Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Editorial: One paycheck away from drug use
Some legislators want jobless Virginians to prove they're 'clean.' Maybe they should be tested, too.
From the RoundTable blog
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The moment some poor worker's company downsizes him out of a job, he is no longer Mr. Upstanding Citizen. In the eyes of some lawmakers, he's a suspected drug abuser.
Indeed it's a quick slippery slide from employed to addict. Or at least that's what Virginians (employed Virginians anyway) could be led to believe given the flurry of bills some of their representatives are pushing in Richmond to drug test those seeking government aid.
Certain lawmakers are intoxicated with the notion that "if you are going to be supported by the people of the commonwealth, then you're going to stay clean." That's how Sen. Dick Black, a Loudoun Republican, put it to the Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star, which published an account of bills that tie state aid to drug tests.
Only it's not all state aid. Just that given to those struggling the most.
Take Black, for instance. He draws a paycheck from Virginia taxpayers. Shouldn't the commonwealth also require him to first prove his cleanliness?
How about government contractors or college students seeking financial aid? Should we not suspect anyone dependent on the commonwealth of using the taxpayers' hard-earned money on illegal substances?
What makes the unemployed more unclean?
The idea of drug testing the unemployed builds on an effort to test those turning to public assistance. The drug-user stereotype is assigned to those perceived as able-bodied workers choosing to be idle. It's a one-size-fits-all judgment that fails to look at why someone seeks aid or what she might be doing to rise above her circumstances (pursuing an education, job training, juggling low-wage work).
There's something repugnant in suspecting our neighbors of drug use simply because they're out of work.
And yet those who harbor such cynical attitudes aren't ashamed. They pretend they are looking out for the taxpayers' money, making sure it isn't supporting addicts. Some even suggest that their motives are altruistic. Del.Margaret Ransone, the Westmoreland Republican who wants unemployed workers to pay for the test and bring proof of their cleanliness when filing a benefits claim, told the Fredericksburg newspaper the test is also a "resume builder" that certifies they're drug-free.
If the threshold to cashing a commonwealth check is certifying the recipient is drug-free, then test everyone — lawmakers included.
