A heads-up on the comments. I took off the thumbs up and thumbs down. I don’t like cowards who don’t have the guts to post a comment and I presume if any of the regulars have a different opinion they will have no issue in posting it, that is my experience. As for the childish thumbs down on comments that aren’t even a type that has a like or dislike factor rather it is an indicator of how the thumbs down coward has a passive-agressive streak and is incapable of saying, they don’t “like” someone. Enough already, I don’t accommodate chicken-shits.On to the business at hand.
WHY THIS LEGISLATION IS IMPORTANT:
http://www.wbir.com/news/article/217643/2/Welfare-drug-testing-bills-advance-in-TN-legislature
Welfare drug testing bills advance in TN legislature
Legislation Information: HB2725 & SB2580
Under the bill, welfare recipients would have to undergo a screening before they get any financial benefits. If it seems potential recipients have used drugs in the past or would be likely to do drugs, they would then be forced to take a drug test.
If the person fails that drug test, he or she would then have to go to a treatment facility to get clean. Six months later that person would be eligible for welfare benefits.
“If someone’s going to ask for a benefit from the state, they should be willing to accept some of the requirements the state puts on it,” Campfield said.
The original proposal would have drug tested applicants who had been convicted of using drugs within five years. But, the state’s attorney general felt it was constitutionally suspect.
Campfield told 10News he does not believe the legislation will hit any legal roadblocks. He said Tennesseans should have to show they qualify for benefits.
“Well, there’s no requirement that everyone get a benefit either, benefits are voluntary, benefits are voluntary things,” Campfield said.
It’s about time. The qualifiers that have been in place for a decade have allowed people to receive benefits only to abuse the system not only in receiving the welfare benefits a state has to offer but to further the burden on tax payers as the abusers of this specific ilk slaughter a state’s financial system by becoming drug addict/peddler dependents who go in and out of rehab, collecting benefits and being supported by the state as an unwilling participant in their drug addiction. Problems are further complicated as we review what is happening to the children in our state who end up in temporary custody situations; 9 out of 10 children who end up classified as abused or neglected come from homes where one or both parents are incapable of caring for the children because of their drug addiction, rehab failure or eventual incarceration for selling drugs, and the doctor shopping factor that comes into play. Now we see the system burdened further, as well as an entire generation of children being abandoned to the system.
This isn’t to say the bill will stop the parents, or non-parent person from abusing the system, but it will make it a lot more difficult, and make people very clear on what benefits are available for the people who are in true need of them. This has never been meant to become a lifestyle, which the thinking person knows can only perpetuate a lifestyle of poverty. Rather it was to be a temporary measure to help take care of a person or family, specifically children who were going without the very basic needs of life being met.
We have laws in place to punish those who sell food stamps, and recipients have to prove a lack of financial means, but never has there been a test for illicit drug use, street or prescription types.
Will this make the problem of addiction go away, I doubt it; but it will keep the problem of addiction in its own place, not involved in every part of a state’s budget, by having to support a person who cannot get it together to get clean. It helps keep children out of the home and not have their benefits abused by a parent who often and easily will spend every bit of welfare money and abuse TN-CARE in order to serve the addiction. The benefits are separated away from the addicted parent, and the process now goes through one that is where it belongs, on an individual basis, not caught up in the red tape nightmare of a family dependent on benefits of a person who seeks the benefits to feed their drug habit.
It isn’t perfect, but a step in the right direction. I don’t like to see legislation like this, but let’s face it, most states are losing their war on drugs, as the message of true qualifying and need is convoluted and it is socially acceptable to become a pandering, dependent person living in constant expectation of handouts. The “Poor Me”, generation. I’m not sure if the addicts that refuse treatment or fail at it will end up incarcerated or left as vagrants, but I do think when you remove the benefit for refusal to change you will see fewer numbers of those going into the welfare system, so easily. This legislation is about the fourth in a series over the past year that has taken to task the severe, debilitating prescription drug problem Tennessee has. Previous bills addressing doctor shopping, punish not only the offender seeking multiple scripts in order to sell Class IV and above narcotics, but also call out and punish the physicians, who carelessly prescribe these drugs. Has it been a pain in the ass to get a prescription pain-killer for example for those who require it for a medical condition or procedure, not at all. They are only going to their regular doctor or a new one for a singular specific ailment, with the proper and expected easy paper trail to follow. Is it a problem for someone who has a chronic pain condition, and may be subject to scrutiny, more than necessary? Not really. As a person who can have a pain prescription due to having RA, I have never run into this problem. I have personally refused the medication after the first script 5 years ago. I found I was capable of coping with the pain and using OTC pain relievers. I didn’t do this because I was afraid of the drug prescribed or my use of it, rather I was more afraid of being assaulted, or robbed for the drug. I did not want to put our home at risk, or our lives. Addicts work everywhere and can and do get their hands easily on patient information, on who is taking what.
Also I volunteer with abuse and battered children and have reached a new level of contempt and disgust for the people who toss away their children like so much trash and yet continue to have their hand out, whining over their personal concerns, after being given more chances than they ever should have; no sympathy for anyone (deliberate or not) who puts children in the position to have their lives destroyed, their psyche’s altered forever, and their life path destroyed. I know, no one says, “Gee I want to be an addict when I grow up”, but they just don’t move me towards much compassion. There are too many factors at work waiting for the thousands to reach their bottom, and recover.
I have no problem with this bill, since many employers now require random drug testing as a condtion of employment.
I am quickly losing my compassion for those that are popping kids out like a Pez dispenser, expecting society to look after them.
Maybe the answer is to take these kids and put them in a loving foster home and let the parents crawl off and die.
Sorry to sound harsh but I`ve just about had it with letting these scum abuse the system.
I hear you Harp. We are at a breaking point, and we need some good old fashioned common sense. I think this bill takes the first step in that direction.
I just went to Walmart.
There were MANY groups of people shopping composed of one or two women with really complex hairdos (6 foot long fake braids, eiffel tower like structures on the top, etc) and big huge nails with art projects on them (diamonds, paint, pictures).
These women were surrounded, absolutely SURROUNDED, by an ocean of kids. I did not see any adult males present. They could have all been daycare workers taking the kids on out a field trip, but I dont think so.
The ones in front of me paid for most of their stuff with the prepaid welfare credit card and some coupons. I know this because one of their items didnt qualify for one sort of card, so they had to swap stuff around and discuss it for quite some time. Which is always awesome when waiting in line with one new bat mat and one box of lightbulbs.
Many of the ladies also had nice phones on which they were texting and talking while shopping. Especially if they were the lone female adult with the mob of kids.
I am not sure drug testing these ladies will stop this issue but hey, do it. Its gonna take SOMETHING to get them off the baby every other year gravy train.
Also, do hair weaving and nail art salons accept welfare? Or do we all subsidize the essentials so these ladies can look, um, good.
What ever happened to claiming a sense of self control? I mean really, who are these people modeling themselves after, why do they do this to themselves and settle for this as a meaningful life? I get wanting to look nice or feel good but this is way out there in loss of identity, and creating an image that follows a destructive mess, not a life. IMo
If they can afford all that excess style over substance, they can certainly afford to fend for themselves. The democrats/progressives are always flapping their jibs about things that are offensive. Well, I am offended no end when I see single mothers with x+1 kids from x different men, none of whom support the children. It is offensive.
Hear, hear, HARP!
Well, I think we need to drug test congresscritters, they’re the ultimate welfare recipients. They bleed taxpayers to the tune of a few hundred thousand dollars a pop. Welfare is pocket change compared to what many of our politicians receive.
One thing that contributes to people abusing the system is not believing in themselves and not believing in the system anymore. One reason people don’t believe in the system and feel like it owes them something is again related to our congresscritters. Our Gov makes it extremely difficult to run a small business, to create self employment, and our Gov spends money like it’s toilet paper. People have a hard time working a low paying job that barely puts food on the table while the secret service is off partying with prostitutes and congress is spending millions building frisbee golf parks in their neighborhoods. People need to believe in their country, themselves, and they need some leadership that doesn’t make them feel as if the system is rigged.
I say hair follice three stage, not a urine test for the congress critters.
IMHO good decision on getting rid of the thumbs, Kat. We don’t need them.
Thumbs Up!
I wholeheartedly agree.
No we don’t need them, I finally realized that, not a one of us has any difficulty speaking our minds.Glad you are all good with it.
Dangit, I was going to give you a thumbs up on this, but…AHAHAHA. Ahem.
Great post, Katmoon. I have zero problem with drug testing people who are getting our tax paying dollars. My only question is: what took so long?!
This is a great idea. For all those who think this is a violation of their privacy or something like that then I say…if they don’t want the TN government in their business, then they shouldn’t take freebies from it. I know someone who made Welfare a way of life, instead of getting her shit together and stop having babies out of wedlock. I am not without empathy for circumstances that people come under in their lives…I’ve had some pretty hard times myself. What I cannot tolerate is a person who refuses to learn from bad choices and keeps on making them…there is no incentive with our Welfare system for the person to prefer “not” to receive benefits. Drug addicts are a special breed of people who destroy not only their own lives but everyone else’s around them. It is nearly impossible for a child of an addict to come out of the home without being an addict themselves or being horribly mentally or physically scarred by the experience. I’m glad your state gets that Kat and is trying to do something about it. I really wish this legislation was being put forth in Congress so it wouldn’t be left up to the individual states to do it.
I am glad they got this legilation together too SSDD. You have to start somewhere, and turn the tide on generations considering welfare to be a way of life. It is ridiculous, and beyond out of control.
Exactly. If these people are going to make use of the safety net, then they have to follow a basic set of rules.
I am sure Eric Holder has an injunction at the ready for this, but I support making welfare less comfortable for recipients.
If you are going to sit around your house smoking crack all day I certainly have no interest in paying for your life.
Not to mention selling food stams and using one’s children’s state provided medical benefits to find more ways to get illegal prescriptions.
Naw the idiot is after the fireman’s exam in Jacksonville Florida, again with the racial disparity and testing, blah blah blah. Next. Tell someone who cares Holder, the average person is sick of your tortured call to arms over race, puleez- calling wolf now to deaf ears.
Can we drug test the entire executive branch right away please? They are all on welfare, some of them even live in public housing.
“WASHINGTON–Samantha Power–who won a Pulitizer Prize for her book on genocide and now advises the Obama administration on the subject–will chair President Barack Obama’s new Atrocities Prevention Board, which gets down to work Monday as Obama delivers a speech at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.”
To me this is just some sort of ridiculous dark comedy. Announced at the Holocaust Museum no less: Barack Obamas Atrocities Prevention Board. It will share office space with Barack Obama’s Presidential Commission on Women and Girls run by Valerie Jarratt. When she has time, of course. And phew, shes a busy lady.
Ms. Power’s book on genocide is basically a treatise on how atrocities everywhere are all the fault of the USA for not intervening enough (but we need to leave Iraq and Afghanistan, of course). She also feels that Israel is bad, but “Palestine” (whatever the hell that is) is good. She feels we should take all of our aid from Israel and give it to “Palestine” or “the Palestinian People” (really? where do I pick up my check? actually scratch that, I will take cash) so they can arm themselves. Arm themselves! The one thing they have plenty of is guns. She also feels we need more UN personnel everywhere. The woman is insane, and I hear shes “gunning” for SoS.
Arg. Sorry to hijack, but this stuff just gets so frustrating.
here is an article on this insult. Not only the appointment of her, but the time and place of the announcement was a bit FU to Israel.
http://www.michellesmirror.com/
No problem, hc123. I enjoy your comments and rants. They are informative and interesting.
well what do expect from this bunch? Drug testing good. also
getting rid of the thumbs, Kat.
I agree that this is ok to ask of a person if they are to recieve welfare benifits from the state. If they come up dirty, I hope there is an appeals process to ensure that valid medical conditions are examined and the other item is when a person does come up dirty and is referred to “rehab”, who pays for that?
Good on ya for the removing the thumb.. Forgive the OT, but this has to be the funniest Wiki I read in a awhile. (language alert)
They do the legit resolution of matching legal scripts to the “ding” in the results they will yield in advance Teak.A person would have a copy of the legal script and also sign to the fact they are on x y and z medications while applying, thus acknowledging those results will show in the test in advance. Show and tell before getting the prize.
seems resonable. Thanks.
since my job required me to be randomly drug tested, I have no problem having people on welfare being tested. Welfare was supposed to be temporary help when needed for families. Not a lifelong or generational way of life.
Sometimes I wonder “who was the dummy, me for working and having less, or the welfare neighbors who were living better then me”.
When I bought my car, the owner of the lot was telling me about a woman who came in to buy a car.She was a very nice woman who was taking care of her 5 grandchildren because their parents were in jail.
monthly income
$1150.00 per child
$1300.00 social security
food stamps, section 8 housing. medical
i give the lady a lot credit for taking care of the kids, but $5750.00 plus her ss which she earned and I do not begrudge it to her plus the other taxpayer give aways is a little much. And the parents are getting 3 hots and a cot at taxpayer expense also.
There are alwayspeople who will spend more efford to get out of work than the actual work they would have done. Not the sharpest knives in the drawer. And we will always have to take up for the adult infants we all are burdened with to support. I am not talking about a true indigent person who is indigent for reasons that are created by misfortune of health, death of their loved one, victims of crimes, I am so tired of the slackers, who now number the 50% rate. Isn’t this now what the give me your tired and poor has turned into? We offer too much in liberty for some while taking away the freedom of others. This is not liberty nor freedom it is a rigged game where the only ones who win live to campaign.