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DEL.ICIO.USTom Price and the $30 million mouse
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
U.S. Rep. Tom Price (R-Roswell) has become something of a YouTube guerilla lately, using video posted on the Internet to make his case against President Barack Obama’s economic recovery plan.
But he became a genuine cable TV star on Friday by waving what looked to be a small, dead ball of fur on the floor of the U.S. House. (The prop was reportedly from a pet store.)
Price’s topic was the $787 billion stimulus bill.
“What’s in it? Have you read it? We found 30 million for mice. Got 30 million for mice. You can’t be serious. What a joke. $30 million for mice. Does that create jobs?” Price intoned. Some say he even looked a little cat-like, but you can judge for yourself.
Here’s a clip grabbed by Talking Points Memo:
But apparently the mouse funding is very much overblown, according to the Republican who first set the tale moving.
This from the San Jose Mercury News:
The tale began Wednesday, when Michael Steel, a spokesman for House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, sent an e-mail to reporters and political leaders that noted Republican staff members have been asking federal agencies how they would spend the stimulus money.
“One response? Thirty million dollars for wetland restoration in the San Francisco Bay Area — including work to protect the Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse,” wrote Steel.
The Washington Times then wrote a story citing Steel and claiming that $30 million for the mouse project is contained in the bill. The paper suggested the money was put there by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco. Blogger Matt Drudge, whose Web site receives 26 million hits a day, posted a link to that story.
News of the mouse roared through the cable TV news cycle. And Boehner’s spokesman was forced to clarify matters. The newspaper reported:
“There is no language in the bill that says this money will go to this project,” Steel told the Mercury News. “There are large pots of money in the bill that go to various agencies. One of those agencies said the salt marsh harvest mouse project is something we’d do if you gave us the money.”
Pelosi spokesman Drew Hamill agreed that funding for the mouse is not in the bill, and said she did not lobby for it to be on any list.
Then where did the $30 million figure come from, if it’s not in the bill? It turns out that $30 million is the total amount that the California Coastal Conservancy, a state agency, recommended more than a month ago to numerous federal agencies looking for lists of “shovel ready” projects as part of the stimulus bill planning.
The conservancy’s wish list included five major ongoing wetlands restoration projects totaling nearly 4,000 acres, said civil engineer Steve Ritchie, a Coastal Conservancy staff member who helped draw it up. And the federal Army Corps of Engineers included all five projects on its own list of possible ways to spend stimulus money.
The projects, which range from Napa County to Silicon Valley, involve moving levees, creating islands and converting former industrial salt ponds back to marshes. Each could begin by year’s end and would benefit dozens of species, including salmon, steelhead trout, ducks, egrets, and yes, the endangered mouse, Ritchie said.
Comments
By Mary St, James
February 14, 2009 12:21 PM | Link to this
I HOPE that 30 million bucks to study a rat will CHANGE the economy, but I doubt it. I “support” the President just not his rodent supporting stimulus that does not stimulate.
By Fred Sanfoed
February 14, 2009 12:31 PM | Link to this
This has nothing to do with Price, who was right, but I would like to point out that the woman who showed up at Obama’s 30 million dollar rat stimulus rally was given a house. BY A REPUBLICAN, and all OBAMA offered was a business card for the local gov’t hand out office. I love irony!! Obama is a fraud. Blacks, listen up, I bet $10,000 that Obama will not change your lives one bit. The question is will you still support him after nothing changes? I bet you will. Obama and the other liberals do not want you folks leaving the Democrat Plantation.
By M. Perkins
February 14, 2009 12:45 PM | Link to this
The preceding comments show incredible ignorance. The article clearly states that the money goes to salt marsh restoration, a critical environmental issue for all of us as salt marshes serve not only as a nursery for the young of many, many species of animals, but also as a natural sponge, cleaning polluted runoff before it reaches the San Francisco Bay and Pacific Ocean. This further protects many marine species of animals from environmental poisons, and those of us who choose to eat those animals. Finally, it makes perfect sense to include a study of the Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse in any marsh restoration project, as it is an indicator species. The health of the mouse population is a direct indicator of the health of the marsh, kind of like the canary in the coal mine.
By M Perkins is a Hack
February 14, 2009 1:04 PM | Link to this
So the rat bill will create or save jobs, right. Obama said that this is an emergency and the Speakerette of the house did not even allow members of the house to read the entire bill before she pushed for a vote. I join with the others on this page and would like to also add that I support the President, just not his policies. This bill was supposed to be a stimulus bill not a pet project bill. I have to willingly suspend disbelief to buy all this crap that Obama and his democrat minions are trying to sell. Even the media is questioning what is going on here. And we all know that the media loves the Obama more than they love unfettered abortions.
By Owl Gore
February 14, 2009 1:09 PM | Link to this
I hope the ecomomy shrinks. It will lessen the human caused effects of Global Warming. Obama is trying to slowly shrink the economy to save the environment. He has to act like he wants the economy to grow, but I know that he is really trying to shrink our economy which is killing the planet and killing polar bears. Obama is giving money to study salt marshes and rats so he will not stimulate the economy too much. Obama is an enviro-warrior. America is evil and needs to be taken down a notch. A stimulus bill that does not stimulate is jusst the right medicine.
By Gacy
February 14, 2009 1:45 PM | Link to this
Great stuff with the mousers. Pelussycats? New Age Junta Ninja Felines? Sounds like a job for Sir Ocelot! For want of a mouse a stimulus package was passed. For want of a filibuster a budget was busted. For want of a budget a country was broke.
By read much?
February 14, 2009 1:56 PM | Link to this
So, y’all can’t even read?! It says quite clearly in the article upon which you are posting these ignorant comments that the money is NOT for the mouse. It also clearly implies what most of us already know - Tom Price is a moron.
Everything that is built, refurbished, studied, engineered, researched, reseeded, repainted, etc. creates a job for somebody! What part of that are you struggling with?
By GA VALUES
February 14, 2009 2:43 PM | Link to this
Tom Price is hung like a mouse.
By Welfare for the Rich
February 14, 2009 2:47 PM | Link to this
Thank you Perkins for clearing that up for Fred apparently he has limited education so we must ignore his comment as plain IGNORANCE. I have been debating the same thing with some who think this is foolish spending on these pet projects. It has really caught my eye because I am watching children get all kinds of weird diseases and sickness. For instance, the salmonella outbreaks, lead outbreaks, diabetes, cancer, autism, deformities etc. It is important for our existence and future existence to examine what are causing these diseases and sicknesses and how can we curtail this. I believe it is with ingestation as well as pollutants. It is always a pleasure to speak with intelligent individuals who have a vision not a whine….
By Sir Winston
February 14, 2009 3:11 PM | Link to this
That is moose, GA VALUES. I know you cannot help your spelling, as you were most certainly educated in a government school. It is not your fault. It does explain the way you vote, though. Peace.
By Jay
February 14, 2009 3:12 PM | Link to this
Thank you Congressman Price for giving frustrated reasonable people a voice!
By GA VALUES
February 14, 2009 3:29 PM | Link to this
Ms. Perkin is an old liberal. She is one of those who plug up her nostrils in order to curb her co2 emissions. In short, she’s nuts. Pay no attention to the crazy lady.
By GOP LOST IN SPACE
February 14, 2009 8:03 PM | Link to this
MR Price what about all that money that the good ole boys spent on no bid contract. you are a hypocrite. If it had been 30k to help service men in this bill you clowns would have been not for it . It is not the Bill It president Obama you hypocrite!
By GOP LOST IN SPACE
February 14, 2009 8:25 PM | Link to this
Fred Sanfoed you miss the point! He is asking gop ,DNC, all to help out .we are all humans. It is not About black white red brown or PARTY. It is about all of us helping out. Don’t play the blame game ! who give a rat @ss what party or color people are these people need help! And this just shows what some in GOP are doing putting road block at every turn. Evil will lose out in the end. People need help of all colors and they don’t give a RAT @SS who give them help GOP or DNC! PEOPLE NEED HELP CLOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By Mary St, James
February 15, 2009 5:55 PM | Link to this
Fred Sanfoed was driving at the irony of the outcome for the woman at the spendulus rally in FL. Obama, read Gov’t, gives the woman the card of a local gov’t handout office. The private sector, the wife of the Republican official in FL, arranges for her a home rent free and immeadiate. That is the point, Lost in Space. Are all you liberals as stupid as you sound? Furthermore, Obama is willing to glad hand with Republicans and that it fine, but he does not offer any legimate areas for compromise. It is like Republicans can have it their way if their way is Obama’s way. That is not change. That is not hopelful. You are a fool, lost in space, if you think it is.