Drug Tests for Welfare Recipients?

[mnealtx 0]

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I always wonder what qualifies in people's minds as "welfare."

Being paid to do nothing

Well, that pretty much puts the entire gov't and agencies on the testing schedule...

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[1969912 0]

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I always wonder what qualifies in people's minds as "welfare." Are tax breaks "welfare?" What about federally guaranteed student loans? Are they "welfare?" What if part of a hospital bill was written off ten years ago? Was that welfare?.....

Interesting point. Way outta my field. Even though I cringe at the thought of poeple on welfare doing much of anything other than working on getting off of welfare, I'm against the drug testing idea.

"Once we got to the point where twenty/something's needed a place on the corner that changed the oil in their cars we were doomed . . ."
-NickDG

[Amazon 7]

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Well, that pretty much puts the entire gov't and agencies on the testing schedule...

Like I said above... I would be good with that.

[Richards 0]

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Well, that pretty much puts the entire gov't and agencies on the testing schedule...

being useless at ones job is not the same as doing nothing. It is much worse.

My biggest handicap is that sometimes the hole in the front of my head operates a tad bit faster than the grey matter contained within.

[mnealtx 0]

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Well, that pretty much puts the entire gov't and agencies on the testing schedule...

Like I said above... I would be good with that.

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[kelpdiver 2]

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I should have been more specific. I don't have a problem with pre-employment testing. It's the random drug tests that imply distrust.

Both make that implication. But if you're going to pry into your employees lives, might as well be effective about it, no? A pre-employment screen only works on those too stupid to figure out how to cheat the test, or too addicted to not be able to stop using briefly. Those people should be culled by the interview process.

[georgerussia 0]

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I should have been more specific. I don't have a problem with pre-employment testing. It's the random drug tests that imply distrust.

If the employer strives to maintain drug-free environment, it won't help. It would only catch only those who has bee constantly high for last year. Like driver testing for alcohol only at the moment you're getting your driving license would not help to prevent DUIs.

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Financial checks are not done after hiring, ditto for criminal convictions and driving records (Some of those may be done by the govt. where a security clearance is involved though, and there my be driving record checks for bus drivers). I understand your point.

My friend in financial institution says that his employer runs credit check against all of them every six months. This was part of employer agreement. I also heard that driving records are checked on regular basis for airline pilots, and it's the airline policy, not the govt. If anyone has first-hand knowledge of this one, I'd be happy to hear whether it is true or not.

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I've never seen an employer drug test policy that mentions anything other than a desire to prevent non-sober employees in the workplace. None have mentioned drug use outside of work, but that may be due to legal constraints.

This implies that employers who do not have such drug test policy must be ok having non-sober employees in the workplace :) Which is probably not true.

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The person who tested me wrote "Confirm positive for PCP" in the section of the report that the GC/MS lab is supposed to use, and someone else then passed it to the MRO thinking it was a confirmed + report from an actual lab (it was later sent for GC/MS, and came back negative).

So it wasn't the problem with the test itself, but with someone who didn't do their job right, correct? I'd probably even call this "malpractice", and such violation would not only make the test results useless, but probably would also carry some heavy penalties for those who've done it. And if this happens more than once, this person should definitely lose their medical license, and maybe some charges should be brought against.

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There is no appeal process. Once the GC/MS is performed and the MRO signs off, there is nothing that can be done. If there were, people would just clean up before the retest, claim their sample got mixed up with someone else's, etc.

But if GC/MS was _not_ performed as it supposed to be, there is definitely an appeal process through the court.

* Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

[tbrown 26]

Another bureaucratic boondoggle with spiraling costs. The guilty will be able to get around it and the innocent will get flase positive results from another govt agency that can't even deliver the mail.

Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

[Richards 0]

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The guilty will be able to get around it

How? Professional athletes with all their resources cannot get past testing?

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and the innocent will get flase positive results

Again why? I am not saying it is impossibly but your coment seems to indicate that it is quite likely.

My biggest handicap is that sometimes the hole in the front of my head operates a tad bit faster than the grey matter contained within.

[ExAFO 0]

Rabbits.

Illinois needs a CCW Law. NOW.

[Richards 0]

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Rabbits.

Did you mean;

Hassenpfeffer


Ingredients
Amount Ingredient Preparation
1 each rabbit
1/2 cup wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic sliced
1 each bay leaf
2 teaspoons salt optional
1/2 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 slices bacon diced
1 1/2 cups onions sliced
1 tablespoon flour, all-purpose
1 bottle red wine dry
1 tablespoon chocolate unsweetened unsweetened,grated
24 small white onion

Directions
Have the rabbit disjointed and cleaned.

Pour boiling water over it, scrape, rinse, and dry.

In a glass or pottery bowl combine the vinegar, garlic, bay leaf,
salt (optional, pepper, and 4 tablespoons of the oil.

Add the rabbit and marinate in the refrigerator for 48 hours.

Drain.

Put the bacon in a Dutch oven and cook until lightly browned.

Add the sliced onions and cook until golden.

Blend in flour and add rabbit.

Cook 10 minutes turning the pieces several times.

Add the wine, bring to a boil, and stir in the chocolate.

Cover and cook over low heat 1-1/2 hours or until tender; add
salt and pepper to taste after 1 hour.

While the rabbit is cooking, saute the white onions in the
remaining oil until golden.

Arrange the rabbit on a hot platter with the sauteed onions and
bread around it.

Serve with noodles.

My biggest handicap is that sometimes the hole in the front of my head operates a tad bit faster than the grey matter contained within.

[Lindsey 0]

Glenn Close's rabbit recipe was much easier to remember (for those of us who don't like to write stuff down).

--
A conservative is just a liberal who's been mugged. A liberal is just a conservative who's been to jail

[Richards 0]

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Glenn Close's rabbit recipe was much easier to remember (for those of us who don't like to write stuff down).

She left the fur on the damn thing. What kind of savage does such a thing? Peel the thing for christs sake. You want fur mixing with your rice?

My biggest handicap is that sometimes the hole in the front of my head operates a tad bit faster than the grey matter contained within.

[d_squared431 0]

I have read all the replies to this thread about mandating drug testing for welfare recipients. The problem that most of you forgot is the reason why the system was set up. It was designed to aid the children who other wise would suffer. You are looking at penalizing the parents who care for the children. If the parents don't have the medical insurance and monthly subsidy then those children will go without food and or shelter. That starts another chain of events and that is there are now hundreds of children put into the foster care system. So in the long run you will still be paying the same taxes if not more to support those children.

The average foster parent gets just about 900 per month to raise a child in the system but that is not even close to what it cost to support a child in the system. Before jumping the gun and suggesting mandatory testing you might want to take the time and think how to educate people to become a productive citizen instead of a drain on the economy.

TPM Sister#130ONTIG#1
I love vodka.I love vodka cause it rhymes with Tuaca~LisaH
You having a clean thought is like billyvance having a clean post.iluvtofly

[Amazon 7]

The problem with that is very very simple. If they are getting aid for the children then I damn well expect them NOT to be on drugs. That money is supposed to be for food and shelter.. and if they are using it to get high rather than feeding the children and making a home for them....then they need to lose the children to those who will not subject them to a drug infested existence.

And I mean this across the board...Foster parents need to be tested too... and if they are found to be users.. then they need to be removed from recieving tax dollars as well.

[Lindsey 0]

I BET they, as most any parents, take better care of their children when they're not high.

--
A conservative is just a liberal who's been mugged. A liberal is just a conservative who's been to jail

[d_squared431 0]

I do agree with you dont get me wrong. There is way more to it than drug testing. As far as foster parents go. We are all drug tested and have to go through a variety of things to keep our license up to date. I know that there are still foster families out there that only do it for the money but then there are people like myself and others I have met who do it for the children.

Education is the key to prevent of 2nd and 3rd generations on welfare. It is the 2nd and 3 generations on welfare that are the problem. They were taught it is okay to have others pay for them and their children. It should be much harder for people to get state aid than what it is. Is drug testing the key to making it harder for those people? I dont think so. It is a more complexed issue than that.

TPM Sister#130ONTIG#1
I love vodka.I love vodka cause it rhymes with Tuaca~LisaH
You having a clean thought is like billyvance having a clean post.iluvtofly

[mnealtx 0]

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It is the 2nd and 3 generations on welfare that are the problem. They were taught it is okay to have others pay for them and their children. It should be much harder for people to get state aid than what it is. Is drug testing the key to making it harder for those people? I dont think so. It is a more complexed issue than that.

I strongly agree with your thoughts on multi-genrational welfare being a problem. I also agree with posts up-thread about ensuring that the money goes to support the family and children.

I don't know that there's any easily-workable solution, though...

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[Royd 0]

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Education is the key to prevent of 2nd and 3rd generations on welfare. It is the 2nd and 3 generations on welfare that are the problem. They were taught it is okay to have others pay for them and their children.

The problem is that those who enjoy living off of the system, validate themselves by transferring the mentality to their children.

[mnealtx 0]

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Education is the key to prevent of 2nd and 3rd generations on welfare. It is the 2nd and 3 generations on welfare that are the problem. They were taught it is okay to have others pay for them and their children.

The problem is that those who enjoy living off of the system, validate themselves by transferring the mentality to their children.

I believe that is the gist of what she said...

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[Richards 0]

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Before jumping the gun and suggesting mandatory testing you might want to take the time and think how to educate people to become a productive citizen instead of a drain on the economy.