Florida to drug test welfare recipients

Some people are saying this is unconstitutional..

What do y'all think? I think it's a good idea. If you can't get a job because you're doing drugs, I don't think you should be on welfare either. Taxpayers shouldn't be paying druggies to stay at home and get high.

Agreed with everything Barkey said.

I think it's a good idea, but unconstitutional. So it needs to get the fuck out.

Good idea, I don't want to pay taxes for you if you're going to be dead weight.

Oh boy..

Considering how prevalent drug abuse is among poor people (citation needed), especially among homeless people. I can see why this is necessary. To prevent tax payer money from being used to buy drugs.

I'm not American, so I'm not really to judge, but using a 250 year old document as an unchangeable basis for all laws sounds just foolish.

What about it is unconstitutional?

Won't do anything about alcohol consumption.

Besides, Scott won't give back the billions he defrauded.

Depends on what you want. Doo you want the moral high ground of not condoning drugs? Alright, make them take the test. Do you want to have the social programs have the intended effect of lowering the effects of poverty, by putting the lid on deaths from malnutrition and treatable illnesses? Overlook the drugs.

I'm for the second. These people need help, their own lifestyle choises be damned. The purpose of food stamps and other such social programs are to provide that the worst off part of the population can access some basic necessities.

[ed.] and besides, what's a bigger waste of your tax money, junkies hocking off food stamps for cash (or more likely, junkies using food stamps to buy food they don't have money for due to their expensive drug habit), or the trillions of potential tax dollars out of IRS hands due to corporate tax evasion, or the billions wasted on military equipment to bomb countries that don't even have an air force.

edited 21st Jul '11 2:16:58 PM by JethroQWalrustitty

It's not unchangeable.

edited 21st Jul '11 2:15:29 PM by silver2195

The rights of citizens guaranteed under amendment 14 in conjunction with amendment 4.

Don't forgot, Florida also has a constitution, it may be a source of a stronger objection than the Federal one.

Yeah, I'm sure that making desperate people in need of help even MORE desperate and making them live with even less help is exactly the way to go.

I re-state my main argument.

Drug addicts need the help. You might not see it directly, but letting the lower class starve has a price on society as well, in increased crime , disease etc.

@Blue

I don't know the Florida constitution though >_<

Anything in there that pops up immediately?

Section 23: Every natural person has the right to be let alone and free from governmental intrusion into the person’s private life except as otherwise provided herein. This section shall not be construed to limit the public’s right of access to public records and meetings as provided by law.

It's not entirely on point, but it could be.

Great, we can then instead put them in a different welfare program where they get cleaned out before putting them back on the main road to being an independent, working citizen, but if they're just using welfare to get more drugs and likely won't change from that position, then fuck that shit. You're either going to use welfare for its intended purpose or you're not going to get it at all.

It's a money grab.

I actually wouldn't have too much difficulty with it if it was done by public labs, but my understanding is that it's going to require private testing. And the Gov. has more than fingers in private testing firms.

You posit a good notion, but the very concept of drug testing has trampled all over the Fourth and Fifth Amendments since its inception. The War on Drugs in general hasn't been so hot on the Fourth Amendment, though, so... yeah, legalization doesn't sound too bad a solution. (Except for meth. Meth might as well be strychnine, and I don't think people would try it given any legal alternative.) At least there's less danger involved for the welfare recipients.

edited 21st Jul '11 2:31:08 PM by DomaDoma

Which I support, rehab should be available for addicts, but as long as use is also a criminal act, there is a strong disincentive for them to enter such programs. And the need is urgent.

Also, you do know what food stamps are? They're not cash, so they can't exactly be used to buy drugs. But that's still beside the point, even with a bad lifestyle, a state should look after its citizens. The destitute and the poor, as it reads somewhere.

There is also the cost of the tests. Even if done by the public sector, plastic cups and lithmus sheets (or whatever they use) aren't free, and if done by private sector, the price will probably be higher. And let's not forget that it's not exactly impossible to cheat a drug test, especially if it's done routinely to thousands of applicants.

Here's the catch though, they won't be infringing on any rights. It's just simply "If you meet and agree to these conditions, you get the welfare" and "If you meet and agree to these other conditions, you get the other welfare". It's up to you if want to government to provide you a service, but you must first be willing to agree to those conditions, otherwise, why should people bother giving you something? It's not Christmas every Friday after all.

Okay, I'll admit I didn't think about the cost of the tests. However, regarding cheating the system, modern day detectors are getting quite good at catching this stuff. Even if they miss one out of every thousand, that's still marvelous results.

edited 21st Jul '11 2:35:58 PM by Ramus

Agreed with Jethro. Take away their benefits and the crime rates will go up. Not to mention that the test will not differentiate between casual use and FUBAR addiction. Not every poor and unemployed person is poor and unemployed because they're too busy shooting up heroin. Creative strawman, though, 7/10.

edited 21st Jul '11 2:35:56 PM by kashchei

It's goverment run. Under the rights of amendment 4 your are free from unreasonable searches. Being poor is not a reasonable reason.

It's only unreasonable if you don't agree to it. To get welfare, you just have to sign you name and agree to a drug test.

And that is where amendment 14 comes in.

No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Your are guaranteed it.