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"A collaborative political resource." |
And Now, a State Microbe
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| Contributor | RP |
| Last Edited | RP Apr 19, 2010 10:03am |
| Category | Proposed Legislation |
| News Date | Apr 15, 2010 10:00am |
| Description | There it was, amid the long list of crucial bills that state legislators in Wisconsin were racing to vote on before their session ends next week: A bill to select the state’s official microbe. Yes, microbe.
Peculiar, perhaps, until one considers what appeared to be the extremely short list of contenders (one) for this state honor — none other than Lactococcus lactis, the bacterium used to make cheddar, Colby and Monterey Jack cheese, and an unsung hero in this, the nation’s No. 1 cheese-producing state.
Sure, there are doubters. Those who question why lawmakers, in dire fiscal times, might spend even a moment talking about such silliness. And others who say there are simply too many symbols for too many things in too many places already. Along with the predictable state animals and colors, consider Texas’s vehicle (the chuck wagon), Pennsylvania’s official toy (the Slinky), New Mexico’s state question (“Red or green?,” an allusion to chile peppers) and Maryland’s oddly ordinary state exercise (walking). |
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