02/02/05 Simpson puts Idaho wood to good use

Congressman Mike Simpson is often called upon to preside over the US House of Representatives. SIMPSON "They give you a gavel to use it, so don't use it timidly. Pound with it." And that he does. Unfortunately, the sounding board couldn't take it. SIMPSON "I've just determined that it's made out of this soft eastern wood. I don't know but I've split about three of them while I've been pounding the gavel in trying to bring the House to order." The Second District Congressman thinks he's solved that problem by having a woodcarver make a new board from Idaho ash. Its similar to the one he used when Speaker of the Idaho House. SIMPSON "Its about three inches thick and we used it on the opening day, the Inaugural Day of Congress when I presided and we'll use it there now and hopefully it won't split." There are some that would contend that Congressman Simpson didn't need a sounding board, he could use some of the hard heads in Congress. SIMPSON "It might have made a hollow sound instead of a banging sound." In all fairness, Simpson says it was a lot easier to bring 70 members of the Idaho House to order than it is with 435 men and women in the US House. He has some Idaho wood to help him out. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott