Bill seeks to require drug screening for jobless benefits

[Newsjock]

Source: Los Angeles Times

Legislation introduced by Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) would require applicants for federally subsidized jobless benefits to fill out a drug screening questionnaire to determine whether they should have to take a drug test. Those identified as having a high probability of drug use would be required to pass a drug test.

"Drug screening as a condition of unemployment benefits safeguards valuable taxpayer dollars by ensuring job seekers are at their competitive best for re-employment and helps to reduce the nation’s debt by not using federal resources to enable an individual’s drug dependency,’’ Kingston said in a letter to colleagues seeking their support.

The proposal has already drawn partisan criticism:

“This is just another attempt to demonize the unemployed, most of whom have no job for no fault of their own," said Rep. George Miller of California, top Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. "Why doesn’t he propose to drug test executives at Wall Street banks? It was their actions that have been documented to have directly contributed to the recession and high unemployment rate in the first place.”

Read more: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/12/want-jobless-benefits-be-prepared-to-take-a-drug-test-lawmaker-proposes-.html

[CurtEastPoint]

1. Sigh... same old shit, different day. WTF is wrong w/these Pubs? I think they are mentally ill.

[RBInMaine]

23. You "think"? There is no guesswork to it. They are fucking NUTS.

[NickB79]

2. And who's paying for the thousands of drug screenings? Oh yeah, taxpayers.

[iscooterliberally]

3. All so their drug screening cronies can make more $$$ n/t

[DissedByBush]

26. The Pathology Institute of Middle Georgia

Two facts about this company:

1 - It does drug tests

2 - It is #8 in campaign contributions to this guy

[MindPilot]

4. Make no mistake this hippie-punching pure and simple

First of all if you are getting unemployment benefits you are probably already "studying" for the test since you are looking for a job.

But this is really directed at one and only one segment of the population: marijuana users. I can do meth Friday night and test clean Monday morning.

And since when does the government have any interest whatsoever in an unemployed person being at their "competitive best for re-employment"?

[Roland99]

5. wasn't this found unconstitutional in WI years ago? FL is trying it under pRick Scott

and guess who's wife (formerly himself) owns the company that does the drug testing?!

[russspeakeasy]

7. Colbert's sidekick tried to pass Scott a piss cup at one of

press conferences.
Scott is a thief and people outside Florida should know that the company he was running, was missing Billions, yes, Billions of medicare money under his watch.

[KansDem]

6. "...ensuring job seekers are at their competitive best"

Maybe we should be drug-testing the GOP candidates?

"Why doesn’t he propose to drug test executives at Wall Street banks? It was their actions that have been documented to have directly contributed to the recession and high unemployment rate in the first place.” -- AMEN!!! :woohoo:

[Blacksheep214]

8. It's an IQ Test

If you're not smart enough to carry a small bottle of synthetic urine you deserve to fail.

Smoked over 40 years and never had a bad day at work.

Let's not talk about the alcohol! :beer: :puke:

[Leftist Agitator]

12. You'd better watch it, some labs can distinguish synthetic urine from the real thing.

I know that there are at least a few labs in the Pacific Northwest and one in Hawaii that can differentiate synthetic urine from genuine urine.

Just wanted to make you aware.

[Blacksheep214]

19. Sucks, don't it?

Thanks!

[DocMac]

9. Even Repubs get high.

They enjoy stepping on peoples throat when they are down and hurting.

I wonder more and more why people vote Republican.

Just wow.

[provis99]

10. in Kingston's defense, he is an ignorant fool, and possibly a moron.

[jpak]

11. Yeah - the unemployed were FIRED because of drug use - and then they got UI benefits - to do more

GOP = douchebags

yup

[Demonaut]

13. looking to screen lazy from lazy with a reason

:eyes:


btw, this is sarcastic

[Shoe Horn]

14. How about drug testing congress first?

That bill would never see the light of day.
Why?

Class Warfare.

[WhatsNext]

15. This could be a windfall for LabCorp

http://www.advfn.com/p.php?pid=qkquote&symbol=NY%5ELH

[WhatsNext]

16. Didn't Orrin Hatch start this meme?

Sen. Hatch wants unemployed to face mandatory drug tests
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/103357-hatch-wants-drug-tests-for-recipients-of-federal-benefits

[bluedigger]

17. Let's go all out then.

Since everybody who works pays into unemployment we should just test everyone. We wouldn't want drug tainted revenue, now would we?

[marasinghe]

18. when they test congressmen for Satanism, by throwing them into the Potomac every Xmas,

then they can debate drug-testing the unemployed for benefits which have already been paid for, during their periods of employment.
these scumbag DC politicians are pushing tolerance way past its limits. and stupid fukkin sheepwitted voters.

[SoapBox]

20. I'm just thinking of persons in Aerospace or Airlines, over the years that have lost their jobs...

being required to be pee tested to collect unemployment.

Disgraceful. And, WHAT THE HELL!

Stunning.

[Missy Vixen]

21. Attention, Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert

Why not ask the good Representative on your show, haul out a clean pee cup, and ask him to do his duty on-camera? I'm sure there's a lab in the NYC area that would be more than happy to send a representative to test the urine live.

If Rep. Kingston so convinced that drug testing is the answer, I'm sure he won't mind giving some of his up for the cause. Plus, there's the added bonus of enjoying the faux outrage that he was asked in the first place!

[A Simple Game]

22. Same udder, different teat. n/t

[Stevepol]

24. This already happened in FL did it not?

And I believe they found that the welfare recipients who were required to take the test showed a lower % of drug users than the general populace. One of the Demo reps in FL suggested that a law should be passed to test the legislators.

[geomon666]

29. Yup, nothing more than a waste of time and money n/t

[Zhade]

25. Swell. So medical marijuana patients like me should either starve or go blind.

Fuck this shit.

[Earth_First]

27. Hey Jack, you first!

As a seasonally unemployed worker, I collect UI benefits throughout the winter.

I'll gladly piss in a cup, right after you do.

It's a fucking travesty to assume that everyone on unemployment is on unemployment because of drug use?!

WTF?!

[geomon666]

28. Because this worked so well in Florida

At least for the contracted testers who bilked the taxpayers for millions of dollars and caught a handful of people on drugs.

[sarcasmo]

30. Drug screening should be required for all politicians at all levels of government.

[ElMuertoMonkey]

31. republican swine is setting his sites

Yes, the sinister serpentine republican swine is setting his sites on eradicating the last vestiges of freedom.

[0rganism]

32. "Those identified as having a high probability of drug use" == ?

Who do you think has a "high probability of drug use", Mr. Kingston?