To Pell And Back

I've never been much into politics. I hate to admit that I don't really pay much attention, unless there's an election going on. I've always wondered why were the bills put before Congress soooo many pages long. Who has time to read all of that? I heard on TV one day that it's because there's a main bill (umm, healthcare reform) padded with a lot of other bills politicians want to push through. Please forgive me law student bloggers if I'm not using the right terms.