Politispeak - a layman's guide

Our politicians are throwing around more catch-phrases, half-statements and implied meanings that I thought it was time to start creating a lexicon of how to interpret the real meaning behind the words:

"Pandering to special interest groups" - What this means usually is the speaker is trying to denigrate their opposition by claiming that special interest groups shouldn't be able to stand in the way of the will of the majority. Usually, it means that the speaker doesn't like the direction that some legislators are going.

"Judicial Activisim" - Lately this has been used with respect to the judiciary over their interpretations of law, constitutional and case, vis a vis Gay Marriage. Often the speaker will cry for Judges to 'interpret the law not write it'. Usually it means 'I can't legislate this and get away with it, so I'll sit here and whine, blaming it all on the nasty judiciary'.

"Paid in Full" - Recently, Alberta Premier Klein made this claim about Alberta's debt. The reality behind such claims is cheap electioneering. Alberta's fiscal year is not yet closed, nor will the final revenues be realized for some months. What Ralph basically did was make an election promise to use the budget surplus to pay off the balance of the provincial debt.