Do Will Welfare Drug Tests Save Money?
Will Welfare Drug Tests Save Money? The Microeconomic Impact of Implementing Welfare Drug Testing in Marion County
For as long as humans have lived on this earth, we have found a need to help other humans that are less fortunate than us. From the reign of Augustus in the Roman Empire, to today’s controversial welfare policies in the United States, history has recorded the charitable actions of society to provide for those that cannot provide for themselves. The United States has always practiced some sort of welfare policy since the beginning of colonial times. When the colonists migrated to the future United States from England, they brought with them a set of welfare policies known as the British Poor Laws. Under these laws, citizens who had health problems that prevented work were given cash or alternative forms of assistance from the government. Citizens who were healthy but out of work were given public service work. Today those “poor laws” …show more content…
There is much debate regarding this issue. Supporters of requiring drug tests for welfare applicants believe that there will be many people deterred from applying due to knowing they will not pass. They also believe that some will fail the drug tests. These supporters believe this number of people will be so large that there will be a significant decrease in welfare spending. Other supporters have said “substance abuse is a prominent barrier preventing people from making the necessary transition from governmental dependence to self-reliance.”(Targeted News Service) Opponents have said this is a direct violation of our constitutional rights as American citizens. Some have even said it is not right to assume that just because people are poor, they drug users. Other opposers of welfare drug testing have argued that it will not save money at
For as long as humans have lived on this earth, we have found a need to help other humans that are less fortunate than us. From the reign of Augustus in the Roman Empire, to today’s controversial welfare policies in the United States, history has recorded the charitable actions of society to provide for those that cannot provide for themselves. The United States has always practiced some sort of welfare policy since the beginning of colonial times. When the colonists migrated to the future United States from England, they brought with them a set of welfare policies known as the British Poor Laws. Under these laws, citizens who had health problems that prevented work were given cash or alternative forms of assistance from the government. Citizens who were healthy but out of work were given public service work. Today those “poor laws” …show more content…
There is much debate regarding this issue. Supporters of requiring drug tests for welfare applicants believe that there will be many people deterred from applying due to knowing they will not pass. They also believe that some will fail the drug tests. These supporters believe this number of people will be so large that there will be a significant decrease in welfare spending. Other supporters have said “substance abuse is a prominent barrier preventing people from making the necessary transition from governmental dependence to self-reliance.”(Targeted News Service) Opponents have said this is a direct violation of our constitutional rights as American citizens. Some have even said it is not right to assume that just because people are poor, they drug users. Other opposers of welfare drug testing have argued that it will not save money at