8 islands owned by billionaires

but yet they bitch about a 3% raise on taxes, lol

Own an island? Unless you keep it as a nature preserve its actually rather costly. Generators for electricity, water pumps/filters, environmentally safe waste disposal...etc...

Lets not forget that you'll also need to either build an airstrip and own or charter your own aircraft to get to your island or buy/charter a boat to take you to and from your island...

Building on your island? Contractors, architects - and man it would suck if something happened to your nice new home... wild fires could wipe out your nice lush paradise!

Speaking of natural disasters: I don't think many insurance companies will cover you... earthquakes, water spouts (if you live on the ocean you know exactly what I mean - tornados/cyclones of water), hurricanes, tropical storms... damages to your real estate can get costly...

But the freedom of owning your own island - especially if its not under the rule of a sovereign nation.... well... if I don't like you, I could find 1001 ways to torture, maim, and murder you and no one would hear your screams from miles away!... Kinda morbid huh? ROFL

Ooops, I forgot wildlife.. imagine waking up to a spider the size of your face with venom that could kill an elephant... or a nice coral snake bite... or better yet get mauled by an unknown species that science has yet to discover - it just happens to be living on your island. LOL

And who cares and does this put any more money in my pocket or lower the price of a gallon of gas for the avg.-person?

What passes for news worthy items is like junk food...we now have junk news items....

if the valleys around me ever flood ill have my island

As beautiful as they are, I would go crazy after to much time on one of those islands. I need the convenience of the American town for everyday living. A week at Neckar with a half dozen supermodels would be great though.

Kind of a superficial study.  The island of Niihau, just off of Kauai is far more significant than all the others put together.  It has been owned by the Robinson family since before I lived on Lanai about 60 years ago.  It has been preserved so that the native hawaiians still speak the original language and keep the same lifestyle.

I do not think the people from Lanai are overjoyed by the sale from Dole Pineapple ownership to the present owner.  Nobody will be able to own their own house.  They live a delicate balance of needing enough work to exist and the new property values that may endanger their future.  Life on Lanai is a very fascinating topic from the viewpoint of a Social Anthropoligist.