Warning About Serving in the State House
Here is a warning for anybody thinking about serving in the State House - be prepared to expand, not your horizons, but your girth. Food, including free food, abounds under the gold dome and much of it is not the nutritious variety. Then there is all the booze some legislators consume, including at a bar that occasionally pops up in the Cedar Creek Room. Top that off life under the Gold Dome is very sedentary. Much of the time is spent clued to our seats in our committee rooms. And if we’re not sitting there we are sitting in the House or Senate chambers. There is little time for exercise. What does this all mean? Many legislators, some who have never fought the battle of the bulge, continue to do so as the session ticks down. Although I eat far less while at the State House than I do at home, I am far more sedentary while in session. This year I gained about 15 pounds, pounds that are slowly coming off two weeks out of session.
So, for those of you dreaming of a life under the Gold Dome, either lose your vanity, find time to exercise, or buy yourself some bigger clothes.