What is the worst present you have ever received? Was it bad enough to make you physically ill?
On Christmas Eve, my wife, son, and I went to a family gathering about 20 miles away. Many members of my family were there including Read the rest of this entry »
In 1999, Michigan enacted a law requiring mandatory drug tests for welfare recipients. In the year 2000, the Supreme Court struck the law down. Since then, no other state has passed any law demanding that people on welfare be tested for illegal drugs. I think welfare recipients should be tested.
I’m not saying that people on welfare use more drugs. In fact, studies have shown that the percentage of people using illicit drugs is about the same, whether on welfare or not. I’m not even going to argue about the cost effectiveness of mandatory drug-testing. The tax-money saved by temporarily denying benefits to drug users, would be about the same as the cost of drug-testing. My argument boils down to an issue of fairness.
Welfare is paid for with tax-dollars. Taxes are paid by people who have jobs. Most Americans have to take drug tests in order to land and keep a job.
Every week, Americans with jobs pay about 30% of their income to taxes. Much of that money is used to provide welfare benefits to people who are unemployed and/or impoverished. Some of the people on welfare spend much of their checks on illegal drugs. Because they use drugs, they are unable to land and keep a job. Because they don’t have jobs, they never pay taxes.
I have heard arguments concerning reasons to not making drug tests a condition of welfare. The biggest argument is that if drug users lose their benefits, it could harm their children.
Couldn’t the same argument be used against drug testing in the workplace? If someone loses their job and income it can hurt their children as bad, if not worse, than someone who loses welfare due to drug use. Furthermore, it is unfair to working people to require a drug test before they can earn a paycheck, but no drug test to be given a welfare check.
Welfare recipients should be the first ones tested, so users can be offered treatment in order to get off drugs, have benefits reinstated, and eventually get off welfare and into a proper job. Many recipients will never find gainful employment if they are able to use drugs and still collect welfare checks.
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