Welfare and drug testing
 

I just saw a post on FB with 333,000 comments about how the poor should be drug tested to receive any help from the government.

...Today is not a day where I'm interested in socialism in America.

Vicious and vengeful people...

I can't right now.

They've started giving out a benefits card here (Australia) called 'The New Basics' card - so that people who would otherwise be receiving unemployment payments aren't getting actual money but have to use this special card to pay for things.

This way they won't spend all of their money on alcohol and drugs.

Because, you know.. unemployment = non-stop party times.

Source: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1...nger-in-Sydney
(emphasis added)

I wonder how everyone would feel about drug testing if it was done for anything that tax money went to. Want to go see the doctor? Drug test. Want to go to university? Constant drugs and alcohol tests. Need to go to court? Drug test. Want to tax advantage of tax credits? Drug test.

Fuck it. Drug test for fucking EVERYTHING.

Can't be having anyone throwing parties or livin' it up in skid fucking row.

Sometimes, I don't know what's worse; the oblivious and out-of-touch rich whiteys or the fucking ignorant median working class dogs who buy into the myths of the poor.

Fucking assholes. You can't have Christ and Rand at the same time.

Drug tests for tax exemptions.

I am lucky enough to have been able to avoid going on assistance, but I've noticed it really does stigmatize people to have to identify as being on assistance, like I follow the Retail Robin tumblr who typically take down classist memes, but when they slip through its usually someone complaining about someone with a WIC card buying lobster or beer or trying to argue that a "luxury" item should be covered.

Sounds like they're following the Wal-Mart model. Drop the prices to the point that the smaller businesses can't compete and after the little guy's out of business jack up the prices because the consumer has nowhere else to go. I really think that model should be made illegal or carry a huge fine.

Florida tried it, turned out it didn't do anything except line the pockets of the lab company analyzing the test.

"Funny" part is the states paid out more reimbursing people for the cost of the test when they passed than they saved by not paying benefits out to drug abusers. It would have cost tax payers less to just give people benefits who need them.

*twitch* I see that shit on fb on such a regular business. I do my best to respond to it in a way that asshole conservatives will understand. They don't seem to care that it is a shitty invasion of privacy, and really shouldn't be done on any sort of wide scale anyway.

I just go striaight for the fact that it ends up costing more than it saves, because drug tests are more expensive than just being a decent society and helping the fucking poor who are not demons, monsters or greedy assholes... just people who don't have enough money for shit like food and shelter. *twitch*

I'm so tired of feeling like a freak, for holding the opinion that we, as a society, should help those who can't help themselves. *twitch*

Drug tests for Miss Absynthe. She must be high.

My behavioral economics book talks about this and how little it would matter even if it were reliable. I'll post what it says when I have the book with me.

Many conservatives are of the belief that people on any form of public assistance should not be allowed anything but the most stringent minimal necessities to ensure life support at its most basic level. Anything beyond that is viewed as a "luxury".

Yeah, I remember Fox News putting poverty in quotations because 97% of "poor" people have refrigerators.

I'll bet those freeloaders have smoke detectors, too

I bet those freeloading fuckers have running water. The god damned NERVE!

You know what? This is interesting.

Anyone care to speculate on what a world would look like to a conservative if they had their way?

Should the poor have refrigerators, carpeted floors, smoke detectors, and running water? No.

Even if the conservatives DID perfect a welfare system on their terms; I can't imagine what that would look like to just about every community in America short of some rich communities. o_0 It'd be like shanty towns surrounding mansions.

Oh clearly. You know I saw her buy some canned food on one of those EBT cards and that woman had the NERVE to buy a six pack of beer with a debit card afterwards.

Does getting over 80% on a drug test mean that I get an HD?

I'm going to have to ask you to refrain from posting until the results come back.

Fuck you!

I would NEVER drink beer.

They want this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilded_Age

Most of the proponents of think they will look like this:
http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t...barons_500.jpg

and not this:
http://image1.masterfile.com/em_w/02...-02795908w.jpg