Florida governor to impose drug testing on welfare recipients...will get rich out of it

I think this is a great idea and I'll tell you why. Military men and women have to get drug tested. It was a choice we made when we went in. If you choice to get help from the government, they can put whatever stipulation they want on it. I've met alot of people on welfare that are physically able to work. Even people going in for jobs have to get drug tested. If you need help thats fine, we all hit a rough patch in life. The problem is some people will use the system the rest of their lives. Who wins in that situation? You end up will someone not willing to get a job and the government as an expense with no return. I'm sorry if I can't afford a luxury then I don't buy it. Drug use is a luxury.

What a coup for the Governor. Not only do he and his wife make money from this, but it's an inflamitory issue designed to drum up support from ignorant people. Retarded rednecks and tea bagger horse crap go hand in hand.

If you were one of the haters that support this drek, I truly hope that someday someone pulls the rug out from under your arrogant ass so you can see what it's like on the other end. The total lack of empathy for your fellow man is disgraceful.

In the end it's pointless anyways, the welfare doesnt stop, it just goes to another adult. Gee gramma, I got popped on a UA, can I have my checks sent to you?

Originally posted by marsend
Laughable the poor people on welfare is all I can say, You lot are amusing you don't mind paying over inflated salaries and for corrupt officials to lie and mis appropriate and or waste your public monies, but you cry about those on the welfare. May you all live in interesting times from this day forward!

People who cry about people on welfare "stealing their money they are not entitled to" are some of the most ignorant people in society. Why? Because they dont have a CLUE what it is like to actually live on welfare, and their opinions are based on what they are told to think by people who will profit from less people on benefits.

People go on about right to entitlement. The government claims its right to a share of everything we earn. How is this any different? Especially when they consistently fail to deliver what we pay taxes for, and spend the taxes to bail out corrupt banks and corporations, and bomb hell out of countries to steal their resources. They make it impossible for us to be self-sufficient, they force us to take on soul destroying jobs which amount to slave labour. As long as we are forced to pay taxes, and even those on benefits pay them, then we are entitled.

Let me give you a bit of insight into benefits in the UK.

First off, theres Jobseeker's Allowance that is about £65 a week (about £15 lower if you are under 25) for people actively looking for work. In addition to this, you can have the majority of your rent paid too, along with council tax. There are sanctions for people who do not do enough to look for work, ie stopping their money for a few months.

For a single childless person, you would expect to spend £10 a week on gas, another £10 on electric, £8 on water, then there is TV license, travel, internet, phone calls, all necessary as part of the jobseeking process. Public transport is not cheap, depending on where you live, and petrol (gasoline) is over twice as expensive as it is in the US. You are probably left with £20 a week for food, and food prices are not going down. A large portion of the money they get goes back into the system through VAT, rent if the council owns your property, and some other ways.

For the sick and disabled, they have recently changed the system. For both, you attend a medical examination, which sounds fair. However the fairness ends right there. They have a "doctor" who "examines" you. The examination is nothing more than asking questions and the doctor clicking boxes on a computer. As you can imagine, they are often worded in a way to trick you and confuse you, and many genuine claimants fall at this hurdle. (ironically, the cheats will pass this because they know how to cheat the system) Which means they have to go through the appeals process and can be waiting for over a year for their tribunal hearing due to the large number of people deliberately failed. While you wait, you get around £50 a week to live on. If you win, depending on your circumstances, you get from £65 upwards. It is an utterly demoralising and depressing process, putting sick and disabled people through hell, when they are already suffering.

Now, look at all the overpaid executives who are paid out of the public purse. All the politicians who lie to get elected, get paid too much, then have a publicly funded expense allowance to claim from. Some claim more in a week expenses than benefits claimants get in a month. Then factor in the amount of corporations who actively evade taxes. The corporations who have bought out local businesses then sold us out by outsourcing jobs and forcing people onto benefits. This is just scratching the surface.

The fact is the UK benefits bill is NOTHING in comparison to the amount of tax fraud by the big boys. Yet I guess the poor on benefits, the sick and the disabled are fair game cos they cant fight back.

Originally posted by wardk28
I think this is a great idea and I'll tell you why. Military men and women have to get drug tested. It was a choice we made when we went in. If you choice to get help from the government, they can put whatever stipulation they want on it. I've met alot of people on welfare that are physically able to work. Even people going in for jobs have to get drug tested. If you need help thats fine, we all hit a rough patch in life. The problem is some people will use the system the rest of their lives. Who wins in that situation? You end up will someone not willing to get a job and the government as an expense with no return. I'm sorry if I can't afford a luxury then I don't buy it. Drug use is a luxury.

Drug use is NOT a luxury for some people. Recreational drugs maybe, but one particular drug helps people to function better, I wont mention its name in case its against the rules, but there is so much documented evidence a simple search will reveal for you. It is nothing short of discrimination against the poor. Nobody has a right to tell people what to put into their bodies. Especially while substances like tobacco and alcohol remain legal.

And so what if someone decides to live on benefits the rest of their life? Its not as easy as people who have no clue imagine. Not everyone on benefits is just taking either, many give back to society in other ways. It is not all about money for some people you know.

And if the government were not so corrupt, there would be a lot more money to spend. Stop blaming the poor for taking scraps they are entitled to, while the government steals as much as it can from us all.

What about the banks who have been bailed out with public money to the sum of trillions of dollars, surely these people should be drug tested too? We continue to plough public money to prop up private institutions, yet let them get away with out a drug test? What is good for the goose is good for the gander I say. Or is it OK to target only certain groups that receive government money?

Hell, In Britain if you can't exist without cider for breakfast or hard drugs they throw MORE money at you.

reply to post by Firefly_


Oh you got me all wrong. I'm all for putting whatever substance you want and can afford in your body. The problem I have is when you are having someone else pay for it. I'm a big believer in personal freedom as long as it doesn't negatively effect someone else. People (unless needed for medical use) can live without drugs.

Originally posted by wardk28
reply to post by Firefly_

 

Oh you got me all wrong. I'm all for putting whatever substance you want and can afford in your body. The problem I have is when you are having someone else pay for it. I'm a big believer in personal freedom as long as it doesn't negatively effect someone else. People (unless needed for medical use) can live without drugs.

Well, more of your taxes go to propping up failed banks and corrupt politicians (who probably do more drugs in a day than someone on benefits in a week). If they want to enact this policy, they need to lead by example by starting with testing themselves first. But you can guarantee these hypocrites would never.

Life is harsh for the poor, if they have a way to make it more bearable then why take it from them?

reply to post by SpectreDC

I don't even care about that fact. Nothing can really be said or done about that. This isn't the first time someones done something like this, and it won't be the last.

It is an important fact nevertheless. It is the governor who is imposing this law which is nothing but a burden to the taxpayer - it won't cut the welfare bill because positive-test recipients will still receive it. So what is this law going to achieve?

Neither the taxpayer nor the state will benefit in any way from this law, especially economically, but the governor has a direct financial interest and stands to gain millions from it. If this is the case then you have to ask yourself is this the only reason he imposed this law, don't you?

He shouldn't be allowed to impose laws which do nothing for the state nor it's citizens, but will serve only his own financial gain.

This law should be against the law.

reply to post by Vitchilo


This guy is too much. I can't stand him. I am in favor of drug testing welfare recipients for drug use since if they have children some of the money, coupons and stamps they get is traded for drugs. There are stores that will take your food stamps and give you 50% cash back and they cash in the stamps for 100% so it is a big business.
I think allowing another adult who does not test positive to pick up the stamps for families is asinine. Lets get uncle Joe, he's only a pedophile and doesn't use drugs. Uncle Joe, little Jasmine is hungry would you mind getting drug tested so she can eat? Sure sis, why don't you let me bring little Jasmine along with me? Or any number of unwanted and potentially dangerous scenarios. What I'm saying is you are opening up a can of worms letting anyone other than the parents ostensibly "care" for the children by picking up the food stamps. That doesn't guarantee it will be spent on food anyway.

If anything, rather than offer food stamps we should be feeding children. We would save a lot of money just opening up day cares and feeding the kids ourselves. I wouldn't give money to a drug addict either.

I still can't stand Rick Scott.
I don't care how "good" he appears in this instance.
He could sprout wings and ascend to heaven and I would try to shoot the creep down.

Parents who test positive must designate another adult to receive benefits on behalf of their children.

GOOD...now the money will be spent where it really should be...feeding, clothing and housing the children rather than on the parents habits.

Michelle

Here is what's happening all over America.Guy's knock up girls and become deadbeats so the girl goes on public assistance.She get's state funding that sets her up in a apartment and keeps the rent payed because she has the kids and can't work.She gets welfare checks because again she has the kids and can't work.This is not the problem, here is the problem.Over half of the people I know like this blow all their state received funding on (insert drug of choice)and let their kids starve or better yet move a freeloading guy in that spends it for them.(if the guy isn't on the lease the girl will be evicted)If the guy is on the lease all mentioned benefits usually are void.So they always hide the fact the man lives there because he usually works and they wan't that free rent and welfare check plus food stamps.So not only is the guy usually the original deadbeat that knocked the girl up in the first place he is beating the system by leaching state funding and smacking the tax payer in the face.

reply to post by Vitchilo


seems like this attempt is an obvious self interested cash-grab for the Gov and Mrs. Gov. i hope the good people of FLA stand up and demand their Gov be removed from office.

in NJ we had years of similar clowns in power at the DMV. all sorts of people profited at residents expense while we went through a change-over to a new style of license plate, then back again, then changed again. then all the DMV offices had to buy expensive photographic equipment of some sort that was ultimately never used.this went on for years. and the service was horrible. the problem was so huge & blatant that people in power higher up the food chain (whose pockets were not being lined) were forced to get rid of a lot of suit & ties and lay down the law. now a trip to DMV is a breeze: in & out, nice & fast.

its a shame how many scams everyday citizens get put through by their 'fearless leaders'. they don't give a darn about you or me, they just want more power & more money, but its always at our expense.

On ATS I read so much about how the elite plan to kill off the general populous. Viruses, and the like.

But this is the real way it is being done. If you notice now, the Republicans in Washington are wanting to cut....
Medicare, Medicaid, and anything to do with health services. They are wanting to cut education costs, and services for children; services they, with their amassed wealth can easily afford.

So it seems although they are not actively trying to kill the poor and middle class, they are engineering things in such a way that the poor die naturally. They fight to keep illegal immigrants around to pick their lettuce, and do the dirty work, while the poor die from needing surgery, or requiring prescriptions they cannot afford, and the like.

What has this to do with the topic? Maybe nothing. Maybe something. I wouldn't object to this so much if the poor were the only demographic with drug addictions and use. But it crosses all demographics. All of them.
The wealthy can go to Betty Ford, and the poor remain addicted. So they are targeted, and singled out.

Will they identify these people and send them to Betty Ford clinic? (Or any clinic). I don't think so.
They will cut services. So the 28 year old crack-head mother of five........????

She smokes meth.....so let her children starve?

Sounds a bit like selective extermination. Way to go, Florida.

The biggest welfare mooches are our government employees. They can go first on the drug testing. I could care les what the fraction of a penny my taxes go for, because human welfare is a tiny pebble of sand compared to corporate welfare.

reply to post by thehoneycomb


Here's a noble idea: Mind your own business.

Do you know that this drug-testing nonsense exists because of insecure people who are offended by the idea of a peer staying home and being lazy?

reply to post by hotbakedtater


Are you talking about members of Congress or regular government employees?

I ask because government employees have families and lives too.

I live in Florida and I would rather my taxes go to testing these people who milk the system while selling drugs on the side.

I know many people who abuse the system while being drug addicts and making a ton of money selling them. It's WRONG! If you need assistance you shouldn't be buying drugs with GOVT money! Be a drug dealer and pay your own damn bills I am tired of paying for their habits and their gaggle of kids!

I know I may sound harsh but this is a huge problem here, huge!

I just heard on the news the other day that people are using their govt debit cards in strip clubs and casinos instead of buying food and clothes for their kids. I mean WTH!

I remember when Katrina hit and people were given the VISA cards well I worked at Macys and they would come in and buy clothes and then return items they purchased on their own cards and want to purchase it on the govt VISA instead. My manager wouldn't do it and told them the machine was down. That isn't what those cards were given to people for.

Those who abuse the system don't deserve help and hopefully when they give the money to another person they aren't as corrupt as the parents because the kids are the ones suffering in the end! It's not right! I am all for testing welfare recipients for drugs. If you have money to buy drugs you don't need assistance!

reply to post by thehoneycomb


rofl...so you'd rather work 10 hours a day for a little cash, while rich government officials do close to nothing and rob you of your money on a daily basis at every corner?

Yeah...screw those people that think they're entitled to money for nothing.

In this case I have to say, its a 2 way street. You dont want goverment in your life, but want welfare?