California's Diaper Program Will Likely Become a Corrupt Grift Rather Than Help Babies
Source: Nathanael Blake. "California’s Diaper Giveaway Serves Fraudsters, Not Families." May 14, 2026. thefederalist.com
The Gist
The author argues that California's new program to give free diapers to babies will probably turn into another corrupt scheme where most of the money goes to political friends instead of actually helping babies. He points to California's track record of wasteful projects and claims Democrats use these programs mainly to benefit themselves politically.
Conclusion
California's government diaper program should be viewed with skepticism because it will likely become another corrupt grift that serves political cronies rather than helping babies
Premises
- California has a documented history of fraud and wasteful boondoggles, including fake hospices and the high-speed rail project that ballooned from $33 billion to $231 billion
- The diaper program is being run by a Newsom crony through an NGO rather than using cost-effective retailers like Amazon or Costco
- Democrats typically use government programs to employ their political base, fund left-wing activism, and funnel money to client groups rather than achieve stated goals
- When government programs for the poor are mostly consumed by overhead and graft, this constitutes theft from both taxpayers and intended beneficiaries
- Democrats have to be 'prodded and shamed' into restraining fraud because waste and inefficiency serve their political purposes
Assumptions
- Past performance predicts future performance for California government programs
- NGO-administered programs are inherently less efficient than private retail distribution
- Democratic politicians are primarily motivated by political benefit rather than genuine concern for beneficiaries
- Government programs should be judged primarily by cost-effectiveness rather than other potential benefits