Thursday, January 22, 2015

Drug-testing poor is election gambit from "nice" Walker

Scott Walker's internal polling must be showing some weakness in the murkiest crannies of Tea Party resentment, so today our self-proclaimed "nice...Midwestern nice" Governor has rolled out his plan to kick drug users and addicts off food stamp and unemployment assistance should they be out of compliance with plan demands, and he also wants to reduce by one year, or 20%, the amount of time a Wisconsinite could receive such assistance.
Walker 2016

What then? Move, as I said a few weeks ago?

All purportedly designed to get people into the workforce. Bunk, to be polite.

Set aside the fact that a similar program by fellow Tea Party Florida Gov. Rick Scott was ruled illegal by the federal courts, and wasted taxpayer dollars.

Walker could care less about the legal costs and ramifications, and wasted testing dollars, because his plan is not rooted in a sincere desire to budget wisely or help anyone get off drugs and find a job.

It's not rooted in a long Walker history of concern for the poor, or drug addiction, or even about employment stability - - if Walker were seriously focused on employment he'd have passed the halfway point to his broken 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 promise to create 250,000 new jobs.

This is not a workforce readiness plan - - it's Walker campaign selfishness and thuggishness - - a Big Brotherish and intentional governmental abuse based a stereotype Walker apparently believes - - that poor people sit on their sofas and play xBox all day.

And if Walker is really concerned about the impact of drug use on worker availability, how's about he set the example with a top-down drug-testing program for every Walker appointee in government, himself included.

Oh, for some honesty-in-governance, just once. This plan is 100% political and punitive, with one perceived careerist beneficiary who's been on the public payroll for nearly three decades: Scott Walker, and his vanity campaign to leapfrog fellow Tea Partiers Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul and other right-wing extremists for 2016 presidential primary popularity.

Never in Wisconsin history will so many - - and it's a long list - - be so manipulated for the benefit of so few.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Did you know our neighbor already did this? Just like they already did Right-to-Work? WI seems to be following a strategy that is laid out elsewhere.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/dec/27/rick-snyder-signs-law-requring-drug-testing-for-we/