Jud McMillin’s HB 1351 which requires drug testing for welfare benefits and restrictions on the types of food available for purchase through food stamps is premised on the notion that poor people are dishonest children. It passed the House 71-22 and is now in front of the Senate.
Other states have tried the drug testing for welfare recipients and have found it to be a waste of taxpayer money. The idea is, I suppose, that their poverty is the result of their poor moral choices, e.g., doing drugs. If they weren’t so drug addled, obviously they would be productive citizens. But, it turns out, not so much. The welfare population doesn’t seem to do illegal drugs at a higher rate than the population at large. The experience of other states is that it costs as much or more to test people than it saves by denying benefits to those few who test positive.
The bill also provides that SNAP benefits should only be used for food, food products, and beverages that have sufficient nutritional value as determined by the division of family resources. This feels a little like a throwback to the old tales of young bucks eating T-bone steaks.
This state’s politicians continue to prove that they can’t learn from other mistakes that proves costly, unconstitutional, and just plain punitive.
http://www.opposingviews.com/i/society/debates/florida-drug-testing-law-unconstitutional-and-cost-state-more-45000
But hey, it’s just some one else.
There’s no other way to say it: Indiana’s legislators, particularly the Republicans, are vindictive jerks. That’s the only visible philosophy running through everything they’re doing.
The purported “party of limited government” can’t get enough of government to monitor everyone’s lives.
The Republicans are really just a shade away from being the Martial Law Party.
Freedom, you might have found the one thing on which we can agree.
Don’t get too giddy. The other group of clowns are communists who look upon freedom with equal disdain. Both parties are into heavy measures of citizen control.
Oh well. It was close. I guess one has to be thankful for small steps.
Err.
Communism is freedom.
Equal access to social wealth is a necessary precondition to a free society, because wealth disparities are the origin of all power disparities.
A communist society (which is to say, a stateless, classless, moneyless society) is a free society (indeed, it is the only free society), because by guaranteeing each individual an equal share of social wealth, each individual is left free to pursue whatever peaceful desires and accomplish whatever peaceful goals of his or her choosing because he or she is no longer compelled to subordinate herself to another, be it the customer, the shareholder, the boss, or indeed society itself.
Initially, I was inclined to say something about ideologically-driven laws being “evidence free”, when in fact there is a lot of evidence against this sort of stuff. Beyond that, the evidence is clear that the framers and supporters of these laws are damaged and driven by prejudice and other preconceived notions, so the most important data is not with the situation but with the framers of the law. And what do we know about having an intelligent discussion with someone who is committed to a prejudice? It has no effect unless they have some sort of Damascus experience that changes their life. That’s why writing to these clowns is such a hopeless endeavor. I have discovered that voting for the other person is the best treatment.
Are they still talking about using that test to differentiate between drug users and nonusers? If they are, there are so many holes in that test and the procedure that a not-even-very-good attorney can have a heyday with that sucker.
Back to HB 1351. I have a moral obligation to feed people who are starving. I do not have an obligation to give away sweets. A cash register can easily be modified to exclude sale of most sweets. This bill is long overdue. Thank you.
Why not just create a government store where those on the dole can spend their scrip? Only approved inventory will be stocked. Biometric registers with drug sensors will ensure that only proper persons can purchase goods. Shoppers will be assigned stocking shifts at the store to fulfill their work requirement.
This bill has a little of something in it for people who have issues. I can’t wait for the part to be challenged that tests people for drugs. From what I know about it, it won’t go far. The candy and junk food thing is something else, so now we can increase the amount that goes into SNAP and really help those folks, because we won’t be able to act superior and complain about their wasteful spending habits.
I am a strong fiscal conservative and I find this bill to be a waste of resources!
The Legislative Services assessment would seem to agree with you, but what legislator reads carefully written, researched and objective assessments by a colleague when you have prejudice?