Posted on 03/17/2014 3:49:54 AM PDT by Kaslin
It looks like Mississippi is taking the right steps to reducing fraud when it comes to government assistance. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) will now require new applicants to submit a questionnaire that will evaluate the likelihood of substance abuse.
Residents who apply for this temporary assistance from the state will have to submit to drug testing if the state deems they are likely substance abusers from this questionnaire. Testing positive once would require a TANF recipient to undergo treatment for substance abuse. For testing positive a second time, the recipient would be kicked out of the program for 90 days. A third positive result would remove the recipient for up to a year.
Governor Bryant said, “The TANF program is a safety net for families in need, and adding this screening process will aid adults who are trapped in a dependency lifestyle so they can better provide for their children.” The state will be using federal funds earmarked for TANF to administer the questionnaires and testing. They estimate the cost of testing will be only $36,000 each year.
There are currently only 9 other states that have passed legislation requiring TANF applicants to be screened for drugs. And there are at least 24 more that are looking into this type of legislation too.
This seems like a great way for the state to spend a minimal amount in order to save the system a lot of money. What many people will think here is how Republicans hate poor people and how we don’t want to help them, but in all reality we want to help those who really need it and aren’t abusing the system. The governor of Mississippi and his legislature have figured out a way to do this, and I say “kudos” to them!
Not going to happen. Federal Government will block this before it ever gets started.
Michigan just instituted mandatory community service.
“Not going to happen. Federal Government will block this before it ever gets started.”
Agreed. This inconsiderate program would diminish recipients self esteem, therefore, it’s racist.
One note of caution: there are MANY over the counter drugs such as Advil, or food like poppy seeds that can cause false positives. I’d be careful about kicking people off without further investigation. MANY deserving people who did nothing wrong can be booted. All for cutting off anyone caught buying drugs or with drug convictions.
This, by the way, is how Minnesota ended up with a bunch of new welfare cases in the mid-1990s. It wasn't because so many more people were finding themselves in difficult circumstances. It was because so many surrounding states enacted welfare reforms that made it harder for misfits to qualify.
That’s what happened here in Florida. A Federal judge squashed it.
“Not going to happen. Federal Government will block this before it ever gets started.”
You’re probably right; this was never about helping these people, but just re-distributing wealth to the local bodegas and liquor stores. I don’t see this going far...
“Kicked out for 90 days —— kicked out for a year...”
Kinda takes the meaning out of the word “Temporary - as in Temporary Assistance to Needy Families” doesn’t it.
In actuality TANF is welfare plain and simple. Obama has so loosened the requirements of TANF, like looking for a job to include such things like having a Facebook Page you post to. It all needs to go.
I await a fair assessment of this plan by Eric Holder.
If Advil were prone to creating false positives, I'd have been kicked out of the Army years ago.
Personally I believe that welfare should be temporary period, unless you are so handicapped that it is impossible for you to work
Government is too much in the charity business. It should be private. No matter how hard and pitiful the case, unless there is some reason beyond pure charity, the government is just stealing money forcefully and redistributing it.
It’s not just TANF; it’s Section 8, it’s SNAP, it’s horribly extended UIC, it’s SSDI, SSI, EITC, ObamaPhones and the whole nine yards. It is killing this nation.
I am betting the samples will be ‘split’, allowing a further testing of the unused sample if there is a positive result on the first sample.
Florida passed a similar law in 2011 requiring testing of all welfare applicants but it was overturned by a federal judge in 2013.
Every Democrat I know supports this. Every Democrat politician I’ve ever heard on the subject opposes it. The rank and file mostly have no idea what their party is all about.
I predict a Federal Court will block this before the first March Madness play-in game tips off.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who do not feel the way you do. There are too many people who do not have the self pride that you and I share. Also, the definition of “handicapped” has been modified to include people who have psychological problems like depression. It is harder to disprove an unseen malady, as opposed to loss of limb.
The fact is states can do things to make it more difficult to get on and stay on welfare. If it is harder to stay on welfare here in NH, the person may choose to move to ME, VT or MA where it is easier. I think I have read that in ME , approximately 50% of people are on some kind of government assistance. Let me repeat that 50%. It is almost hard to believe. What is wrong with people?
Red herring...I hear this argument quite frequently and typically amongst those arguing against drug testing of any sort. They can screen this out with today’s technology. But lets get real, how many people on government assistance let alone the general population are hiking up on poppy buns?
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