Here's a Federal Department that could be cut down some to help with the deficit...

[futurebeachbum]

Interesting story of the Federal Bureaucracy run amok.

USDA fines Missouri family $90k for selling a few rabbits without a license

It started out as a hobby, a way for the Dollarhite family in Nixa, Mo., to teach a teenage son responsibility. Like a lemonade stand.

But now, selling a few hundred rabbits over two years has provoked the heavy hand of the federal government to the tune of a $90,643 fine. The fine was levied more than a year after authorities contacted family members, prompting them to immediately halt their part-time business and liquidate their equipment.
....
the Dollarhites face no accusation they mistreated any animals. Instead, they committed what’s called in regulatory parlance a “paperwork violation” under the Animal Welfare Act, a 1966 law intended to prevent the abuse of animals.
...
their attorney, Richard Anderson, in a May 19 letter, noting that according to USDA’s own literature, its 6,000 annual enforcement cases average “a penalty of $333.33 per case, and yet you contend it would be appropriate my client tender a penalty of $90,643.00.”
....
USDA spokesman Sacks said the $90,643 fine “looks curious to say the least.” But he insisted it was necessary for USDA to punish violators to ensure businesses across the country register, putting them on the USDA’s radar screen for inspections and possible enforcement.

“This is the only way we can ensure these animals are getting the care they need,” Sacks said.

I wonder if the government had a policy of firing people for such ridiculous actions if it would help? It might not save much money, but it would improve the service that the government provides its citizens.

 

[scooterbug44]

It does seem ridiculous at first glance - then you realize they were breeding hundreds of animals, slaughtering them for meat, and selling them as pets. That isn't the government being ridiculous, it's people not following the rules on a rather large scale and whining when they get caught.

Unlicensed meat slaughter and sale and unlicensed animal breeding is obviously something that the USDA should be regulating.

A couple of rabbits is a hobby, hundreds is a business needing regulation and a potential public health hazard.

I do wish they regulated the giant factory farms as stringently as small operations though - especially those who have already been caught in violation.