Frances Beinecke writes,

Over the past several weeks, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been in the news for its stance on antibiotic use in farm animals. Yet instead of making good on its 1977 promise to limit these drugs in livestock, the agency is moving in the opposite direction. The latest developments reveal that the FDA is actively trying to avoid protecting Americans from a known health hazard that the agency itself acknowledges.

Nassim Taleb argues that efforts to protect ourselves from minor hazards tend to increase overall fragility. This is a case in point. The more we use antibiotics, the more we create a risk of resistant bacteria.

via Making Taleb’s Point, Arnold Kling | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty.
HatTip to Dave Lull!