Shouldn't we drug test welfare/disability/social security recipients?

Question

I feel like writing a letter to my congress man & just keep sending them until something changes. I’m sick and tired of working MY butt off and being drugfree while people are using their welfare checks & NOT working so they can spend MY hard earned tax money on drugs.

So, in a sense, I am buying drugs for these drug addicted fiends. I am in NO WAY insinuating that everyone on welfare does drugs, but I am suggesting we drug test anyone who receives government help.

If I have to take a drug test to work, then anyone receiving my money should have to take a drug test to receive welfare checks.

I have seen this question/comment a couple times on here & people say 'what about the children?' & 'what about the money spent on testing?'

1st, if the parents are using the $ for drugs, the kids aren't seeing the $ in the first place. 2nd, lots of people would be denied b/c of the tests.

Lastly, being poor does not mean you can avoid/abuse the law by buying drugs & using them.

The reason I say people on 'disability' is because I know quite a few people who are bipolar or have other 'mental' disabilities who are on ILLEGAL drugs and I believe they shouldn't get the assistance.

AGAIN, I said it's mandatory to test EVERYONE that way it's not discrimination. If it is mandatory then no one is being prejudiced against.
ALSO, with social security checks, I'm talking about people who are able to get them sooner for various reasons.
BASICALLY, I believe that ANYONE who gets 'government assistance' should be subject to testing.

Answer 1

good idea.
i grew up very poor even though my dad worked all the time. sometimes food stamps kept me from going hungry, and other welfare paid our rent so i would not be homeless. i support welfare and feel it is a drop in the bucket of govt. spending. people act like it affects their paychecks or something,but it is such a small percent of the budgets i would guess it takes a penny or less from anyones paycheck(compare that to the huge percents the war machine takes up,or federal waste for example).worth it to keep hard working people and their kids from starving and/or being homeless.
however i will admit some people on welfare are poor because of drug problems. since the govt. can make laws that have poor folks jumping through hoops to get any help, and also to allow employers to ask for pre-employnment drug tests, then i dont understand why it should be any different for this either.if a druggee has kids, then let the family services catch up with them.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

So you are basically saying that EVERY person on Welfare is a drug user? I know you said that's not what you're getting at, but if you test EVERYONE you are assuming they are using. I'm sure there are some. I use to work at a DHS/social Service office (only as a receptionist, but you should see some of the people that walk in!!!!!!!)

You have the folks who say they can't afford food for their kids, but drive Escalades. Or families that have more than 6 or 7 kids, who want money for housing because they house they're in now is too small.

But then you do have the families that were hit with devastation...the breadwinning spouse dies or a family divorces.

The point I am trying to make is that from my own work experience, there are people who truly need assistance, and to subject them to drug testing is just plain wrong.

As for people with disablities and social security..you're talking about people who are elderly (social security) for the most part, and people who have debilitation diseases (cancer, genetic disorders, etc) How could you morally subject them to testing. They are on assistance for a reason. Not everyone is out there to milk the system, you know.......

While I agree that my money shouldn't be spent on someones drug habits, how can we single those people out without the government getting slapped with a lawsuit?

If you do it for everyone, then those who aren't abusing drugs will be offended that they are subjected to testing. And if you single suspected abusers out, they are offended.

It sucks, but I'm sure they have thought about this idea before and it got shot down because it's a win-lose situation.


But I do feel your aggravation!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 4

Actually this is a very good question. When I first saw social security I thought you meant people over 65 who were receiving benefits. I'd have no problem getting drug tested. I did it all of the time I worked in a hospital. But-you're right about a lot of the people that get welfare and even some on disability. I worked in Psych and quite a few of our patients were on disability and or welfare. In essence, I was helping to pay for them to be there with the taxes that were taken out of my paycheck. As a matter of fact, this shouldnt even be a question-it should be a given that before someone receives benefits from the government that they be drug tested. If they object, what would that tell you? Good question.

Answer 5

My A**hole Brother went out several months in a row and blew his monthly disability checks he gets from Social Security on drugs and cheap motel rooms with other like-minded druggies. And keeps knocking on my door broke! Before he got on Social Security he worked and smoked a little pot once in a while. Now he acts like a complete lazy-***, and he just waits for his checks and keeps on wasting years...the last ten at least that he's been on disability. I wish he wouldn't get a check for a whole year, or even just for a month or two, maybe that would wake him up --or shake him up. My Sister said getting a monthly check would ruin him, guess she was right. He needs housing, but now he's chronically homeless and SMI from so much drug use (pot & meth). It makes me sick...I can't take him in any anymore--I can't afford to support him-he makes more than me sitting on his *** doing nothing!!! If Someone notifies Social Security, maybe they could look into it and interview the person and see if they want help getting clean..I can't seem to communicate with him. What a waste--he has a brain, and a good heart..It's sad that he gets almost 1,000 a month and doesn't want a place to live, because he doesn't want to live alone. Personally, I think he's addicted to AMPHETAMINES...and our taxes ARE PAYING FOR IT!!!

Answer 6

yes we should as a disabled person, I believe drug testing for illegal and non prescribed medications should be random and mandatory. I recently took part of a schizophrenia study in an inpatient setting and out of the 20 ssi recipients there I was the only who didn't discuss how high I was gonna go get when I completed the study. drinking and drugs only add to mental conditions so why not test and take away benefits for those who chose to do these things. if you have a petition I would readily sign it.

Answer 7

Why draw the line at invading a person's privacy that has proven to qualify for a program through losing the ability to work (disability), or having worked and paid into the retirement system (social security), or from not having enough money to pay for proper housing and foods? The qualification cannot be at fault (can it?). After all, we checked to see if old people are entitled to their money and we poked the disable to ensure that leg is fake. The unemployed live the life of luxary and really enjoy shopping at thrift shops. We really should watch over everything they spend that money on.

Why stop there? We should cut off all government assistance for people who steal cable, ding car doors, and leave menus on your mailbox. Our assistance for someone's accomplishments (retirement and social security) or someone's misfortune (welfare and disability) should allow us to invade their privacy and decide if their purchase of booze, smokes, or other things are okay or not.

Forget that we have laws that will put them in jail if they are caught buying illegal drugs or doing bad things. Those laws are just for police to enforce. It is up to us to stop people from their entitlements, not use the system of law enforcment. That is really not as important as our feeling justice and the American way! We have to go beyond our laws and take justice away from program recipients!

Heck, I say we sould fine anyone who decides that cable is a good thing to spend money on rather than working part time after the age of 70. Deadbeat old coots!

It is very important for us to control other people's lives, especially when we disagree on moral grounds (which we all know SHOULD be legal).

Ahhh... smell the sarcasm... sorry for letting that one go in the room... the smell should clear soon. I am just amazed at how some people approach a problem from the wrong direction.

Answer 8

Now how about drug testing for welfare king Wall Street CEO's

Answer 9

Ah, but that would be discriminatory. I would think it would be a reasonable thing to do.

Aside from that, they ought to work. I would support a program like FDR introduced to help the nation out of the depression. Quit paying all the labor union contractors who cost the taxpayers $35-$40 an hour, and pay welfare recipients $10-$15 an hour to do the same thing. That way, they benefit by making more money than they would on traditional welfare, and the taxpayers benefit because we'll be able to get more bang for our tax dollars.

Answer 10

Even people who pull social security "early" still have paid into the system! It's YOUR money- but hey, if you want to invite the govt into your personal affairs, have at it, but I think I'll pass. That goes for welfare and disability as well. What's next?