OLYMPIA -- Debate sometimes gets so heated in the Legislature that the honorables mix their metaphors or jumble their allusions.

Today's House debate on the Democrats' "Jobs" bill, which asks for $861 million in bonds to do energy refits in schools around the state, was one of those times.

Rep. Barbara Bailey, R-Oak Harbor, warned about the mounting debt, and taking on even more, particulary when the state faces growing health care and pension costs. "Mr. Speaker, the cash register is ticking."

Clocks tick. Bombs tick. But seems like even in the days of manually cranked cash registers, they didn't tick, although they sometimes when ka-chunk, and sometimes went ka-ching.

Rep. David Taylor, R-Oak Harbor, tried a topical literary and cinematic allusion, although he prefaced it by saying he didn't get around to seeing "Alice In Wonderland" on his weekend away from the Legislature. The bond bill was putting money, Wonderland-like, down a bunny  hole, he said.

"This may be the bunny hole of doom," he warned.

Bunny hole of doom? Go ask Alice. Don't eat the pills, stay away from the Mad Hatter but remember what the doormouse said.

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