How Washington Works

Facts:
1. Around 3.5 million people live in the Washington metropolitan area.
2. Washington is certainly not isolated.
3. Almost everyone in Washington has come from somewhere else.
4. Many of the politicians in Washington have a strong hunger for public recognition.
5. "Potomac Fever" is the incurable addiction of wielding political power or feeling at the political center.
6. The city and suburbs of Washington are encircled by a 64-mile freeway loop known as the beltway.
7. The nickname for the department of transportation is pronounced "D-O-T" never "dot."
8. Washington is very open to newcomers.
9. The shorthand for the Department of Housing and Urban Development is pronounced "HUD."
10. Each city has variety, however, Washington only has one priority: politics.

Questions:
1. How many people currently work in the capitol?
2. How much power does Washington actually have over the country?
3. Who came up with the term "Potomac Fever?"
4. Do citizens of Washington feel excluded from the country, considering Washington is not a state?
5. How much of a social impact do political parties have?