Danse Macabre II

Late one evening, the congressman got together for a friendly game of canasta with some of his munificent lobbyist friends, who work for certain extremely large banks and investment firms, during which the lobbyists wanted to clarify exactly how they wanted the new regulatory laws written. After all, these regulations had to be constructed just right in order to ensure that their plans for "socializing the risks but privatizing the profits" could proceed uninhibited. For his part in this, the congressman, who held a powerful chairmanship in a committee concerned with these technical banking matters, would reap many great benefits in regards to funding his soon upcoming re-election campaign, not to mention getting an all-expense paid vacation trip to attend an educational seminar, which was to be held at a posh resort in the warm and inviting Bahamas. However, while this game of wheeling and dealing was going on, lo and behold, Death and the Devil both show up at the same time to procure their ownership of the aforesaid congressman. The Devil was particularly impetuous because the congressman already owed him for very much and thus he, the Devil, wanted payment for arrears immediately. But Death, being exactitudinous about protocols, was very perturbed about the Devil getting things so out of turn. "Hey, you just wait a minute!" said Death with breathless but admanant insistence, "you can't have him until I am done with him first. Remember, I always get the first dibs. You've got to wait your turn." Well, there was not much the lobbyists could do about this dispute, since they had no vote on these matters. Besides, losing the congressman really made no difference to them since there were always so many more they could just as easily buy.