Since the election is coming up I've been hearing the phrase pork barrel used a lot. I know that it's supposed mean how government overspends on things that are beneficial to just a few people, but what exactly is a pork barrel? Well, of course in it's simplest form it's a barrel full of pork. However, I was curious as to what it has to do with politics. I went to wikipedia & found out that:
- In the 19th century a household's wealth could be judged by how much was in their larder or pork barrel.
- The Oxford English Dictionary says that the term comes from 1873. Congress was often referenced to as pork. (Don't get mad at me, wikipedia said it)
It will certainly make me think of the phrase in a different light. I'll probably giggle every single time I hear it.
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