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Michigan Senate Republicans Scapegoat Poor With Welfare Drug Test Bill

In one of its last acts of the legislative session, the Michigan Senate passed a bill mandating drug testing for selected welfare applicants and recipients. It was a straight party-line vote.

Scrooge goes to Lansing. Bah, humbug! (wikimedia.org)
The bill, Senate Bill 275, is similar to a measure passed earlier this year by the House. It would require the state Department of Human Services to create a drug screening and drug testing pilot project in three counties. People who are determined to be at risk of drug use would be required to take a drug test. If they failed, they would be referred to a drug treatment program. A second failed drug test would result in the loss of benefits.

Senate Republicans originally wrote the bill so that children whose parents were cut off because of a failed drug test would lose their benefits as well. Because they care so much about the kids, I suppose. Democrats managed to get an amendment passed that would allow a third party to receive the benefits for the children.

The Republican-dominated legislature earlier this year passed a bill, signed into law by Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, allowing the state to cut off unemployment benefits for anyone who fails a drug test required by a prospective employer.

I'll write a straight news article about this later today. But I'll take a moment now to note that this kind of cheapjack, poor-bashing legislation is almost entirely the exclusive domain of the Republican Party.

Location: 
Lansing, MI
United States
Permission to Reprint: This article is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license.
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Re:

"But I'll take a moment now to note that this kind of cheapjack, poor-bashing legislation is almost entirely the exclusive domain of the Republican Party."

You're right. I'd like to add some thoughts, however.

It's obvious that Republicans refuse to understand why Romney lost. They are continuing the same approach they have had since at least the Nixon days; to create a significant portion of the population to which they can pass all the blame. Their blind, statist, "Silent Majority" followers have been trained to never question the will of these bigots. I am a conservative libertarian type, and I am far more critical of my fellow Republicans than I am of Democrats.

The problem is, what exactly are Democrats doing right now?  The answer is, NOT ENOUGH. Their leaders are just as bad. Feinstein? Schumer? Obama? The Kennedys? The Clintons? BIDEN?! Give me a break; as long as the Democrats have these corporation-kissing, nanny state loving maniacs that lie through their teeth in power, Republican bigotry remains relevant. Take Cuomo for example, he demanded cannabis law reform at one point, now it looks like he wants to appease the fascist big dogs and move up in the neoliberal ranks.

The War on Drugs is a bi-partisan failure... and yes, I agree that the War on the Poor is predominantly Republican. One enables the other, further emburdening the taxpayers.

Yes, I know this was a party-line vote. If Democrats were more people-friendly and less obsessed with a nanny state, perhaps the people in Michigan wouldn't be so quick to blindly vote for a bigot with an (R) next to his/her name. Lower-level Democrats can make all the noise they want, their leaders have no interest in positive change for America.

 

 

 

 

Too many republicans are authoritarians

As a republican i couldnt agree more....there are far to many authoritarian RINO hypocrites in office.....there is nothing conservative about the drug war.........the RINO's who decry the liberals for their short sighted anti-constitutional, think of the children,gun control rhetoric.......non of their ideas would prevent another school shooting but why let facts and the truth enter that debate..........the RINO's are playing the same card as the liberals as far as their un-constitutional,think of the children drug war.......the main reason most republicans are for the drug war is they could careless about those who they think are the major users of drugs.......the poor and minorities..........most republicans could careless about violations of the 4th amendment when it comes to those they dislike.......but the majority of drug users are white middle class parents......sorry to burst what ever fantasy some have about drug use.......but thats a fact.......

Too many republicans are authoritarians

As a republican i couldnt agree more....there are far to many authoritarian RINO hypocrites in office.....there is nothing conservative about the drug war.........the RINO's who decry the liberals for their short sighted anti-constitutional, think of the children,gun control rhetoric.......non of their ideas would prevent another school shooting but why let facts and the truth enter that debate..........the RINO's are playing the same card as the liberals as far as their un-constitutional,think of the children drug war.......the main reason most republicans are for the drug war is they could careless about those who they think are the major users of drugs.......the poor and minorities..........most republicans could careless about violations of the 4th amendment when it comes to those they dislike.......but the majority of drug users are white middle class parents......sorry to burst what ever fantasy some have about drug use.......but thats a fact.......

Drug test politicians.

Next labor camps then death camps.

Once you go down the road of discrimination it can take you to the most horrific places.

Drug test politicians.

Drug test politicians

You are 100% right in saying to drug test our civil servant high ups. They live off the taxpayer than let them live by the low civil servant drug testing policies that our elected politicians have forced upon everyone else. It would be the right thing to do and hey it should be no problem unless your trying to hide something Mr. Politician.

Drug test the poor

The so called war on some drugs has reached another new low.This is just another example of the way some people discriminate against the poor.If a person has an addiction or smokes pot,does that mean they are undeserving of food and a roof over their head?Once they start deciding who is and is not worthy of help,the door is wide open to all manner of racist and prejudiced behaviour.Addicts are just the latest in a long list of people that it's alright to discriminate against,by law.We are people too.

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