UPDATE: Ron Paul took Weston County in Wyoming caucuses, which most of you say is heavy FSW territory (NorthEast corner of the state). It looks like Sublette will choose next month, and I haven't found anything on Fremont yet.
Sublette has just over 10,000 population, which argues that III pioneers could make a difference there with smaller numbers, compared to the 40,000 who live in Fremont County. Of course, population numbers are a factor, but not the only thing to be considered.
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I figured we'd start a new thread - it gets clumsy bumping the posts and once the comments reach a certain point.
So: After much insight offered by many of you, I am looking at Sublette & Fremont Counties. I like the topography. I think both counties bring a lot to the table for a potential III Community, while avoiding the highest cost of living in the Jackson Hole part of the mountains.
Here are some hard facts: I do not think this has any more success potential than Free State Wyoming unless we can import jobs and earning potential with us. As discussed, being part of a serious firearms company is on my To-Do list before I die. It is a good time to be in such a business, and as we've noted, in a SHTF world it would not hurt for a III Community to be in control of such an asset, with a complementary ammo loading facility. Many of us bring other skills to the table and could offer training in various disciplines to folks from across the country. This is how Capitalism works, and it is how a III community could truly be self-sufficient and self-perpetuating.
Real world: To buy the requisite piece of property, get the necessary buildings (even pre-fab to begin) and infrastructure in place, hire sufficient skilled professionals and have the necessary capital to have a legitimate chance of survival is a back-of-the-envelope $4 million. In my mind, this would include small pre-fab housing as a starting point for a number of folks who would need support when arriving.
It would be foolish for any of us to take a plunge and uproot our lives if we are not relatively confident we have our backsides covered, with a legitimate potential for success.
At this moment in life, I certainly don't have the money to bankroll anything like this effort. Nor will we get there as a group by selling flags & mugs. I have two business activites that could get us there if they work out (one of which I'll actually be posting about soon), but relying on either of those as sources of funding isn't business, it's hoping & guessing - not my style.
So, how do we get there? I see two possibilities.
First: Since what we are proposing is a cross between a mining town and a Hippie Commune, and every Patriot involved should have skin in the game as well as income and security from the efforts, the most feasible solution is selling stock in whatever company we decide to run.
I have the ability to underwrite that much of an effort, and the experience - BUT: It is not as simple as just forming a company and advertising "Stock for Sale" on a blog. The SEC will be involved and every state in which stock is advertised will be involved - they require paperwork filings, registration fees, and at least a dozen headaches per state. This avenue is not cheap, it is not easy, it is legally complex, and there is one certainty: It ain't going to happen simply by selling stock to the current pool of III Patriots who read our blogs.
So, at least today, this is a non-starter.
Second option: We grow our pool of Patriots to a number that is large enough for everyone to buy in for a few thousand shares (even those folks who choose to support the effort without relocating), and we raise the capital needed to do this prudently. The 527 exists to grow our community, but the reality is simple - at current course & speed the 527 will be big enough to try this about a decade after Implosion.
Final Option: One of you has a few million laying around and cuts a check. Let me know, and I'll send you the mailing address. ;)
Unless someone has another idea for getting the capital, we remain in the arena of "Good idea".
If I had the money to underwrite this operation, I'd be in Wyoming right now with several of you, scouting locations, choosing contractors to set up our digs, and meeting with current county & town leaders to negotiate terms. If I get the money, I'll do the same.
Tribe.
The most realistic course for us given these realities: Let's noodle through the plan and get to a point that when we can do it, we will pull the trigger. Delayed gratification, with a clear goal, plan, and then execution when it is prudent.
At the same time, let's continue working to grow our community. That is where we will find success, on many fronts. Hit the high return-on-investment locations and hand out flyers & business cards and drive as many people as you can to WRSA and our other blogs.
Consider the direction you would like to see the III take, as a community. Do we want to be visible, and in the faces of Occupy and SEIU this summer? Do we want to hang back and let those folks exercise LEO so both sides burn resources (and gain battle experience)?
Do we want to have a political voice in the world? That was the purpose of the 527 - to grow our ranks to the point that when we write an Editor or call a Congressman, he takes the call and knows who we are. Do we all agree on a common mantra, such as : Restore the Constitution, and drive it hard? Do we consider a serious, continuing presence at places like Gun Shows where we can recruit, and possibly even ask new folks who find us to pay an official "Membership" to finance our voice?
Or, do we remain as we are...which, folks, is unknown by most people and disliked by many who do know us for our positions and/or past sins?
Do we continue to bicker over tomato/tomahto issues and tolerate people who take us off-topic into the weeds?
Personally, I'd like to start a firearms company with many of you, live among you in a place that we can call our own. But none of that will ever happen unless we get serious.
NRA could underwrite our Wyoming Project without blinking an eye.
We could do it too if we got serious about building the III Brand.
What say you?
Kerodin
III
