Sunday, July 24, 2011

Drug testing legislation in Florida: Do supporters have double standard to so-called 'Constitutional' bill?



[This post is from guest poster ReadK8sVoice.  PfP welcomes her as a moderator.  I encourage everyone to submit posts to People for Polity.  Your voice will be heard.  If you would like to contribute to PfP, please email us at peopleforpolity@gmail.com.  Solidarity!]

I can't seem to wrap my head around this new law Gov. Rick Scott signed. To put it into lamens terms:  The not-so-economically-sound state of Florida now has a regulated program that will require poor people to be drug tested prior to qualifying for benefits and assistance from federal programs.

 To complete this legitimately, the testing could potentially cost over $285,000 a month based on the average number of applicants to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program in the Sunshine State.

While the easy thing to do is think, "You're damn right people should be drug tested before the utilization of taxpayer funded programs," I can't help but wonder if the same crowd would support the same intrusive legislation if it were to be applied to anyone needing taxpayer funds.

Would it be just as constitutional to require, oh let's say, big shot bankers to undergo drug testing before being awarded bailout money? Or for 85 year old, Fran, while spending down for Medicaid?

I also wonder what state-funded program suffered to fit this little piece of work into Florida's 2012 fiscal budget?

Things that make you go "Hmmm?"

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