Idaho already has an official bird, flower, song, tree, gem, horse, fossil, fish, insect, fruit, vegetable and raptor.
But state code is silent on amphibious life. State Rep. Rich Jarvis, R-Meridian, is looking to address this gaping, urgent hole in the law.
He has introduced a bill naming the Idaho giant salamander the state's official amphibian. (Hat tip to Adam Graham, who gets right to the point: "That’ll fix the economy.")
Normally these little designation bills are innocuous — and often they're a school class project advanced by a kindly hometown lawmaker. But there is something just a wee bit frivolous about this kind of bill, in this kind of session. On Wednesday, a legislative committee voted to whack another $128 million out of Gov. Butch Otter's 2009-10 and 2010-11 budgets.
If ever there was a time for a no-nonsense, all-hands-on-deck legislative focus, this is it. The salamanders can wait.
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Students getting involved
Students are getting involved and learning about the Idaho Legislature in an interesting way, I have no problem with it.
Infuriating
It's infuriating because it WASTES TIME in a very short session. Their #1 priority this session should be JOB CREATION. PERIOD.
Great article.
I found a great article on this issue:
http://www.idahoreporter.com/2010/jarvis-brings-bill-to-recognize-idaho-giant-salamander-as-state-amphibian/
The state salamander wears boots.
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Like a midair collision with a tugboat
And foreignoregonian,
what (or who) is Oregon's state salamander?
Was Bill Sizemore.
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Like a midair collision with a tugboat
Outrage is misdirected.
Well, shucks, at least this is environmentally harmless and no cost.
Contrast that to Otter's choice to sue in D.C. federal court to UNPROTECT slickspot peppergrass, a native plant that IDAHO's federal courts have found deserving of protection several times. Environmentally harmful, and huge cost.