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Tell Senator Orrin Hatch that Drug Testing the Unemployed Is Discriminatory — and Dumb
by Megan Cottrell June 24, 2010 10:00 AM (PT) Topics: Employment & Unemployment
Republicans are always calling for smaller government. How dare the government ask you to wear your seat belt! How dare progressives who want everyone to be able to go to the doctor when they're sick! How dare "big government" ask for your money for trifling things like schools for children!
But now, Senator Orrin Hatch, a Republican from Utah, is asking for the ultimate government intrusion: a cup of your urine.
Well, only if you're unemployed or receiving welfare.
Yes — that's right. Hatch says we should drug test the unemployed and the poor before giving them benefits.
"A lot of people are saying, 'Hey, it's about time. Why do we keep giving money to people who are going to go use it on drugs instead of their families?'" Hatch said.
I'm sorry, Senator Hatch. In my understanding, you have to have reasonable suspicion of a crime before you search someone. When did being down on your luck become a crime?
The proposed law is ridiculous and clearly unconstitutional. In fact, other states have tried it and failed. Michigan previously imposed a law requiring all welfare recipients to be drug tested. HuffPo notes that it wasn't very successful — especially since marijuana is currently legal for half of all citizens and urine tests don't pick up Americans' favored drug-of-choice — alcohol. Drug testing is unreliable, but also illegal. Michigan's measure was struck down by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Why? Because no one should have to take a drug test as a condition of receiving a public benefit, the court determined.
Unemployment and welfare are just two of a long list of public benefits that the government hands out. Do we require homeowners to get a drug test before they get their mortgage tax deduction? Nope. And I bet you if you picked any quaint little suburb, started knocking on doors and telling June Cleavers everywhere that they had to pee in a cup for their IRS forms, there's plenty of people who would be up in arms. Drivers aren't even drug tested before being given a license.
That's the thing — we're fine with persecuting the poor because we're sure they deserve it. After all, good responsible citizens are never poor, right? And now, we're adding the unemployed to that list of people who deserve what they get. Just recently, companies started deciding that they wouldn't even consider the unemployed in their new job listings. Hatch's measure shows we've started to turn on the unemployed. They used to be victims of the recession, and now we're deciding that they don't deserve our sympathy. Instead, they deserve our persecution.
Hatch himself doesn't have to worry about being drug tested. Although he stated he thought members of Congress shouldn't be exempt from the rules the American people have to follow, the courts have already ruled that drug testing can't be a requirement for running for office.
Drug testing is inefficient, ineffective and moveover, illegal. I'm outraged that Orrin Hatch is proposing illegal searches of innocent Americans. If you are too, take a minute to send Hatch the message that this is unacceptable behavior in the land of the free.
Dear Senator Hatch, I don't know if you've noticed, but the economy's still tanking. There's millions of gallons of oil ruining the Gulf. We're fighting two wars. And one-fifth of America's children are wondering if there's even going to be dinner tonight. Perhaps you can find something more worthwhile to work on?
Megan Cottrell is a reporter and writer living in Chicago. She writes about public housing and poverty for True/Slant, as well as freelancing for the Chicago Journal and AOL.
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