If Craig Blair gets his way, anyone filing for unemployment or food stamps must show that they are drug-free. He’s a state lawmaker in West Virginia who has introduced a bill to require random drug testing for benefits.
Craig Blair says unemployment, designed to get people back to work, is impossible if the recipient uses drugs.
“The message that we’re trying to send is, first of all, we need to respect taxpayers and how their monies are spent,” the Republican said. “And drug addiction is in epidemic proportions, and not only in West Virginia but throughout the United States.”
His bill would require random drug testing for any government assistance: welfare, jobless benefits or food stamps.
Someone who failed the drug test would get the benefits and 60 days to clean up. If he failed the next test, he would lose benefits for two years…
Graham Boyd, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Drug Law Reform Project, calls it “typical political theater…If anything, [you’d think] people would be more compassionate now that people have lost jobs,” Boyd said.
Random lie detector tests for elected officials, members of Congress?
I see nothing wrong with this bill. Why should taxpayers money be used to support someone on drugs who isn’t going to get a job anyway?
I agree that legislators, teachers, and public servants should also be subject to random drug testing.
Since Obama wants everyone to become totally dependent upon the government, he probably wants everyone on drugs…easier to control them that way.
40,
If you believe that you have no idea what the book is about except the title means something about a bird and his nest.
“I see nothing wrong with this bill. Why should taxpayers money be used to support someone on drugs who isn’t going to get a job anyway?”
So forcing them into desperation and having them steal from the taxpayers is a better solution? As you said, theyre not going to get a job either way, and theyre already commiting crimes by taking drugs, why would they not start commiting more serious crimes in order to survive? This (hopefully) leads to incarceration which im sure costs a hell of a lot more to the taxpayers than welfare.
Shit.
Welfare: yes. Unemployment: no. Food stamps: should be eliminated.
Unemployment is temporary and is paid into by the worker, so there’s no need for drug testing. But there should be drug testing for welfare recipients. This would save billions.
I wanna know, who exactly is going to pay for all these random drug tests? Lets tax the conservatives who want this.
#24 “You forgot one: The lib left believe that they should be able to steal your money and give it to whom ever they like.
There, complete, more or less…”
Umm, it was Bush and the GOP that spent a trillion on an unnecessary war that benefited no one but military contractor companies with ties to Dick Cheney. The $700 billion banking bailout also happened on Bush’s watch. The left and right are both guilty of this one!!
Don’t really object except maybe for the kids that need to be fed.
You can’t trust a drunk or a junkie to put kids in front of booze of drugs so if they fail maybe somebody else needs to be in charge of them?
Sure it would be nice if you could test law makers for drugs. Most jobs require it so why not this one?
I agree that these people will steal but they had to be stealing to get their fix anyway. Food is not all that high on their list.
Even if they steal food they are apt to try and trade it for drugs or booze even if they are starving.
So, someone tests a BAC of 0.15 they lose their stamps?
J/P=?
Why not? The Democrats are sticking their noses into everyones wallet, so why not let the Republicans stick their test strips into everyone’s pee.
Maybe we should be piss-testing these idiot politicians.
This does seem a reasonable condition to get food stamps.
On the other hand, lets dig deeper..
Who pays for the drug testing? Tax payers??
Is there a real cost benefit here?
Is this another “vote for me” pandering exercise?
Is this top of mind with voters?
Conclusion: Another Republican idea to put something down as an accomplishment for the next election cycle.
In the mean time, the Dem and Liberals are doing the heavy lifting to get out of this GOP induced economic abyss they created.
# 44 . said, “Unemployment is temporary and is paid into by the worker, so there’s no need for drug testing.”
It is actually paid into by the employer…
I’m all for it. If your addicted and can’t get your life in order, it is not the responsibility of the government to support you.
Serve poppy seed muffins at the site for food stamp application. We can save MILLIONS!
#23: Most states, I don’t know if it’s all, but I suspect it will be soon if not, have gone with an ATM-style card instead of physical food stamps. It was supposed to cut down on the rampant fraud, it doesn’t stop people from going out, buying someone else groceries and then taking money in exchange.
How about a better idea?
If you are on benefits, then you can’t smoke or drink. I don’t want to pay tax money so someone can use it to go buy a pack of smokes or a 6 pack of beer. How much welfare money gets wasted on cigarettes and alcohol each year? Probably a lot more than gets wasted on illegal drugs.
I’m all for drug testing bankers and everyone else that is paid out of public money.
OK, then it is settled. The following are subject to random drug tests:
Congresswads
Welfare recipients
Government employees
Drug testing would eliminate about half of Congress.
“With drugs being illegal, nothing wrong with this other than food stamps should be provided no matter what.”
Why should I potentially be subsidizing drug use? Perhaps they’d have money for food if they didn’t buy drugs? If you want handouts at the taxpayer trough, I think reasonable prerequisites are in order. And, BTW, I also want random drug testing for all three branches of government. No, I don’t own a drug testing lab.
Once again, the blog pointy heads want to use drug laws to punish the poor, while cynically permitting the use of tobacco and alcohol. Why not have alcohol testing? You can be happy with welfare recipients using public money to buy this drug, or is this just one big mean spirited ‘fuck the poor’ exercise.
You know behaviors can change. Nor having an entitlement might take some people off drugs.
With the previous welfare, they took away more money for having more kids and it changed behavior, as did putting in work requirements.
Really, I wouldn’t have a problem with this.
In a social engineering sense, it would deter people from developing paths and habits that doomed them to permanently be only capable of living on welfare.
A limited social safety net, yes.
But with conditions …
#60 “Nor having an entitlement might take some people off drugs.”
More likely they will come and steal you car / TV / wallet.
I think most of you are under the misconception that unemployment paychecks come from tax dollars. WRONG, they come from insurance payments that the employer and the employee pay in. So get off your high horse about it being your money.
44,
Unemployment is temporary and is paid into by the worker, so there’s no need for drug testing. But there should be drug testing for welfare recipients. This would save billions.
Good Lord! You’ve just given TRILLIONS to bankers to keep the best and brightest, and now you’re worried about 5% of the population that might consume drugs? What are you going to do for appeals? Incorrect testing? Defamation of character? Oh! I see. Every government mandate is 100% and without fail. Anyone who has the DRUG marking show up in their pee is 100% bona fide guilty right? No possible chance of error? Pathetic. You don’t deserve the Constitution that you ignore.
51,
“It is actually paid into by the employer…”
Yes. Because the employer has no employees from which he deducts anything. God. One day, Paddy-O, you are going to get a smack upside the head from your mommy when she finds out what you do during class hours.
The democrats care about the poor?
Yeah, right.
Why did they raise the tax on cigarettes?
We give them a welfare check and then take the money back.
BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Goodness — just what we don’t need. More people in jail for using drugs.
I just finished reading Jim Webb’s article on prison reform — right now one out of every 31 Americans in in jail or parole. Unbelievable.
#66 Apart from your demented police-state approach to this topic, I take it your fine with the welfare recipients spending their payments on booze and cigarettes?
66,
I found your country… China. Tickets are pretty affordable… especially one way. Buy one, take it, fly over and SEE YA!
Land of the free/not.