Our Government In Action

It seems that when the US Government is really, really concerned about something, it will find a way to address it. No matter is so trival that the US Government won't throw a few million, or ten, at it. So the subzero cockles of my heart were warmed when I read this story about the measures our government is willing to take to track another public menace .... cows.

The USDA is developing the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) to identify and track individual animals, the aim being to allow the USDA to track a diseased animal back to its source, through every location it's been, within 48 hours. Under NAIS, a national database maintains animal ownership and location histories.

How's that for service? Our government was so concerned over the possible loss of life resulting from Mad Cow Disease (or BSE) that a national database was created in order to protect us. Using techniques that

would combine GPS, cellular and radio frequency technologies to track cattle as they are in transit,

government officials will be able to track the location of any one of the 100 million cattle in the country, and do so within 48 hours. Just think of it, 100 million cows being tracked by the latest high tech so that you and I can rest easy in our beds.

Obviously what we need is a new disease to spur our government to additional action.

I have discovered such a disease: Mad Mexican Disease.

If we can track 100 million cows in freight cars, we can find 11 million illegals in pick up trucks.

Break out the RFID ear tags, errr, earrings.