Pubdate: Mon, 02 Dec 2002 Source: Daily Press (VA) Copyright: 2002 The Daily Press Contact: http://www.dailypress.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/585 Author: Brooks A. Mick DRUG-TEST RECIPIENTS Reference "Bullets vs. baby food," by Kaaryn Gustafson (Outlook, Nov. 24). First, she opposes drug-testing welfare recipients on the basis of a study that concludes the poor pose no particular public safety threat when compared to more wealthy folk. This conclusion can be reached because the study counts apples when it should be counting bullets. There is ample evidence that poor fatherless black males pose a much greater risk of committing violent crime. And much of this is associated with drug use and drug dealing. Simply counting how many poor and how many wealthy use drugs is not relevant. Second, even if there were no greater risk, the question she does not take up is "whose money is it?" If the poor were spending their own money on drugs, that would be their right, of course. But it is our money, the money of the productive in society, whose money is given to them, and having given that money, we have the right to ask that it be spent wisely. Drug-testing of welfare recipients should be implemented everywhere, not just Michigan. Third, the U.S. Constitution, which many leftists prefer to ignore, says the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. Just what part of "shall not be infringed" does Gustafson not understand? Does she think it says, "can be infringed as much as I want?" Gustafson would prefer to allow welfare money to be spent on drugs and then to try to control the end result, the bullet coming out of the barrel. This makes no sense at all. Wouldn't it be much smarter to try to prevent the fatherless homes, the drug use, the "root causes" of the violence? Whatever happened to the liberal mantra about "root causes?" Brooks A. Mick Newport News - --- MAP posted-by: SHeath(DPFFlorida)