Every time I get depressed about the latest depredation from Washington, I feel better when I look across the pond at Europe. It's a race to the bottom, but they just might win!
Consider the latest outrage. According to the Prague Daily Monitor:
Eggs are off the menu in the Czech Republic. Due to the enforcement of a recent EU r'egg'ulation (sorry, the pun was irresistible), the Czech market has seen a major shortage of eggs for sale. The EU ruling aims to improve living standards for egg laying chickens, stating that farmers must allow at least 750 cm2 of space for each bird.
Many EU members have so far failed to enforce the new standards which recently led the Czech government to enforce a ban on egg imports from any country that is not compliant. Over the last few days, retail outlets have found it increasingly difficult to keep their shops stocked and prices have risen incredibly to a record of 64.9 Czech crowns for a box of 10.
It's simply a miracle that people have been able to feed themselves for thousands of years. I mean, how did farmers, and especially chickens, get along without the help of the European Union--or America's Agriculture Department, for that matter?
Well, I suspect a lot of farmers would like to try!