A Blaze of Bright Blue: Flurry of big government bills by republicans continue

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Flurry of big government bills by republicans continue

In Florida, the republican governor signed a bill requiring mandatory drug testing for welfare recipients. He also signed a bill requiring all state workers to have drug tests. Of course, the policy does not apply to elected officials. Not only do the poor have to take the drug test, they have to pay for it. The test costs 35 dollars, this alone will keep some people from getting the assistance they require. The fee is supposedly refundable, but how are homeless people going to get their check? How many homeless people have 35 dollars cash? Three cheers for the ACLU, they are suing Rick Scott over this bill.

There is a bill that Rick Scott is expected to sign requiring completely unnecessary sonograms and mandatory counseling for women who wish to have an abortion.

Mandatory counseling, mandatory drug tests, unnecessary medical procedures, sure doesn't sounds like the party of small government, sounds more like George Orwell's BIG BROTHER.

Here's a link to another post I wrote about more big government involvement in your life by the Republicans

*update* 6/05/11

Jonathan Turley wrote an excellent piece on the florida law. Here's a great quote:

"if the law is constitutionally unsound and advances no coherent public policy interests, one is left with the reluctant conclusion that its adoption was primarily motivated by ideology. And that is perhaps its most disturbing feature. It effectively marginalizes the poor and criminalizes poverty. It perpetuates stereotypes and reinforces myths. It degrades and demeans and shames. It lends support to notions linking poverty with immoral behavior. It endorses the views of those who say, with the lieutenant governor of South Carolina, that the provision of financial assistance to the poor is equivalent to feeding stray animals because it only encourages breeding.