and you buy a 1,000 acre island off the coast of South America. You could likely bribe enough of the government to get the country to either retract its claim on the island or sell the land to you outright. Build a hut, design a flag, and declare yourself a country. Easy.

Now, two years later, you’ve got 1400 women tending the gardens, building a chalet, and constructing a helipad to complement your yacht dock. One of the chicks in a bulldozer notices a dark colored liquid bubbling up where the 16th guest bathroom would be. You’ve suddenly got 100s of billions of dollars worth of oil. What’s to prevent the country you bought your island from saying “Hey bud, we’re rescinding the contract. You don’t have a military, so go F yourself.”

Or, if said country has suddenly cleaned out its government and follows ethics guidelines, what’s to prevent Russia or Venezuela from saying, “Hey pal, thanks for finding that oil for us! Here’s $50 for gas for your yacht ride back to the U.S.”

Now you’re back at square one, except you’ve lost your charter because of all your ethics violations when you were bribing your way through bureaucracy.

But would you actually lose the charter if you bribed?