Theoretical PDA

I initially stumbled upon the SDK's liberty colony in another post, and kind of got caught up in it and then read most of the replies in http://mises.org/Community/forums/t/2725.aspx?PageIndex=1 and got convinced it's some sort of scam (I just got $200k and you're obliged to my whims under contract for a year in an isolated wilderness where no one can save you!  Hahaha!) or at this point poorly planned.

So, I was wondering how any of you would set this up?  If you were making a PDA, how would it be set up/what would the contract be?

I'm thinking of a structure as follows (more or less.  The point of this thread is to try to hash something like this out.  I mean, I don't really know any legal terminology whatsoever.  I'd be interested in seeing some flesh this out, knowing more than I do, or even possibly seeing what the costs for a PDA would look like.  Any details really, this is meant to be a kind of hypothetical exercise.):

CONTRACT

Upon signing this contract you agree to pay X gold ounces down and Y gold ounces by the 15th of every month until you cancel your account at any time after signing.  In exchange for this payment you will receive the services of this PDA which include:

-Protection

In the case that you have been:

*Assaulted

*Raped

*Deprived of any property

*Killed

*...(I'm just making a quick list, so I'm sure I'm missing some major crimes here)

Our agency will be obliged to investigate, collect evidence, and bring the guilty party into a dispute resolution phase.

-Dispute Resolution

By your request or by other clauses of this contract, there may be situations involving dispute resolution between yourself and another party.  If this is the case, then a mutual arbitrator between the two parties will be chosen between yourself and the accused/person acting in for the accused will be chosen for a prize of Z gold ounces to cover expenses of the court, the arbitrator, and possible investigative actions of this PDA.  The PDA will then work will you and the accused to enforce the decision of the court.

-Other nuances needed by contract theory?

EMPLOYMENT

Depends on the size.  If it's going to be a small colony, I figure you at least need:

-1 or 2 P.I.s

-list of certified arbitrators (or get your own certification from the A.A.A.).  They'd probably be employed with the PDA on a comissions-type contract.

EQUIPMENT

Building, guns, DNA-identification, crime-lab necessities.  Anyone know details of this?  Even on a small, small scale I could see it running into hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Edit:  INTER-PDA DISPUTE RESOLUTION

There would be a public list of agreed contracts between PDAs for dispute resolution between the clients of one PDA to the clients of another PDA

Fephisto:

*...(I'm just making a quick list, so I'm sure I'm missing some major crimes here)

 The enumeration in the Contract, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Check out Gil Guillory's research into his planned subscription-based patrol service.

The more wealth to protect the higher the costs, so it might make sense to get a small part of what the person produces as payment, or something proportional to their property. This way you can also offer your services to students and young people that are yet starting their lives, and it will give some peace of mind to your customers in general.

BlackSheep:

The more wealth to protect the higher the costs, so it might make sense to get a small part of what the person produces as payment, or something proportional to their property. This way you can also offer your services to students and young people that are yet starting their lives, and it will give some peace of mind to your customers in general.

I guess if this was a place of ~200 people that would be a sensible model.  As it would get larger, however, I am sure there would be some specialization of certain firms catering to different incomes.

Geoffrey Allan Plauche:

Check out Gil Guillory's research into his planned subscription-based patrol service.

Jeez, when is that guy going to go ahead and start his business already?  I have a feeling if he goes to the bank seeking a loan, his business plan will be a 200-page research paper.

BlackSheep:

The more wealth to protect the higher the costs, so it might make sense to get a small part of what the person produces as payment, or something proportional to their property. This way you can also offer your services to students and young people that are yet starting their lives, and it will give some peace of mind to your customers in general.

Maybe set up on a progressive scale so the rich can almost fully subsidize the poor for 'peace of mind'?

Oh, and for the OP, I wouldn't judge MaxLiberty too harshly, he just needed a few blows about the head and neck with the Clue Stick.

Fephisto:

(I just got $200k and you're obliged to my whims under contract for a year in an isolated wilderness where no one can save you!  Hahaha!) or at this point poorly planned.

Shhh, he'll hear you.

Besides acknowledging the acceptance of my fee, I would require an oath to uphold the Non-Aggression Principle and to general submission to arbitration in the event of a dispute.

Anything else isn't the job of a PDA.

MacFall:

Besides acknowledging the acceptance of my fee, I would require an oath to uphold the Non-Aggression Principle and to general submission to arbitration in the event of a dispute.

Anything else isn't the job of a PDA.

I agree.  A complicated list of rules is pointless.  Common sense is usually good enough.  When you start making rules to cover every possible circumstance, then you're starting to act like a State.

Fephisto:

I initially stumbled upon the SDK's liberty colony in another post, and kind of got caught up in it and then read most of the replies in http://mises.org/Community/forums/t/2725.aspx?PageIndex=1 and got convinced it's some sort of scam (I just got $200k and you're obliged to my whims under contract for a year in an isolated wilderness where no one can save you!  Hahaha!) or at this point poorly planned.

You should definitely revisit the Liberty Colony site www.libertycolony.com as there have been substantial changes. The above remarks are completely inaccurate.

With regard to how to structure a PDA there really is no limitation and the varying views expressed already indicate that it is completely wide open depending on what you believe. I fully expect there to be a variety of PDA's in the Liberty Colony with varying enforcement provisions and penalties and different types of resolution mechanisms. What will be very important is how these varying PDA's agree to work together. It is the conflict between PDA's that will present the greatest challenges.

Well, to make it simple, instead of having a laundry list of crime, just say you are insuring against physical invasion of one's property and leave it at that, then elaborate on each individual item they may want insured after an assessment of some type. That way, you cover everything that would be permissible to cover under the NAP.

MacFall:

Besides acknowledging the acceptance of my fee, I would require an oath to uphold the Non-Aggression Principle and to general submission to arbitration in the event of a dispute.

Anything else isn't the job of a PDA.

One rule and leave the rest up to arbitration?

Edit:  Also, my apologies to sounding so cocky initially w.r.t. Max.

Fephisto:

MacFall:

Besides acknowledging the acceptance of my fee, I would require an oath to uphold the Non-Aggression Principle and to general submission to arbitration in the event of a dispute.

Anything else isn't the job of a PDA.

One rule and leave the rest up to arbitration?

Essentially, yes. Vertical integration is not normally a market phenomenon, as conglomerates are basically cartels which cannot operate as efficiently as smaller, autonomous companies. Moreover, the hierarchical structure of business ownership is a feudal model which will die out in the free society, being replaced by associations of independent contractors (or would at least tend to do so).