00100	REQUIREMENTS FOR A MICRO-ECONOMY
00200	
00300	
00400		Our  society  is  very  complex  and difficult to understand.
00500	There are many competing interests and points of view, and it is very
00600	difficult  to get changes made.  Moreover, society keeps impinging on
00700	people's lives in ways they don't like.  For example, young  men  are
00800	drafted,  parents have to send their children to schools they may not
00900	approve of, homeowners find that the zoning laws restrict  what  they
01000	can build on their own property, hippies cannot run their communes as
01100	they choose, and manufacturers encounter restrictions  on  whom  they
01200	must hire in order to avoid accusations of racial discrimination.
01300	
01400		I  cite  the  above  examples  not  to  claim  that the above
01500	restrictions on behavior are wrong but merely that they  are  irksome
01600	to  those  on  whom  the restrictions are placed.  Anyway, they often
01700	lead people to fantasize about getting away from it all  and  forming
01800	their  own  society  in  which  things ←ill be done properly.  As the
01900	examples show, this desire is not restricted to one set of political,
02000	social,  or  religious  views.  I must admit that when I read someone
02100	proposing  a  moratorium  on  technology  or  that   the   government
02200	re-educate  us  to  a new value system my own fears are aroused a⊃d I
02300	contemplate collecting  some  sympathetic  souls  and  making  a  new
02400	society free of all this nonsense.
02500	
02600		In  my  opinion,  it  would be good if any group dissatisfied
02700	with our present society could go off to the frontier and make  their
02800	own.   It would reduce tension in the "home society", new ideas would
02900	be explored, and life would be more interesting.  Let us consider the
03000	present situation with regard to making new societies and inquire how
03100	technology might make it easier.
03200	
03300		The first  thing  to  note  is  that  there  are  degrees  of
03400	isolation.    One extreme is a group that goes off and has no contact
03500	or communication with the home society.  The other extreme is a  club
03600	whose  members  have  some activities in common but otherwise live as
03700	part of the main society.  Let us list some of the  possible  degrees
03800	of isolation:
04100	
04200		1.  A club or church has individual members carrying out some
04300	common activity.  The members are individuals not  families  and  new
04400	members  join  and  old  ones  leave.   The following problems may be
04500	noted:
04600	
04700			a. In socialist countries a club must  have  official
04800	approval in order to exist.
04900	
05000			b.  In any country, the activities the members engage
05100	in must be legal.
05200	
05300			c. The exclusiveness of the club may be restricted by
05400	law.    Practically this problem exists mainly if the club makes some
05500	of its services available to the general public.
05600	
05700			d. The ultimate sanction a club can  enforce  on  its
05800	members is exclusion.
05900	
06000			e.  It is expensive to acquire club premises, and the
06100	use  of  public  buildings  for  club  purposes  involves   accepting
06200	additional  restrictions.    Also  there  may  be  zoning  and  other
06300	restrictions.  At this level of organization, the only  help  that  I
06400	can see technology giving is reducing building costs.
06500	
06600		2. The next level of organization is the group that wishes to
06700	live together.  This generally includes preparing food in  thier  own
06800	way,  arranging  their living space in their own way, and taking care
06900	of their preschool children in their  own  way.   The  major  present
07000	example  of  such  a  group is the commune, but a group could want to
07100	live separately for other reasons,  e.g.  religious.   Here  are  the
07200	obstacles:
07300	
07400			a.   Financial.   Most  people  house  themselves  on
07500	borrowed money.  It would probably be difficult  to  get  a  bank  to
07600	finance  an  exotic  housing  arrangement, e.g. for a commune.  Apart
07700	from any disapproval, the bank might fear that if the  commune  broke
07800	up  and they had to reposess the property, they might not easily find
07900	another solvent commune to buy it.
08000	
08100			b. Legal and zoning.  In  most  cities  and  suburban
08200	areas,  land use has been planned and which uses are allowed in which
08300	areas has been settled.  If your  use  corresponds  to  none  of  the
08400	categories  imagined  when  the laws were passed, you have had it. In
08500	rural areas, the restrictions are less severe.
08600	
08700		3. The next level of isolation comes from a group that wishes
08800	to educate its children differently.  They have three problems:
08900	
09000			a.  They  have  to pay their share of the expenses of
09100	the public schools anyway.
09200	
09300			b. They have to provide their own  schools  and  will
09400	have trouble borrowing money.
09500	
09600			c.  Their  ideas of education may not meet the public
09700	standards.
09800	
09900			d. They will have difficulty isolating their children
10000	from what they may regard as harmful influences.