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Comment by lukasben | Hacker News Reader

That's so f* up! Money can buy you everything. Even a citizenship. The NZ-gov should asked themselves why a close Trump supporter and VC is looking for a safe haven outside of the US. Will this person really add value to the society? Or will he build a massive mansion with a wall around it and an airport?

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Of course you can buy citizenship. Here's a price list if you are in the market:

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/07/countries-selling-cit...

Latvian citizenship at 35.000€ with no residency requirements looks like a steal, considering that you would be allowed to live anywhere in the EU, if I'm not misinterpreting.

You didn't finish your research. Process takes ten years and requires you to become fluent in Latvian.

>That's so f up! Money can buy you everything. Even a citizenship.*

The latter "money for citizenship" has been going on in most countries (including the USA).

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/07/countries-selling-cit...

I'd just like to see more commitment than spending money. sports people representing a new country i.e.

The government can receive money from this guy with no added costs, as it is unlikely that Thiel poses a threat to NZ or its citizens. Even if he builds a mansion or something that's still a net positive that would be irresponsible not to take advantage of. (assuming the funds are not lost to corruption)

Can granting Thiel citizenship create problems in the future, in terms of kickstarting negative trends? That's a possibility but it seems like a nebulous and remote one.

Virtually every developed country allows purchase of citizenship: http://www.econmatters.com/2016/07/the-price-of-citizenship-...

If buying citizenships was illegal, the pressures that causing citizenship purchases would not go away. They would just become an incentive to more corruption.

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