States consider drug tests for welfare recipients

AP ^ | 3/26/2009 | Tom Breen

[mad puppy]

"Nobody's being forced into these assistance programs," said Craig Blair, a Republican in the West Virginia Legislature who has created a Web site — notwithmytaxdollars.com — that bears a bobble-headed likeness of himself advocating this position. "If so many jobs require random drug tests these days, why not these benefits?"

[MrB]

Check this out:
That's Racist on Steroids

[mad puppy]

I'm just a S/W engineer and I've had to take drug tests prior to employment several times. When I worked for a DOD contractor they made it clear that they can and would test me if I did anything to cause them to notice me.

[mad puppy]

“Republicans that have absolute contempt for our constitution like this idiot jerk are one of the reasons I quit the Republican party. “

If they don’t want to be “searched” all they have to do is not come looking for a check from the tax payers! There is NOTHING ‘unreasonable’ about trying to prevent tax payers from paying for clearly illegal activities.

What is your alternative?

[Niteranger68]

Beyond this, people living off the taxpayers should be audited a few times a year to evaluate their wealth (not their income).

[cripplecreek]

It will never pass constitutional muster.

[A Strict Constructionist]

“Must be part of the stimulus package.”

I was wondering how I could get a piece of the action. This might at least serve some purpose.

[microgood]

There is NOTHING ‘unreasonable’ about trying to prevent tax payers from paying for clearly illegal activities.

Unless you advocate people giving up their constitutional rights when they go on public assistance, it may not be 'unreasonable' but it is unconstitutional.

I understand the goal, but trashing the constitution in the process of trying to cut the welfare roles is no different than outlawing guns to bring down crime.

This legislator cares nothing about the rule of law. If he did, he would first propose a constitutional amendment to eliminate the Fourth Amendment. Instead, he wants what he wants, and does not care how he gets it. The ends justifies the means, which is a stance completely devoid of any principle or morality.

[Mac from Cleveland]

Me too. Since joing the Marine Corps at 17 (31 years ago), and getting a Secret Clearance, I’ve spent a lot of time with plastic cups.

Here’s one: I was working a job in Portland, Maine-after it ended I stayed there and looked for a job-got one w/ a DOD contractor—in Pennsylvania. Cool.

I had to take a drug test first. Fine—except the co. only went through a certain lab company -and just prior to then, the labs in the states of Maine,NH,Vermont, and Mass. went belly up or lost certification.

Long story short, the closest ones were in Albany NY, or Connecticut. I drove down to CT. (220 miles)one evening, checked into a motel, spent the night, got up and had breakfast, went to the lab, did my thing, drove back, and got a call a few days later that I was good to go.

So, while I’m concerned about privacy and slippery slopes, I have little sympathy for these slugs, most of whom have few enough brain cells to spare without killing the ones they do have....

[Unassuaged]

“Only certain jobs like pilots and other transportation workers can be drug tested because suspicionless searches are a violation of the Fourth Amendment of our Constitution.

“

Lots and lots of companies have pre-emp screening. If you handle health records — random testing all the time!

[Mac from Cleveland]

Are you concerned about the constitutional rights of pilots , transportation, and other workers? (it’s more than just them BTW)

[microgood]

Lots and lots of companies have pre-emp screening. If you handle health records — random testing all the time!>

You are correct. I was mainly referring to random testing. I was not aware health workers were randomly tested. I know pre-employment testing is common but I thought random could only be done in cases where safety was involved.

[NoLibZone]

Makes sense, given many strings are attached to Bailout money for Corps.

[Unassuaged]

I think it was because of HIPPA laws about 5 years ago.

http://library.findlaw.com/2003/May/23/132772.html

[KittenClaws]

It will never pass constitutional muster.

LOL! Like many things are that come from our government.

Me? I'd like to see welfare recipients have to log in voluntary hours under zer0's mandatory service programs (GIVE)..they should, if anyone should.

[microgood]

Are you concerned about the constitutional rights of pilots , transportation, and other workers? (it’s more than just them BTW)

Actually, I am. I think the entire random drug testing system in this country is completely unconstitutional and I fault Reagan for implementing it.

The thing I find most objectionable to it besides the constitutional question is that it tried to solve a problem that did not exist. Were planes falling out of the sky prior to drug testing? Were semi trailers killing people right and left? The whole motivation behind this was hatred of drug users. The price of it is just one more right we have abandoned to our government overlords.

[bonnieblue4me]

"It will never pass constitutional muster."

Like all the assistance/welfare programs are constitutional? Make it mandatory and not random for every individual receiving benefits.

[Gator113]

“I support this 1000%.”

That is old way thinking.

I support this 1,000,000,000,000%.

However, it’s going to take a long time for something like this to become law, I estimate it at..... ( 1012 sec)/( 3.16 x 107 sec/yr) = 31,546 years!

As you can see, this will come into being, soon after our country gets out of the debt that Obama and the democrat Congress are putting us in.

So, there is hope for this change we’ve been waiting for.

[Iron Munro]

They will find so many on drugs that they will just refuse to take any action for fear of the political fallout.

Imagine if they just cut welfare for millions and millions of professional brood sows and welfare pimps.

[HighlyOpinionated]

Random drug testing for Welfare Recipients would cause many recipients to go out and find a real job . . . where it’s mandatory for a drug test to get the job.

I love twisted humor.

[GLDNGUN]

Of course liberals would never support this; however, people are getting ticked off about all of the wasted money. People are ticked about AIG bonuses, but they are also ticked about government waste and welfare addicts. There could be big popular support for drug-testing for welfare recipients. This puts the lib politicians on the spot - support it and turn their main constituents against them and we get what we want; - oppose it and kill it, giving us a campaign issue to clobber them over the head with. Could be a component of the next “contract with America”.