Wisconsin AG sues feds over food stamp drug testing

[riversedge]

Source: Associated Press, State Journal



9 hours ago • Associated Press, State Journal




Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel filed a lawsuit Tuesday asking a federal judge to declare that state budget provisions requiring food stamp recipients to undergo drug testingare legal.

The budget Republican Gov. Scott Walker signed on Sunday contains language requiring food stamp recipients to undergo drug screening. If they fail the screen they must go through drug testing and treatment to remain eligible for the benefit.

The lawsuit alleges that federal food stamp officials warned the state in May that federal law bars the state from implementing any drug testing for food stamp recipients. The law prohibits a state agency from imposing eligibility standards for food stamps that aren’t consistent with standards set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture secretary.

Schimel argues that the state can force recipients to undergo testing because another section of federal law states the federal government can’t prohibit states from testing welfare recipients for controlled substances..................


Read more: http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/wisconsin-ag-sues-feds-over-food-stamp-drug-testing/article_5918a0a7-794d-5ff9-95d8-fabecbb45e2e.html

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It just gets worse each day as Scott Walker literally uses the people of Wisconsin for his political end game.






Attorney General Brad Schimel speaks during the inauguration ceremony at the state Capitol Jan. 5. Schimel has thrown Wisconsin's support behind a petition before the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to overturn San Francisco's "safe storage" of guns ordinance.

[bulloney]

1. Didn't they do a study on this in Fla and found that the percentage testing positive was miniscule?

It just wasted taxpayer dollars.

If they're going to test food stamp recipients, why stop there? Why don't they test governors and state and federal legislators? After all, they're receiving taxpayer dollars.

I would dismiss Walker's chances for POTUS, except I've seen election results in Koch Bros. strongholds like Kansas and Wisconsin and see their stooges get elected and re-elected even while their respective states are falling apart.

[LiberalArkie]

2. But how much money did the drug testing company contribute towards the campaign ?

[BlueJazz]

3. We did it in Florida, thanks to that "pillar of compassion" Prick Scott. It lost a lot...

...of money. Stupid idea.

[HereSince1628]

11. Unfortunately, the need to keep "lazy takers" in thier place outweighs budget realities.

It's important to align yourself with Big, praise his exchange. The Elect of the Big, source of all profits, are known by their blessings, which Big, interest and dividends be upon him, be$tow$ unreservedly.

All attempts to reverse the choice of the bigness with petty acts of the Small, like human charity, are heresy and pointless diversions of money which by Big's will, praise retail, flows to the pockets of the Elect anyway.

You can't fight the will of Big, may he inflate.

You can only make the lives of the Elect and their pursuit of the Rule of 72, more difficult and frustrating than they should be. It is much better to flog and deprive the Unelect of Big, famine, cold, and poverty be upon them, so that their misery amplifies benevolent compounding will of Big, the almighty invisible hand. This is work that promotes harmony and peace of mind among the Elected.

Interest, Dividends and Rising Markets be Upon You.

[BlueJazz]

27. Great post. I always admire people like you who have a Way-with-Words.

[d_legendary1]

22. Rick Scott made off like a bandit during the drug testing period

"Conveniently, Rick Scott pushed mandatory drug testing—provided, in part, by his wife’s company, Solantic⁠. Scott transferred his $62 million stake⁠ in the company to his wife only a few months before mandating drug testing for state employees and welfare recipients."

http://www.forbes.com/sites/judystone/2015/02/17/the-sham-of-drug-testing-walker-scott-and-political-pandering/

Lots of information regarding the Drug Testing Industry and the Druggie Welfare Receipient Scam they're running.

[BlueJazz]

28. You would think that the Rick Scott family would have been happy with all the money..

...they stole from the taxpayers in the USA without bleeding the poor in Florida.

[Unknown Beatle]

4. Kansas and Wisconsin votes were stolen for Republicans.

They didn't get elected and re-elected, they stole the vote.

This makes it clear: The Results Were Skewed Toward Republicans: A Response to Nate Silver

[fasttense]

8. So true

Turning a blind eye to election fraud is what Democratic leaders do best. AL Gore set the stage for that. I remeber how Al Franken pretended there was no reason for recounts until he ran for congress. They didn't admit gerrymandering for a long time either. At last they see poll taxing and caging by RepubliCONS.

[LynneSin]

12. Walker never had an election during a Presidential election cycle

When Tammy Baldwin was elected US Senator from Wisconsin back in 2012, 3,009,411 Wisconsin voters turned up to vote in that election. Because of that Ms Baldwin was the first openly gay woman to be elected to the US Senate and she is also a democrat. She also beat the Republican with 5% of the vote.

You look at the voter turnout for Scott Walker's elections:

2014 Midterms - 2,368,693 (21% less than the 2012 Presidential election cycle)
2012 Recall - 2,497,235 (17% less than the 2012 Presidential election cycle)
2010 Midterms - 2,133,244 (29% less than the 2012 Presidential election cycle and 27% less than the 2008 Presidential)

You see a trend here but that is overall votes. Take that a step further.

When Tammy Baldwin Won:
D: 1,547,104
R: 1,380,126

Scott Walker's 3 elections:
D: 1,115,943 (-27%)
R: 1,252,750 (-9%)

D: 1,162,785 (-25%)
R: 1,334,450 (-3% btw more Republicans voted in this recall than voted for McCain in 2008)

D: 1,004,303 (-35% 2012, -60% 2008 - yes 1.68MM came out to vote for Obama)
R: 1,128,941 (-18% 2012, -11% 2008)

So you see what's going on here, In a nutshell when the election is not on a Presidential election year you can pretty much expect about a 25%-35% bleed and even moreso of voters. This isn't even a Wisconsin Trend this is across the country. Republicans aren't stealing votes during mid-terms they just know that Democrats aren't going to show up. I mean geez, look at the GOP turnout for the recall. The Democrats were so gungho on recalling Walker and yet it was the Republicans who showed to the ballots.

Fraud at the ballot box only works when the race is close. But when the one part traditionally can't bother to vote for most elections, the other party doesn't even have to try to steal the election - they just let the lazy voters of the other party do the job.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

17. Nice, yet depressing analysis.

[Historic NY]

21. “The government you elect is government you deserve.” ..

so says Thomas Jefferson.

[riversedge]

24. I am hoping this factor

will play a role (if god and goddesses forbid--he makes it to the top)

[riversedge]

7. yes, see post # 6

[Purrfessor]

13. Republicans are always demanding a cost analysis...

prior to implementing policy changes. Well, at least until it involves one of their pet programs affecting actual people rather than corporations.

[ck4829]

23. You know how it is. If out of 100 people, 99 are clean, 1 isn't. You know what that means...

"I KNEW IT! DRUG ABUSE IS RAMPANT AMONG PEOPLE WHO USE FOOD STAMPS! CUT IT ALL DOWN NOW!!1!"

[Gothmog]

5. This lawsuit is a loser

The courts have rejected this stupid idea more than once

[riversedge]

6. ‏@Cog_Dis --> Walker Sues Feds For Right To Shame

Chris Liebenthal ‏@Cog_Dis 33m33 minutes ago

Walker Sues Feds For Right To Shame The Poor http://cognidissidence.blogspot.com/2015/07/walker-sues-feds-for-right-to-shame-poor.html …


.....

Walker’s attempt to police the poor faces legal hurdles that have derailed similar, recent laws in Georgia and Florida. Wisconsin would become the 12th state to have a drug testing law on the books for anti-poverty program participants. At the federal level, conservatives have pushed legislation to prevent federal aid dollars from being spent at or even near marijuana dispensaries in states where that drug is legal.Numerous critics say such policies are unnecessary and stigmatizing of low-income families who rely on public assistance programs. Drug testing for unemployment insurance benefits is “expensive and redundant,” according to National Employment Law Project senior staff attorney Rebecca Dixon. No state would provide unemployment insurance to someone who lost their job because of drug use or a failed drug test, Dixon said, because a drug-related discharge would be disqualifying. “The uninsurance program is based on work. Your former work and your willingness to work underwrite the insurance. It’s based on things that are related to your job loss,” Dixon said in an interview. “If the drug use is related to the job loss, it’s already covered in the law. So there’s no need to create a law to drug test every single person.”

Several states have implemented program’s like the one Walker has promised, but the outcomes of the testing regimes suggest Dixon and other critics are right. Tennessee has found one drug user out of 800 welfare recipients tested. With an overall drug use rate of 8 percent in Tennessee, the crackdown indicates that the poor are 64 times less likely to use drugs than everyone else. Utah spent $30,000 testing welfare recipients and produced just 12 positive tests. While 6 percent of Utahns overall say they use drugs, the state’s tests found drug use by just 2.5 percent of those tested and 0.2 percent of the total welfare recipient population. Florida’s version of the system found the rate of drug use is four times lower among welfare recipients than among the general population. (Courts have ruled Florida’s system unconstitutional, but Gov. Rick Scott (R) remains committed to a program that would spend hundreds of millions of dollars on the tests each year.)

There are two reasons why Walker is pursuing this unconscionable action and neither one has to do with fiscal conservatism or Walker's "compassionate conservatism."

One is that it gets Walker cheap press that he can use as red meat for the extremists that he is trying to win over.

[marble falls]

9. Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schlemiel is more like it. Drug testing is a fools journey.

[Sienna86]

10. Drug costing costs more than it purportedly saves.

Let's test the lawmakers. Now that would be interesting. Would love to see a petition drive in Wisconsin.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

18. All 15 Republiclowns should be tested - immediately!

[Augiedog]

14. This is an updated version of Ronald Reagans welfare queen mythology.

Scott Walker thinks he is the gripper reincarnate and is using the scheme raygun Rons southern strategy just changing it to a northern location. It's gonna get much worse with walkers campaign.

[James48]

15. Pssst. Over here!

[restorefreedom]

20. it is embarassing

that so many of these people call themselves Christian.

[riversedge]

25. Love it. thanks

[Hotler]

16. Hate and selfishness is what drives republicans. They themselves should have to...

pee in a cup once a week in order to collect a pay check.

[wolfie001]

19. Can't believe Wisconsans aren't sick of this....

....swarm of red-neck, sociopathic huckleberries that have usurped common sense. Sickening.

[still_one]

26. I love these "christian" republicans.