ABSTRACT
Being a member of Congress is a great job, better than any job most people will ever hold. It pays well, offers a good pension, gives you a big staff, provides several well-furnished offices, ensures invitations to lots of interesting trips and events, attracts a pile of instant friends who just want to lose a golf game to you while talking a bit about pending legislation, and generally ensures a great deal of incumbent job security. Representatives often think about running for the Senate, while at least several senators each election cycle believe that they are presidential material. Mostly, though, the members work on keeping their seats. Fighting with colleagues over the merits of programs they hold dear is not usually a good way to do this. Neither is becoming a management expert on some aspect of government. But gaining a reputation for gathering up federal funds for projects in your district/state is an often-tried and proven way to secure more time in Congress.1
