There has been discussion lately in the news about social welfare programs having drug screening done prior to government assistance. Florida most recently has been a focal point, for making people pay for the screening up front then getting reimbursed after passing it. Other states have made drug screenings necessary for unemplyment checks as well. Some say this is unconstitutional and unfair to put someone through however, I disagree. This is excellent news for a few reasons. First off I don't think it's fair for hard working citizens to cover the bills for someone if they have enough money to self prescribe on a regular basis. I also don't think it's fair to pay a percentage of someone's employment if all they are going to do is the bare minimum of the requirements in order to recieve said pay check. Secondly, this leaves room for those that, are in need of assistance to recieve it (hopefully a quicker response). Since July in Florida, 7,030 passed, 93 failed and 1,597 didn't turn in the required drug screen. Let's look at the math for that shall we? If each person were to recieve the average pay for one month based off Florida's law which is about $250, and we multiply that by the total of those who failed to turn in the drug screening and those who flat failed it then for that one month in Florida they saved roughly $420,000 in tax payer dollars. WOW.
I don't see anything wrong with creating a drug screen requirement to be eligable for government assistance. Doing so can increase positive results financially and quite honestly could help someone realize they need to make better choices for their life and their loved ones. Am I saying everyone with government assistance is addicted crack? Of course not! As shown with the statistics from Florida, for the most part it's not even an issue and I think it's wonderful that those who are in need of help can recieve it! However, there are a few who seem to slip between the lines and are recieving help without realizing it is suppose to be temporary help. People aren't suppose to live off food stamps their entire life. They aren't suppose to collect unemplyment checks for years either. If I have to pee in a cup in order to have a job, a job which taxes are taken out of my paycheck every week then why shouldn't someone have to do the same order to recieve a paycheck from the taxes taken out of citizen's hard earned money?
In her post Drug induced hazes on the American Dime…, Maureen argues for drug screenings as a prerequisite for receiving federal aid such as unemployment benefits and food stamps. Her contentions include not using tax payers' money to help people self-medicate and distributing those benefits to people who will use it to stand back up.
ReplyDeleteI agree with her position on this issue -- I do not see anything wrong with implementing this screening process. It seems fair to both tax payers and other individuals in need of assistance. As Maureen stated, these programs are meant to be temporary solutions while individuals find a way to support themselves once again. This all being said, I do not think drugs are bad. They are, however, a luxury item. Social welfare programs are not meant to fund individuals so that they may purchase nice purses or drugs. That is not where my "hard earned money" is supposed to go to. Instead, it is meant to help someone survive. Drug testing is warranted.
The monthly assistance Maureen states Florida grants, $250, is really not a lot of money. For someone who truly needs that money to get back on their feet, there is no elbow room.