How Washington Works

Facts/Details:

1. Washington DC has a population of 3.5 million people.
2. HUD is the Department of Housing and Urban Development. 
3. A killer amendment, or wrecking amendment, is an amendment made by a legislator who disagrees with the principles of a bill and who seeks to make it useless, rather than directly opposing the bill by simply voting against it. 
4. The city and suburbs of Washington are encircled by a sixty-four-mile freeway loop known as the beltway.
5. People in Washington catch, "Potomac Fever"--the incurable addiction to wielding political power or feeling at the political center.
6. Congress works a week in Washington from Monday to Friday; giving members more time with constituents.
7. The nickname for the Department of Transportation if pronounced "D-O-T"
8. Washington is considered a town of only one interest:politics.
9. Political Washington is a culture all its own.
10. New York and Los Angeles have great financial muscle.  

Questions:

1. Is Washington D.C. open to newcomers?

2. How does the Washington D.C. experience affect ones perception on politics?

3. How are politics different in the actual city of Washington, compared to that of other cities?

4. Is Washington known for any other field besides just the government?

5. How difficult is the life of a politician?