Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, this is my third and last amendment on this bill, and I am hopeful that maybe this is one we can agree on. Mr. Chairman, the Preble's meadow jumping mouse is a tiny rodent with a body approximately 3 inches long, a 4-to 6-inch long tail, and large hind feet adapted for jumping. This largely nocturnal mouse lives primarily in stream side ecosystems along the foothills of southeastern Wyoming south to Colorado Springs in my district along the eastern ridge of the Front Range of Colorado. To evade predators, the mouse can jump like a miniature kangaroo up to 18 inches high using its long, whip-like tail as a rudder to switch directions in mid-air. But the little acrobat's most famous feet was its leap onto the Endangered Species list in May, 1998, a move that has hindered development from Colorado Springs, Colorado, to Laramie, Wyoming. Among projects that have been affected: the Jeffco Parkway southeast of Rocky Flats, an expansion of Chatfield Reservoir, and housing developments in El Paso County along tributaries of Monument Creek. Builders, landowners, and local governments in affected areas have incurred hundreds of millions of dollars in added costs because of this mouse. And protecting the Preble's mouse has even been placed ahead of protecting human life.…”