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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Government waste adds up to lots of money

David Uffington King Features Syndicate

How much does the government do about taking quick action in investigating possible abuse of taxpayer supported programs? Probably not as much as it should, which leaves many programs designed to help the needy wide open to exploitation by the greedy.

Case in point: The federal government’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (W.I.C.) has been generally pretty well accepted on both ends of the political spectrum as an important taxpayer-supported program that not only feeds poor families; it also helps reduce demands on the health care system because of illnesses typically associated with poor nutrition.

Even conservative economists like it because it provides a major market for companies that supply the juice, eggs, milk, infant formulas, cheese, cereal and dried beans available to W.I.C. voucher holders.

However, in recent years, there have been reports that “W.I.C.-Only stores” (which deal with W.I.C. clients) charge 10 percent to 20 percent more than other stores. Citing the concern of the federal government and the states that administer the program, Donna T. Seward, director of Virginia’s W.I.C. program, told The New York Times earlier this month that W.I.C. stores’ prices “may be … double (those of) … Wal-Mart, Food Lion or Kroger,” and that some W.I.C. stores buy food stocks at supermarkets to resell at a high mark-up.

The added costs pass to the Treasury, which oversees the $4.6 billion annual funding.

Meanwhile, there’s a report that two former officials of the Reagan and Clinton administrations will lobby on behalf of the W.I.C. stores to stop any investigation.

Taxpayers have a right to know if their tax dollars are being misused. This is an election year. Do you know where your candidate stands on this issue?