Well, I think I've finally heard it all. This little news story I happened up on has to be the limit to what the government can dream up. I realize the folly in that statement, but there is always hope.

Apparently, the Environmental Protection Agency's proposal to regulate greenhouse gases isn't all about industrial emissions. In fact, it cuts a little closer to home, or might eventually.

According to a news release by the American Farm Bureau, the new regulations can cause livestock producers to incur taxes if they own certain numbers of dairy cows, beef cows or pigs.

The agriculture department projects that any farm or ranch with more than 25 dairy cows, 50 beef cows or 200 hogs emits more than 100 tons of carbon per year. That, according to the department, would mean that the farm or ranch would have to secure a permit and, of course, those permits aren't free.

The current year's price is $43.70 per ton of carbon emitted and averaged out would mean $175 per diary cow per year, $87.50 per beef cow and $20 per hog.

While an official specializing in policy with the farm bureau said that the livestock owners wouldn't be able to pass the cost of the permit on, I wouldn't bet on it.

I'm guessing we'll all see the result of this at the meat counter, especially since most of our milk, beef and pork comes from huge operations.

Of course, most of us might not notice since none of us will be able to afford meat much longer.

On another note, a blogger noted that the millions of video game consoles in homes in the U.S. consumed as much electricity each year as the city of San Diego. Yep, maintaining fantasy lives and learning to shoot'em up and play games with grand theft in the title gobbles up an enormous amount of electricity. Should they be permitted?

Shouldn't the EPA or some other government watchdog be putting restrictions on that?

Or, what about cell phones? Imagine how many cell phone chargers are out there. If I meet four drivers, three have phones to their ears.

And what about people? How much carbon do we emit by simply breathing? Should a certain percentage of us have to hold our breaths every day? Do we need permits?

What about our cars? Gosh, if cows are polluters where does that leave us as we crank up the old auto and head out down the road? Since we've gone from an average one-car family society to a one-car per family member society, should we have to have a permit per perceived polluter in the drive way?

We need to be good stewards of our environment. But, we need to be practical about how we go about protecting our air and water, about saving energy, being more efficient with our lives.

And we need to remember that if it goes in, it's going to come out. That's true on many levels. Think about.