U.S. MUST KEEP AN EYE ON AID PROGRAMS

More than 4,200 Americans have been killed in Iraq since that country
was invaded in 2003. More than 4,000 people have died this year alone
in another war, this one much closer to home.

Drug-related murders in Mexico - at more than 4,000 for the year -
are a concern north of the border. They involve a bloody trade in
illegal drugs flowing into the United States. Some killings by
Mexican drug lords have involved Americans, and some have occurred on
our soil.

This month, the U.S. government released $197 million in funds
intended to help Mexico fight the drug lords. Another $203 million is
earmarked for use by the Mexicans.

U.S. taxpayers have spent billions of dollars - $6 billion to
Colombia alone - in efforts to keep illegal drugs from reaching our
shores. Though successes in the campaign are not uncommon, the drugs
keep coming. A variety of concerns have made members of Congress
leery of simply writing blank checks to foreign governments for drug
control programs. One is potential human rights violations. Another
is whether the money will be swallowed up by corrupt officials and
law enforcement officials. The latter may be one reason why the most
recent round of aid will be in the form of equipment, such as
helicopters, not cash.

Still, the possibilities for corruption are endless. Cash not spent
on police equipment because it is being provided by the United States
can go into the pockets of corrupt officials, for example.

That makes it imperative that U.S. officials monitor such aid
programs closely. If our help is being used to crack down on drug
lords, more of it should be provided. But if it is simply feeding the
machinery of corruption, funding should be suspended.