'Dr. No' Ron Paul Says Yes To Earmark In Budget Bill

Ron Paul might want to abolish the income tax and get rid of the Internal Revenue Service, but the quixotic presidential candidate hasn't jumped aboard the anti-earmark crusade adopted by some fiscal conservatives.

In the omnibus spending bill drafted by Democrats over the weekend, Paul has landed one earmark _ $300,000 for Victoria, Texas, bus replacements. You can find the earmark on page 588 of this database created by Senate Republicans today.

Paul, for the record, has never said he is completely against earmarks. He may want to slash government spending more dramatically than any other GOP candidate, and he may want to obliterate certain federal agencies, but last year he told Congressional Quarterly that “there’s nothing wrong with designating where the money goes.”

In fact, Paul earlier this year released his entire 65-page package of earmark requests. Looking at this list of earmark letters, it's clear that appropriators ignored most of his requests.

Let's hope the city officials in Victoria, Texas, spends the money wisely, or they might feel the wrath of Ron Paul nation.