jelun

:idea:

moldyoldy

As state legislatures convene across the country, proposals keep cropping up to drug test applicants to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, or welfare. Bills have been introduced so far in Montana, Texas, and West Virginia, with a handful of others also considering such a move. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) has gone further, proposing to drug test applicants for food stamps and unemployment benefits. They follow recent bills put into action in Maine, Michigan, and Mississippi.

Proponents of these bills claim they will save money by getting drug users off the dole and thus reduce spending on benefits. But states that are looking at bills of their own may want to consider the fact that the drug testing programs that are already up and running haven’t seen such results.

According to state data gathered by ThinkProgress, the seven states with existing programs — Arizona, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Utah — are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to ferret out very few drug users. The statistics show that applicants actually test positive at a lower rate than the drug use of the general population. The national drug use rate is 9.4 percent. In these states, however, the rate of positive drug tests to total welfare applicants ranges from 0.002 percent to 8.3 percent, but all except one have a rate below 1 percent. Meanwhile, they’ve collectively spent nearly $1 million on the effort, and millions more may have to be spent in coming years.

jelun

And Florida, I think Rick Scott Medicare fraud extraordinaire was first! So why not for firearms?

moldyoldy

Also for political office.

jelun

Sounds like a plan, did you see that Rick Perry is the first withdrawal?
DJ Trump may weed a few more out soon.

moldyoldy

They might as well quit, they get no news coverage.

jelun

That little creep from La will feel the wrath of noD now, it couldn't happen to a nicer person.

alabuck Loc: Tennessee

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There's some logic to this. If one were to think about the cost of illegal drugs when compared to the cost of a medium to major habit, monthly, most states' welfare payments don't give enough money to pay for the habit and other basic needs and services. So, to think that ALL welfare recipients do drugs is buying into something already proven untrue.

alabuck Loc: Tennessee

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The difference between owning guns and getting welfare is that getting welfare is NOT a right included in the Constitution. Plus, while someone may test negative for drugs in order to get a gun, there's no stopping them from beginning the habit afterwards. Same holds true for both situations. So, what do you do; have random drug testing for everything?

jelun

It has actually been proven so false that it is laughable.
The true welfare recipients who should pass a test are these folks.

alabuck Loc: Tennessee

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I've used these numbers before to criticize "corporate welfare." All I get in return is: "the basis for our economy is "free enterprise." If it costs the government this much a year to subsidize "free enterprise," why do the conserves cry so much about subsidizing poor people, which costs far less?

I suppose it's just fine to "help those who help themselves;" to empty our wallets AND our treasury; just not those who help empty our wallets and NOT our treasury; or so the conserves think.

jelun

The really interesting piece of that line of thought (helping those who are helping themselves) is the reaction to a guaranteed loan mess like Solyndra(?) it happens.
So conservatives defend someone like D. Trump who rips off other businessmen by going bankrupt which ultimately costs all us in some way and use the ol' thumbs down for gov't loans.
The chasm of difference is just to great, I suppose.