Mandatory drug testing for welfare recipients?

YES, that is a wonderful idea. Why should we be paying for those who can afford to buy drugs, or cant get a job because they are more worried about doing drugs. I agree totally.

Sure. Let the drug addicts find another way to survive. What would you suggest? A little bit of house robbing perhaps? Or maybe some car theft? After all, it's not like they will all be able to just walk into 'proper' full-time jobs - who would hire them? I guess to tackle that particular problem we could maybe spend a few more billion and send them all to rehab first? And then maybe on to college so they can gain some skills. Either way, it's going to cost the taxpayer a LOT of money. If they aren't claiming welfare, then it's gonna be something else. All I know is they aren't going to disappear. That should be obvious. :-)

I agree with what you are saying. Welfare receipients should have tougher guidelines to follow.

My concern...what about the children? What happens to the children of parents who don't pass the drug tests? Without any income the children would be the ones to suffer.

The state would have to step in and take care of the children and that is a whole new level of problems the government won't know what to do with.

It would be interesting to see what effect drug testing would have on welfare statistics. I agree that there would be lower amount of people who would qualify or be unable to requalify if they had to take drug testing.

I don't like the idea.

I don't believe we should have people on welfare all their lives, and their kids too. I don't believe in a permanent welfare class.

But welfare is still important. In our economy we try to maintain 5% unemployment. We call this 'full employment'. When unemployment drops below 5% we raise interest rates to 'cool down' the economy. We do this to keep wages down and to keep labor unions from getting too powerful.

So 1 in 20 workers in the US is unemployed through no fault of his own. It's like playing musical chairs with jobs. 1 in 20 Americans is not a lazy pig, in fact the average time on welfare is less than 3 years. So why do we have to demonize these people?

In the 1980s the federal govt. suddenly became very excited about welfare fraud and began fingerprinting welfare recipients like criminals when they came to pick up their checks. The city of Los Angeles spent THREE MILLION DOLLARS on a fancy computerized fingerprinting system, and I believe most of that came from federal funds. They caught ONE person commiting fraud.

I think anyone who gets welfare, food stamps, and gets free housing should be drug tested every month. If they are caught with drugs, they don't get the check and will go straight to jail. That would sure clean up the streets and save the country some money.

i've never been drug tested for a job and i'm 48 and have been employed since i was 13.

why stop at welfare recipients?

why not randomly drug test all public employees - especially politicians.

Would you, in turn, concede to mandatory criminal charges against all DDS examiners, independent review boards, Administrative Law Judges, and Michael Astrue, the current President of the Social Security Association, for the approximate 3-6 month wait for the first application to be returned (when the SSD and SSDI staff, locally, tell disabled individuals they will "likely be denied" the first time. And then for the 8-12 months for an average appeal to be answered. And then, because 80% of these are denied, the now 2 year wait to see an ALJ, to have your case heard formally, all the while, when a person is clearly disabled, as documented by at least two Professionals, but not provided with one cent, to pay bills or live, while these conditions get worse and worse,,would you support 2nd degree murder charges against the individuals who died, while waiting, many homeless the entire time, and all of who payed into the system so it would be there?

Do you know what it is like to keep up with piles of paperwork, that must be mailed back, quickly,,,to obtain doctors records, without a vehicle or telephone, , to literally be swept aside, in your weakest hour, by a Social security system that has a current surplus of 2.3 Trillion Dollars?

I suggest criminal charges, and more DDS examiners who will come forward and admit that they are reprimanded, demoted, etc., for approving most initial SSD and SSDI cases,or the appeal. These are Crimes Against Humanity, they are disacknowledged by most Mass Media, outside of saying there is a backup. But there is only a backup because of the state of our incompetent treasury system, a Federal Reserve Bank, that, as most know is not at all part of the government. but, rather, a privately owned entity. and a huge health care crisis, that is directly related to the massive overprescribing of highly addictive and dangerous drugs, preceeded by 'mental health problems' as well as the illegal immigrant population who flood our hospitals.

And, drug testing of all DDS personel, should be mmandatory.

If an individual has a real mental illness, and, because of this cruel and inhumane system, cannot obtain access to 'pharmaceutical drugs', or even a Doctor, should they be then drug tested? Bi-Polar and Schizophrenic individuals, who get worse and worse without treatment, should just,"Tough It Out?" 'Welfare' is an old term, that brings memories of lazy people who don't want to work. What about those of us who would give anything, anything to go back to work??

I beg your pardon, but if you are somehow under the impression that obtaining YOUR OWN MONEY, which is pulled out of your taxes, is just a matter of showing up and presenting a bit of medical information, you are sadly mistaken. It is utter hell. It is the most demeaning experience you could imagine, and it is purposefully made very confusing. Acronymns everywhere, long, repetitive questions, etc., and for a disabled person, these things are difficult. They would be difficult for a super-healthy, triathelete/Rhodes Scholar. It is designed to kill you or make you go away.

Your lack of sympathy is proof that you lack the capacity to think critically and you see only what you are shown on the news. In fact, your question is pretty clearly that of an uninformed biggot.

Here are some pictures from a National newspaper. This man is severely ill, with heart problems, after paying in for almost 30 years. He lives walking around New York, checking his mail, at a church he uses as an address, as he was evicted from his apartment. He sleeps on the subway, in public bathrooms or, if hes really lucky, an acquaintance will let him sleep on the couch. He lives his life in hopes, everyday, that his appeal will come. Unfortunately, when it does, he'll probably be denied, if he lives long enough.

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Shall we drug test him? Of course, you have to have money to get drugs.

Why don't we just throw the dependent children of jobless occasional drug users off a bridge ?

That would amount to the same thing and be SO much faster.

good question. i have heard this topic lately, and regardless of what i think; there is 1 major flaw in it....it could be considered discriminatory. welfare recipients might complain "just cuz i'm on welfare doesnt mean im a druggie!"

they mght counter ask for all food stamp or medicare recipients should be tested as well.

Now THAT is a Great idea!

Of course the ACLU will come down on that like white on Rice! They'll scream it's Unconstitutional!

Is it really...No, they are asking for Gov't handouts because they can't work or are unable to...are 'they' unable to because of Drugs?

Well, I say test them, if they're ok...fine...if not NO MORE HANDOUTS FOR YOU! Get 'clean' and GET A JOB!