It is evident that class warfare is on the front burner for Republicans and tea party activists across the nation. From inside the beltway to state capitols across America, legislatures have specifically targeted programs that assist blacks and minority communities, who also happen to subsist mainly at or below the poverty level.
The latest example is in the state of Florida, where a bill is being brought to the floor, based on ideas first offered by noted white supremacist and klansman David Duke. The bill would mandate that the state’s welfare recipients would have to undergo — and pay for — drug tests to be eligible to receive welfare benefits.
The bill’s sponsor, Republican Rep. Jimmie T. Smith, has argued that this is necessary to ensure that state and federal dollars are being spent on families who truly deserve the aid and that those who receive the money don’t spend it on drugs. If successful, Florida would become the second state in the nation to approve such an ordinance. It was a central part of the campaign of the state’s newly elected governor, Rick Scott, last year. This would require that more than 21,000 Floridians currently receiving assistance would have to submit to the drug screenings, according to the Department of Children and Families.
Gov. Scott founded the urgent care chain, Solantic, and is the owner of the company that will conduct the drug tests, at a cost of $35 each. Scott transferred ownership of the chain to his wife, Ann, after taking office.
Opponents suggest that this is an outright attack on people of color and the poor in the state and that it may lead to the Department of Children and Families removing children from the homes of parents who test positive for drugs. In Michigan, a federal court struck down a similar law, ruling that universal drug testing without suspicion of drug abuse was unconstitutional.
–torrance stephens, ph.d.
Torrance Stephens authors the blog rawdawgb.blogspot.com. Find him on twitter.com/rawdawgbuffalo.
