"Would the Feds let us to operate to try and ake advantage of us?"
In my fantasy narrative of it, traditional states thinking they're taking advantage of us has to be a component of it at first. We live in the time of the nation state, and I imagine a Gulch being something different from a traditional nation state. It would be absurd to expect the nations of earth to give us stateless space to experiment in. It's outside the current paradigm.

If you accept that every land on earth (except Antarctica) is part of some nation state, then someone is responsible (under the current paradigm) for protecting and administering that space. If we start a community there, it's not unreasonable for citizens of nations to argue they're paying taxes for protection against crime and foreign armies. They'll say we're getting the benefits of their armies even if we never call them to protect us. They'll say we siphon off their most productive citizens and expect them to pay for a criminal justice system to deal with their worst citizens. I do not agree with those arguments, but we have to accept they are reasonable and not just the product of some Mouch-esque caricature of evil looting. The world isn't that simple. In short, we have to work with gov'ts and not demonize them.

At some point, though, there will be little tests. Someone is accused of treason for revealing illegal activity by officials in their state of origin, and that state wants to extradite him. If the Gulch leaders privately tell them no and work with other gov'ts and stakeholders to find a face-saving solution where the govt "agrees" to let our justice system handle him, we've won a huge victory. That has to come when the Gulch is a significant trading partner. A real army could easily defeat the Gulch's security forces and citizen militia, but it would be a Pyrrhic victory for the nation states, b/c defeating them militarily won't force Atlas to keep holding up the world creating new cancer therapies, entertainment, vehicle designs, etc. So we are left alone, and the nations can keep their face-saving narratives. Nation states still appear sovereign, but there's a new a seat at the table, at least for a little corner of the world, showing another way, making things kids want to emulate, investors want to fund, and things people want to buy.

People living at the time don't always realize the significance. But as you cross the border and see there's no traditional customs/immigration and you detect a selfish and cheerful passion for protecting a sacred idea in the young guard who helps people scan their passports, you realize you're entering something special, different from the rest of the world.

Immigration is inapplicable, Gulch was invitation only.

If one State did get up and running it would be interesting to see how the public would respond. The moochers and looters would see it as destroying their way of life. Would they resort to terrorism?

I was wondering what would happen after we were up and running. Sounds like most Gulchers feel the Feds wouldn't let it get that far.

Hasn't there been an ongoing national emergency since March 1933?

Correct on all points, I'd say. The difficult part, of course, is getting it up and running. That would have to include a plan to defy the fedgov little by little until it was basically irrelevant. States that followed along would be helpful but others would be left behind. Being landlocked would make things much more difficult. Great to think about. It would take a long time.

Galt's Gulch can't exist in plain sight in the US. There would be some false flag event blamed on Objectivists, and the Gulch would be attacked by the feds.

At age 65 I spend about six hours a day during the warmer months maintaining the grounds of "El Rancho Escondido" (some photos can be seen at http://goinggaltargentina.blogspot.co...).

It is the most "rewarding" physical labor I have ever done.

PS: The "Casa Rosa" is the house I built in Sayulita, Nayarit, Mexico. I lived there from 2000-2006, but as Sayulita became a major tourist destination I thought it was time to head further south...much further.

The white house in the photos is LeCorbusier's Villa Savoye near Paris. I think it would be the "ideal" house in which to Go Galt in Argentina, at least at my present location. I first saw a photo of it in Janson's History of Art when I was a student at Illinois State in the early 70's and have wanted to live in a house of the same design since then.

The best thing about "Going Galt" in Argentina is that I can live as I please, the government is not intrusive in the least , and everyone is friendly and helpful (and I do mean everyone!)...at least where I live.

The US government (thanks to an Executive Order) already has the power to seize food supplies in the event of a "national emergency" (at least at the "wholesale" level). I'm not sure this applies to individuals....yet.

Of course hoarding food (aka: having an emergency or a one year supply) is not only unpatriotic, under the ACA it will be considered a symptom of mental illness (if it isn't already) and no doubt grounds for "hospitalization" and "reeducation" (probably at a FEMA camp).

only if they saw it to their advantage to do so. Since they cannot produce anything sooner or later we would be doomed to either slavery or death

I wonder if they would allow us to operate long enough so they had something to take? In a Gulch I would expect a lot of innovation. Would the Feds let us to operate to try and ake advantage of us?

Unfortunately you are right.

Would a wall help? How would we deal with immigration?

If in the alleged jurisdiction of the US, it would be another Waco; the Gulchers would be branded as child abusers, drug dealers, gun runners, and hackers violating 'national security.'

If it's visible, then it's not Galt's Gulch. And I suspect a visible Gulch would be at continual defensive war.

Those names would get their attention. What sucks is they would probably would let you operate for a few years before moving in. Do you think you would have trouble with too many families wanting in if things really go south?

May I offer my abilities as caretaker, maintainance man, gardener, or what ever?

The Feds have the States addicted to Federal money. It would take a lot of Objectivists to break that bond. I just wonder what would happen once things are up and running. Would other States want to join us or destroy us?

First of all "gulchites" are or will be persecuted as domestic terrorists by the Govmint at all levels. They will use the force of the gun to make us cease to exist. So the answers to the questions are, yes,no and absolutely. How dare you take your energy, passion, intelligence and ability to produce away from us! It does after all it belongs to us.

Interesting. Objectivists need to stake a claim to those places.

I think it will happen.

In my dream scenario, it starts as a deal for startup companies with immigration issues b/c their management teams are of different nationalities. So investors work out a deal with some country to get favorable tax and immigration treatment for their little incubator / accelerator. The isolation actually helps the kids focus, and some of them have successful exits. Many of the kids get married and go back to their country of origin, but some stay. It draws some people who want to retire in Gulch. Businesses providing everyday services crop up to serve the population that has grown way beyond a few entrepreneurial kids and their mentors. The investors have ties to the gov'ts of the world and use them to help the community retain its autonomy.

In this rosy scenario, the Gulch is never hidden. It's a rosy unlikely scenario, but as it gets easier to move to inhospitable places like the arctic, the ocean, or outer space, people will go there, and I think at least one of them will beat the odds and starts something new and amazing.

States are starting to fight the federal government but their voices are... inconsistent at best. More like incoherent and, more often than not, anti liberty. But the right state, loaded with Objectivists, could make a helluva stand. Gonna need a lot more Objectivists.

Feds would smash it. They'd cook up some story to build public support for the use of force.

I have been seriously looking at acquiring some acreage near here and building a commune of home-schoolers on it. I'd literally have these families I know design/build their own homes. I can engineer the water and sewer, design PV with storage, work out the power/phone connects. I'd design a build a small, state-of-the-art school house. But, in the back of my mind is this issue of government wanting to crack into it. We'd be doing nothing wrong: raising chickens, going to our jobs in the city, educating our kids. But...that could be a problem in today's environment, especially in a blue state. I do have interest from several other families. The interest is entirely in raising our kids to be smart and strong. It's getting so hard to do that in our society now.

I'd name it "Atlantis", or "Mulligan's Hill...."

Moochers always want handouts, and looters wont be asking, just taking.

Great points. I doubt the Feds would allow us to proceed but if it did I wonder if we would have to guard the borders. Would looters and moochers want in even if we had no handouts?