Pubdate: Tue, 17 Feb 2015 Source: Washington Post (DC) Copyright: 2015 The Washington Post Company Contact: http://mapinc.org/url/mUgeOPdZ Website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/491 Author: Elise Cleva Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v15/n095/a11.html DRUG-TESTING THE POOR HURTS US ALL Thanks to Catherine Rampell for exposing in her Feb. 13 op-ed column, "Drug tests for everyone," the hypocrisy of governors and legislators who want to test those who receive public funds and benefits. Targeting the poor and the most vulnerable for drug testing has proved that it costs more to do the testing than to pay the benefit. Not a prudent use of taxpayer money. However, we can be certain that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) and politicians of his political bent will not be targeting those (the top 20 percent) claiming tax breaks, although doing so could, as Ms. Rampell says, "produce a huge windfall." Bullying and intimidating the poorest with drug testing is nothing more than a way for politicians to establish their conservative bona fides, and it is certainly not the path to follow for weeding out those receiving the biggest public subsidies. Elise Cleva, Arlington - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom