The Ron Paul Revolution: A Lesson in Free Market Economics

Necessity is the mother of invention, and there seems to be no end in sight to the inventions being created on a daily basis by individual Ron Paul supporters. These creations range from professional quality banners, signs, flyers and posters, to eloquently written articles across the web, and in local newspapers. On a micro level, the grassroots campaign efforts are a demonstration of the unregulated, free-market forces that Ron Paul espouses.

A simple internet search will reveal a number of websites that are designed, hosted and paid for by individual Ron Paul supporters. These websites contain everything from news articles to video clips to products. Nearly all of this content is created or contributed by individual supporters. Need a t-shirt? Currently, there are dozens of different t-shirt designs produced by independent people. In addition, you can find stamps, buttons, bracelets, commemorative coins and even pizza-delivery-style illuminated car toppers. All of this in response to a huge demand in the marketplace, with innovative Ron Paul supporters rising up to meet it.

There has been no external oversight committee or price controls. There have been no marching orders from a central location. Supply and demand has taken over. The best products are passed along word of mouth through a decentralized web of email addresses and social networking sites. Local Meetups in various parts of the country are all passing out some of the same materials, no prompting necessary. It’s called “emergence.” It is also an example of the open source trend that seems to be emerging on the web.

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