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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Sunday, October 5, 2008 Piscatory pedicures never had a chance By Jerry Cornfield Herald Columnist They outlawed ooey this week in Washington. I'm talking about the state Department of Licensing decision to ban the use of tiny, toothless carp to suck away (yuck) dead skin from the feet of paying customers. Only one business, a salon in Kent, had employed a school of these so-called doctor fish. They just started letting folks rest their heels in water-filled tubs of flesh nibblers a couple weeks ago, so stopping now won't likely bankrupt them. Still, it didn't seem the shop owners got much of a chance to help find a balance between their entrepreneurial spirit and the state's logical concerns. State law says razors and other implements used in a pedicure must be disinfected, sanitized or disposed of after each use. Because these fish are performing the task of tools they must be treated the same way, that is to say, they must be sanitized, disinfected or disposed of. OK, makes sense but let's all take a deep breath. In northern Virginia, these aquatic pedicurists have been removing tissue from the toes of those working in congressional offices for months without incident. Travel to China, Japan, Turkey or Croatia and you will find folks with happy feet courtesy of the mouths of these little suckers. Fact is, we seek out risk for its potential reward and as a state we often enable it. We let people jump off bridges with a rubber band around their ankle and balance $33 billion budgets with little more than a high school diploma. We can eat raw fish to fill our empty stomachs even though we can't use live fish to clean our callused feet. I guess that makes wasabi a sanitizer. Free the fish! Speed is not usually associated with the legal system. That bodes well for the state Republican Party. They've been accused by one of their own, Attorney General Rob McKenna, of dipping deep into the wrong pocket of cash to pay for mailers promoting their gubernatorial hope, Dino "Don't call me Republican" Rossi. The party spent the money because, as they told the Public Disclosure Commission, Republican voters needed reminding Rossi is one of them even though he is listed as "Prefers GOP Party" on the ballot. If the political party doesn't settle and holds out for its day in court, there is plenty of time to prepare. The trial is scheduled for March 2010. Federal lawmakers demonstrated quite a bounce in their step this week on their way to passing the $700 billion package to bail out/rescue/stabilize -- you choose the term -- the financial markets. One congressman called it a "necessary evil" to restore confidence in the economy and get loans and credit flowing freely again between financial institutions and Mr. and Mrs. Jones on Main Street. Apparently, it wasn't enough to bolster the faith of those who play the stock market. The Dow dropped 157 points Friday. Political reporter Jerry Cornfield's blog, The Petri Dish, is at www.heraldnet.com. Contact him at 360-352-8623 or jcornfield@heraldnet.com. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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