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Ted Cruz

7 (6.5%)

Rick Santorum

16 (14.8%)

Michelle Bachmann

13 (12%)

Chris Christie

23 (21.3%)

Rand Paul

49 (45.4%)

Total Members Voted: 107

[Duuvian]

Here is some honest advice Republicans: Tell your profiteers to shut the hell up and get out of politics. If Michigan's Governor manages to turn around Detroit and not F it up with his crazy manager scheme, look to him and, off the top of my head, Chris Christie because he seems like an honest fellow open to compromise.

I find it fun that a flagship Republican governor implements the most interventionist and invasive programs to 'revitalize' his state's economy that he's helped to rebuild with all those other free-market measures he's adopted [he hasn't]. Snyder is a fascist. Not a real Republican.

I mostly only mention him because it will take great ability to make it work without corruption ruining whatever positive aspects, and more importantly to reverse it to a less 'emergency' state afterwards when possible. Thus if it works he might be a good choice. It very well may not end up well for anyone but the persons on the Gov's team (and their affiliates), to be honest, but I can only hope they will surprise me by not looting and pillaging.

Then I read this (of which I am unsure if the Governor or his proposed manager has or will have any part in:

http://birmingham.patch.com/articles/birmingham-developer-wants-to-buy-belle-isle-for-1-billion

My opinion is that selling land to billionaires to establish their own city-state is probably not in the public's best interest, no matter what the price may be.

[Mictlantecuhtli]

It seems like an alright idea until you realize that he's turning off democracy for those areas for an unspecified [see: Possibly unlimited] amount of time because in Snyder's mind a democratically elected legislature cannot and will not balance budgets [Read: The people cannot manage their own lands, so let's appoint my buddy lawyer to do it]. That is a fascist's mindset if I've ever heard of one.

[Nadaka]

They plan to charge everyone a $300k citizenship fee. I guess the non-citizens that they employ wont be getting any of those services, rights or respect that that buys.

[RedKing]

Meh. Sell it to them, wait for them to move in, then call out the Michigan National Guard, invade and "nationalize" all the assets and wealth.

PROBLEM SOLVED.
YOURE WELCOME


Alternately, allow all the Randists to build their utopia, then blow up all the access bridges and watch it crumble and burn when their groundskeepers, maids, etc. can't make it. Televise it as an example to others so that smug Objectivists can finally be told to shut the hell up.

[Mephansteras]

They plan to charge everyone a $300k citizenship fee. I guess the non-citizens that they employ wont be getting any of those services, rights or respect that that buys.

I do wonder about that. How many millionaires do they think would actually want to live there? It's not like there are all that many in the country, and I know that if I had enough money to afford that Citizenship fee I certainly wouldn't waste it by living there.

[tryrar]

*Ahem*

January 16, 2013

That's the date of that article, and in it it says the guy was gonna request the sale on Jan 21. Given we haven't heard of this until now, I'm guessing he was laughed out of the room

[Descan]

I looked it up, couldn't find any new updates beyond February 1st, and that was just talking about it, not anything recent.

[RedKing]

Damn. And here I was so looking forward to using that Bob the Angry Flower cartoon.

[Duuvian]

Meh. Sell it to them, wait for them to move in, then call out the Michigan National Guard, invade and "nationalize" all the assets and wealth.

PROBLEM SOLVED.
YOURE WELCOME


Alternately, allow all the Randists to build their utopia, then blow up all the access bridges and watch it crumble and burn when their groundskeepers, maids, etc. can't make it. Televise it as an example to others so that smug Objectivists can finally be told to shut the hell up.

Indeed. Though I would hesitate to trumpet such as an option so as to minimize preparedness on their part (liberationalist rich guy = maybe lots of guns). Though I understand desiring the discipline of government troops, a citizen raid (a viking party) would be my preferred aggressor to an illegitimate sovereign nation of this type. With a good leader team and a threat of harsh prosecution for acts causing bodily harm when not defending one's health or others', I think it would be a possibility without causing a government legal problems. The question would be whether there are international rules on that sort of thing or not.

Yeah, I saw it on the Daily Show, so if they were late to pick it up so was I. I didn't hear anything about it in the local newspaper, but I also don't read the Detroit newspapers often. However if that's the kind of idea they have to 'fix' Detroit, it's very unfortunate.

What they ought to do is invest in capital such as machinery to plug gaps in the market's infrastructure. For example, if a county has a lot of underutilized farmland, they ought to invest in agriculture capital. I'd start by sending out a questionnaire to landowners about whether or not they would cultivate their land if they had access to county machinery. Then, if so, I would give them the option of taking machinery out of a county pool. If they themselves are unable or unwilling to work, but would still utilize their land, I would send out a workteam with the machinery and take a percentage of output in exchange. That's practically something from nothing so it would be hard to argue against it, and it would put people to work besides.

[bulborbish]

Just thought I should pop in to post that Colorado has passed 3 gun laws, limiting magazines to 15 rounds, having universal background checks, and making gun buyers pay for said checks.

Additionally, though on a more minor note, Colorado's Executive Director of Prisons is dead.

[Scelly9]

15 rounds? That is the most hilariously ineffective thing I have ever heard.

[Duuvian]

Just thought I should pop in to post that Colorado has passed 3 gun laws, limiting magazines to 15 rounds, having universal background checks, and making gun buyers pay for said checks.

Additionally, though on a more minor note, Colorado's Executive Director of Prisons is dead.

I wonder if he was a gun control supporter.

[Mephansteras]

15 rounds? That is the most hilariously ineffective thing I have ever heard.

I think the logic is that it's not a real hindrance to a sport shooter, but would slow down someone trying to go on a rampage a bit by making them change out magazines more often which gives people time to flee.

I have no idea if that works in practice, but that's the reasoning I heard at one point.

[misko27]

On the Belle island guy, I want point out a few things. A) When they say "the one percent" that means anyone earning over, what, 560,000 dollars? That is at least enough to afford citizenship. The US population is 300,000,000. Therefore, there are at least 3 million millionaires. Presumbably, assuming they are half liberal and half conservative (By no means guarenteed, given rich people) that is over 1.5 million people who would want to join.


B) it would be a shame if something happened to all those rich folks.

[Mephansteras]

On the Belle island guy, I want point out a few things. A) When they say "the one percent" that means anyone earning over, what, 560,000 dollars? That is at least enough to afford citizenship. The US population is 300,000,000. Therefore, there are at least 3 million millionaires. Presumbably, assuming they are half liberal and half conservative (By no means guarenteed, given rich people) that is over 1.5 million people who would want to join.


B) it would be a shame if something happened to all those rich folks.

No, that's at most 3 million people who could want to join. Nothing says how many of them would want to move to such a place, let alone pay $300k for the privilege of living there on top of whatever the living costs of actually moving there would entail.