Thread: UA for Public Assistance?

I fully support this, but only as long as random drug and alcohol tests are required for everybody else who is getting paycheck from the taxpayers. Including veterans, judges, governors....
If there'll be getting rid of the crackheads and drunkards the best place to start is from those who can do most damage, i.e. the ones with power.

Originally Posted by gugi

I fully support this, but only as long as random drug and alcohol tests are required for everybody else who is getting paycheck from the taxpayers. Including veterans, judges, governors....
If there'll be getting rid of the crackheads and drunkards the best place to start is from those who can do most damage, i.e. the ones with power.

Federal Civilian Employees seem to have major issues with random drug testing. For GIs on the other hand, since the mid to late 80's it's become as much a part of military life as spit shined boots. Upon return from a rotation in Saudi Arabia, me and everyone who deployed in the squadron coincidentally came up for a "random" drug screening. As I waited in line to fill my cup, I said to myself, "I'll be damned if this isn't the stupidest thing I've ever heard of. I couldn't even get 3.2 beer in Saudi where the hell and how the hell would I purchase and use illegal drugs?" Despite such occassional buffoonery I never had an issue with it when I was in the military and in fact still don't as a civilian. Makes complete sense to me that if peoples lives are in your hands, you need to be drug free. I'd be four square behind quarterly mandatory UA testing for all elected officials. Wouldn't those results be interesting. Bottom line: If you're not doing drugs it's little more than a petty annoyance, no worries. The only thing they'll find in my urine is a gastly quantity of nicotine and last nights beers 2-4 beers at most.

"If you're not doing drugs it's little more than a petty annoyance, no worries. "

Maybe you need to read the Constitution again. For those of us who kind of like that whole Fourth amendment thing, it's a lot more than a petty annoyance. Drug tests are the most invasive kind of search: the government is checking what is INSIDE your body. While military personnel regularly have their constitutional rights waived, civilians are at least nominally supposed to have those rights protected.

Would you like it if the police came to your house every day and went through your things? If every US government employee had the right to listen to all of your phone calls, read all your emails, and put cameras in your bedroom?

Basically, your argument of "if you're doing nothing wrong there's nothing to hide" boils down to "the Bill of Rights is only a shield for criminals." I don't buy that logic, and I imagine if you thought about it, you wouldn't either.

As for the whole drug addiction aspect...whatever happened to "There but for the grace of God go I"?

Originally Posted by JimR

For those of us who kind of like that whole Fourth amendment thing, it's a lot more than a petty annoyance.

I agree, but I guess the question is whether it's worth willingly giving up some privacy for the benefit of public assistance. As long as one must be willing in order to receive benefits, I don't personally see a constitutional issue, but I'm just an armchair observer. The courts know better I guess

Outside of that, I don't like that drug testing has to even be considered as a solution

Stop the presses: I agree with Ivan here. Who'd have thought? ;-)

I'm not opposed to a drug test idea, but I think the system would be better served, as Utopian mentioned, if government food assistance recipients could only purchase foods of limited scope, unprocessed or minimally processed foods. Those that are a bit older, do you remember the yellow label with black lettering "GENERIC" foods that stood out like a sore thumb? I see nothing wrong with having acceptable foods being labeled with a brightly colored sticker or some other similar identifier. Making no mistake to the recipient and yes, also to the public, that the food is government funded. On more than one occasion I have seen food stamp recipients pay for high end foods such as a case of crab legs with the food stamp card. If I were ever to need food stamps temporarily, I can say that I would be grateful that they would be available to me. Under the system I propose, I can also say that I would feel shame publicly and as such, would do everything within my power to get off of the public assistance as soon as possible. I think that's how it should work.

Chris L

Originally Posted by gugi

I fully support this, but only as long as random drug and alcohol tests are required for everybody else who is getting paycheck from the taxpayers. Including veterans, judges, governors....
If there'll be getting rid of the crackheads and drunkards the best place to start is from those who can do most damage, i.e. the ones with power.

This isn't apples and apples. The people you list above are getting money for services rendered. The welfare people are getting free money.

Stubear, if those people REALLY want to reduce their stress level, they could do it by getting a job. Pissing in a cup isn't stressful unless you are doing drugs. I had to do it to keep my job for years and also had to do it in the military.

I know a woman in Alabama that has 3 kids by 3 different men and is now married to a 4th. She has a super fast Internet connection and at least 3 computers so she and her family can play World of Warcraft all day and night. When I asked her what her job is she answered, "my kids are my job." What kind of crap is that?

I don't know. Those people have a much bigger impact on this country that welfare recipients. I do not think SOPA came about because someone on welfare likes to smoke pot and play call of duty.

Originally Posted by Crotalus

This isn't apples and apples. The people you list above are getting money for services rendered. The welfare people are getting free money.

Stubear, if those people REALLY want to reduce their stress level, they could do it by getting a job. Pissing in a cup isn't stressful unless you are doing drugs. I had to do it to keep my job for years and also had to do it in the military.

I know a woman in Alabama that has 3 kids by 3 different men and is now married to a 4th. She has a super fast Internet connection and at least 3 computers so she and her family can play World of Warcraft all day and night. When I asked her what her job is she answered, "my kids are my job." What kind of crap is that?

The IRS just sent my Tax Return back AGAIN.

They just don't believe me when I list 12 million illegal immigrants, 3 million crack heads, 42 million unemployable people on food stamps, 2 million people in 243 prisons, half of Mexico, and 535 fools in the US House and Senate as DEPENDENTS.

Wow. You must have quite the income.

Nice to meet you Mr. Romney

Originally Posted by Crotalus

The IRS just sent my Tax Return back AGAIN.

They just don't believe me when I list 12 million illegal immigrants, 3 million crack heads, 42 million unemployable people on food stamps, 2 million people in 243 prisons, half of Mexico, and 535 fools in the US House and Senate as DEPENDENTS.