So, while NY Mayor Bloomberg is making it illegal to get a Big Gulp of soda pop, our federal government is doing this.
Americans spend $80 billion each year financing food stamps for the poor, but the country has no idea where or how the money is spent.
Food stamps can be spent on goods ranging from candy to steak and are accepted at retailers from gas stations that primarily sell potato chips to fried-chicken restaurants. And as the amount spent on food stamps has more than doubled in recent years, the amount of food stamps laundered into cash has increased dramatically, government statistics show.
But the government won't say which stores are doing the most business in food stamps, and even it doesn't know what kinds of food those taxpayer dollars buy.
As a result, fraud is hard to track and the efficacy of the massive program is impossible to evaluate.
"We can't release it based on federal rules. If it were up to us, I wouldn't have a problem releasing the information. It's taxpayer money," said Tom Steinhauser with the division of benefit programs for the Virginia Department of Social Services.
Maryland denied The Times' request for data under the Freedom of Information Act, saying the information belonged to the federal government, which instructed states not to release it.
Legislation seemingly designed to protect the industry goes so far as to say that anyone who releases the amount of food stamp dollars paid to a store can be jailed.
Let's see. In New York, 32 ounces of Pepsi is considered a public hazard. Yet, food stamp recipients can go to the corner convenience store and purchase whatever expensive junk food desired - and the taxpayer cannot even find out where their dollars are going? And - let's not even discuss what fraud is involved... (though who could know when so much of the program is secret?!)
I dunno about your definition of government insanity. This fits with my notion quite adequately.
When, however, are we, the people, going to do something about it?
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