"Did you realize that 1/3 of the entire WIC budget - $1.3 billion - is a
direct subsidy to the breastmilk substitute companies???????????   That's
more than any other food supplier for WIC!"

Not to mention that a year or 2 ago (at least in NY, but I think this is a
federal issue), the definition of "full funding" for the WIC program was
revised (based on very boring, dry, and technical manipulation of numbers,
so it's hard to get a grip on, but ultimately a case of "...damn lies and
statistics"!), allowing gov't to claim that WIC was continuing to be "fully
funded" while in fact decreasing $$ to local agencies. This is how my
position as Breastfeeding Coordinator was eliminated. A $26,500 cut to "my"
local agency last year - hmm, looks an awful lot like the BF coordinator's
salary...well, since exclusively BFing women & infants make up the smallest
# in our monthly count, must be that that position can be eliminated.
There's logic, huh?

Now, you "regulars" know that I am usually firm in my defense of the WIC
program (despite their "subsidy" to the formula manufacturers), but this is
clearly not as it should be. Continue full susidization of formula
manufacturers, and cut money for BF support? How wrong is that?!

Cathy Bargar, RN, IBCLC Ithaca NY (feeling that she should by now be able to
"get over it", but NOT! Not for my own sake (hey, it's a lot easier for me
to *not* work than to work), but because it is WRONG.)

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