!!! REMINDER !!! - The deadline for the Ron Paul Sign Contest is this Thursday, November 8th. (Over 300 entries received to date.)

Congressman Paul is a long-time student and advocate of the 'Austrian School of Economics,' the preeminent tradition of free-market economics - and a contributing inspiration for the creators of the Ron Paul Sign Page. As a leading Austrian theoretician and Nobel Laureate winner, F.A. Hayek (1899-1992) expounded upon the following concepts throughout his career:

1. Spontaneous (or emergent) order, which refers to the natural emergence of complex, beneficial, socio-economic arrangements in a free society - order that does not (and, in many cases, can not) arise from central planning and authoritarian dictates, but rather from individuals exercising their freedom of thought and action.
    
2. Local knowledge, which refers to each individual's unique knowledge of the world and his (or her) personal circumstances. As Hayek explained in his seminal work 'The Use of Knowledge in Society' one reason that central plans fail to achieve their objectives is because they disregard and subvert the local knowledge of individuals - knowledge that is frequently context-specific and dynamic, often changing from one moment to the next. Even the 'best and brightest' planners possess only a small fraction of relevant knowledge about socio-economic issues, and their expertise typically fails to account for local knowledge and the infinite complexity of interpersonal socio-economic relationships. (For an illustrative example, see Leonard Read's classic parable, 'I, Pencil.')

These Hayekian insights motivated the creators of the Ron Paul Sign Page. With the Sign Page, Paulunteers everywhere now have access to a wide variety of clever, effective sign messages. Today, the page consists of the best ideas conceived by Paul supporters in the Portland area. But by sending an e-mail with your name and home town to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , you can submit your own ideas based upon your 'local knowledge' of such factors as:

1. 'Hot button' political issues in your home town
    
2. Cultural and linguistic preferences in your area
    
3. Messages that have proven effective in your experience as a Ron Paul supporter

By giving people the opportunity to submit their own ideas, the creators of the Sign Page hope to harness the unlimited creativity and dispersed knowledge of Ron Paul supporters everywhere. Following the conclusion of the contest on November 8th, we'll post the best entries on the page for everyone's use - and give each contributor credit by displaying his or her name with each posted submission. (And, of course, we'll continue updating the page as future submissions are received.)

The Ron Paul Sign Page is just the latest example of the widespread 'spontaneous order' arising from the unprecedented grassroots support of Dr. Paul's candidacy. So far as I'm aware, this is the first time that a resource of this kind has been created for a presidential campaign - a resource inspired by fundamental insights from the Austrian School.

So don't forget to share YOUR local knowledge with the rest of us - submit your sign suggestions by November 8th! And if your idea finishes in the Top Three, we'll 'spontaneously re-order' your personal finances with a healthy stack of Ron Paul silver dollars!