Thread: UA for Public Assistance?

The governor of Florida recently signed an executive order requiring all recipients of public assistance (i.e. food stamps, welfare, WIC, etc.) to submit to random drug testing. Apparently if they tank the drug test the gravy train will quit running. I like the idea, I mean, it hardly seems fair for hardworking taxpayers to subsidize somebody's drug addiction. What do you think?
Florida Gov. Rick Scott signs law requiring welfare recipients to take drug test, ACLU objects

Of course the ACLU is lawyering up even as we speak. I must have missed that in my several readings of the U.S. Constitution. That part where the rest of us are obligated to pay for a crackhead's groceries so he'll have more money to buy crack. It's also no secret that welfare benefit cards are also widely exchanged for drugs.

It sounds reasonable to me. I'd also appreciate it if the food stamp program was run more like the WIC program, in which the aid recipient is limited to FOOD that has a decent nutritional value. I'm disgusted at the extent of JUNK calories (not food) purchased by food stamp card holders. Chips, cookies, and soda should not be provided by the government. It just increases the health care costs that we are also forced to provide for so many leaches.

I can only dream for such a thing here in the People's Republic of California.

I think I cannot wait for the next election so I can vote against the 'new' governor. His popularity, or the lack of it , is at about 29% last I heard. He is making a bad situation in this state worse as far as the economy goes. Interesting that he is worried about welfare recipients ...... when he was a CEO for a company that was fined 600 million $ for bilking Medicaid out of even more. Here is an interesting article.

I agree to a point, and I can see why he wants this policy in place to stop the spongers but let's examine a little scenario.

You've worked hard your whole life and eventually the firm you work at goes under and you're out of a job. You're scared about the future, worried about how you'll support your family and where the next paycheck will come from.

To tide you over you sign on to welfare. At the welfare office some low paid worker chucks a cup at you and tells you to go fill it, probably enjoying exercising the little bit of power they have. How does that make you feel? It kinda makes a bad situation worse doesn't it? Kicking someone when they're down?

Does treating everyone who signs onto welfare as a criminal junkie heap more pressure and stress on something that's already has plenty of stigma attached?

I agree with the policy on a cerebral level, stopping the spongers, but it totally removes the caring element.

Besides which, how many people on welfare do you think have a hard core drug habit? Id guess less than 5%, so how is it fair to hammer the other 95% of people who aren't druggies? What about those who don't take drugs but have simply decided it's easier to mooch than get a job? No test for that!

Don't get me wrong, I'm no bleeding heart liberal, but there has to be a better way to control welfare than this.

I really hope the ALCU loses this suit. I saw it yesterday and was pretty stoked but it I think it was Minnesota (or maybe Michigan, one of them "M" states) that had something like this a year or three back and the ACLU won that . I'd also like for SNAP/EBT cards to be only good at the grocery store/farmer's market. Our local farm market actually offers $20 worth of veggies for $10 worth of food stamps to benefit eligible folks.
However, one of the gas station chains (Sheetz, to be specific for you folks in the mid-atlantic) accepts them for food. Not totally sure but they seem to have figured out a way to get around things so now you have people spending $5 on a sandwich that they could have bought a whole loaf of bread and jars of PB&J with... annoys me greatly.

Originally Posted by 1OldGI

It's also no secret that welfare benefit cards are also widely exchanged for drugs.

I don't know how much people on walfare in your contry get, but up here in Canada there's no way it could pay for drugs. And I'd be very surprised a drug pusher would accept a bunch of complicated benefit cards when he can get easy cash simpler & easier from any other addict.

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 Glenn24

I don't know how much people on walfare in your contry get, but up here in Canada there's no way it could pay for drugs. And I'd be very surprised a drug pusher would accept a bunch of complicated benefit cards when he can get easy cash simpler & easier from any other addict.

Here in VA you can get from $18-$115 a month. Back when I used to partake of the green stuff I could pick up 1/8thoz of it for 5-20 depending on quality and what kind of quantities it was bought in. If one was to buy an oz of the cheap to mid grade stuff it could usually be had for 50-70 and that will last most people a little while. Meth can be had for about the same price and the people that use meth aren't usually too interested in food... Not to mention that down here you get a debit card and just punch in a PIN number to use it so anyone can have access to it and what you can buy is pretty open (no booze, tobacco, meds, or stuff prepared in store)

Originally Posted by Glenn24

I don't know how much people on walfare in your contry get, but up here in Canada there's no way it could pay for drugs. And I'd be very surprised a drug pusher would accept a bunch of complicated benefit cards when he can get easy cash simpler & easier from any other addict.

be surprised

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.

true. you'd think we would test for stupidity first - imagine the jobs turnover especially if implemented at the federal level