Drug Testing for Public Assistance?

[ZARA]

I'm with you 100%.

But, this whole idea that "we have to drug test", is a bit of a farse. It actually costs more money.

IMO, the biggest thing to get people to get back to work is expiration dates of welfare.

Depends on the angle you look at it. It may cost more to have the people tested...but think of all the people that will FAIL the test..no beni's for them...In the long haul it will cost less.

IMO, the biggest thing to get people to get back to work is expiration dates of welfare.

Agreed.

 

[Chris0nllyn]

Depends on the angle you look at it. It may cost more to have the people tested...but think of all the people that will FAIL the test..no beni's for them...In the long haul it will cost less.



Agreed.

Go back and read the article I posted.

It didn't happen like that in FL.

 

[itsbob]

Some of my income goes to every single person who has tax deductions (free handouts). Do I get a say in how you live your lives?

TOTALLY wrong..

If you use deductions provided by the law, you aren't Giving them a friggin thing, THEY are keeping more of THEIR money.

It's not the government allowing them to keep the government's money, it's the taxpayer keeping what was theirs to begin with.

 

[FreedomFan]

Depends on the angle you look at it. It may cost more to have the people tested...but think of all the people that will FAIL the test..no beni's for them...In the long haul it will cost less.

How does one square this with being for small and limited government?

 

[withrespect]

No one wants to hear the truth.

Everyone wants to hear about rainbows and unicorns.

Those who speak the truth about our current government get labeled as a "kook".

♫ Plant a tree, plant a tree, plant a tree... ♫

 

[itsbob]

I agree! I think anyone receiving any public benefits should be drug tested. If they fail, they should be excluded from recieving said benefits.

I think we should start with our public middle school and high schoolers.

I think I detect some sarcasm, yet I agree.

If it's not against the rights of every single soldier, airman, and marine to be drug tested it shouldn't be against ANYBODY's rights to be tested.

Random drug (to include alcohol) testing, and required suspension and expulsion in at least High School may solve a lot of problems.

I'm all for it, where so I sign the petition?

In fact, if you are going to make something illegal, wouldn't it make sense to provide the means you plan on using to enforce it? Drug use is illegal (in most cases) in this country, but we really have no viable plan to actually enforce the law for the actual usage. Now we call it a disease, and you get treated for it, instead of getting arrested and punished for it.

 

[BadGirl]

Tell those bitches to quit using drugs and get off of their asses. Oh and tell them that the state has already began drug testing for cash assitance.

Believe it or not, the two women friends of mine that posted their thoughts are NOT drug or alcohol abusers. They, both, are late 40's, college-educated, very environmentally and socially-sensitive people.

You know the type: one teaches art is a Montessori school, recycles, eats vegetarian, drives a Prius, hikes in the mountains, teaches yoga, blah, blah, blah. I've sorta lost track of the second friend, but what I do know is that she was a Psych major, rode her bike from her off-campus house to her classes, heated her house with her woodstove, etc.

Both are completely lovely people, and after 30+ years of distant friendship, I still like them very much.

I just question their thought process and their beliefs, politically.

 

[sockgirl77]

Believe it or not, the two women friends of mine that posted their thoughts are NOT drug or alcohol abusers. They, both, are late 40's, college-educated, very environmentally and socially-sensitive people.

You know the type: one teaches art is a Montessori school, recycles, eats vegetarian, drives a Prius, hikes in the mountains, teaches yoga, blah, blah, blah. I've sorta lost track of the second friend, but what I do know is that she was a Psych major, rode her bike from her off-campus house to her classes, heated her house with her woodstove, etc.

Both are completely lovely people, and after 30+ years of distant friendship, I still like them very much.

I just question their thought process and their beliefs, politically.

Ask them if they had to take drug tests to get their jobs...

 

[Railroad]

I'm with you 100%.

But, this whole idea that "we have to drug test", is a bit of a farse. It actually costs more money.

IMO, the biggest thing to get people to get back to work is expiration dates of welfare.

I like the expiration date idea. Only issue there is finding work before the expiration date. That is not as easy as it sounds. Neither is relocating to an area where work IS available.

One key point is that there are some who have for generations used and abused the system, being a palpable drain on the taxpayers, and there are some who really DO need help for a short time but can't get it. That latter group falls through the administrative cracks thanks to the former group who have caused a number of seemingly nonsensical regulations to be implemented.

 

[itsbob]

Friend's response: "xxxx, it has to do with personal privacy laws. Both left and right winged parties have been pitting and dividing its citizens far too long. If you do not support the petition, then you do not need to sign it - just know your rights".

My answer to this portion would be..

I don't plan on signing it, but I would not expect my friends, and especially my more eductated friends, to sign anything unless they saw all sides of the argument. I would not expect you to sign a petition I post about without you asking some questions, and maybe having a small debate about it.

I wouldn't expect anyone with more than a dozen active brain cells to sign a petition because "it sounds like" something they would support without getting all the facts first, and/or hearing both sides.

 

[FreedomFan]

TOTALLY wrong..

If you use deductions provided by the law, you aren't Giving them a friggin thing, THEY are keeping more of THEIR money.

It's not the government allowing them to keep the government's money, it's the taxpayer keeping what was theirs to begin with.

The point is deductions and one's ability to use them is arbitrary, just as are behavior modification demands for welfare are arbitrary. All invented by government.

 

[MMM_donuts]

Yes, it's a flawed program and something should be done about it. Unfortunately we're not the first people think up drug testing as a solution and unfortunately it's been tried and deemed wildly inefficient.

Just because OUR individual personal experience with something like welfare would imply to us that they're all druggies looking for a free ride becuase that's what's fed to us in the news, on a forum, or what we think we're seeing in Walmart, doesn't actually mean it's a reality.

Also, when it comes to the nutritional development of a child, which directly impacts their physical and mental development, I would personally be hesitatant to put any program into place that would discourage people from using a service that's meant to benefit the child. Maybe the kid has a weed smoking mom that sells her food stamps for cigarettes but at least that kid is getting formula during a time in which nutrition is crucial to their development until a better solution can be implemented.

 

[ZARA]

Some people really do need help to get back on their feet which is what welfare is for. To help them in times of need. It is not meant to support their lazy asses indefinitely.

The honest people that have hit bad times deserve help. And if they need help then they better not be wasting money for food and bills on drugs, alcohol, cigarettes.

If one doesn't have the $$ to buy food or pay bills, then they have no right doing drugs.

And if they have money to do drugs, then they obviously don't need welfare.

 

[Railroad]

How does one square this with being for small and limited government?

I finally found something we can agree on. The whole issue translates to more government involvement, unless we abolish welfare entirely. I fear that the latter could happen soon anyway, with or without popular support, because the current system isn't sustainable.

 

[itsbob]

Yes, it's a flawed program and something should be done about it. Unfortunately we're not the first people think up drug testing as a solution and unfortunately it's been tried and deemed wildly inefficient.

Wildly inefficient does not necesarily mean it didn't work.

Who knows how many people went without drugs the weeks or month preceding their required testing to get their benefits.

They base their effectiveness on the amount of people that got caught, because it's impossible to truly judge the effectiveness on the number of people that didn't do drugs in the first place.

Maybe those that went without to pass the screening went right back to their bad habits, but maybe 50% didn't, maybe 40% .. maybe 10%.. how many former drug addicts would equal a successful program?

Impossible just to write off a program's effictiveness, ineffectiveness based on the drug users that were caught.

 

[itsbob]

The point is deductions and one's ability to use them is arbitrary, just as are behavior modification demands for welfare are arbitrary. All invented by government.

Taxes were invented by the government in the first place to take individuals income and use for their purposes..

Doing anything legally to keep more of YOUR income?? Still not seeing how YOU would have to make up for me keeping more of my money.

 

[Vince]

As a result, the testing cost the government an extra $45,780, he said.

Yes, but since they no longer receive benefits, the savings in the future will exceed that amount.

 

[FreedomFan]

I finally found something we can agree on. The whole issue translates to more government involvement, unless we abolish welfare entirely. I fear that the latter could happen soon anyway, with or without popular support, because the current system isn't sustainable.

Exactly. I do not believe in income taxes or welfare.

 

[bcp]

Some of my income goes to every single person who has tax deductions (free handouts). Do I get a say in how you live your lives?

That right there is liberal stupidity.
a tax deduction means I dont pay as much as I would without that deduction.
I still pay. a bunch.

Welfare drug scum pay nothing, they only take.

to tell me how you are being forced to pay more if someone takes a deduction and pays 20k o year vs 23k?

Drug testing is a good thing to do to those that steal from the workers.
I would also say that run ins with the law in certain cases should exclude them from any assistance.

 

[FreedomFan]

That right there is liberal stupidity.
a tax deduction means I dont pay as much as I would without that deduction.
I still pay. a bunch.

Welfare drug scum pay nothing, they only take.

to tell me how you are being forced to pay more if someone takes a deduction and pays 20k o year vs 23k?

Drug testing is a good thing to do to those that steal from the workers.
I would also say that run ins with the law in certain cases should exclude them from any assistance.

Welfare queens don't steal from you or me. The government does.