BECAUSE LIBERTARIANISM IS THE POLITICS OF ME:

Texas lawmakers rip budget, but seek millions (STEWART M. POWELL and RICHARD S. DUNHAM, 2/28/09, Houston Chronicle)

Rep. Ron Paul vehemently denounced the $410 billion catch-all spending bill approved last week by the House of Representatives.

But although the libertarian-leaning Republican from Lake Jackson cast a vote against the massive spending measure, his fingerprints were on some of the earmarks that helped inflate its cost.

Paul played a role in obtaining 22 earmarks worth $96.1 million, which led the Houston congressional delegation, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis of more than 8,500 congressionally mandated projects inserted into the bill.