A tourist walks into a curio shop in San Francisco. Looking around at
the exotica, he notices a very lifelike, life-sized bronze statue of a
rat. It has no price tag, but is so striking he decides he must have
it.


He takes it to the owner: "How much for the bronze rat?"


"Twelve dollars for the rat, one hundred dollars for the story," says
the owner.


The tourist gives the man twelve dollars. "I'll just take the rat, you
can keep the story."


As he walks down the street carrying his bronze rat, he notices that a
few real rats  crawl out of the alleys and sewers and begin following
him down the street. This is disconcerting; he begins walking faster.
But within a couple blocks, the herd of rats behind him grows to
hundreds, and they begin squealing.


He begins to trot toward the Bay, looking around to see that the rats
now numbered in the MILLIONS, and are still squealing and coming
toward him faster and faster.


Concerned, even scared, he runs to the edge of the Bay and throws the
bronze rat as far out into the Bay as he can. Amazingly, the millions
of rats all jump into the Bay after it, and are all drowned.


The man walks back to the curio shop.


"Ah ha," says the owner, "You have come back for the story?"


"No," says the man, "I came back to see if you have a bronze
politician!"