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.cb ESCAPING THE WELFARE STATE

	Certain social and political trends may seriously
damage civilization before they are understood by enough
people to reverse them.
This article concerns the possibility that a group of people may
find it beneficial to themselves - and in the long run to the
rest of humanity to escape and found a new society.  Many people
who will agree up to this point, won't agree on what the dangerous
trends are.  The trends I have in mind are

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	#. Equalitarian leveling.

	#. A decline in self-confidence of the productive
and intelligent.

	#. Anti-technology.

	#. A low birth rate among the intelligent leading
to an absolute shortage of enough intelligent
enough people to keep society from deteriorating.

	#. The increasing number of unproductive people -
those who don't work and those whose work is basically
useless.

	#. The advance of the bureaucratic ethic - all
problems can be solved by more restrictive laws and
regulations.

	Not everyone will agree that these are problems
or that they are serious enough to threaten civilization.
In fact, many intellectuals will believe that the attitudes
expressed above and attributable to someone who expresses
the above attitudes are the main danger to humanity.
However,
this article is mainly addressed to those
who already have reason to agree that the above-mentioned
trends are exist and are harmful.  Those
who don't agree may read on for their amusement.

	Of course, these trends may be reversed, but
the people who deplore them don't seem to be numerous or
in a fighting mood.  Some may fight, but others
may prefer to flee.  I see three possibilities for those
Americans who wish to flee the welfare state:

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	#. Form an alternate society within the
United States.  We shall explore this possibility.  If
the laws remain as they are, a good enough new society
is probably possible,
but starting it may provoke persecution necessitating
flight.

	#. Escape to sea.  Modern technology permits
a nation based on ships.  The citizens of this nation would
have no other homeland and would produce goods there
that would be traded to other nations.  Self-sufficiency is
possible, but trade would permit a higher standard of
living.  According to present international law and
custom, a ship based nation is possible, but again opposition
might lead to persecution.

	#. Escape into space.  The Shuttle now being developed
will cost about $200 per pound put in low earth orbit.  How much mass
is required per person is difficulty to calculate, but
I have in mind a maximally austere space colony - not
O'Neill's super-luxurious one.  Even so, many would
have to contribute in order to put a few in a colony.
A simple colony is within the resources of the largest present
private fortunes provided it is done in a maximally austere
way.  A single-stage-to-orbit shuttle according to the
best known technology might cost $5 per pound which would make
emigration into space feasible.  The most habitable place in
interplanetary space is the asteroid belt.  The absence of
gravity makes possible solar energy collectors
of great efficiency permanently pointed at the sun, and the
asteroids can supply material.  Again persecution might
force flight to the stars which is also possible with
presently available fission technology, but the journeys
would be many lifetimes.