What is extraordinary is that, on both sides of the aisle, legislators will spend several hundred million dollars to get elected this year.

This means legislators spend a lot of time voting on bills they have no chance even to read.

Meanwhile, the legislators spent much of their time gossiping, paying little attention to their president.

For instance, legislators spend millions of taxpayer dollars on direct mail that is often indistinguishable from campaign propaganda.

The legislators spent most of the session arguing about the locations of the capital, the state university, state teachers' college, and the agricultural school.

Critics say that it has become harder to find out what legislators are spending pork money on.

They sense that legislators spend most of their time figuring out how to save their seats rather than how to solve problems.

"My guess is that this is a bare bones increase, and we will urge legislators to spend even more."

Other legislators can claim, legitimately, that they funnel major Federal projects and spending to their states.

After the legislators had spent three months putting together a state budget, a $950 million shortfall forced them to start all over again.