Geolibertarianism
Geolibertarianism is the belief that each individual has an exclusive right to the fruits of his or her labor, and thus an exclusive right to the value of those fruits; and that all individuals have an equal right to land, and thus an equal right to the value of land. (http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/tma68/geolib.htm)
Description
Starting paragraphs from the Wikipedia article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geolibertarianism
"Geolibertarianism (also geoanarchism) is a libertarian political philosophy that holds, like other forms of libertarian individualism, that each individual has an exclusive right to the fruits of his or her labor, as opposed to this product being owned collectively by society or the community. In other words, geolibertarians support private property. However, unlike "royalist" forms of libertarianism, geolibertarianism holds that all land is owned in common by society, and therefore if individuals claim the land as their property they must pay rent to the community for doing so. Geolibertarians generally advocate distributing the land rent to the community via a land value tax, as proposed by Henry George and others before him. For this reason, they are often called "single taxers". Fred E. Foldvary coined the word "geo-libertarianism" in an article so titled in Land and Liberty, May/June 1981, pp. 53-55. In the case of geoanarchism as described by Foldvary, rent would be collected by private associations with the opportunity to secede from a geocommunity (and not receive the geocommunity's services) if desired.
Geolibertarians are generally influenced by Georgism, but the ideas behind it pre-date Henry George, and can be found in different forms in the writings of John Locke, the French Physiocrats, Thomas Jefferson, Adam Smith, Thomas Paine, James Mill (John Stuart Mill's father), David Ricardo, John Stuart Mill, and Herbert Spencer. Perhaps the best summary of geolibertarianism is Thomas Paine's assertion that "Men did not make the earth. It is the value of the improvements only, and not the earth itself, that is individual property. Every proprietor owes to the community a ground rent for the land which he holds." On the other hand, Locke wrote that private land ownership should be praised, as long as its product was not left to spoil and there was "enough, and as good left in common for others"; when this Lockean proviso is violated, the land earns rental value." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geolibertarianism)
Credo
From Dan Sullivan at http://geolib.pair.com/essays/sullivan.dan/royallib.html
"We are libertarians who make the classical liberal distinction between land, labor and capital. We believe in the private possession of land without interference from the state, but in the community collection of land rent to prevent monopolization of land.
We believe that all government activities should at least be limited to those which increase the value of land by more than what the government collects, and that government should be funded entirely from the land value increases it creates.
We oppose direct state monopolization of land as well as state-sanctioned private monopolization of land, and advocate that state and federally held land pay land rent to the communities the same as private land.
We advocate that government be allowed to spend only what is authorized by voter referendum or similar device and that it take for itself the minimum it is authorized to spend. Those who advocate collection of the full rent stipulate that the proceeds be divided among community members on a per-capita or similar basis, for the land, and the rent, belong to the people, not the state.
We condemn the taxation of property improvements, and of all activities, productive, consumptive, or recreational, as invasions by the state into the private affairs of free individuals." (http://geolib.pair.com/essays/sullivan.dan/royallib.html)
More Information
Wikipedia article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geolibertarianism
FAQ at http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/tma68/geolib.htm
What is Geolibertarianism, at http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/tma68/geolib.htm
Details on the Geo-Rent proposal, at http://www.econjournalwatch.org/pdf/FoldvaryIntellectualTyrannyApril2005.pdf
Websites
What are some other geolibertarian web sites?
Dan Sullivan's Geolibertarian Home Page http://geolib.com
The Thomas Paine Network http://www.tpaine.org
Fred Foldvary's Home Page http://www.foldvary.net
The Banneker Center for Economic Justice http://www.progress.org/banneker
The Henry George Institute http://www.henrygeorge.org
The School of Cooperative Individualism http://www.cooperativeindividualism.org
Major geolibertarian writings
List from http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/tma68/geo-faq.htm#websites
Agrarian Justice - by Thomas Paine
Progress and Poverty - by Henry George
Social Problems - by Henry George
Democracy vs. Socialism - by Max Hirsch
Selected Articles by Harry Gunnison Brown: The Case for Land Value Taxation - by Harry Gunnison Brown
Libertarian Party at Sea on Land - by Harold Kyriazi
Rights vs. Privileges - by Robert De Fremery
Public Revenue Without Taxation - by Ronald Burgess
Land and Taxation - edited by Nicolaus Tideman
The Corruption of Economics - by Mason Gaffney and Fred Harrison
The FAQ recommends:
"Of the above list, Libertarian Party at Sea on Land and Rights vs. Privileges are the two best introductions to geolibertarian principles. If you enjoy heavy reading, the two best are Progress and Poverty and Democracy vs. Socialism. (In the latter, Max Hirsch improves upon Henry George's treatment of interest, thereby removing the sole logical blemish from the economic views expounded in the former." (http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/tma68/geo-faq.htm)