lame duck - 1. U.S. Informal. an elected official, esp. a member of Congress, who is completing his/her term in office after an election in which he/she failed to be reelected. 2. Informal. one who or that which is disabled, helpless, or inefficient. 3. Slang. a person who has lost a great deal of money in speculation on the stock market.

LAME DUCK AMENDMENT - the 20th amendment to the Constitution of the U.S., which abolished the December to March session (lame duck session) of those in Congress defeated for reelection in November.

Because they were not reelected, members of Congress were called lame ducks December to March, free of all accountability to voters, free to vote themselves all sorts of perks.

The Lame Duck Amendment in 1934 allowed newly elected members of Congress to take office in January after election, so that the defeated opponents, with little accountability and many temptations to pillage national funds, no longer were able to serve until March.
- SOURCE: The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, The Unabridged Edition, 1969.

politician - n. 1. a person who is active in party politics. 2. a seeker or holder of public office, who is more concerned about winning fovor or retaining power than about maintaining principles. 3. a person who holds a political office. 4*. a person skilled in political government or administration; statesman*. 5. an expert in politics or political government. 6. a person who seeks to gain power within an organization in ways that are generally disapproved.
-Syn. 4*. POLITICIAN, STATESMAN refer to one skilled in politics. These terms differ particularly in their connotations; POLITICIAN is more often derogatory, and STATESMAN laudatory. POLITICIAN suggests the schemes and devices that engage in (esp. small) politics for party ends or their own advantage: a dishonest politician. STATESMAN suggests the eminent ability, foresight and unselfish devotion to the interests of their country of one dealing with (esp. important or great) affairs of state: a distinguished statesman.
- SOURCE: The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, The Unabridged Edition, 1969.

pork - n. 1. the flesh of hogs used as food. 2. U.S. Slang. Appropriations, appointments, etc. made by the government for political reasons rather than for public benefits, as for public buildings, river improvements. Etc.

Pork projects, many of which are never openly considered, are handed out as favors in exchange for votes on key pieces of legislation by party leaders and appropriations chairmen. Alternatively, pork projects, regularly slipped into legislation at the very end of the process, during House-Senate conference deliberations, are withheld as punishment when lawmakers fail to toe the party line.

pork barrel - n. U.S. Slang, government appropriation, bill or policy which supplies funds for local improvements designed to ingratiate legislators with their constituents.
- SOURCE: The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, The Unabridged Edition, 1969.

RED TAPE

red tape - excessive formality and routine, as in multiplicity of forms, records and often detailed information required before action can be taken. The finicky and often exasperating procedures of bureaucrats in handling papers.

red tape - Because in British government offices before the development of modern filing systems and computers (and in some countries, still), presumably related documents were gathered into bundles and tied together before being placed in cubby holes or on shelves. The British bureaucrats used red ribbon, called tape, for binding documents; hence, red tape as a name for the whole fussy procedure of filing, misfiling, and searching out.
- SOURCE: The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, The Unabridged Edition, 1969.

SENATE



Members of the Senate
spent much time 
debating TARP*.

* ask your Senator to explain 
TARP
(Trouble Assesst Relief Program).

 (also explain 
billions and trillions) 

  Waiting for letters 
while working on
commercial treaties
in France,
"Congress
seemed so negligent"
....
"An assembly
of wise men
is the greatest fool
upon earth."
- Benjamin Franklin 1783.

senate - n. 1. an assembly or council of citizens having the highest deliberative functions in a government, esp. a legislative assembly of a state or nation. 2. (cap.) the upper house of the legislature of certain countries, as the United States, France, Italy, Canada, Ireland, Republic of South Africa, Australia and some Latin American countries. 3. the room or building in which such a group meets. 4. Rom. Hist.: the supreme council of state, the membership and functions of which varied at different periods. 5. a governing, advisory, or disciplinary body as in certain universities.

SENATORIAL COURTESY, U.S., the practice in the Senate of confirming only those presidential appointees approved by both senators from the State of the appointee, or by one senator of the President's party.

SENATORIAL DISTRICT, U.S., one in a fixed number of districts into which a State is divided, each electing one member to the State Senate. Cf., assembly district, Congressional district. 
- SOURCE: The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, The Unabridged Edition, 1969.