We Don't Need No Regulation The Bush Administration says it has no plans to expand testing of cattle for mad cow disease, citing -- in the words of unnamed administration officials -- the "gargantuan" cost of testing the 35 million cattle slaughtered each year in the United States, the McClatchy newspaper chain reports. The administration says it will test 40,000 cattle for the disease in fiscal year 2005 -- the same as this past year. But the new budget will include $47 million more to bolster federal meat-inspection programs and fund a national animal identification system, according to the report published in Friday's Sacramento Bee...Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., notes that "in the first seven months of 2003, not a single cow was tested [for mad cow] in Washington state." By comparison, Japan tests every single head of cattle, and Canada's meat inspections are also far more rigorous than ours. In 2003, The United States exported 2.3 Billion dollars worth of beef. This year, experts are predicting the yearlong total will be 400 million. The Bush administration has proved itself penny wise and pound foolish when it comes to keeping American consumers safe. This is the type of thing that happens when you elect candidates from a party with anti-regulatory policies. Thanks, red states. Read The Full Article