New thinking for the United Nations

Today I heard - via the International Herald Tribune (Reuters story they published) and BBC World - of United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Kofi Annan's proposal for the complete renovation of the UN's New York City headquarters. This proposal would renovate their entire 38 story building over the next 9 years. The building itself is now 53 years old and apparently is "riddled with potentially dangerous asbestos". This is an amazing statement itself -- no, not that world government (thankfully it is completely dysfunctional yet somehow is confident it could manage Internet domain names better than ICANN) is over half a century old but that a media outlet labeled asbestos "potentially dangerous" since many US companies have gone bankrupt via trial lawyers' class action law suits focused on the use and manufacture of asbestos.

Let me focus this posting on my alternative plan for the UN building -- a very fresh idea coming from a tax slave such as myself not a UN bureaucrat who is not subject to oppressive incomes taxes.

FREE MARKET OPTION FOR THE UNITED NATIONS' HEADQUARTERS BUILDING

1.) Step One -- Mayor Bloomberg of NYC uses eminent domain powers (let's see how governments like the treatment private home owners have experienced -- see my friends here for background information -- http://www.propertyrightsalliance.org and http://www.ij.org ) to close the current UN headquarters building.

2.) Step Two -- Don Trump buys the property and razes it completely to build affordable housing (defined by willing private buyers writing personal checks at market value).

3.) Step Three -- the current UN staff would set up a temporary headquarters in either the European Union's Brussels, Belgium OR Strasbourg, France parliament buildings since the parliament rotates between the two buildings so surely the UN can lease one of these two empty buildings for a set period of time with the European Parliament sitting in just ONE of these TWO buildings for this same period of time. Is that too much to ask in order to save taxpayers' money??

4.) Step Four -- Concurrent with Steps 1 to 3 the UN would issue a Request for Proposal/Tender Offer using the Olympic Games host city bidding model, http://www.olympic.org/uk/news/media_centre/full_story_uk.asp?release=1328, -- the injection of free market principles that the UN leadership needs to experience. So any city in the world could step forward with a bid to become the new headquarters city for the United Nations. Why not have cities like Paris, London, Moscow, Havana, Toronto, Santiago, Tokyo, etc. spend their own money pursuing the UN like cities pursue the Olympic Games which of course require a substantial amount of local and national political/economic support to even assemble a credible bid?

5) Step Five -- Once the UN announces its move to one of the European Parliament buildings all UN memorabilia would be concurrently sold on http://www.ebay.com to raise the necessary funds needed to pay for relocation of staff to Brussels or Strasbourg thus keeping this move cost-neutral. Since Ted Turner gave the UN Foundation US $1 billion perhaps he has some spare change so he can bid on several UN items. Perhaps he could buy a podium for a Model UN chapter at some university!!

Since Mr. Annan's term as Secretary-General will end before his 9 year UN building renovation plan would end (2015 assuming a 2006 start) let me offer myself as a candidate for Secretary-General if the General Assembly needs me to implement this relocation plan. My first word of advice to all UN staff as your new Secretary-General -- update your resumes/CVs because the restructuring begins when I am sworn into office.

Choices not chains,

Todd