DISQUS

KerrynowCampau · 8 months ago

That is so wrong

Why make asking for help more humiliating than it already is

Not to mention the extra cost involved

I agree with testing politicians

Can we also test the talking heads on the tee vee. They MUST be on drugs

Ginger_FL · 8 months ago

I second the motion...
Lets include the talking Oxycotin heads on the Radio while we're at it....

Older_Wiser · 8 months ago

Oh please! You wouldn't want to deprive "I'm the Rush you're looking for" of his $36 Million this year, would you? [snark]

kittycatastrophe · 8 months ago

As government employees I think that all of these politicians should have to submit to random drug tests throughout their time of service. The tests should also cover the level of prescription drugs in an individuals system to see if it is in keeping with the levels prescribed by their treating physician.

Steve · 8 months ago

Why do politicians act like it is THEIR money?

Teddi · 8 months ago

Unfortunately I agree with the concept, although I would like to see it expanded to bailout recipients. There are too many folks using the system while drugs are being used or sold and it needs to be a requirement that you get drug tested. If you arent' doing drugs then you have no problem.

shano · 8 months ago

"If you aren' doing drugs then you have no problem."

Except if you have a false 'positive' on a drug test. I have seen a Thoroughbred racehorse test 'positive' for opiates after a groom gave the horse a poppy seed bagel.

How will you know who the innocent or the guilty might be? It will be a windfall profit for the big drug companies churning out tests, retesting the false positives, and taxpayers incarcerating possibly innocent people.......

shano · 8 months ago

Lets start with you, Teddi. Lets just test every American because they have the honor and specialness to live within the borders of this US America.

What about 'search and seizure' laws? Dont you think that 'testing' for drugs, without 'cause' is an illegal search and seizure of an individual?

If you dont, then hand over your urine sample like a good sheep.
jebus. this is incredible. an incredible and disgusting breach of privacy.

Teddi · 8 months ago

i'm not saying everyone for goodness sakes, but if you have to recieve assistence in some form you need to adhere to the specific guidelines. You get a loan you pay it according to terms or there are consequences, you recieve government assistence you get drug tested. Do you have another idea how to "help" those poor folks who are so involved in drugs that their assistence goes to the drugs and not their kids??? I'm sick to death of seeing these "poor" folks misuse their assistence. They drop out of life and make/deal the drugs and make more money than those of us who follow the rules.
This thinking you have is the all or nothing syndrome which so many are coming down with, regardless of political sway

shano · 8 months ago

Lets hope you never need public assistance. I thought in America, one was innocent until proven guilty. Drug testing assumes everyone is guilty and weeds out the innocent ones.

It might be a good idea, if instead of mandatory testing, there were real programs in place to deal with substance abuse for poor people. This would include alcohol abuse, the number one problem in America. The poll taken in West Virginia on this question-should welfare recepients have to take drug tests? ....was sponsored by Budweiser.!!

There are scanty programs for poor people to get help with substance abuse. The waiting lines are months, sometimes years long. I am sorry, but if someone wants to clean up and improve their life right now there is no help whatsoever. Or too little too late.

It does not help people to hang incarceration over their heads. There are very good parents who enjoy marijuana responsibly. Should they go to jail too?

We need to stop treating marijuana use the same way we treat heroin, meth and cocaine. I think your stance about testing everyone, incarcerating everyone is the typical all or nothing stance that makes this war on drugs so cruel, so insane and so wastefull of our tax money.

Drug use-or abuse- is a medical problem and should be disconnected from the criminal justice system. People abuse prescription drugs, black market drugs, alcohol and everything in between. If they become addicted it does no good to throw them in jail at great expense to the taxpayer, breaking up families and shredding the right to privacy.

They need treatment and support. Unfortunately, the system is not set up to help these people, only to punish them.

btw, lets test all the AIG, City Bank and B of A executives, all their workers too. After all, they are getting public assistance and they did not follow the 'rules' either. Fair is fair.

LeeBurl · 8 months ago

But it's OK with you if I'm a drunk? Right? Because you can't test for that. The "You have nothing to fear" statement just reek of the Gestapo.

wmforr · 8 months ago

Yeah, my partner was on probation for four years. He has a well-documented neuro-muscular disease that is extremely painful. He was on prescription oxycontin, and you would not believe the hoops he had to jump through in the drug testing.

In addition, in NY State it appears that one condition of Probation is that you cannot consume alcoholic beverages. None. Nada. Zip. He doesn't drink, so that shouldn't have been a problem. Except when he was outside and the probation officer dropped by, and she insisted on giving him a breathalizer test in the driveway in full view of all the neighbors.

Another example of the criminal justice system trying to humiliate people into hating the government.

Ginger_FL · 8 months ago

"But proponents concede they also want to send a message: you don't get something for nothing."

UNLESS, you are a Bankster !!

vkobaya · 8 months ago

Drug tests!!?!?!? Hey! I thought gambling in office pools was illegal. Heard on very prominent politician picked 14 out 16 in the 2nd round of the March Maddness round. But, far more egregious, I'd like to know how many millions (I hope, not tens, hundreds or billions) were gambled in the office pools at AIG ..., and of course, see they are properly prosecuted and punished.

GMom · 8 months ago

How thoughtful of those republicans to come up with a way to help more people. Sure let's do this BUT provide for free medical care, family counseling (out of network providers included), treatment and financial assistance to the whole home. Oh and of course since this would have evidence issues let's make sure that there are no legal repercussions. I'm sure this is what they intended ;-)

Older_Wiser · 8 months ago

Why pick on one class of people? So, getting laid off, or making so little you have to be on welfare or food stamps is a crime now? There are probably suburban housewives who get high every day--test them, too? The state should have no interest in people unless their children are being neglected or abused or they've committed some other crime.

We know who the real criminals are but they're not made to take drug tests.

shano · 8 months ago

Lets see if these politicians may be 'influenced' by one of the top 5 growth industries in America....the prison-industrial complex. I bet they all have jail cells for profit that they need to fill.
fu*kers.

lynchie · 8 months ago

In the view of the right everyone having a problem making ends meet must be doing drugs. I say let's put all welfare recipients, unemployed and the homeless in jail. They must all be doing drugs or else they would be working at 2 or 3 jobs a day to make a decent living.
I again ask the people voting for these ass blankets, why do you vote against your own best interests.
Don't forget they are intern humping, toe tapping, diaper wearing, pedophiling, daughter humping, wife swapping, multiple divorcing, bribe taking, lying, self righteous, bible thumping, who sat by and watched Bush and Cheney loot the treasury, and removed any oversight on any actions by Corporate America. Yeah, the welfare recipients, they caused the bailout by being on drugs.

grandpajohn · 8 months ago

I assume that these are the same republicans who campaign against "big" government and "big brother" government and for less government intrusion and regulation right?

PeteWa · 8 months ago

We really need to implement this from the head down.
Start with the politicians who want this.
Then go to the corporate welfare pigs and test all of them.

Next up, let's test those people who whine endlessly about how evil drugs are and how bad and sick drug users are, people like say Rush Limpballs, and if they test positive, let's hold them to the standards they want everyone ELSE to live under.

Oh wait... Rush Limpballs was already caught with illegal MOUNTAINS of hillbilly heroin, he even said at one point "if people are violating the law by doing drugs, they ought to be accused and they ought to be convicted and they ought to be sent up."

Unless, of course, you are a fat, anal cyst draft dodging blow-hard, then you need sympathy and understanding, right?

Jim Pharo · 8 months ago

What about completing mandatory credit counseling as those discharged from bankruptcy must (courtesy of Biden & Edwards)?

fat karl · 8 months ago

Welcome back buddy. lol

On a sadder note the Pres said no way to legalized Pot. I really thought I was going to be ahead of the curve. I am in the greenhouse switching back to tomatoes.

caphillprof · 8 months ago

My fantasy is that one day you'll succeed in crossing cannabis with tomatoes and/or basil.

benb · 8 months ago

Obama is letting states decide about Medical Marijuana. The DEA is no longer raiding dispensaries in California and that is a big deal. If it works for him, I'd much rather have my neighbor who suffers from chronic pain using marijuana than using vicodin, oxycontin, or other opiate-containing drug..

Phil · 8 months ago

First of all, I want to make it clear, I do not do drugs except for the occasional Asprin.

Second, I was laid off from my job a few months ago, due to my employer's inability to obtain credit from his usual sources, probably due to his unwillingness to pay his bills on time. I was not in the accounting dept., I should point out.

When I was laid off, I applied for the unemployment benefits I am entitled to, meager as those are.

A legislator in this wonderful state of FloriDUH, has recently introduced legislation that would require drug testing of people collecting unemployment benefits - to be paid for by the recipient of these benefits. The approximate cost of the testing would be $30.00. This in a state where the benefit is $300.00 per week, which is an increase over the $275.00 a week that was paid prior to the passing of the stimulus package.

Guess what, I can't pay that kind of money! That's my grocery bill for an entire week. If this A$$m&&ch legislator is so hellbent on making sure that people collecting money that they are entitled to are not using it to buy drugs, let the state pay for it! Why not drug test social security recipients also.

These republican clowns are lower than whale $hit on the floor of the ocean. I hope this fat pig (also on the public payroll) rots in hell!

See link: http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/mar/16/senator...

wmforr · 8 months ago

The long and short of it is that that drug companies make huge bucks selling their inacurate drug-testing "kits" to local governments and businesses. It is a huge industry. And those bottles of stuff you can buy in the health-food store to "clean out toxins" and incidentally allow you to fool the drug test? Made by the same companies, of course. It's a win-win ideal American business model: create a market and sell two useless products, all in the name of Public Service.

ndtovent · 8 months ago

This is a blatant invasion of privacy. I also think company mandated drug testing for employees is bs, too, but that's unlikely to end anytime soon.

Phil · 8 months ago

Thank you Nancy Reagan! "Just Say No" is one thing. Invading people's privacy is another. What happened to limited goverment? Now they want in my bedroom, as if that's any of their business.

More Republican BS.

ElDuderino · 8 months ago

I agree in general with wanting drug testing, but with the condition that anyone they find failing a drug test is offered rehab.

I don't care so much about outing drug doing welfare folks, but it's their kids who will suffer the consequences if they have a parent spending the limited funds coming in on drugs.

I live just outside of Milwaukee and over the last few months there has been a rash of stories in the news about terrible parents either badly hurting or even killing their kid, all if i remember correct were on public assistance. It's a tough enough road already that so many of these kids face when created often by irresponsible parents who were nowhere near ready to bring a child into the world. They then grow up in poverty and usually in rough neighborhoods, it's only going to be worse if their only parent also has a drug problem. The deck stacked against the kid or kids will be severe.

I understand people worrying about privacy issues, but i'm more concerned about the potential problems for the kid/kids who already are growing up in poverty, the last thing they need is also having their parent with drug problems who may instead be using the limited resources of things besides those kids.

shano · 8 months ago

Then offer them drug treatment, doctors help and childcare help, OK?

that would help more than drug testing.

If a family has a drug problem it will be apparent. How could you say we cannot change our drug laws and have drug testing for welfare recipients? Because that is what would have to happen for them to get medical help instead of incarceration.

Having a parent go to jail might be worse. Kids in foster care are abused and killed, too.

wmforr · 8 months ago

And of course, you have statistics showing the those abusing the children were smoking pot? And none of them were drunk?

Sorry, but despite the fact that there may be some real serious drug problems involved there, just throwing everything into one big pot called "Drugs" and taking punative action is not going to help.

Particulary when the most dangerous drug, alcohol, is not being policed. Smoking pot does not cause the violence that drinking does.

wanda · 8 months ago

Our goverment is becoming a communist party. They won't stop until they take the rest of our civil liberties.Mr. Obama made it clear today that civil liberties are not important at his online townhall.To laugh in our faces about the most popular question asked is a new low.Marijuana activist do not take his disregard lightly.This IS a serious matter that effects millions of people.What happened to a goverment by the people?I guess you have to be rich to have your vote count.Welcome to America land of the free. yah right.

Joneses · 8 months ago

How about random testing for the government employees, i.e. congress. . . .governors. . . .et al.,

Now I bet this bullsh_t would stop like a dime.

jimkhm · 8 months ago

The number of these idiots faililing on Mary Jane and Coke would be unbelievable. One would have to almost have to replace entire company upper managments.

steve · 8 months ago

I have the feeling none of you have any experience with people on the welfare rolls. Get a clue. Drug testing, in the long run, would help the recipients and their kids.

As for the debate of alcohol vs pot, it is irrelevant because of the legality of it all, despite whatever scientific studies wmforr has done.

If only we could get them to stop buying cigarettes and lotto tickets our money will be going to good use.

SparkyOne · 8 months ago

Require Mini Mental State Exams prior to each vote for politicans.

annnort · 8 months ago

Most workers are subjected to drug testing in the workplace today. Anyone getting unemployment compensation should be subject to random drug testing and will probably pass since they were working and are looking for a job. Those on food stamps should have to take drug tests because alot of them are on drugs! I think everyone getting benefits from business and taxpayers should be subject to drug testing. Especially our elected and appointed officials should have to take random drug tests!