OK, you can help. I think I'll need a cabinet-for-the-day to help patch up the really, um, unenlightened policies that continue to spew...

That's a popular idea among a lot of people out here on the west coast too (though I haven't heard it mentioned from any officials - so far) and many of the people have even mentioned expanding it to SSI and even to Social Security at least for those who get it for disabilities.  They seem to think that "everyone" who gets any type of assistance "commits fraud" and/or "spends wastefully". 

Now most of the fraud that *I* have seen or even heard of was committed NOT by the individuals who RECEIVE aid but by people like "designated payees" (this is specific to Social Security), grocery stores, medical providers, child care providers, medical goods providers, pharmacies, etc. - the businesses and professionals - and typically involved stuff like creative billing or embezzlement.  The FEW examples of fraud I've seen on any type of assistance were really egregious and of the sorts that if anyone was doing their jobs, and really looking for REAL fraud instead of just randomly harassing EVERYONE along with using (and ENFORCING evenly on EVERYONE) some appropriate rules, these egregious frauds would likely (or at least more often and probably sooner) get caught.

As to overspending, the whole idea of vouchers PRESUMES that EVERYONE would ALWAYS need the SAME THINGS at the SAME AMOUNTS for the SAME REASONS, blah blah blah.  Like budgets are one-size-fits-all.  We all know how well one-size-fits-all clothing works, it kinda fits everyone but never quite fits anyone.  Some people function better with a cellphone, others really NEED a land line (and now, both cost about the same).  Some want TV for their entire entertainment budget, others want computers, movies, sports, video games, books, paints, or any of many other things (personally, most TV is close to torture).  Rent, in too many places, simply doesn't exist for what the policy wonks think it "should be".  Food, even the experts can't agree on what we should eat and why and many NEED a special diet.  Plus, would the vouchers stick with the current ideas that don't give the childless necessities like TP and dish soap?

Besides, it's not like people of other classes don't wastefully spend. Nor is it like we who receive assistance are the only ones who misspend anything funded by taxes.  I remember the military being called out on stuff like $1K toilet seats, the govt. funding a study on how much pressure is involved in the avg. cow fart, a proposal for a bridge to nowhere in AK that was going to cost in the billions, etc.  And they're worried we might buy a little too much in groceries or save up for new shoes instead of new-to-me shoes?  They can bite me.  Plus they need to learn that once they've paid their taxes, it's no longer THEIR money.

Oh course it must make those rich politicians feel great to pick on certain groups of people, whether disabled, on welfare or whatever. To live on SSI or welfare its not even a livable check that is given but the person paid into the system for years to isn'y it really their money? To have them look at their waste as you said the $1k toilet seat isn't that Fraud of the taxpayers money.

Exactly.  Spending $1K on a toilet seat is at the very least wasteful spending, if not fraud.  So is a lot of what's going on in Iraq by contractors (but apparently we're not supposed to ask questions about that or weren't up until 1/20/09 or so).  And even a lot of the beef industry people I know can't for the life of themselves figure out what on earth could be the purpose of figuring out the pressure of a cow fart.  Content sure, since it contributes to the smells people complain about, to pollution and to environmental troubles.  But why are we worried about the cow's sphincter? They (at least the ones I know, from rancher to just before the market people) all can't figure out even why anyone would want to know THAT.  And there's a long standing saying about he who lives in glass houses shouldn't be throwing stones...

You're right too about livable checks.  Even if you expand it from SSI to SSDI, you're still often talking less money per month for a person (and in some cases couples or even families) to live upon than was blown ON A TOILET SEAT.  There's something seriously out of sorts when a person, couple or family is being told THEIR spending is out of sorts for not managing to make the end of the month and somehow massage the figure to pay all the bills the government's policy wonks say should be able to be paid out of a $1K-ish or less per month budget when the government itself has been caught blowing that on TOILET SEATS. 

If the government were only to properly manage its spending (and institute a few REASONABLE policies), just think what we could do as a country.  We could do much more for poverty, solve the trouble with accessing health care (without making it an insurance industry bailout), provide a lot more housing, etc.