Bills Would Require Michiganders To Work For Welfare, Pass Drug Test

detroit.cbslocal.com...

If a individual is healthy and not totally disabled, I see this Bill as a no brainer.

A bill has passed in the Michigan Senate that would require those receiving public assistance to do some “volunteer” work. Another bill, which passed the House Commerce Committee, requires drug testing, revoking benefits for welfare recipients who refuse the test or who test positive. “The whole intention is to make certain folks have some skin in the game, and I don’t feel that there’s any problem with making folks go out and do some kind of community service in order to receive their cash assistance,” Hune said.

While they are out doing community service, they will also possibly learning a new trade, networking and meeting new contacts. Doing this will also help to patch up resumes blank spots in the prospective employees work history.

People that cannot work due to disabilities, I have no problem with. But the corruption within the welfare system is so thorough, I doubt that this Bill will last long.

reply to post by TDawgRex


This needs to pass across the United States!!

Too bad "they" are the commanding vote because of the amount of welfare (assistance) recipients.....So it will never pass as a law, but a great thought and this is how is needs to be!

I agree. Unfortunately over the last two POTUS elections we've seen what happens when those who don't work outnumber those who do work at the voting booths. I doubt the bill will go anywhere.

reply to post by TDawgRex


Widespread corruption or widespread misery index? The unemployment rate in Michigan is such and particularly in the population centers, that they can pass a Commandment from God himself to order them all to work. It won't put people into jobs which flat out don't exist.

One can't legislate them into existence. There is a % of Welfare Queens as there always have been ... There is a FAR greater % over the last 6-8 years who never wanted to be on benefits, never asked to be and hate being there. 10's of millions of them at last headlines on the topic.

Anything to make life a little more complicated and miserable for those already enduring too much of both...is adding fuel to a simmering forest fire, IMO. Just more fuel into the mix, indeed.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


The first thought that came to my mind when I read this article is, "Aren't there a crapload of abandoned property in Detroit that needs to be torn down, maybe even recycled?".

I heard of a plan quite awhile ago that Detroit even thought of returning some of their neighborhoods back into farmland. I haven't heard whatever came of that idea.

The only thing hat will save Detroit will be the people of Detroit. And if attaching some helpful work to that welfare check helps get them back on their feet, I'm all for it.

The ones who just want to mooch will probably just end up in Chicago anyways.

Wrabbit2000
reply to post by TDawgRex

 

Widespread corruption or widespread misery index? The unemployment rate in Michigan is such and particularly in the population centers, that they can pass a Commandment from God himself to order them all to work. It won't put people into jobs which flat out don't exist.

One can't legislate them into existence. There is a % of Welfare Queens as there always have been ... There is a FAR greater % over the last 6-8 years who never wanted to be on benefits, never asked to be and hate being there. 10's of millions of them at last headlines on the topic.

Anything to make life a little more complicated and miserable for those already enduring too much of both...is adding fuel to a simmering forest fire, IMO. Just more fuel into the mix, indeed.

...And let's not forget the biggest "welfare queens"...Corporations and banks. I hate the whole partisan game, but so many people forget the words spoken by Lil' Bush in argument for his tax cuts to "create jobs"...they never did pop out of the ground magically as profit margins increased for businesses. The income disparity is at an all time high. Wall Street is fat and ripe. And the outlook only looks worse as company after company are cutting hours to remove paying benefits while handing out raises to "the suits". When it is more cost effective to be on welfare...what incentive is there to make other people rich while choosing between paying the electric bill or eating.

The people on Welfare were required to work at the counties and other government funded programs in the early eighties. I had some of them on the Insulating crew that I was a foreman of back then. A single women without kids had to work but one with kids was not required to. That was a good system, at least the taxpayer was getting something for taking care of these people when times were tough. They had a lot of workers at the Community Action agency up there working under that welfare program. They were making firewood and selling it cheaply to older low income people. The money from the sales paid for the logging trucks full of firewood they had delivered. It was a nonprofit organization.

I don't know why they discontinued making people work for their welfare, people who work for their money often feel better about themselves and the exercise keeps them in shape to go get a job. Also, if you have to work for your money, it is better to go out and look for a better paying job. It is good incentive.

The system they adopted presently was a big downgrade from the system they had back then. I think the whole thing should be reevaluated and the Michigan Works programs necessity be reevaluated. That program sucks, I know people who had to utilize it and it is just a waste of money. Someone formed a totally useless program. Why does a person have to go to look for work if you are layed off for a couple of months, why do you have to go sit in on a lecture or watch movies on looking for jobs when you will be going back with your employer as soon as the weather gets better. I think that is rediculous. We have a lot of construction workers who get layed off for three or four months each winter. They go back to work in the spring. Their employer pays an unemployment rate that considers this layoff, it is part of the system to make the unemployment self sufficient in funding. I know, I was an employer, my rate was about 12 percent of wages after a while.

This bill sounds like a band-aid. A temporary solution for an extensive problem. You know, because actually solving the problem takes too much effort.

While I agree that there is rampant abuse going on here in MI, there are several problems with this bill, including the fact that we are job strapped right now.
Having them do volunteer work is fine, I have no problem with that.
But if I recall, with the drug portion of this, the wording wasn't real clear about Medical Marijuana. So you going to cut people off for that too?
Hell, they are already taking babies because of it!!!!!

Michigan is broke, there is no doubt about it, but they really need to make serious clarifications in this bill before they pass it.

Drug testing welfare recipients is proving time and again to be a HUGE money waster. Here some links to read:

Welfare Drug Testing Catches Only 12 Users In Utah

An inane, money-eating sham: Drug tests for welfare a huge failure

No Savings Are Found From Welfare Drug Tests

So the poster who said that this is a band-aid to a huge problem is correct. It's funny how Michigan, a broke state, wants to implement this HUGE money sink. Oh well politicians be politicians.

reply to post by TDawgRex


Why even waste time with Detroit, lets just ignore it and act like it doesn't exist. Hey, maybe we can pass it off as a part of Afghanistan eventually and drop some hellfire missiles on it.

reply to post by Krazysh0t


The drug testing bill as I read it was separate from the "Volunteer" bill. Most of us have to do a drug test upon accepting employment anyways so I could see a one time urinalysis.

And yes a urinalysis can be expensive and can be beat. I say take a hair sample. That's not easy to beat at all...with the exception of not using.

reply to post by Krazysh0t


This is a deeper infringement on civil liberties.

If you believe in this give me a break, whats the difference between this and background checks on guns? Non they are all infringements on civil liberties. Its non of their business what i do in my free time as long as i am not hurting anyone, period.

I wish Conservatives would put forth the same amount of effort at combating the trillions of dollars wasted when it comes to corporate welfare.

The food stamps that corporations receive are nothing compared to what your average joe gets "gaming" the system.

reply to post by the owlbear


Yep.

It would be good if we could get unemployment back to the Bush peak ...

4.4% was great wasn't it ?Look what happened when Democrats took control of Congress starting in Jan 2007 !!!

Looks like the deficit spending was better back then too eh ?

reply to post by TDawgRex


You do know that hair follicle tests are more expensive than urinalysis are right? That's why the most common form of testing is a urinalysis.

reply to post by onequestion


Exactly, I hate drug tests in all forms. Businesses and the government have no business knowing what I do in my free time as long as it isn't hurting anyone else.

muse7
I wish Conservatives would put forth the same amount of effort at combating the trillions of dollars wasted when it comes to corporate welfare.

The food stamps that corporations receive are nothing compared to what your average joe gets "gaming" the system.

edit on 9/19/2013 by muse7 because: (no reason given)

How many "Trillions" is it in total ?

Sounds like a lot !!!

Maybe they could pay off the national debt.

The point is not to catch people it's to make them move to an area that is more desireable to them. Like another state. The state with the best welfare wins or loses depending on how you look at it. Michigan used to be a rich state so we have good bennifits now were broke and it's time for everyone to suffer together or move on. Where I live we can't find enough workers wether it's engineers or drywallers. I need a drywall finisher and i get told to call Kalamazoo or lansing to see if there's anybody available. our company has 250 openings. Work is there if you look for it

reply to post by Krazysh0t


The drug testing just makes more business for the medical industry. They are behind pushing for this. You have to look at motive, the medical industry wants a piece of the pie. The government's rationality has been compromised, their people cannot see properly.