You have probably read about Florida Governor Rick Scott’s plan to mandate drug testing for adult welfare recipients. The Governor believes that the money his state pays in welfare assistance goes toward feeding the drug habits of the disadvantaged who need assistance in supporting themselves and their families. “We shouldn’t be subsidizing people’s addiction” the Governor stated while defending his legislation. He is right of course. Hard working families who are already struggling to make ends meet should not see their hard earned tax dollars go toward helping those who would rather put drugs up their noses than food on their tables.
The problem is that is not what this legislation is all about.
The state of Florida, like so many other states, is in a financial crisis. And like so many of his Republican governor counterparts, Governor Scott is trying cure Florida’s financial woes by placing the burden on those that society cares about the least. Far be it for Governor Scott to consider a tax increase on the wealthy or an estate tax on those lounging in their luxury condos on Miami Beach. Try to pass that type of legislation and you won’t be living in the governor’s mansion very long. But cutting costs by squeezing welfare benefits from folks nobody gives a damn about…now there is a winning ticket.
Governor Scott’s tactics in Florida are just another example of the “Big Government” policies being levied by the supposedly “Limited Government “Republican Party. From taking away the right to bargain collectively in Wisconsin and Ohio to firing duly elected local officials in Michigan to mandating drug tests for welfare recipients in Florida, Republican Governors are weighing in with sweeping reforms that are massive in scope and burdensome to the poor and middle class.
As the campaign season gets underway voters should take heed. When you hear Republican candidates talk about the evils of big government believe not what they say but watch what they do.
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