Even during the 22 years he represented the 14th congressional district of Texas, Dr. Paul dabbled in loon-ness by selling subscriptions to apocalyptic warnings that he, and he alone, held the keys to unlocking. In the 1980s and '90s, he earned millions selling subscriptions to a newsletter which included such pithy insights as this: "After the Los Angeles riots, order was only restored in LA when it came time for the blacks to pick up their welfare checks."