Top 10 Branches of Libertarianism

Geolibertarians admire Henry George, a 19th-century economist. During the Gilded Age, wealth inequality was severe, and the living conditions for many at the bottom of the income ladder were appalling. Ten or more people would be crammed into one room, feces would be everywhere, and running water was rare.

George noticed this and sought a way to reduce wealth inequality and improve living conditions for the poor without harming the economy. He proposed eliminating all taxes, primarily tariffs at the time, which he argued favored the rich over the poor and were regressive, distorting the economy. George suggested replacing all these taxes with a single tax on land. He believed wealth inequality stemmed from the rich having more access to land than the poor. While the rich lived in mansions, the poor lived in conditions resembling concentration camps.

George argued that land couldn't truly be owned because humans didn't create it, just as you can't own air or fire. It's part of the Earth, and it's immoral to exclude others from it since you didn't make it, you just found it. He proposed that while one cannot own land, one can rent it. Therefore, the federal government should tax the value of land owned by an individual, compensating society for borrowing land that could have been used by someone else. George claimed this tax would reduce wealth inequality because most land is owned by the wealthy.

He also stated that a tax on land doesn't harm the economy. Taxing consumption or income reduces them, hurting the economy. However, taxing land has no negative effect and might have a positive effect by preventing people from buying excessive amounts of land and letting it go to waste, excluding others. If you buy land, you need to make use of it.

Geolibertarians also usually support a basic income, as George did, and taxes on pollution, resource extraction, etc.

Green libertarians believe in almost everything that most modern-day libertarians do, except for one thing. Green libertarians are more likely to pursue efforts to protect the environment than traditional right-wing libertarians. While they say most of our environmental problems would go away if special privileges to corporations were abolished and the state removed itself from our daily lives, green libertarians support environmental regulation if absolutely necessary.

Consequentialists support almost everything that right-libertarians support, except for one thing. They believe that the use of force can be justified as long as it results in positive effects. For example, they may support involuntary taxes to help fund a police force. They might support eminent domain if it will help the economy, create jobs, and alleviate poverty.

Right-libertarians believe the government should only do three things: provide defense, uphold contracts, and uphold the law. That's it. The rest of the federal government's current functions should be privatized. Right-libertarianism is currently the most common form of libertarianism in the U.S.

Civil libertarians claim that the government constantly tramples on our civil liberties and should be significantly reduced. However, unlike right-libertarians, civil libertarians are not always fiscally conservative. Many support progressive taxation, liberal spending policies, etc.

Paleolibertarians are isolationists in foreign policy. They support war only if attacked and believe in withdrawing from NATO and the UN. They are also against liberal immigration policies, claiming they threaten national security. Paleolibertarians are conservative in the sense that they may oppose gay marriage, abortion, etc. However, unlike conservatives, they don't believe these should be illegal, only frowned upon.

Panarchists believe that the United States should not have just one form of government. Like most Libertarians, Panarchists believe in competition. They think the U.S. should have several, even hundreds, of different types of governments inside the country, allowing them to compete for members.

Everyone would receive a form asking which government they would like to live under: Democracy, Republic, Communist, Fascist, Anarchy, etc. After choosing, individuals would be encouraged to move to an area where that government exists. You might stroll past one neighborhood that is anarchist, then one that is fascist, then one that is a Republic. While this would obviously probably never happen, it would be nice.

What? How can libertarianism and socialism be compatible? There are two main branches in libertarianism. Right-libertarians are the most common and prioritize the individual over society. Left-libertarians are the opposite. They state that people cannot truly be free unless their basic needs are met, which must be provided by society, such as food, shelter, land, medical care, etc. Therefore, most Left-libertarians are socialists, communists, or support significant government interference in the economy.

Libertarian Socialists believe currency should be abolished, and people should take according to their need. People wouldn't be required to work, but if they do, the workers would control their industry, not capitalists. There are two main criticisms of LS. One, if people just take what they need without paying, wouldn't this lead to overconsumption and shortages? LS's fire back, saying if you could get what you want for free at any time, why would you take more than you need? What's the purpose of taking twenty six-packs of root beer at once if you only drink one or two packs a month? The root beer will still be there when you run out.

Another criticism is that no one would work since all their needs are provided for, and there's no monetary incentive. LS's respond by saying people will be encouraged to work because if no one works, society suffers. If everyone is lazy, there will be no doctors, teachers, lawyers, etc. Therefore, although there is no monetary incentive, there is still an incentive to work.

Many LS's point out that Native Americans lived in societies resembling libertarian socialism, and the Republicans during the Spanish-American War practiced LS. Both groups were successful until taken over by an invading country.

Christian libertarians believe the country should return to its religious principles. Unlike conservatives, they believe this should be voluntary, not by force. They support small government and advocate for parents, schools, and churches instilling religious values in children.