The Constitution 1, Rick Scott's Mandatory Drug Testing Law 0

The Constitution 1, Rick Scott’s Mandatory Drug Testing Law 0

By: Adalia WoodburyOct. 25th, 2011more from Adalia Woodbury

Florida’s mandatory drug testing law was temporary blocked by a Federal Judge Mary Scriven because it may violate the constitutional protection against improper search and seizures.

The measure in response to a suit filed by the ACLU on behalf of a 35-year-old Navy Veteran and single father who sought assistance while completing his college education. However, he like nearly 1600 applicants for social assistance refused to take the test.

A federal judge temporarily blocked Florida’s new law that requires welfare applicants to pass a drug test before receiving the benefits on Monday, saying it may violate the Constitution’s ban on unreasonable searches and seizures.

The ACLU filed the suit on behalf of a 35-year-old Navy veteran and single father. Luis Lebron was seeking benefits to finish his college degree, but refused to take the test. According to the the state Department of Children and Families 7,000 people who took the test passed it, while only 32 people tested positive, or 2% of welfare applicants.

Supporters of the law claim individuals who refuse to take the test do so because they will test positive. Perhaps there are other explanations. Maybe it’s because those who refused to submit to the test did so because the law infers that being poor means being a drug addict.

Perhaps it has something to do with the $25-$35 dollar fee. Sure it will be reimbursed if they pass the test. But if someone is seeking financial assistance, what are the odds that they can afford the test for the assistance they need?

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Rick Scott stands to profit from the testing.

Some of the Republican Party’s presidential candidate wannabes suggest that if someone is unemployed it’s their fault. They offer the same sort of rhetoric for poverty.

When defending the law, Rick Scott spoke of personal responsibility and accountability. Eventually he admitted that he “knows” more people on welfare have a tendency to use drugs. (video link: ) cnn.com/video/?/video/bes…

Accoeding to MSNBC’s report on this story, the welfare allowance for a single person is $180.00 per month and for a family of four, $364.00

Think about that. For a single person that’s about $6 per day and roughly $3.00 per day for each person in a family of four to pay for all living expenses.

Now, if there were statistics to prove Rick Scott’s claim that welfare recipients were more likely to use drugs than someone who wasn’t, then one could at least accept that he was trying to solve a real problem. Few people would support the idea of using tax dollars to support someone’s drug addiction, be that an individual on welfare, a government employee, or a legislator.

However, this is about punishing and humiliating people because they are desperate enough to seek public assistance and if the judge is right, this is about inferring that the poor are not worthy of the rights and protections afforded to all Americans under the constitution.

This law doesn’t even succeed on the claim that it would some how save money. Fortunately, for people seeking public assistance in Florida, Judge Scriven is more in tune with reality than the Governor and the legislators who passed this bill.

The Constitution 1, Rick Scott’s Mandatory Drug Testing Law 0 was written by Adalia Woodbury for PoliticusUSA.

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20 Responses to The Constitution 1, Rick Scott’s Mandatory Drug Testing Law 0

Atown Anon

Oct. 25th, 2011 at 3:04 pm

Also, he would profit from the drug tests. www.palmbeachpost.com/mon...
What do you think? 0 0
- Mikeyhatesit
  
  Oct. 25th, 2011 at 6:32 pm
  
  Interesting- they removed the article…
  What do you think? 0 0
Shiva (Moderator)

Oct. 25th, 2011 at 3:39 pm

It is absolutely unbelievable to me that they could even pass a law saying that a person could be drug tested for welfare. The amount of money you get alone blocks out the chances that you’re going to use it on drugs. As somebody thinking these people who are living on six dollars a day are going to spend that money on drugs and never eat or sleep?

Personal responsibility and accountability have absolutely nothing to do with the amount of welfare you get or whether or not you take drugs even. Absolutely nothing to do with it.

Are people so callous with other peoples rights that they could ever approve something like this? Can we pass a law against governors who pass laws like this? Shouldn’t they be drug screen if they go against the people’s constitutional rights? The GOP is supposed to be the constitutional party. That’s until they hired people like Rick Scott, Scott Walker and the idiot up in Michigan.

It’s just like not having insurance. You never know when you’re going to get hurt or sick at any age. And quite frankly people should be aware that they never know when all of a sudden they will be dead broke and in need of help. Get this guy out of office
What do you think? 0 0
Conservative Heart

Oct. 25th, 2011 at 4:03 pm

Dumb liberals…there you go again…

Of course drug testing is necessary for welfare. We all know welfare recipients are miscreants and minorities, and neither of those groups are trustworthy in the least.

I believe FL’s Gov, Rick Scott because he’s a conservative, white man, and we all know conservative white men always tell the truth and have the country’s best interest at heart.
What do you think? 0 0
- AcidQueen
  
  Oct. 25th, 2011 at 4:39 pm
  
  Have you considered writing for The Onion? :D
  What do you think? 0 0
- Watcher
  
  Oct. 25th, 2011 at 5:32 pm
  
  I sincerely hope that is sarcasm, on your part. Otherwise, you sound worse than the WS teabagger racists.
  What do you think? 0 0
- Matt Dunham
  
  Oct. 25th, 2011 at 5:46 pm
  
  Nice
  What do you think? 0 0
- buckeyewill
  
  Oct. 25th, 2011 at 6:59 pm
  
  What about State legislators who are caught drunk???? And do you know Scott profits off the drug testing by closing all state medical walk-in clinics in Florid, thus directing people to go to his for profit clinics that are operated in his wife’s name????
  
  The only interest Scoot has at heart is PROFIT. The state is the biggest loser because those who pass the drug test must be reimbursed financially for the test. Ninety percent passed the drug test: do you know how much it cost taxpayers??????
  What do you think? 0 0
  - buckeyewill
    
    Oct. 25th, 2011 at 7:01 pm
    
    Florida…not Florid.
    What do you think? 0 0
    - buckeyewill
      
      Oct. 25th, 2011 at 7:02 pm
      
      Scott…not Scoot.
      What do you think? 0 0
    - Reynardine
      
      Oct. 25th, 2011 at 11:49 pm
      
      Try Snott
      What do you think? 0 0
- Ducksy
  
  Oct. 25th, 2011 at 9:33 pm
  
  Did you know America Indian call white man long time ago? Fork tong
  What do you think? 0 0
Reynardine

Oct. 25th, 2011 at 4:17 pm

Actually, from the Republican viewpoint, his policy’s a trifecta: enrich his own enterprise while humiliating the poor and depleting the public treasury.
What do you think? 0 0
Mr. Peabody

Oct. 25th, 2011 at 6:20 pm

23 years ago when I applied for a job at Safeway Grocery, I had to take a drug test. I hadn’t smoked weed or had mushrooms in several months, but I had drank two 40 ouncers of beer the night before. I passed the test.
What do you think? 0 0
- Reynardine
  
  Oct. 25th, 2011 at 8:31 pm
  
  I’m sure you pissed the test.
  What do you think? 0 0
Echo

Oct. 25th, 2011 at 8:55 pm

If I had to attempt to live on $180 per month I’d want drugs……
What do you think? 0 0
G.Cunningham

Oct. 25th, 2011 at 9:14 pm

Test all how get state money from Gov. Scott down.
What do you think? 0 0
SUSAN

Oct. 26th, 2011 at 9:15 am

i think that if you are receiving benefits from the government you should submit to a drug test… just like most jobs demand a drug test. wtf is everyones problem?
What do you think? 0 0
- bpollen
  
  Oct. 26th, 2011 at 4:03 pm
  
  Well, you are typing all in caps, so you MUST be right. Especially since I could probably do cocaine, meth, LSD, heroin, and PCP on Monday and pass the test by Thursday. I could drink like Amy Winehouse the night before, and pass the test. But if I smoked a joint up to 30 days ago and took the test, I would probably fail. And we ALL know how dangerous pot smokers can be in comparison to crackheads or meth-heads and junkies…
  
  So a state under financial crisis (Scott says so!) pays for 7000 drug tests to keep a couple of dozen pot-heads off welfare. I can see why he resorted to fraud as a business man: he understands neither ethics nor math. That makes him not only Republican, but also a Fundamentalist Republican.
  What do you think? 0 0