Reading Time: 5 minutes Freedom-loving libertarians who build communities under the assumption that natural resources are unlimited discover, to their dismay, that this isn't so.

Rio Verde Foothills is an unincorporated rural community in the wilds of Maricopa County, Arizona. As you may know, Arizona is largely desert, and deserts are well-known for lacking abundant water.

Arizona law requires homebuilders in active management areas to secure a reliable source of water expected to last at least a hundred years. However, there’s a loophole: the law only applies to subdivisions of six homes or more. You can guess what some clever developers do: they simply build lots of “subdivisions” each consisting of only five homes.

These so-called “wildcat” communities are all over the state. They’re miniature havens of freedom, perfect for stubbornly independent libertarians who want to get out from under the thumb of government bureaucrats telling them where they can and can’t live. Rio Verde Foothills is one such.

But then they made an awful discovery. It turns out, even when you find a way to skirt regulations about water… humans still need water .

  • PugJesus@kbin.social
    133·
    10 months ago

    Is it because society is an invention of human cooperation and a ruthless backstabbing market approach only works insofar as the rest of society is willing to subsidize it for convenience’s sake?

    Where have Rio Verde Foothills’ inhabitants been getting water to drink, wash and brush their teeth? They’ve been doing what libertarians usually do: they rely on other people who planned better than they did.

    Yep.

    • APassenger@lemmy.world
      10·
      10 months ago

      Takers gonna take.

      It’s part of why we have government. And laws. And courts. Some people aren’t interested in playing fair.