Josh31, you are correct in that WIC saves the gov’t money, but neither WIC nor food stamps are intended to promote military readiness (as A600KiloBear pointed out). If food stamps were intended for that purpose, they would be reserved for able-bodied men of draft-eligible age. But actually anyone, of any age, is eligible for food stamps. And WIC is exclusively for pregnant/ nursing/ post-partum women & children under 5; these people are not generally considered good building blocks for the military.
WIC does save money because it is targeted to people who are low-income & nutritionally at risk (although the “nutritionally at-risk” criterion is so broadly defined that almost anyone can meet it). People in this group are less likely than others to buy cheaper & less nutritious foods for their children or dilute their babies’ formula if they are low on cash. By investing in the nutrition of these at-risks babies & children, the gov’t ensures that they are more likely to be healthy, & less likely to need additional gov’t services, as they grow.
I think most frum people using WIC would sooner starve themselves than their children, but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong for someone to use it if she qualifies.
Personally I think it’s fine to use these services temporarily if one needs them, but it’s important to have a plan to reach a point where one won’t need them anymore. I don’t think it’s a good idea to rely on low-income programs for the long-term, whether one is studying in grad school or in kollel, because it creates a culture of dependency.
I do pay a lot of taxes now, but given that my taxes fund many gov’t activities I disagree with, I don’t mind the small fraction that goes to these low-income programs. (And even though many of these programs are administered by each state, a significant portion of the funds come from bloc grants from the federal gov’t).