In Short (1)

Most Americans sympathize with President Reagan's efforts to whittle away waste and fraud from federal welfare programs. But a proposal now under consideration in the Department of Health and Human Services could be counterproductive. Under the proposal, state agencies would have to make sure the personal property and household effects of welfare recipients -- excluding the value of home and car -- did not exceed $1,000 per household. We have visions of hordes of social workers descending on welfare families to inspect their belongings. It seems a demeaning way to go about things. More than that, the cost of the government inspections could turn out to be higher than the welfare savings. That's hardly Reaganomics.