Taking a Moment to Discuss the 4th Amendment

So many of my recent blog posts have been politically focused recently. My home life is pretty boring which is fabulous, so I guess I have more time to ponder more of what's going on "out there" and not worry so much about the home front.

Nebraska's Unicameral is considering a bill that would require all folks with children applying for welfare benefits to undergo a drug test. Apparently, corn-fed folks are tired of paying for welfare for all the god damn druggies. And who would blame them? I don't want my hard-earned, wait....I wouldn't want Colby's hard-earned money going to some strung out person selling his/her, wait....mostly her EBT food card for drug money. I employ all these dots for a few reasons:

#1: This is a bill introduced by our mostly male lawmakers who in our society control a majority of the assets.

#2: It's mostly women and their children who would be impacted, again with little regard for the male parent. Although the bill would require married parents to both get tested, I assume, you can't tell me that this bill doesn't target the stereotype of the welfare queen.

Sounds fair, huh?

Despite these reservations about this bill, my concern is much greater. Americans have a right under the 4th Amendment to be free from the government's unlawful search and seizure of our stuff and our bodies. That's a pretty big deal and means that unless the government has a damn good reason to drug test me, they can fuck off. That's a god damn guarantee. Comparing a private company's right to drug test you if you work for them to allowing the government to drug test you if you want welfare benefits is comparing apples to oranges. Private business and the government operate on two separate planes completely. Don't you dare bring that point up during this discussion.

If you get welfare and then get busted for using drugs, I could see requiring a parent to go to treatment in order to keep welfare benefits. But completely stripping those benefits for one positive drug test is cruel.

My next reservation is possibly even deeper: where does it end? If we're going to test people with kids for drugs when they apply for food stamps, why can't we test senior citizens who want their Medicaid and Social Security? I don't want Colby's hard-earned money going to a strung out grannie, either, right?? Oh, and what about all those other folks who receive all those other pesky government benefits like farmers who get subsidies or corporations who take tax breaks? Oh, and get ready to pee in a cup in order to get your tax refund, to go into the library, or to get clean water. Those things are all pretty much government benefits.

And what exactly are they drug testing for? Marijuana? Prescription drugs that can easily be abused? Cough syrup? Crack? Meth? Nicotine? Alcohol?? What's a "drug"? If you're assuming people can afford cigarettes, why should they get WIC?? That's a damn expensive habit.

For all my ranting and raving, there is a bottom line here: it's estimated that the drug testing would cost Nebraskans $150,000 but would only save the state around $50,000. Gosh, that makes a whole lot of sense if it's true, doesn't it?

All of this just so we can point fingers at poor folks and leave kids to starve. Way to go, Nebraska.