Declaring America's current economic woe a time for "tough love," one West Virginia legislator wants to mandate drug testing for individuals receiving government assistance.
State Rep. Craig Blair, shockingly a Republican, sponsored a bill that would require passing a drug test before a person could receive benefits such as welfare, unemployment and food stamps. Under his proposed guidelines, Blair offers first-time offenders 60 days to sober up but strips repeat transgressors of their government aid for two years.
Has America suddenly channeled its inner Wal-Mart right before our very eyes?
The Editorial Board can't help but think Blair is off his rocker when suggesting drug testing is a surefire way to get millions of Americans off of federal assistance. What makes Blair's argument completely useless is the fact that he fails to account for the outlandish costs involved with forcing countless individuals to piss in a cup. We can only imagine how much red tape would accrue if Blair's bill somehow managed to pass - leaving people who've never touched an illegal drug in their lives to wait even longer before receiving help.
How about some compassion for the innumerable Americans left jobless for no other reason than their companies can't afford to pay them?
Blair's ludicrous attempt to save the economy while ridding America of its drug problem seemingly serves to spread a right-wing agenda and oppress those hit hardest by the financial downturn.
What more would you expect from an attention-starved state representative from West Virgina lacking any semblance of a college education?
