Rick Scott's Drug Test Folly

dreamer20

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Gov. Rick Scott, and starinvestor, thought Florida's welfare drug-screen measure http://www.lpsg.org/3504298-post1.html would reveal a large number of welfare recipients were "druggers" who must be denied public assisstance. If so, a great amount of tax dollars would not be wasted on those persons drug habits.

This would certainly save the Treasury Dept. billions of dollars; my guess is over half of welfare recipients use illegal drugs. They could redirect those dollars into federal training programs for people that actually want to work and make a contribution to society.

A saw that an uniformed poster above tried to spin this into an issue about unemployment benefits - which is altogether completely different. Unemployment benefits are available to those who worked and temporarily lost jobs.

However the huge savings Rick Scott anticipated from this program did not materialize as the % number of "druggers" detected was extremely small: excerpt:

Welfare drug-testing yields 2% positive results | TBO.com

Since the state began testing welfare applicants for drugs in July, about 2 percent have tested positive, preliminary data shows.
Ninety-six percent proved to be drug free -- leaving the state on the hook to reimburse the cost of their tests...

The as-yet uncalculated cost of staff hours and other resources that the Department of Children and Families has had to spend on implementing the program may wipe out most or all of the apparent savings...
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Shouldn't this progam be scrapped?
 

vince

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Don't worry about the money, they'll just borrow it from some foriegn investors.
 

B_enzia35

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Sure, once you tell people you're going to test for drugs, logic would dictate to not show up...
 

D_Percy_Prettywillie

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Not to mention... I mean, were you guys never 18? We're talking about busting people for smoking marijuana and there are decidedly ways of fooling urinalysis or getting around it. Set aside that denying people government assistance on the grounds that they smoke weed is ridiculous the testing positive only means they were too lazy to go to a head shop and get whatever that stuff that you have to drink a gallon of is called to get by it.

Drugs, the sorts that should disqualify someone (I guess) like heroin and meth, probably aren't being taken en mass by people in need of assistance due to the cost. Those aren't cheap habits. But then I guess common sense would have spelled that out and the state of Florida isn't exactly on the list of parts of the country with a surplus.



JSZ
 

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The concept is that everyone on some form of aid is automatically worthless in some way and inferior to those who have been able to hang on to their jobs or their health.

I have a friend in California, he drove a delivery truck for a living. He was rear ended on a Los Angeles freeway by a semi. He was driving a 1.5 ton truck himself. The vehicle he was driving was hit so hard that the frame of that vehicle buckled behind the cab of the truck. The cargo box was destroyed. The most precious thing destroyed however was his back. Because he is low listed in numerous databases as having major back problems resulting from an injury, he is absolutely unemployable. He is retired and if it were not for his wife's pension and medical coverage he would be one of those people who are completely out of luck. The State of California says he can work and that there is no reason why he can't, the medical records state otherwise.

This man would be denied any and all benefits simply because of bungling bureaucrats.

His only alternative would be welfare if it were not for his wife. He is an ex-Marine, he is very conservative, his employer made no effort to help him after the accident and contrary to what we are told the State of California does NOT go to bat for you or even bother to prosecute anyone from out of State driving in California with phony insurance papers, nobody did anything.

This man how has to take pain killers to get through each day. Those pain killers would stop employment in many places. Except in usual political wrangling one Government Agency says it should be no problem, but, they don't crack down on the insurance carriers that prevent him from getting work.

There are many people collecting various forms of aid who fall into categories like this who are not using recreational drugs. These people are just trying to survive, and yet, under lunatic blanket laws that sound good but in reality aren't, we hurt countless innocent people deserving of help.

As far as the 2% found I am not surprised at all. The sad part is and I will 100% grant this is that the 2% may not be accurate, but, the law itself, poorly written as it is does not recognize the difference between recreational and legitimate prescription that can cause a fail on a drug test. The law also operates under "guilty until proven innocent" instead of the other way around. Test positive, and no matter what, you're thrown off until you, with no money prove your own innocence at your own expense.

Though I do agree with some things, when laws are written these laws absolutely must be written by experts with care. When you have a politician trying to make a big splash and trying to be a bigger fish in a crowded pond, you get trash laws such as this one.

Great concept, really horrific execution.
 

dreamer20

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The concept is that everyone on some form of aid is automatically worthless in some way and inferior to those who have been able to hang on to their jobs or their health...

As far as the 2% found I am not surprised at all. The sad part is and I will 100% grant this is that the 2% may not be accurate, but, the law itself, poorly written as it is does not recognize the difference between recreational and legitimate prescription that can cause a fail on a drug test. The law also operates under "guilty until proven innocent" instead of the other way around. Test positive and no matter what you're thrown off until you, with no money, prove your own innocence at your own expense...

Well said FuzzyKen. For that reason the law should be struck down.

Rick Scott's other Drug Test Folly was his March 22,2011 Executive Order requiring mandatory drug testing be done on State employees.
Hopefully this action and the prior law will both be ruled unconstitutional when challenged in court.

What if state employees just say no to drug testing? | Florida Independent
 
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joyboytoy79

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Gov. Rick Scott, and starinvestor, thought Florida's welfare drug-screen measure http://www.lpsg.org/3504298-post1.html would reveal a large number of welfare recipients were "druggers" who must be denied public assisstance. If so, a great amount of tax dollars would not be wasted on those persons drug habits.



However the huge savings Rick Scott anticipated from this program did not materialize as the % number of "druggers" detected was extremely small: excerpt:

Welfare drug-testing yields 2% positive results | TBO.com

Since the state began testing welfare applicants for drugs in July, about 2 percent have tested positive, preliminary data shows.
Ninety-six percent proved to be drug free -- leaving the state on the hook to reimburse the cost of their tests...

The as-yet uncalculated cost of staff hours and other resources that the Department of Children and Families has had to spend on implementing the program may wipe out most or all of the apparent savings...
--------------------------------------------------------------

Shouldn't this progam be scrapped?


I think you'll find that I predicted almost exactly this, here. I'm really not surprised. But then again, I tend to think for myself and not let someone with money and power tell me what my ideas aught to be. :rolleyes:
 

Bbucko

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SC Governor Nikki Haley seems not to have heard about this loser; she wants to have all the unemployed in her state be tested before receiving any benefits. And, surprise, surprise: she's not above lying (er: distorting the facts) to make her point seem somehow more valid.
 

2_fister

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someone ought to "follow the money"...these states aren't the ones actually doing the drug testing...they collect the samples then most likely ship 'em to a company that's been contracted to perform the actual test.
I'm curious as to who owns these drug testing companys...as they're in line to make a lot more money if this type of thing continues.
 

HUNGHUGE11X7

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He's a pathetic excuse not only for a Governor but a human as well .

He is a criminal disgrace and for the life of me I will NEVER understand how FL was so damn stupid to elect him KNOWING full well of his criminal past.

I thought we were getting screwed here in GA when we elected the most corrupt congressman, who still faces charges as our Governor but he has been pretty damn decent. Gov Voldemort has been a disgrace.

This Drug testing scam is so ethically bankrupt.
Love how he just happens to own the facilities where they do the required drug testing.
I also love that only 5% of the people who were subjected to this unconstituional (Violation of 4th Amend) humiliation were positive for drugs.

IT COST FL MORE MONEY TO DO THIS THAN THEY SAVED!

Hilarious, in a pathetic way


HH
 
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D

deleted15807

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And of course this just in:
MIAMI — Ushered in amid promises that it would save taxpayers money and deter drug users, a Florida law requiring drug tests for people who seek welfare benefits resulted in no direct savings, snared few drug users and had no effect on the number of applications, according to recently released state data.

No Savings Are Found From Welfare Drug Tests

Because the Florida law requires that applicants who pass the test be reimbursed for the cost, an average of $30, the cost to the state was $118,140. This is more than would have been paid out in benefits to the people who failed the test, Mr. Newton said.

As a result, the testing cost the government an extra $45,780, he said.


Once again conservatives have been proven spectacularly wrong. But that certainly won't stop them one bit. We all go flying over the cliff with them.