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C00002 00002	REQUIREMENTS FOR A MICRO-ECONOMY
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REQUIREMENTS FOR A MICRO-ECONOMY


	Our  society  is  very  complex  and difficult to understand.
There are many competing interests and points of view, and it is very
difficult  to get changes made.  Moreover, society keeps impinging on
people's lives in ways they don't like.  For example, young  men  are
drafted,  parents have to send their children to schools they may not
approve of, homeowners find that the zoning laws restrict  what  they
can build on their own property, hippies cannot run their communes as
they choose, and manufacturers encounter restrictions  on  whom  they
must hire in order to avoid accusations of racial discrimination.

	I  cite  the  above  examples  not  to  claim  that the above
restrictions on behavior are wrong but merely that they  are  irksome
to  those  on  whom  the restrictions are placed.  Anyway, they often
lead people to fantasize about getting away from it all  and  forming
their  own  society  in  which  things will be done properly.  As the
examples show, this desire is not restricted to one set of political,
social,  or  religious  views.  I must admit that when I read someone
proposing  a  moratorium  on  technology  or  that   the   government
re-educate  us  to  a new value system my own fears are aroused and I
contemplate collecting  some  sympathetic  souls  and  making  a  new
society free of all this nonsense.

	In  my  opinion,  it  would be good if any group dissatisfied
with our present society could go off to the frontier and make  their
own.   It would reduce tension in the "home society", new ideas would
be explored, and life would be more interesting.  Let us consider the
present situation with regard to making new societies and inquire how
technology might make it easier.

	The first  thing  to  note  is  that  there  are  degrees  of
isolation.    One extreme is a group that goes off and has no contact
or communication with the home society.  The other extreme is a  club
whose  members  have  some activities in common but otherwise live as
part of the main society.  Let us list some of the  possible  degrees
of isolation:

	1.  A club or church has individual members carrying out some
common activity.  The members are individuals not  families  and  new
members  join  and  old  ones  leave.   The following problems may be
noted:

		a. In socialist countries a club must  have  official
approval in order to exist.

		b.  In any country, the activities the members engage
in must be legal.

		c. The exclusiveness of the club may be restricted by
law.    Practically this problem exists mainly if the club makes some
of its services available to the general public.

		d. The ultimate sanction a club can  enforce  on  its
members is exclusion.

		e.  It is expensive to acquire club premises, and the
use  of  public  buildings  for  club  purposes  involves   accepting
additional  restrictions.    Also  there  may  be  zoning  and  other
restrictions.  At this level of organization, the only  help  that  I
can see technology giving is reducing building costs.

	2. The next level of organization is the group that wishes to
live together.  This generally includes preparing food in  their  own
way,  arranging  their living space in their own way, and taking care
of their preschool children in their  own  way.   The  major  present
example  of  such  a  group is the commune, but a group could want to
live separately for other reasons,  e.g.  religious.   Here  are  the
obstacles:

		a.   Financial.   Most  people  house  themselves  on
borrowed money.  It would probably be difficult  to  get  a  bank  to
finance  an  exotic  housing  arrangement, e.g. for a commune.  Apart
from any disapproval, the bank might fear that if the  commune  broke
up  and they had to reposess the property, they might not easily find
another solvent commune to buy it.

		b. Legal and zoning.  In  most  cities  and  suburban
areas,  land use has been planned and which uses are allowed in which
areas has been settled.  If your  use  corresponds  to  none  of  the
categories  imagined  when  the laws were passed, you have had it. In
rural areas, the restrictions are less severe.

	3. The next level of isolation comes from a group that wishes
to educate its children differently.  They have three problems:

		a.  They  have  to pay their share of the expenses of
the public schools anyway.

		b. They have to provide their own  schools  and  will
have trouble borrowing money.

		c.  Their  ideas of education may not meet the public
standards.

		d. They will have difficulty isolating their children
from what they may regard as harmful influences.