Drug testing welfare applicants

When people post those catchy graphics around face book that call for the drug testing of people who receive welfare it is often paired with a comment about how they, the poster, worked to earn that money for the person on welfare and so has a right to require that the jobless bum pee in a cup. No doubt these folks think that they are being clever, but after seeing this particular Internet meme at least forty times, I can assure them that they are not as clever as they think they are.
The first thing that needs to be done in relation to this issue is this: it is time to dispel some myths about how welfare works.
1. people on welfare don't work.
This was always a myth, though no doubt some people on welfare choose not to work, the vast majority of them do. In 1996 then president Bill Clinton signed into law portions of what Newt Gingrich called the "contract for America." This document  offered many suggestions on how government could work more efficiently and save money. President Clinton turned the welfare reforms written in this document into law.
This is how it works:
Any adult seeking welfare has to be working full time. If they are not working, they must spend 40 hrs a week looking for work, or in job training. There are a few, very specific, exceptions to this rule.
1. If the person seeking assistance has a disability that prevents them from working, they do not need to work.
2. If the person seeking assistance has a disability, or other type of condition that keeps them from working full time, they can work part time.
3. If the person seeking assistance is a single parent, they can work part time.
4. If that single parent has a child that is too young for day care, they do not have to work until the child/ren are old enough for day care.

One thing to remember is that if someone is earning only minimum wage they do not earn enough to provide for their families without some kind of assistance.

2. People on welfare are more likely to do drugs.
When Florida passed their drug testing of welfare applicants law, many in that state believed this to be the case. What they found was the opposite. After testing thousands of people, the state found that less than 4% of those tested tested positive. The national average for drug use is 9%
3. Drug testing will save the state money.
This is also untrue. Again using Florida as an example: the state spent thousands of dollars on drug tests that came back negative, and of course ended up paying for the applicants welfare needs.

I am not blind to the fact that many readers want to remain ignorant about the nature of welfare and those who apply for it. It is my humble hope however, that if I talk about this enough that something will get through. To that end I want to point out some demographic facts, and then move on to questions of morality.

The majority of welfare recipients are children.
The majority of veterans are on some form of welfare program.
Welfare programs allow disabled and elderly people to live interdependent lives.

If you consider yourself religious, or family oriented, your opposition to these programs is confusing.

No doubt some of you are thinking, "I just want to make sure I know where my tax dollars are being spent."
Fair enough, have you posted any Internet memes about seeking drug tests for members of Congress lately?

Why Paul Ryan is good for Obama

So, let's look at why Romney's choice of running mate is good for the Obama campaign.

Ryan gives the Democrats some  real red meat to chew on. No more of this attach on Romney's taxes, now he has made a stand, now there is something that we can call him on.  Before his VP pick supporters of Obama had to go into strange and , frankly, useless territory. They had to do that because Romney had made no attempt at taking a stand on any of the issues. He talked a good game about the economy, but has never come out with a plan for what, specifically, he would do. So now all of that super pac money, as well as new money that will be raised as a result of this particular VP pick, will go into ads that bring up real issues of substance.
Ryan is great for exciting conservatives, but he is just as good at exciting liberals who do not want to see the poor and middle class thrown away for the sake of the rich.

This choice of VP should help Obama with fundraising, as well as help him cement his agenda.

Why Paul Ryan is a good choice for Romney.

I am sure that I was not the only person surprised by Romney's VP pick. Everything led to a softer, safer choice. So the news that Paul Ryan was the running mate was a little shocking. Many bloggers and TV pundits will be examining why Romney chose someone who will outshine him, but I will just give a quick thought on that and then move on to how Ryan is good for Romney.

 Romney is reluctant to come out strong on any issue, this is damaging to his bid for the white house, so he needed someone who had a strong stance.

Ryan's place on the house budget committee, coupled with his budget, will tie Tea Party supporters even more tightly to the Romney ticket. Those Tea Party members who would have decided to not vote rather than vote Romney, will now come out and vote for Ryan. This election is now, not Romney v Obama, for many people it is now Obama v Ryan. Like GW Bush, Romney now has a strong running mate that gives his candidacy life and personality.

Ryan will bring vigor and life to this campaign. He is extremely popular among young Republicans, he even excites those college students who find themselves drawn to selfishness and blind ambition. Those who see college, not as a chance to challenge the vies of their parents and find their own way to think, but as a stepping stone to the life of self propelled success. 

Ryan is popular with a large number of independent voters as well. He will bring voters to the polls in November. What the Republicans might lose in older voters, they will more than make up for in younger voters. This election could be won the same way that the '08 election was, by energized young voters who will vote for an ideal larger than themselves.

That ideal is a drastic departure from that held by Obama supporters, but it is being embraced all the same.