Sorry I have been MIA this week, with 3 family members in the hospital my mind has been elsewhere. But, I'm back!
I was reading an online chat page about a potential for a law to pass that will require random drug testing of welfare recipients. I started Googling and sure enough, I found an article in USA Today that explained that 7 states already have this requirement.
Some opposed to the plan argue that it is a waste of money and that it deepens the stigma of receiving public assistance.
It's Feedback Friday...
What do you think of the proposal to requiring welfare recipients to submit to random drug testing?
Waste of resources and money.
ReplyDeletemore importantly-hope all your family members have speedy recoveries
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely NOT a wast of resources and money. I work in this industry but in the housing side for HUD. The fraud, waste and abuse committed by recipients would blow your mind.
ReplyDeleteDid you know that you can use food stamps to buy a coke at 7-11 as long as you don't put a straw in it? Even if you test for drugs, aid money can still be blown on alcohol and cigarettes. I think the entire system needs to be reformed and drug testing isn't going to help and instead just cost the taxpayers more money.
DeleteI have to agree its a broken system. Is this the first step in fixing it?
DeleteI'm not sure I've ever commented on here but I HAD to on this one.
ReplyDeleteI adopted FIVE (out of 13) children my brother fathered with his heroin addicted girlfriend. He is an addict too. These kids were neglected and never given a chance to even remotely live in a non-addicted house. I don't care HOW they keep people from using but they should just for the sake of the kids. I am now 58 and still have 8 yrs to go until the last one is gone. We put our lives on hold and I retired from my career. I wish I could tell you a roses and diamonds story about how they turned out but no one has been in jail (yet) gotten pregnant (yet) or become an addict (yet)I could write a book about the problems they have. They might have actually eaten better if their parents had to use the welfare money they were given to buy FOOD instead of selling the food stamps for cash. Maybe if their parents weren't strung out they would have gone to school regularly, had a bath, gone to the dentist, and on and on.....
I agree that the entire system is broke and needs major reforming. We are a limp wrested country that seems to find the word "work" to be just another four-letter word. My mother was a drunk and never worked so I know what I'm talking about. The police have their hands tied and can't take a kid out of a home unless they find human feces, dismembered bodies and maybe a mistreated animal...of course, they CAN take the animal out of the house. No one ever rescued me and no one ever rescued these five I have until we decided to step up to the plate. No one else in my family would do it. We could not, in good conscience, let them stay in the shelter they were living in. I believe God placed them in our path (I had NEVER met them by the way) and He will give us the strength to get through it but someone should TRY to at least better the situation.
We have gone too far down the mollycoddling path to ever really fix it....that's a pipe dream. All we can do is Band-Aid what we can to stop the tide of neglected kids.
Whew!! Sorry about that.....
Lorraine,
DeleteI'm so happy you commented! What a first hand experience you have had with this issue and how lucky are those kids that you came into their lives. I have a feeling you will say you feel lucky too :)
Jen
I think its a good idea. Let me tell you my story. I have always been a stay at home mom, my husband asked this of me when our first child was born as he didnt want someone else to raise our children. I agreed. Fast forward a good number of years and a second child. My hubs place of business goes out of business and he cant find work, hes a plumber and new houses just about quit being built in my area. We were financially ruined. I tried to find work as did he, unemployment ran out. What are we to do we have 2 kids to feed. So we went on food stamps and medicade. was it embarassing ? Heck ya but we had to feed them. He has now took his contractors test and started his own business. We never once felt entitled to this money and we have never done drugs. I look at it this way if I was hired for a job I more then likely would have to pass a drug test so why not have to take a drug test to receive aid.
ReplyDeleteThat is a good way to look at it.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's a total waste of money at all. The state simply wants to screen those who receives welfare. They want to be sure that they're providing help to the right people. Although, I clearly see what was meant by the remark that it deepens the stigma of receiving public assistance. I think that's quite hard to avoid in our society. Tasha@ESS
ReplyDelete