Forced Drug & Alcohol Testing to get Unemployment Benefits

Originally posted by IamBoon
THis is great. It isn't the fact they are saying those who receive benefits are on drugs it is making sure that those that receive the benefits are eligible for jobs and not using the money for dope instead of spending it on more noble services.

Shouldn't jobs be concerned with drug testing and alcohol testing not the federal government? Since when should the tax payer foot the bill for drug testing to make sure someone can get a job--that is the employers responsibility if they so choose.

What this is more likely is that employers are cutting back on drug testing and someone in congress wants to help out their corporate buddies get their business profits up. Socialism for the rich.

I guess they will start giving drug tests to the military,police officers, firemen and anyone else that gets paid with taxpayer money. You can bet there are those who do drugs in every job that is being paid with taxpayer money. You would be amazed as to how many people do drugs in this country that are paid with taxpayer money. This has been thrown around before I don't thik it will get to far.

reply to post by ExPostFacto


Unemployment benefits are paid by businesses not the gov. It's called unemployment insurance and it's a fund that businesses pay into to share the burden of an unemployed workforce with the State. That's my understanding anyway. Corrections are always welcome.
STH


p.s. I've recently become aware of the snooty tone some of my posts carry and I, by no means intend that attitude...I just sound that way on internets.

Well after my husband paying over 25 thousand dollars last year in taxes I think we have earned the right to know who are the recipients of that tax payer money, no only anybody that receive tax payer money but also the fat rats in corporate America also, test them all for drug, alcohol and whatever

My husband and I have pay for that right.

[edit on 20-6-2010 by marg6043]

reply to post by stopthathurts


You are only partially correct. Some states require businesses to carry unemployment insurance. But every business with employees has to pay an unemployment tax to both the state and federal government. In some states the employees also have a small tax, but it is nothing compared to what the business itself is paying.

Mandating sobriety is a hallmark of a fascist and or a theocratic nation, and not a free republic.

Unemployment Insurance is a fund that all workers pay into, so frankly its none of you business what a person does when they are unemployed, because if they are collecting unemployment they have paid into this and have earned the right.

They should not be force to conform to some one else religions beliefs to benefit from a program that they have earned.

This is the society that we have created.

You wanna fix social security, make congress participate instead of having there own separate retirement fund.

You wanna have the freedom to live on the edge, force congress and All elected officials including the supreme court to piss in a cup like the rest of us do.

We need a Right to live on the Edge amendment to the constitution.

Freedom is a state of mind a mind is a state of being Stay the F%^& outta my mind and my being!!!!!!

reply to post by tsurfer2000h


The military does drug test, they have been doing it since before my husband joined the corps back in the 70s.

Police also does random testing, I am no sure about the firefighters.

reply to post by LDragonFire


Again, misinformation being spread through ignorance of tax laws. Not every worker pays for unemployment tax, in fact the vast majority of employees pay no unemployment tax. It is purposefully set up as a business tax. There are a few states that pass the tax onto the employees, but again, the business pays much more for your income than you do in those states.

reply to post by stopthathurts


Well thanks for pointing out how I am wrong about something I actually stated on page 2 of this thread.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Originally posted by ninthaxis
reply to post by LDragonFire

 

Again, misinformation being spread through ignorance of tax laws. Not every worker pays for unemployment tax, in fact the vast majority of employees pay no unemployment tax. It is purposefully set up as a business tax. There are a few states that pass the tax onto the employees, but again, the business pays much more for your income than you do in those states.

The misinformation being spread is my opinion nothing more nothing less, if you become unemployed you must meet certain obligation relating [or based] on your work history this should be enough to qualify.

Is this business tax [unemployment] effected by how many workers are working and or how many are unemployed from said business?

*edit to add* in a freer time in America drug testing was ruled unconstitutional. Just one of many changes that show we have less freedoms than in the past.


[edit on 20-6-2010 by LDragonFire]

[edit on 20-6-2010 by LDragonFire]

reply to post by LDragonFire


Yes actually the unemployment rate is set based on a number of qualifying factors for a business. The amount the business has made, the amount of workers, the timeliness of the business payment for the unemployment tax. Your opinion that every worker pays unemployment tax is flat out wrong. That is not a statement of opinion but a fact. I was replying to no other part of your post than the statement that all workers pay unemployment tax.

BEST NEWS I'VE HEARD ON ATS IN A LOOONG TIME. Now we just need to legalize marijuana so we can at least have ALITTLE fun.

What some one does with their money is none of my business.
End of story.

[edit on 20-6-2010 by randyvs]

Hopefully none of you will get too angry if I inject a small dose of reality into this thread.

Currently, a recipient of unemployment benefits is required to be "ABLE and available to work" in order to receive the benefits each and every week. However, they just take your word for it. If they send you to apply for a job and you fail the employer's drug test, the employer can't tell the state due to privacy laws. Since the unemployed aren't required by law to be drug tested, there's no way around that.

If, on the other hand, we had a law that required (allowed) the unemployed to be tested, then the state could require employers to inform the state if a potential employee failed the drug test, and they could then be denied benefits. That's what they're trying to achieve .. they want to catch the people who don't get hired for jobs because they flunk the drug tests. They aren't going to start testing everyone, but they have to have the law in order to make it legal for the companies to be able to report drug test failures back to the state.

reply to post by hhott

I wonder if they have to deal with this in China or Iran or North Korea???

Is this what freedom looks like?

The amount spent on welfare was about $411 billion in 2006.

It is important to define "welfare," because the term often includes Social Security and Medicare--by far the largest percentage of the welfare budget. The $411 billion is the amount spent on all social aid, including Medicaid BUT NOT including Social Security or Medicare. Medicaid accounts for about one-half of social-aid welfare (not including the Social Security and Medicare entitlements). I find puzzling the inclusion of Medicaid in welfare and its exclusion from health-care spending, as well as the exclusion of Medicare from health-care spending. I suspect that the source of the revenue for each program causes the accounting for spending on health care to be as split up as it is.

Once Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are subtracted, social-aid programs cost Americans roughly $210 billion (at the federal, state, and local levels)-- about $100 billion less than is spent on interest and one-quarter of what is spent on health care (not including Medicare and Medicaid).



you'll find that approx 10-20% of welfare cheques are spent on a regular basis on drugs and alcohol, the intended purpose is to provide assistance and care during a period of economic inactivity, not get your welfare to get your kicks, with the recession and all of the problems that we are facing at present upto 20% off of the welfare payments adds upto many, many millions per year, the american spend on all welfare systems cost the country 9 Trillion dollars (2004) link

Okay, stay with me here.

You people still don't get it.

Unemployment is not a tax. It is not 'your' tax dollars.

It is a corporate and (in some cases) employee pool/bond. It was intended as a risk reduction program for employees. It was designed to give workers a cushion when businesses make bad decisions and go belly up.

This money is not TAX money. It's NOT the governments money. The government MAKES money off the interest this account makes.

Essentially this money does nothing more than make our government an insurance company. They mandate it, they run it, and they enforce it.

So no, your tax dollars did not put in to this insurance policy so please just shut it. If you believe drinking is bad. Good for you. If you believe drugs are bad. Good for you. It's not your place nor the governments to put a morality clause on the claims they owe.

It's nothing short of an insurance company denying claims.

It's not a system where anyone can make claims to benefits. In order to qualify, the companies you have worked for pay for your policy. These people have contributed to this fund whether directly or indirectly.

If you're upset about where your tax dollars are going, there are far better travesties to jump up and down about.

If you support this, then it's only a matter of time until the government requires these tests for tax returns because basically the two are set up the same. From there it's only a small step to deny or penalize people for being generally unhealthy.

If you don't believe me, then just wait and see.

reply to post by ExPostFacto


K...sorry....
STH

Originally posted by ExPostFacto

Forced Drug & Alcohol Testing to get Unemployment Benefits

In a shocking amendment to the 2010 Unemployment Extension Bill, lawmakers now want to force drug & alcohol tests on the unemployed to qualify for benefits.

well, i dunno if that is really fair.

Seems to me america should be more fair and balanced.

I would like to see america spend just as much money supplying those who use such benefits as they do on their war on drugs.

yep, sounds fair and balanced to me.

how many laws exist?
how many people are you paying to make more laws?
stupid people are funny.

maybe that is just the recreational part of me speaking...

Washington wants to get the drugs off the planet?
first get the drugs Washington D.C. is on off the planet!

but i could be wrong,
ET


[edit on 20-6-2010 by Esoteric Teacher]

reply to post by Esoteric Teacher


What is the motive for this new policy?

Is it to help people by identifying those that have drug or alcohol problems and steer them into appropriate programs OR is it to try and save taxes by simply deterring people from obtaining benefits?