Gov't aid usage varies greatly by state

WASHINGTON, May 10 (UPI) -- An examination of records shows wide discrepancies among U.S. states in the levels of government aid given to the needy, The New York Times reported Sunday.

The newspaper said it examined state-by-state enrollment in six federal programs and found large variations in the share of needy helped, illustrating the balkanized and inefficient patchwork system of government aid distribution in the United States.

For instance, the Times found that just 50 percent of Californians eligible for food stamps receive them in that state, while 98 percent of eligible recipients in Missouri collect them. And while only 19 percent of unemployed people in South Dakota get jobless benefits, 67 percent of them do so in Idaho.

"The system for helping Americans in need is very fragmented, and it confuses everyone," Theda Skocpol, a political scientist at Harvard, told the Times. "Some people are covered and some people are not, even though they look like they're in very similar circumstances."

Conservatives also find fault with government aid programs, but aim their barbs at their costs, warning that "you could be discouraging people from seeking better jobs" if benefits are too generous, Stuart Butler of the Heritage Foundation told the newspaper.