Paulville

Last updated
One view of the local Guadalupe Mountains. GuadelupeMountainsTX.jpg
One view of the local Guadalupe Mountains.

Paulville, Texas, was an American cooperative organization as well as the site and planned community under its development in the salt flats of north Hudspeth County, intended to consist exclusively of Ron Paul supporters. [1] [2] The Paulville community was named after the U.S. Congressman and established in January 2008 following the rise in popularity of his 2008 campaign (and retained attention through his equally-popular 2012 campaign). [3] The cooperative was modeled on Paul's often libertarian ideas. [4] [5] The site was never developed, and the organization is now inactive.

Contents

Location

Location of nearby Dell City, Texas. TXMap-doton-DellCity.PNG
Location of nearby Dell City, Texas.

The Paulville site was located in the undeveloped salt flats outside of city limits, located south-southwest of rural Dell City, Texas (population 365 in 2010), north of U.S. Route 180, and an hour east of El Paso. [1] It was also 770 miles (1,240 km) from Paul's East Texas office of Lake Jackson. [6] The organizers said 50 acres (20 ha) had been purchased. [6] [7] [8] Photos reveal the range of the Guadalupe Mountains 15 miles (24 km) east, and the local area has occasional deer [1] and tumbleweeds. [9] The mountain area is also noted for elk, coyotes, jack rabbits, desert cottontails, ring-tailed ground squirrels, and gray foxes. [10] Another mountain range looms just west. [9]

The site is located within Texas's 23rd Congressional district and is represented by Republican Tony Gonzales.

Organization

The property became available to the community when offered for sale on eBay by its original owner. [11] The cooperative was also called "Paulville.org", after its website, which is now inactive, [12] and was established on January 27, 2008, by Ron Paul meetup organizer Jason Ebacher of Farwell, Minnesota. [13] [14] It was held by a cooperative of shareholders, who held a first organizational meeting in April 2008 [3] and who vote on essentials such as utilities. [15] Ebacher appeared in a one-hour conceptual video, created for Ron Paul Television prior to the purchase; captioned "Television for the revolution", it was carried by The New York Times , which meanwhile chided the website for a libertarian "view of the laws of grammar, spelling and punctuation" [11] [16] and noted its lack of contact information. [4] On May 12, 2008, web content formerly at Paulville.org became unavailable, [17] which Politico considered as possibly suggesting "a perilous time for the infant community." [18] The website and organization have remained inactive since.

Development

Planners claimed to metaphorically raise the Paulville town sign [12] [ dead link ] and planned to establish septic [3] and electrical systems on an opt-out basis reflective of principles of individualism: [1] citizens would not be required to use the cooperative's water and energy supplies [18] and may choose to live off-grid. [15] Members say they chose the West Texas plot for its high amount of sunshine, favoring off-grid solar panels. [18] Buying in and homesteading the land from scratch [19] was expected to take significant work, which the organizers warned is "not for the faint of heart". [15] In his conceptual video, Ebacher described the ease of raising sheep and chickens, and the relative merits of energy from solar power, wind, water, and biodiesel fuels. [11] Members also discussed alternatives for conveniences like cell phones and internet connections. Little to none of this infrastructure was ever built, and the site remains empty and uninhabited as of 2021.

A gated community unhindered by planning regulations was intended, followed by additional communities [3] in sites like New Hampshire, South Dakota, Wyoming, Alaska, [8] or Montana;. [15] [9] Members' beliefs that ideologically like-minded individuals can form a detached, thriving community have been echoed by experiments such as the Free State Project in New Hampshire, [18] [20] New Australia in Paraguay, the Findhorn Foundation community in Scotland, [3] and Celebration and Ave Maria in Florida. Ideology-based communities have ranged from communism to environmentalism. [5] Jonathan Dawson, an educator based at Findhorn, questions the point of inward-facing micro-communities, but talks about "providing an example" to others: "It's not useful to retreat just for the sake of it." [3]

Reaction

The site was chosen by and for the large market of "100% Ron Paul supporters and or people that live by the ideals of freedom and liberty"; [12] motivated followers of Paul have been estimated to number several hundred thousand, [21] have had fundraising history that suggests "seemingly bottomless bank accounts", [9] and appear not to be giving up in pursuing his 2008 and 2012 campaign goals. [15] [22] Paulville has attracted mixed reviews. [15] The alternative Seattle Stranger found it suitable for those who have "the covenant of freedom espoused by Ron Paul guiding their every decision". [23] The Houston-based Lone Star Times referred to founding members as "Paulvillains" and as creating "an insane asylum", and presented diverse posts from forum members, [1] while Philly.com and Reason anticipated other "dusty exurbs" named after presidential candidates, both citing "Bidentown" as an imaginary example. [9] [17] The Guardian expects shareholders to be interested in libertarian views like "the right to wield semi-automatic weapons and the abolition of income tax", [3] and the Economist wonders whether the new town constituted "a framework for utopia, or just a hilarious catastrophe". [24]

Paul himself was ambivalent about Paulville: "You want to spread out and be as pervasive as possible .... I don’t see [Paulville] as a solution, but it can't hurt anything either." He believes that "it shows how desperate people are for freedom." [18] [25] He found the prospects for additional communities entertaining, but said, "I don't know how much [Paulvilles] would do." [26] Andrew Sullivan of the Atlantic said, "Who wants to live around people who agree with you on everything? Not my kind of libertarian"; [27] he was echoed by Jesse Walker of Reason . [17] The Libertarian Party of Texas believed Paulville had potential for demonstrating practical libertarianism in action. [5] [ dead link ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Van Horn, Texas</span> Town in Texas, United States

Van Horn is a town in and the seat of Culberson County, Texas, United States. According to the 2010 census, Van Horn had a population of 2,063, down from 2,435 at the 2000 census. The 2020 census results detailed a decline in population to 1,941. Van Horn's official newspaper is The Van Horn Advocate. The town is the westernmost incorporated community in the United States that uses the Central Time Zone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dell City, Texas</span> City in Texas, United States

Dell City is a city in Hudspeth County, Texas. The population was 365 at the time of the 2010 census, down from 413 at the time of the 2000 census. It is near the former location of Paulville, a failed Ron Paul-inspired Libertarian cooperative and planned community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Paul</span> American politician (born 1935)

Ronald Ernest Paul is an American author, activist, physician and retired politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1976 to 1977 and again from 1979 to 1985, as well as for Texas's 14th congressional district from 1997 to 2013. On three occasions, he sought the presidency of the United States: as the Libertarian Party nominee in 1988 and as a candidate for the Republican Party in 2008 and 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Green Footballs</span> American political blog

Little Green Footballs (LGF) is an American political blog run by web designer Charles Foster Johnson. In its beginning years, the site had a right-wing orientation and was known for its advocacy of the War on Terrorism and the Iraq War, as well its strident criticism of political Islam. The blog moved away from the right around 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intentional community</span> Planned, socially-cohesive, residential community

An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, or spiritual vision, and typically share responsibilities and property. This way of life is sometimes characterized as an "alternative lifestyle". Intentional communities can be seen as social experiments or communal experiments. The multitude of intentional communities includes collective households, cohousing communities, coliving, ecovillages, monasteries, survivalist retreats, kibbutzim, hutterites, ashrams, and housing cooperatives.

In American politics, a Libertarian Republican is a politician or Republican Party member who has advocated Libertarian policies while typically voting for and being involved with the Republican Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Political positions of Ron Paul</span> Views of the US Representative

The political positions of Ron Paul (R-TX), United States presidential candidate in 1988, 2008, and 2012, are generally described as libertarian, but have also been labeled conservative. Paul's nickname "Dr. No" reflects both his medical degree and his assertion that he will "never vote for legislation unless the proposed measure is expressly authorized by the Constitution". This position has frequently resulted in Paul casting the sole "no" vote against proposed legislation. In one 2007 speech, he said he believes that "the proper role for government in America is to provide national defense, a court system for civil disputes, a criminal justice system for acts of force and fraud, and little else."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Paul 2008 presidential campaign</span> American Presidential campaign

The 2008 presidential campaign of Ron Paul, Congressman of Texas, began in early 2007 when he announced his candidacy for the 2008 Republican nomination for President of the United States. Initial opinion polls during the first three quarters of 2007 showed Paul consistently receiving support from 3% or less of those polled. In 2008, Paul's support among Republican voters remained in the single digits, and well behind front-runner John McCain.

This is a list detailing the electoral history of the Libertarian Party in the United States, sorted by office. The list currently consists of candidates who ran for partisan office.

In American politics, a libertarian Democrat is a member of the Democratic Party with political views that are relatively libertarian compared to the views of the national party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electoral history of Ron Paul</span>

Electoral history of Ron Paul, Republican U.S. Representative from Texas, 1988 Libertarian Party Presidential nominee and candidate for the 2008 and 2012 Republican presidential nomination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Paul 1988 presidential campaign</span> Review of the topic

The Ron Paul presidential campaign of 1988 began in early 1987 when former Congressman Ron Paul of Texas announced his candidacy for the 1988 presidential nomination of the Libertarian Party. He joined the third party after leaving the Republican Party over the Reagan administration's handling of the federal budget. He ran on a platform that included non-interventionism in foreign conflicts, decriminalization of illegal drugs on a federal level, a return to the gold standard, the abolition of the Federal Reserve and a reduction in all government spending.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas</span> 2010 House elections in Texas

The 2010 U.S. congressional elections in Texas were held on November 2, 2010, to determine who will represent the state of Texas in the United States House of Representatives. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected served in the 112th Congress from January 2011 until January 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Draft Ron Paul movement</span>

The Draft Ron Paul movement refers to any of several grassroots efforts to convince United States Congressman Ron Paul of Texas to run for particular office, often president of the United States, as in the 2008 and 2012 elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Johnson 2012 presidential campaign</span> 2012 presidential campaign by Gary Johnson

The 2012 presidential campaign of Gary Johnson, the 29th governor of New Mexico, was announced on April 21, 2011. He declared his candidacy for the 2012 Republican Party nomination for President of the United States. On December 28, 2011, Johnson withdrew his candidacy for the Republican nomination, and declared his candidacy for the 2012 presidential nomination of the Libertarian Party. The 2012 Libertarian National Convention was held during the first weekend of May 2012. On May 5, 2012, after promoting his libertarian-oriented political positions to delegates, Johnson received the most votes at the convention and became the official 2012 Libertarian presidential nominee. On November 6, 2012, Johnson received just under 1% of the popular vote in the general election, amounting to more than 1.2 million votes, more than double what the Barr/Root ticket received in 2008. This was the most successful result for a third-party presidential candidacy since 2000, and the best in the Libertarian Party's history by vote number at the time. Johnson ran again in 2016 and received nearly four times his 2012 vote total.

The start of the 2012 Republican race for president was shaped by the 13 presidential debates of 2011 beginning on May 5. Gary Johnson and Buddy Roemer, both former Governors, were left out of most of the debates, leading to complaints of bias. On December 28, 2011, Johnson withdrew to seek the Libertarian Party nomination and on February 23, 2012, Roemer withdrew to seek the Reform Party and the Americans Elect nomination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1987 Libertarian National Convention</span> United States political event

The 1987 Libertarian National Convention was held at the Sheraton Hotel in Seattle, Washington, from September 4 to September 6, 1987. Ron Paul of Texas was chosen as the Libertarian Party's nominee for president in the 1988 election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rand Paul 2016 presidential campaign</span>

The 2016 presidential campaign of Rand Paul, the junior United States senator from Kentucky, was announced on April 7, 2015 at an event at the Galt House in Louisville, Kentucky. First elected to the U.S. Senate in the 2010 election, Paul's candidacy for the Republican nomination for President of the United States in 2016 had been widely speculated since early 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mises Caucus</span> Caucus of the U.S. Libertarian Party

The Libertarian Party Mises Caucus (LPMC) is a caucus within the United States Libertarian Party that promotes paleolibertarianism and a more radical version of libertarianism associated with the presidential campaigns of Ron Paul. It was founded in 2017 by Michael Heise, mainly in opposition to Nicholas Sarwark's position as party chairman, and the more pragmatic faction of the party associated with the presidential campaigns of Gary Johnson. It is named after classical liberal economist Ludwig von Mises.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Bramanti, Matt (2008-04-18). "Ron Paul supporters plan West Texas commune". Lone Star Times . Archived from the original on 2008-04-24. Retrieved 2008-05-02.
  2. ↑ Special Report with Brit Hume. Broadcast: May 16, 2008.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Evans, Paul (2008-04-14). "Paulville: the town where rightwingers will be free". Guardian . Retrieved 2008-05-02.
  4. 1 2 Williams, Alex (2008-05-25). "It's Not a Campaign, It's a Mission". New York Times . Retrieved 2008-05-26.
  5. 1 2 3 Barton, Patrick (2008-04-17). "Paulville". Lone Star Liberty. Libertarian Party of Texas . Retrieved 2008-05-07.
  6. 1 2 Brendel, Patrick (2008-05-07). "Last Train to Paulville". Texas on the Potomac. Houston Chronicle . Retrieved 2008-05-13.
  7. ↑ Smith, Ben (2008-05-07). "Documentarian alert: Paulville". Politico . Retrieved 2008-05-07.
  8. 1 2 Guzman, Monica (2008-05-07). "Ron Paul supporters: Would you move to Paulville?". Seattle Post-Intelligencer . Retrieved 2008-05-07.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Bunch, Will (2008-05-07). "Don't go back to....Paulville?". Philly.com. Philadelphia Newspaper, L.L.C. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
  10. ↑ Uhler, John William (2007). "Guadalupe Mountains National Park Flora and Fauna Guide". Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Archived from the original on 2008-05-12. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
  11. 1 2 3 Mackey, Robert (2008-05-08). "A Gated Community for Ron Paul Supporters?". the Lede: Notes on the News. New York Times . Retrieved 2008-05-13.
  12. 1 2 3 Weber, Christopher (2008-05-01). "The Road to Paulville". AOL News . Retrieved 2008-05-02.
  13. ↑ "WHOIS Search Results". Network Solutions. 2008-03-28. Retrieved 2008-05-02.
  14. ↑ Ebacher, Jason (2008). "For what it's worth with Jason Ebacher". Ron Paul Television. Justin.tv . Retrieved 2008-05-02.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Brown, Kellyn (2008-05-14). "A Revolution Beyond Ron Paul: The Road to Paulville". Flathead Beacon . Retrieved 2008-05-15.
  16. ↑ Ebacher, Jason (2008). "Paulville conception". Ron Paul Television. Justin.tv . Retrieved 2008-05-13.
  17. 1 2 3 Walker, Jesse (2008-05-14). "Cities on a Hill". Hit & Run. Reason . Retrieved 2008-05-14.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 Grim, Ryan (2008-05-12). "Paulville? Count Ron Paul out". the Crypt. Politico . Retrieved 2008-05-12.
  19. ↑ Bullard, George (2008-05-08). "Ron Paul: New town called Paulville". Detroit News . Archived from the original on 2008-06-12. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
  20. ↑ Stooksbury, Clark (2008-04-19). "Paulville". American Conservative . Retrieved 2008-05-13.
  21. ↑ Malcolm, Andrew (2008-05-01). "Ron Paul, political loser, now best-selling author". Top of the Ticket. Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2008-05-02.
  22. ↑ Green (2008-05-09). "Sticking together". State Line Observer . Archived from the original on 2008-06-25. Retrieved 2008-05-14.
  23. ↑ Jackson, Ryan S (2008-05-07). "Homesteading for Ron Paul". Stranger . Retrieved 2008-05-13.
  24. ↑ "The road to Paulville". Economist . 2008-04-19. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
  25. ↑ Guzman, Monica (2008-05-12). "Ron Paul rejects 'Paulville'". Seattle Post-Intelligencer . Retrieved 2008-05-13.
  26. ↑ Selby, W. Gardner (2008-05-18). "Paul not planning to endorse a presidential contender: Presidential candidate to sign best-selling book in Austin on Monday". Austin American-Statesman . Archived from the original on 2008-07-04. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
  27. ↑ Sullivan, Andrew (2008-05-07). "Paulville". Daily Dish. Atlantic . Retrieved 2008-05-13.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.