Same as FL, Utah drug testing welfare recipients comes up empty

[boutons_deux]

Utah Finds Few Users, No Savings By Drug Testing Welfare ApplicantsUtah’s controversial policy of drug testing welfare applicants has cost the state over $30,000 — while uncovering almost no drug users, the Associated Press reports (http://www.ksl.com/?sid=26559995&nid=148&title=only-12-test-positive-in-utah-welfare-drug-screening&fm=home_page&s_cid=queue-11).

According to the Utah Department of Workforce Services, the state spent $6,000 to give 4,730 welfare applicants a written test — 466 respondents “showed a likelihood of drug use,” and were then given drug tests at a total cost of over $25,000.


The outcome? Only 12 applicants tested positive — meaning that the Beehive State spent more than 30 grand to weed out .0025 percent of those seeking benefits.

The results stand in stark contrast to the predictions of drug testing supporters, most of whom claimed that the laws are examples of fiscal conservatism in action. For example, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) explained his support for Utah’s law by insisting (http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=11192389&fm=related_story&s_cid=article-related-2)that “it’s to insure that the federal government is a responsible steward of taxpayer dollars.” Similarly, Senator David Vitter (R-LA) has warned (http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/consider-again/2013/apr/29/drug-testing-welfare-recipients-not-so-fast/) that “with potentially billions of dollars of welfare funds ending up in the wrong places or being spent on illegal drugs, the least we can do is make sure that money is going where it’s actually supposed to go.” In light of Utah’s fruitless search for drug users, it seems that Vitter’s concern that billions are being wasted slightly overestimates the “crisis.”

Utah’s experience mirrors that of Florida, which passed a similar law only to discover — to lawmakers’ evident surprise — that federal benefits are not a get-rich-quick scheme for indigent drug addicts. Just 2.5 percent (http://www.nationalmemo.com/offer-florida-legislators-cant-refuse-or-can-they/) of the state’s welfare applicants failed drug tests as of March 2012. That rate is far lower than the 8.9 percent of the general population that illegally uses drugs, according to the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Unsurprisingly, Florida’s program provided no direct savings — it actually cost taxpayers an additional $45,780 (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/18/us/no-savings-found-in-florida-welfare-drug-tests.html?_r=0) — before it was ruled unconstitutional by a district judge (a verdict that was unanimously upheld (http://www.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/ops/201115258.pdf) by a federal appeals court).

http://www.nationalmemo.com/utah-finds-few-users-no-savings-by-drug-testing-welfare-applicants/

voter fraud: Repug bullshit

welfare fraud: Repug bullshit

ACORN voter fraud, pimp guidance: Repug bullshit

welfare druggies: Repug bullshit

mortgage lender fraud, Ms of stolen homes: Repug silence

[Chief Brody]

Over $30,000?!!!!!:wow

Chump change in context, and well worth the cost of preventative maintenance.

[boutons_deux]

Over $30,000?!!!!!:wow

Chump change in context, and well worth the cost of preventative maintenance.

what context would $30K be chumpy

It was a total waste, they should have learned from the FL fiasco,, and of course, making welfare recipients suspects of crime and humiliate them by peeing in a cup, is just like harassing travelers with sham airport security checks.

Fucking Repugs, fraud, lies, slander as political "philosophy", authoritarianism, suspecting, criminalizing everybody, esp the poor.

[TDMVPDPOY]

small change

come back to me when they start this OKC

[Bill_Brasky]

crofl they probably use the shitty dipstick pee tests, easiest shit ever to beat. dilution works like a charm with those.

[Th'Pusher]

It's not about the amount. The program had a negative ROI and appears to be a waste of taxpayer dollars.

[boutons_deux]

The Repugs were sure to catch 1000s of frauds taking TANF money for drugs, so I doubt they skimped on test tech, probably used some Repug-operated testing service.

This is what they used http://www.sassi.com/products/SASSI3/shopS3-pp.shtml, according to http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/56578680-90/drug-test-sassi-utah.html.csp

As I've said before, why weren't there any SASSI-type tests for banksters taking $Ts in federal bailout funds?

[TeyshaBlue]

Frankly, I'm surprised the cost was that low. And I agree that it was a waste of time and resources.

[boutons_deux]

Florida GOP-Led Voter Fraud Investigation Finds Nothing—Except GOP Fraud

An investigation into the issue of voter registration fraud in the Sunshine State initiated by Florida Republicans has unearthed no evidence of wrongdoing—except on the part of the GOP

The investigation, curiously, found nothing on the Florida New Majority,

but it did stumble across a little fraud from the Strategic Allied Consultants—a GOP contractor that made the news last year for falsifying registration forms. Earlier this year, two former employees of SAC admitted to law enforcement officials that they did indeed commit voter fraud. Rebekah Joy Paul submitted 20 fake voter registration applications, while Christian Davis Price submitted seven. Both said they were told by the company that they would not get paid unless they submitted a certain quota of applications, and that they were strongly instructed not to register democrats.

http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/florida-gop-and-voter-fraud?akid=10886.187590.3oqHkp&rd=1&src=newsletter892351&t=13

[Winehole23]

drug screening snags stoner deadbeats in TN:

http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2014/08/03/new-drug-screening-law-knocks-benefits-list/13536859/

[boutons_deux]

drug screening snags stoner deadbeats in TN:

http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2014/08/03/new-drug-screening-law-knocks-benefits-list/13536859/

harassament drug testing poor people on welfare is a LIE chasing a non-problem, just like Repug LIES about voter fraud, and Repug LIES about the health danger of abortions, abortion clinics.

If a Repugs lips are moving, it's lying.

"I hope that individuals get the help they need," said state Sen. Stacey Campfield (http://www.capitol.tn.gov/senate/members/s7.html), author of the law" :lol The primary help AMERICA NEEDS is to purge itself of you redstate Confederate Christian assholes.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

drug screening snags stoner deadbeats in TN:

http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2014/08/03/new-drug-screening-law-knocks-benefits-list/13536859/

So you use the anecdote of 4 to rebut the evaluation of the whole. I hope you are not in earnest with this. It's quite ignorant.

[Winehole23]

got you

[Nbadan]

North Carolina reveals results of welfare applicant drug tests
Source: Mashable- on Yahoo


North Carolina revealed early results on Tuesday from a round of drug tests given to those applying for or living with the help of welfare.

From the 7,600 recipients and applicants given an initial screening, social workers referred only 2% for drug testing. That amounted to 89 people.

Of those 89, 21 people tested positive for drugs, representing less than 0.3% of the total number of those screened.

Anyone who has used drugs in the past year or was convicted of a felony drug crime in the past three years gets tested. If adult applicants and recipients miss an appointment or test positive ...




Read more: http://mashable.com/2016/02/10/north-carolina-welfare-drug-test/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29#vc1o2 JKglZqq

[boutons_deux]

AFAIK, Repug states going after their strawman of people on public assistance being drug uses are finding drug use among welfare peole is LOWER than drug use in the general population, which of course includes Repug voters.

It seems like 100Ks of rednecks and rurals across the country are huge users of synthetic opioids and heroin and alcohol, to the point of suicide.

There was a report recently that showed the shocking decline in middle class white longevity, due to drug and alcohol abuse, and suicide. As Repug/VRWC austerity, education and health funding cuts, and decades of income suppression, and BigCorp globalization as left 10 Ms with little hope for the future.

[baseline bum]

I wish they'd drug test corporate welfare recipients.

[boutons_deux]

Kockistan Dystopia news
(http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/4/15/1514932/-Scott-Walker-leading-GOP-governors-who-want-to-make-poor-people-s-lives-even-more-demeaning)
Scott Walker leading GOP governors who want to make poor people's lives even more demeaning (http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/4/15/1514932/-Scott-Walker-leading-GOP-governors-who-want-to-make-poor-people-s-lives-even-more-demeaning)

Scott Walker might be a loser of a presidential candidate, but he's still doing his damnedest to impose his own horrible vision for the future on the nation. Specifically, more humiliation and punishment for people who are just trying to feed their families (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/scott-walker-food-stamp-drug-tests_us_570d6294e4b0885fb50e9236).

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) and 10 other GOP governors trumpeted the benefits of drug testing food stamp recipients in a letter to Republicans on Capitol Hill this week. Federal law doesn’t allow states to drug test Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients, but in February Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.) introduced legislation (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/snap-drug-test_us_56bdf149e4b0c3c55050d8b2) that would pave the way.

“The legislation authored by Congressman Robert Aderholt confirms states’ rights to drug test SNAP recipients, and we look forward to working with him on this crucial issue and implementing this common-sense reform in Wisconsin,” Walker said in a Tuesday statement (http://walker.wi.gov/newsroom/press-release/governor-scott-walker-takes-lead-nations%E2%80%99-governors-join-signing-snap-welfare).


The federal government has dealt with this before (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/03/food-stamps-drug-test_n_5440742.html), halting Gov. Nathan Deal's plan to drug test SNAP recipients in Georgia in 2014. It's not allowed under current law, explained regional USDA administrator Robin Bailey. "Requiring SNAP applicants and recipients to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits would constitute an additional condition of eligibility, and therefore, is not allowable under law." That's federal law, which House Republicans are now trying to undermine with the support of Walker and Republican governors from the completely predictable states of Arizona, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah.

These monsters have a problem with people receiving average monthly benefits of $126.83 per person. To buy food. To survive on.

Because kicking people while they’re down is the favorite sport of Republicans.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/04/16/1514932/-Scott-Walker-leading-GOP-governors-who-want-to-make-poor-people-s-lives-even-more-demeaning?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+dailykos%2Findex+%28Daily+Kos %29

White people are the biggest group on public assistance, not Those (Knitter) People.

[Wild Cobra]

Yes, white people are the largest group sucking government teats.

Too bad the war on poverty has failed.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Yes, white people are the largest group sucking government teats.

Too bad the war on poverty has failed.

LBJ's War on Poverty's goal was to end hunger and homelessness. Both are down. Your GOP's Contract With America is what failed.