actual substantive post NOW

They passed a new law in Florida, I hear. In order to receive welfare benefits, applicants will have to pass a drug test. Huh. I am, in general, a big opponent of any kind of random drug testing. If you are an air traffic controller or an Amtrak driver, I suppose it is in the public welfare that we all know you are sober on the job. But I don't really care what the kid who waits on me in Target does on his own time. I myself would never take a job that required a preemployment drug test, even though I would pass said test with flying colors. (I have a prescription for those benzos, muthafuckas.) But that's all tied in with my privacy obsession. Says the woman who seems compelled to post blog updates about her masturbation aids. Shut up.

ANYWAY, in the blurb I heard on the news this morning, the governor of Florida was quoted as saying the state shouldn't have to finance drug addicton. I thought that was an interesting way of putting it, and by interesting, I mean absolutely wrong. If you are going to medicalize the use of drugs and say that anyone who fails a drug test has an addiction problem, then yes, the government should be subsidizing those people. They have a disease that renders them possibly incapable of holding gainful employment. Isn't that what governmental aid is supposed to be *for*? Now, if we do NOT frame not passing a drug test as "addiction", well, maybe there's some point. If someone wishes to get welfare because they *could* take a job at Target, but won't, because they refuse to lay off the chronic long enough to pass the premployment drug test, maybe the state should refuse to send them a check. I dunno.

(But that reminds me of Trainspotting again. You know the scene where the guy has to go on the job interviews that the welfare office sets him up with or else he'll be kicked off the dole, but can't actually do well enough at the interviews to get the job, or he'll be kicked off the dole? And his ingenious, hilarious solution? Really, if you haven't seen that movie, go rent it right fucking now. It's brilliant.)

Where was I? Oh, so yeah, I can kinda see that. But I also can see many situations where someone's drug usage has absolutely no bearing on the fact that they don't or can't have a job and they need some help. Why should the state be penalizing them? If we're gonna say, oh! but they're involved in illegal activity, that's why the state shouldn't be cutting them a check! then why are we singling out use of illegal drugs? Refuse to give welfare to people with unpaid parking tickets. Make sure they don't jaywalk or drive over the speed limit! It's ridiculous.

Of course the real reason laws like this are passed is that it's morally suspect to be poor in America. If you're poor, you must be up to no good. And if you're poor and you're NOT up to no good? Well, prove it!

xoxo