I have a lot of thoughts about this, as someone who has had to depend on the welfare system in the past, and because of things that are going on in my life currently, I might have to do so again in order to get out of a horrible living situation, at least until i can get on my own two feet and afford to support two children and find a decent job that provides me with medical insurance. I didn't ever intend to be on welfare, but shortly after I found out I was pregnant with my second child my partner lost his job and our medical benefits along with it. We lived on food stamps for four months and had state funded medical care for a year. Since 2009 I have used medically prescribed marijuana for my anxiety problem and for pain relief due to a injury I sustained in a car accident. If the state I live in were to require drug testing for welfare recipients would this disqualify me? I like to think it wouldn't, since I have put money into the system for years, and I think is reason enough to get help if I really need it. I am curious as to what the answers to my questions would be about this.
I'll just post what I put on facebook... Why I'm opposed to drug testing people who apply for welfare: 1. You can be a fucking alcoholic and it's okay. 2. If you are applying for food stamps, 9/10 you can't afford drugs. 3. There are always going to be a minority of people taking advantage of the system and adding drug tests will make you pay more tax dollars to pay for tests that 97% of people will pass. 4. My old manager used to be coked up allllll day, but the crackhead outside begging was not. 5. Stupid shit happens in Florida. 6. Drug test the people in power for a change. 7. WTF does a drug test have to do with a nigga starving? Food ain't a job. 8. Even federal judges and TIME magazine think it's a waste of money. 9. Beuh, c'est bon. 10. This country needs to do more for the people in need. There are people who are starving and homeless that are treated like shit just because they are poor. People who have money and treat people like shit are still well-respected. Money doesn't make you a good person. A shitty person is a shitty person with or without money. It would be nice if our system was meant to see that. Wait...I'd like to add that I agree with Travs that there shouldn't even be welfare. Nobody should be jobless/homeless and mofos should have jobs. It's not impossible, but people don't care about poor people over here....that attitude makes it impossible.
You can argue that there shouldn't be a lower class I suppose, but welfare (assuming it serves the same purpose as Australian's unemployment benefits system) is pretty necessary for students, kids from lower class families, cripples etc. who don't exactly have the time/ability to make a sustainable living. Even in a world where everyone has a job due to whatever ideology you subscribe to.
The reason people come down harder on you, bozo, is because you actually are a bigoted hick. That and I'd already been warned twice for breaking those rules, so no. This should have been my third but whatever. BuT tHaTz SoShuLiZm!!!!111! Da constitooshun!! aYN rAND!!1! /Sparknotes: The Travz21 Edition I wonder how my mom would react if I told her that she's really just lazy and unmotivated, never mind the fact that she's profoundly deaf and was physically disabled in a hit and run. While I'm there I'll tell my grandfather that it was all his fault that he was screwed out of jobs for ages after years serving in the air force. God damn, I sure wish the wonders of free market capitalism had been there to do absolutely sweet fuck all, except not really! Some of the people on this board defy all belief.
When I was applying for a low-wage job I was told that I should do the math to make sure that welfare wasn't actually more lucrative because once people claim an income they may lose numerous benefits that add up to a sum larger than a paycheck. The problem isn't welfare it's that businesses and employers pay less than government assistance. It's the capitalist system that's to blame here, not social safety nets.
Dean was just doing his Louis CK impression. Anyway yeah, test the bastards. I have no idea how many of you have much experience living in really low income areas, but a lot more people on welfare seem to have money for crack rock than is really good and liberal to discuss. I'm left of center on a lot of things, but other than the Florida guy who was just trying to profit from it, I don't see where the controversy is coming from besides a lot of people who know nothing about these areas trying to hand out condescending remarks about how it's all just institutionalized racism.
Welfare recipients receive very little tangible money. Most of their assistance comes in the form of housing subsidies, EBT cards (food stamps), and Medicaid. I know plenty of drug addicts, and a few hundred dollars a month can't fully support (or even make a dent in) a nice crack or meth habit. I base this off of years of living amongst white trash.
I feel that by drug testing people on welfare, it can help weed out the ones who are taking advantage of the system. Yes, I get it, there people legitimately on the system for some unlucky circumstance or another. There are, however, people on it that are just milking the system. (I.E. lying about their income) Anyways, It sounds right that if you are on welfare, you can't afford drugs. Therefore, by finding the people spending their money on drugs instead of food, clothing and rent, I feel that it is right to stop their handout. As far as medicinal drugs are concerned, it is documented somewhere if you are prescribed something and if the drugs come up in a test, it should not affect you since you have proof that you are on a prescription... That's just my quick two cents... Wow... Isn't that racism? Where somebody is allowed to say something but others cannot based solely on the color of their skin... Thus, I digress...
I don't know how much it is per rock these days, but it isn't unusual for an addict to spend $50+ a day, which really starts to add up. That's just crack, though. I don't know many drug users who only do one drug. Anyway, I don't really disagree with this idea in principle. I just think the flaws in welfare are complex and drug testing won't help very much. Not to mention that the cost of drug testing will probably cancel out any potential positives in the short term. The state of Florida had to reimburse everyone who tested clean, which was 96% of the people. Yeah, the testing probably scared off a few druggies, but we had to spend more money to do it. This helps . . . how?
I take it you don't know what a redneck is. Or don't read what I type. Wowww! Can't say I'm surprised though. Not sure if this is a desperate attempt at insult or you actually feel that way. Because I probably hang out with more gays and those of race than a lot of people. Oh wait and I'm Cherokee? That and I'm already probably more educated than most people on here, though I'm not sure I can assume that. I will get to in a few years for sure though. Maybe its Oklahoma hate? (taken from another thread) Ahhh, makes sense. Very well put. I forget I don't posses the right of sarcasm on these boards. Though I would say 8/10 African Americans in Stilly would subscribe to that theology.
This could all sound very hypocritical, but bash me if you must: I was very anti-handouts and welfare before members of my family became more reliant on the government. People will always take advantage of the system, no matter what's in place (the same goes for "pure" capitalism) but many people on welfare are just falling on some hard economic times. In addition, if tax heights and the expense of the whole welfare system angers you, how do you propose we pay for the drug tests? All this would do is add another flawed system to the never-ending bureaucracy of the government, that's what's ridiculous here. Say what you want to about this being from Fox news, but at least skip to around 5:50, just thought that was pretty interesting to add to the arguments happening here.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GqryVkPiKM
I know this post is going to be off the main topic, but I think it needs to be said... Sarcasm doesn't read well over text. If you're going to be sarcastic with something atleast put a smiley or something to drop a line to the reader about your intent on a post. Pidgeon did that and your ignorance couldn't grasp that. Instead, you lashed out with "I take it you don't know what a redneck is. Or don't read what I type." Not everyone is always out to get you. You're little Moderator crusade isn't doing any favors for you. It's usually better to not intentionally piss them off...
I wish more people would realise this. Unless you're seriously raping the system or genuinely can't work, it's likely that you aren't earning very much actual cash. Also this. I'm for measures being taken for it to not be an option to stay on things like unemployment for too long and to become reliant on it, but for that you also need an healthy, sustainable economy and job market in the first place. Neglecting people who genuinely want to work when there isn't either of those, through no fault of their own, is ridiculous. I suppose I am for a total overhaul of EVERYTHING in the long term and on an idealistic level but in the meantime cutting all welfare would be untenable, and in some cases downright immoral.
Personally my family has been going through some really rough times and without government assistance they'd be really bad off. We've been in homeless shelters before and that's not fun at all, let me tell you and it really makes it hard to get back up on your feet when there are all these rules and restrictions. I can kind of understand why some would want drug test to be performed but I don't think it would help at all. People who can't afford food or rent or anything surely can't afford drugs, and it doesn't really make sense for the tax payers who complain about paying the taxes to want theses tests that they'd have to pay for and only later end up complaining about.
I have no problem with it. If you work for some public entity, you are subject to drug screening. Why is no one railing against that? Tax revenue for welfare and other public assistance originates from the same bucket as pay for government jobs. What makes one more special than the other? Private companies do drug screening as well because they have an obligation to their investors and consumers to provide a quality and safe product. If all I had to do is pee in a cup to get my public assistance, I'd provide my own cup!
I'm sure this is a whole nother issue, but this wouldn't be an issue for me if marijuana was just legalized. If pot didn't count you out for it, I would be all for drug testing. The fact that they're testing you for something they could be receiving great benefit from is absolutely ridunkulous. For me, thats one of my biggest issues with this. if their into something more hardcore like hard drugs or their alcoholics then yes they should be disqualified, obviously
another issue I have with it is that politicians are not given drug tests and our tax money goes to their entire salaries. These are people who make big decisions and should absolutely not have any kind of dependency. Why would you care more about the drug habits of a poor person that does absolutely nothing for you and can barely do anything for themselves?