When Richard Nixon lost the 1962 California governor’s race, he told the media: “You won’t have Nixon to kick around anymore.”

The same could soon be said for Phil English, long-time representative from the Pa. 3rd District that includes most of Mercer County. But not just yet!

It’s one thing to be a lame duck. But it’s another thing to just be lame. And it appears English may be fitting the latter description.

After the loss to Kathy Dahlkemper in the November election, English announced shortly after that he was immediately closing his local office even though his job doesn’t end until January. And it appears that he pretty much isn’t doing anything more to help his constituents, even though he made a good salary for more than a dozen years and has a generous retirement package of which the average person could only dream.

We fully understand that when you lose, you are moved out of your usual Washington office to allow for transition to the new rep. But that doesn’t mean you still shouldn’t do the job you are paid to do.

English took a beating from Washington Post columnist Al Kamen this past week for reportedly shirking his duty when it comes to making recommendations for appointments to military academies.

Kamen reported that Dahlkemper’s office received calls that letters to English from students seeking nominations to the academies had been returned to the families. They were understandably in a bit of a panic.

The deadline for the applications was Nov. 1 and reportedly the applications of worthy candidates are normally processed by U.S. senators and representatives during December.

English called the Post to offer his excuses. Kamen, in a follow-up column, said that English had supposedly sent back the applications to the high school seniors and said that Dahlkemper would be making the recommendations and that the applicants would be granted more time.

Granted more time? This is a very competitive process. And if other nominations are being made earlier, you have to wonder if it will affect the chances of our area students if theirs are submitted later.

We certainly hope not. But even so, we as taxpayers still need to wonder, why are English and his staff still being paid when they aren’t doing their jobs? And since you aren’t doing anything, why wouldn’t you at least process those applications?

Do other lame ducks do the same thing? Or do most of them actually have enough honor and integrity to continue to perform the job they’re paid to do until the end?

English’s exit is certainly not the way I would want to be remembered if I had been a federal office holder. And it only reassures his critics that he had been riding on Easy Street far too long and his true character has come to the forefront.

We won’t have English to kick around anymore. Obviously that’s a good thing for the constituents of the 3rd District.