...Should Drug Testing be Mandatory to Receive Welfare Benefits? BCOM/275 Should Drug Testing be Mandatory to Receive Welfare Benefits? Thanks to our ancestors, America is a country built from a foundation of hard work and perseverance. This pioneering spirit has paved the way for many opportunities, as well as rules to be set along the way. This includes mandating laws and acts starting with the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. With these guidelines America humbly started as a nation where every citizen was entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These laws stressed the simplest of privileges which included freedom of religion, freedom of speech, protection against enemies, and restriction against monopolies (America's Freedom Documents, 1996-2011). These were all expressions of the American mindset long ago. Fast forward to current America and we find problems we must confront now that are more complicated. These problems have evolved through history that has now made our present day precedence in relation to laws and rules. We now have the freedom to vote, be active in our government, and have an opinion. Our opinions are shaped by the physical world around us and the controversy we have created as a people. However, The United States as an ideal presents a uniquely contradictory set of principles that is generally not openly discussed. This includes the tendency to accept government officials, network...
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...A proposed law in several states that impacts the delivery of human services is requiring mandatory drug testing to be done for those who receive welfare from the government. States have proposed drug testing of applicants and recipients of public welfare benefits since federal welfare reform in 1996. It began to pick up speed in 2011. At least 18 states introduced proposals or had carryover bills that would require drug screening or testing for public assistance applicants and/or recipients in 2014.This has actually passed in some states, but it has been difficult for some to pass this. Unsurprisingly, there is an outrage by those who receive welfare. There are those that say that if you can be drug tested for a job, you should for welfare because you are still receiving money, like you would in a job. I think that the most reliable resource available to learn more about the implications of this law would be by reading the proposed legislation. Being aware of what is being done and said will highly help. Just standing on the sidelines and not actually acting is what can make the effects worse by doing nothing. Also, by having a meeting or some type of communication between the head of the organization and the senator that is proposing this legislation to help clarify any issues and even help to improve on the legislation that is being proposed. Other reliable resources could be other agencies that have dealt with similar laws in their areas, and how they coped with implementing...
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...writing process I used different argument tactics such as ethos, pathos, and logos to display my side of the argument. I argued why welfare drug testing is not beneficial of our countries time and money. I discussed the reasons for why welfare drug testing shouldn't be allowed anymore. The reasons are its a tremendous cost and its being wasted with tax payers money, it is unconstitutional, and children should not have to be involved with their parents' addictions. I arranged my essay with different argument tactics to display my argument. I used many different examples to display my stance on the issue such as, its unethical, and its a waste of tax payers dollars. However I came up with solutions to solve this problem. One...
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...cons regarding drug testing people before they are able to receive welfare benefits. Some people think it is a violation of their rights, the testing is not fail proof, and the cost is usually greater than the benefit. Those who are in favor of drug testing believe it will benefit the welfare system, help the tax payers save money and also help the children of the parents if they are using drugs. Government leaders and most of the general public look at it from a financial point of view while people who receive benefits look at it from a constitutional point of view. The government court system and judges are not backing the drug testing idea because of the fourth amendment. In my personal opinion I am for people being drug tested who receive benefits or any assistance from government funded programs. The middle class worker has to be drug tested to work, earn money and pay taxes. People who receive assistance should not be exempt from this type of requirement. What is Welfare? Welfare is a public assistance program designed to help people who are not able to support themselves fully. Welfare encompasses those government programs that provide benefits and economic assistance to no or low income individuals. It can also be defined as financial assistance to impoverished individuals which is supplied through the taxes paid by the working class. Improving the quality of life and living standards for the poor and underprivileged is one of the main goals of welfare. When a person...
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...Drug abuse results in a drug test before welfare is applied. In this particular situation, welfare participants take advantage of taxes by directing their money in the wrong categories. A tax payer states the categories of miss used money, “Our system convers entirely too much junk food and has resulted in myriad health care problems for countless welfare recipients, which in turn results in more spending by state funded health coverage to combat such problems. Our welfare community has become lazier, sicker, and more obese than ever before” (Ward 2). With the welfare community becoming sicker and lazier, it results in money being shed out. With the welfare community becoming sick, results in welfare money used to pay for medical bills. According to recent study conducted by the University of British Columbia suggests, “People on welfare who make unethical purchases, like organic food or hybrid cars, are judged as immoral for taking advantage of public generosity” (Richards 1). In other words, the study is saying that welfare participants are spending the money in the wrong places and tax payers are viewing them as immoral for their unethical spending. As one can see, tax payers are feeling used as their money is being used toward unneeded...
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...Drug Testing: The Aid to Improving Our Welfare System By: Jennifer, Jacob, Kelsey, Mattie, and Devin Introduction Attention-getting remarks: Every single one of us in this class will one day have a job, and with that job we will be required to pay taxes. Have you ever thought about where the taxes we pay goes to and whether or not it’s going towards a helpful and productive cause? Thesis: Today we will break down the pros and cons of enforcing welfare recipients to be drug tested. Preview: Our group will inform you all about what welfare actually is, as well as reasons as to why some people believe it is a violation of their rights to be drug tested in order to receive welfare. More importantly, you will hear the opposing side of this issue, which is in favor of drug testing, along with reasons we believe it will benefit the welfare system. (First let’s get a better understanding of what welfare actually is.) Body I. Usually when one hears the word welfare, he thinks of public assistance. A. According to the welfare info website, welfare can also be characterized as a financial assistance to needy individuals, which is supplied through the taxes paid by the working society. (welfareinfo) 1. It also improves the quality of life and standards of living for the poor. II. Now that we all understand what welfare is, let’s look at the pros and cons of enforcing drug testing to receive this assistance. A. As said by Florida’s Governor Rick...
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...Cons Of Drug Testing For Welfare Recipients Norman Zeitunian BCOM/275 Business Communication October 30, 2012 Todd Keller Cons Of Drug Testing For Welfare Recipients There are many states that have attempted to introduce or have laws on their books for drug testing when individuals who are applying for state benefits. Some of the states are Kentucky, Florida, Virginia and Washington. The overall purpose of this testing is to better prepare individuals for employment purposes. Although that is a good sounding intention, there are many aspects that will be flawed and not viable. The most powerful argument against drug testing for welfare benefits stems from the constitutional standpoint. Organizations such as the ACLU have argued that the Fourth Amendment protects citizens from being searched without probable cause ( Bowler 2012). This issue is the main stopping point for creating this program in states’ is that there are many legal issues and will be challenges in the court systems. This leads to the costs related to dealing with the legal ramifications and potential lawsuits that are filed against states agencies that impose drug testing. Another point that was stated in the same letter was that mandatory drug testing was an "ineffective" and "fiscally irresponsible" way to deal with drug abuse. Instead of drug tests, which cost an average of $42 each not including the costs of running the program, the money would be better spent on training government workers...
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...Should Welfare Recipients Get Drug Tested Before Receiving Benefits? The issue of whether welfare recipients should undergo drug testing is a topic that generates significant controversy. The rationale behind it is that many individuals depending on various government programs, such as youth and unemployment allowance, use the money to fund drugs and substance abuse, thereby becoming less productive and a greater burden to the state (Schaberg 567). On the contrary, some parties believe that if potential welfare recipients test positive for drugs, the government will sign them up with treatment programs that will enable them to change their habits, thus improving their chances of securing employment, enrolling in school, or joining a vocational training institute, hence becoming more productive. According to the authorities in this area of study, there is evidence to confirm that mandatory testing and treatment of drugs can have a positive effect on the behavior of welfare beneficiaries. In particular,...
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...Article Rebuttal – Welfare Drug Testing XXXXXXX BCOM/275V2 4/4/14 X Welfare Drug Testing In Congress and in State Legislatures across the United States, an argument has continued to be brought up that any individual on a government welfare assistance program be required to take a drug test on a specified regular basis. During the past years, few have had enough steam to be voted on, and to become law. Because of the expense of each drug test and the amount of people receiving assistance, along with the advocates against it, it has struggled to this point. In the many states that have had votes it has been met with harsh criticism and the legislature is in a battle for those who agree as well as oppose up to today. In a past US News article, (Vanita Gupta - Deputy Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union) wrote that, “Mandatory drug testing demonizes and demoralizes” that of the recipients. I strongly disagree with that statement and I do agree with the use of mandatory drug testing of anyone receiving government assistance. This is the money of the hardworking people of the United States that are drug tested to hold down a job we are just giving away at an alarming rate. To say that “it perpetuates the dangerous, baseless notion that low-income people and communities are somehow less deserving of the constitutional protections and basic human dignity to which we are all entitled – Gupta (Dec. 2011) is absurd. In my opinion she is condoning that they receive...
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...Welfare Drug Testing: What is the Real Cost? DeeDee Reece English Composition II Professor Renee Reynolds February 28, 2012 DeeDee Reece Professor Renee Reynolds English Composition II February 28, 2012 Abstract In July 2011, Florida passed a law which required applicants seeking aid under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program to take a drug test. If they pass the test they get benefits; if they fail – nothing! The law was developed to save the state taxpayers money. It was enacted on a biased foundation - without funds the poor can’t support their drug habits! It was mandated without any regard for the consequences of doing so. The problem isn’t taking the test; it’s what it stands for! It crosses the constitutional, social, moral, and ethical boundaries that society deems acceptable. The negative aspects outweighed the good! The testing has been placed on hold while the “real costs” are addressed. Welfare Drug Testing: What is the Real Cost? Being poor once meant you lacked funds or the means to support yourself. Today the meaning has been changed to define a person’s character. Florida law suggests the definition of poor is synonymous with drug user. Eligibility for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program now requires applicants to submit to drug testing to receive benefits. The problem isn’t with taking the test but the premise behind it. The law was enacted based on an...
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...seeking government assistance be required to take drug tests? INTRODUCTION On August 22, 1996, President Bill Clinton signed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act, also known as the Welfare Reform Bill, into effect ending welfare as it had been known for many years. “This law transformed the traditional entitlement to cash welfare under Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) into a transitional program, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), which requires most recipients to work after two years of receiving assistance, or, at state option, even earlier, with few exceptions. After 60 months of receipt during a lifetime, a recipient is ineligible for federally-funded cash benefits (NPC, 2004)”. (1) The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act shifted the responsibility of the poor to the states. The Act also made allowance for states to perform drug testing of those who were in need of federal assistance. According to an article in the New York Times “Policy makers in three dozen states this year proposed drug testing for people receiving benefits like welfare, unemployment assistance, job training, food stamps and public housing (Sulzberger, 2011) .” The controversy rising from the proposed drug testing has many debating the question: Should people seeking government assistance be required to take drug tests? PROs/CONs: There are several pros and cons to the new legislature to drug test those seeking government assistance. PROS: ...
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...TANF The Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program was created under the 1996 welfare reform law known as the Personal Responsibility and work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (Falk, 2014). TANF is funded by a $16.5 billion-per-year basic federal block grant. Each state is also required to contribute at least $10.4 billion under a maintenance-of-effort (MOE) requirement (Schott, 2012). TANF primary purpose is to fund a wide range of benefits and services for low-income families with children. These services include cash assistances, child care, and services for children who have been, or are at risk of being, abused and neglected Clientele The requirements to receive TANF benefits vary from state to state. Eligibility...
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...Reflecting on Sources Kaplan University CM 220-50 Prof Lori D'Angelo 01/31/2012 Unit 4 Project: Reflecting on Sources Complete all three parts of the worksheet below. Be sure to cite all sources in APA format, including using in-text citations and reference page citations in the spaces provided. The writing should be in Standard English and complete sentences. The sources noted in this worksheet should be related to your "big idea," which is the basis of your final project in this course. Save this document to your computer, and submit it through the Unit 4 dropbox, per the instructions in the classroom under Unit 4's Project Description. Part I: Pre-Interview Worksheet Directions: Complete each section of the Pre-Interview Worksheet below. Although students are not required to conduct an interview as research for the final project, the process of thinking about potential questions and responses related to the final project topic will help stimulate further ideas and questions related to conducting relevant and reliable research. Of course, you may also decide to interview the person discussed here or another appropriate subject and use the material in your upcoming projects as a primary source. Interviewer Name | Amber Lidster | Interviewee Name | Judge Jason Brinkley | Interview Method | In person | Interview Location | If interviewing in person, where will it be conducted?Valley View Court House304 West O'Buch Valley View, TX 76272 | Have you...
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...Social Welfare Policy Paper: Public Assistance Jennifer Shellhammer University of New England Abstract This paper will discuss a Social Welfare Policy, specifically, public assistance. I have created an overview and provided a concise description of welfare and public assistance, along what social problems it attempts to address. Additionally, it will provide the historical background of public assistance and the economic and political forces which have influenced its development. Furthermore, it will explain the functions of public assistance that people observe and expect, while also addressing what functions are not recognized. Lastly, the paper will provide arguments made for and against public assistance, and what has been said by politicians, and other experts. Concluding, I have also expressed my own perspective on this issue and what changes I would propose to its current state. Social Welfare Policy: Public Assistance The term “welfare” generally refers to programs established by the federal government to assist individuals who are unemployed and poor. Assistance is provided to the poor through several types of programs, which range anywhere from food stamps, Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment, to temporary cash assistance and several forms of housing assistance. These programs were created to prompt effort and attention on specific problem areas and to prevent the deterioration of necessary and essential conditions for individuals and families to successfully...
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...Running Heading: Welfare Fraud Welfare System In America and Its Effects on Society February 22, 2013 Why does poverty exist and why do people end up being poor? Welfare in the United States is referred to the federal government welfare programs that have been put in place to assist the unemployed or underemployed. These social policies and public reform have been consistently at the forefront of American minds. Welfare reform has been a major controversy in the realm of social policy. This is very much debated by Americans as legislators are looking more closely at this topic. Many people agree with it and others don’t. How many really understand the purpose or the intentions of the welfare system? Welfare agencies across America have a goal to strengthen and support individuals and families by promoting cost effective and comprehensive services that foster independent and healthy families. INTRODUCTION Welfare was first introduced in 1935. When the Great Depression hit, many families suffered. It is estimated that one-fourth of the labor force was unemployed during the the Great Depression era. With many families suffering financial difficulties, the government stepped in to solve the problem and that is where the history of welfare as we know it really began. Under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Social Security Act was enacted in 1935. Welfare in America has become a debatable subject since its formation. What is welfare? Welfare is when an individual receives government...
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