Drug Testing for Welfare Benefits...

[Captain Hi-Top 791]

http://articles.cnn.com/2011-06-01/politics/florida.welfare.drug.testing_1_drug-testing-drug-screening-tanf?_s=PM:POLITICS

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/07/aclu-florida-drug-testing-welfare-rick-scott_n_952209.html

 

Vote and discuss...

[TheREALBrooksThompson 157]

Unnecessary.

[COLOMBIANO 118]

I vote YES.

 

Why not??? I have to do a drug test to get a job and earn my own income. Why can't welfare people do the same?

[Fultz4thewin 2,464]

im kinda on the fence about this. On one hand, people shouldn't be using welfare for drugs and drug use somewhat harms someone's ability to gain employment if only because it shrinks the market for jobs one would be eligible for. On the other hand, should smoking pot destroy someone's ability to legitimately use welfare?

[Secretly Space Jesus 670]

I vote YES.

 

Why not??? I have to do a drug test to get a job and earn my own income. Why can't welfare people do the same?

 

Because the testing costs money, and they're using tax payer money to pay for it.

[Ibn Battuta 127]

I vote YES.

 

Why not??? I have to do a drug test to get a job and earn my own income. Why can't welfare people do the same?

 

because your employer is not part of the government??? The government has to actually follow that thing called the bill of rights. The fourth amendment is applicable in this situation. Until state officials can actually prove that there is widespread drug use among welfare recipients and for that reason they need this law, I don't see any reason it should have been enacted. I don't think he [rick scott] has shown how FL can save $77 million either, and he has past connections with drug testing facilities who stand to benefit.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandler_v._Miller

 

As a side note I was reading some articles about this and I found this priceless quote:

 

“I think giving drug tests to people receiving welfare is good,” Linares said. “It will decrease the amount of people abusing the system. The people who are willing to do the right thing, (including staying away from drugs) won’t really be affected, but people that are abusing the system, and rather use their money to buy drugs, gold jewelry, expensive clothes and shoes instead of paying their rent, shouldn’t be on welfare in the first place.”

 

Man, I had no idea you could do all that for $180 per person or $360 per family. I gotta get in on this welfare stuff!

 

http://www.southdademonitor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=759:rick-scotts-vow-to-drug-test-welfare-recipients&catid=22:politics&Itemid=14

[TheREALBrooksThompson 157]

I'm not convinced that welfare money funding drug addictions is even a problem that needs to be addressed, but even if that's the case, here's the problem:

 

1. Drug tests are nowhere near perfect. They can be beaten and they are also susceptible to false positives.

 

2. It's unfair for taxpayers to be forced to fund people who might be addicts, but it is fair for them to be forced to fund drug tests for the people who aren't addicts? That makes sense.

 

3. Alcohol addiction is not affected. Addiction to a legal drug is still drug addiction, and I'd wager it's more common given its legality and availability.

 

This isn't about solving any kind of problem. It's a political move designed to rile people up and show voters that the politicians involved are tough on crime and drugs. It's another ridiculous extension of the drug war that is, without question, extremely ineffective and wasteful.

 

The same people who support crap like this will turn around and tell you, with a straight face no less, that government is incompetent and wasteful and cannot be trusted to do anything correctly outside of invading foreign countries, executing murderers, and preventing the gays from destroying marriage.

[Trey Time 186]

For it. Like it's been said, if I have to take a drug test to earn my money, you need to take one to be able to sit on your ass and collect money. Now, if everyone is worried about tax dollars being used for it then fine, don't drug test at all for workers or moochers, I'd be for that too. For the record, pot smoker.

[TheREALBrooksThompson 157]

You aren't forced to take a drug test to get a job. There are still places that don't do it. Most of the places that do test are forced to do so by their insurance company, which is another giant sack of bull**** that doesn't serve the purpose it's supposed to and ultimately just wastes time and money.

 

I can get absolutely hammered every night of the week and as long as I don't show up to work drunk, I'm fine. But if I smoked a joint at any time within the last month, I'm unfit to perform my job and am a danger to myself and others. *****.

[Ryan the Magic Fan 253]

You aren't forced to take a drug test to get a job. There are still places that don't do it. Most of the places that do test are forced to do so by their insurance company, which is another giant sack of bull**** that doesn't serve the purpose it's supposed to and ultimately just wastes time and money.

 

I can get absolutely hammered every night of the week and as long as I don't show up to work drunk, I'm fine. But if I smoked a joint at any time within the last month, I'm unfit to perform my job and am a danger to myself and others. *****.

 

You act like that the only drug out there they are testing for is weed. They do happen to test for more then just that one drug you know? And some of those drugs actually are quite destructive to a worker.

[COLOMBIANO 118]

Because the testing costs money, and they're using tax payer money to pay for it.

 

How much does it cost to do the test? And what's the average check someone on welfare gets?

[Ibn Battuta 127]

For it. Like it's been said, if I have to take a drug test to earn my money, you need to take one to be able to sit on your ass and collect money. Now, if everyone is worried about tax dollars being used for it then fine, don't drug test at all for workers or moochers, I'd be for that too. For the record, pot smoker.

 

unless you can prove that people who accept welfare sit on their ass, you're basically confirming the stereotypes of welfare citizens.

 

How much does it cost to do the test? And what's the average check someone on welfare gets?

 

rta