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Politics "Under democracy, one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule -and both commonly succeed, and are right." -H.L. Menken

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Old 09-23-2012, 06:20 PM   #1
AshleyO
 
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Welfare and drug testing

I just saw a post on FB with 333,000 comments about how the poor should be drug tested to receive any help from the government.

...Today is not a day where I'm interested in socialism in America.

Vicious and vengeful people...

I can't right now.
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Old 09-23-2012, 07:47 PM   #2
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They've started giving out a benefits card here (Australia) called 'The New Basics' card - so that people who would otherwise be receiving unemployment payments aren't getting actual money but have to use this special card to pay for things.

This way they won't spend all of their money on alcohol and drugs.

Because, you know.. unemployment = non-stop party times.


Quote:
The system quarantines between fifty to seventy per cent of welfare payments, only at government endorsed stores, and only for necessities.

It will be trialled in five disadvantaged areas next year, but a group from one of the sites says the policy is discriminatory.

"Income doesn't need to be managed it needs to be increased!", one group was cheering in Western Sydney today.

People identified as "vulnerable to financial crisis" will have up to 70% of their Centrelink payments put onto 'Basics Cards.'

They'll only be used for so-called necessities in specified stores such as Coles and Woolworths.

The government says the sites were chosen based on factors such as unemployment, skills gaps and the amount of people relying on welfare as their primary income. But community leaders say the policy ignores the real needs of recipients.

Campaigners claim that the $117.5m in funding could be better spent. St Vincent De Paul's CEO John Falzon is amongst them.

"We should be providing a more adequate income, more support services to enable people to live fulfilling lives, and have the opportunities the rest of Australia has."

The Arab Council's Randa Kattan says it stigmatises recipients and will only make things worse for Bankstown.

"It's an extremely punitive policy, it punishes people, it doesn't build communities", Mr Kattan said.

An estimated 20,000 will be affected by the five-year trial.
Source: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1...nger-in-Sydney
(emphasis added)
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Old 09-23-2012, 07:51 PM   #3
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Not to mention the fact that Coles and Woolworths are *the* two big supermarket chains here.. they are putting smaller stores out of business and destroying farmers because they are paying fuck-all for produce.

And they will make ridiculous amounts of money through this scheme.

But fuck it.. it isn't like the unemployed need any sense of autonomy over their lives. Also, compared to other stores (like Aldi) Coles and Woolworths are really expensive.
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Old 09-23-2012, 07:54 PM   #4
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Ok. I'll stop ranting now.
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Old 09-23-2012, 08:02 PM   #5
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I wonder how everyone would feel about drug testing if it was done for anything that tax money went to. Want to go see the doctor? Drug test. Want to go to university? Constant drugs and alcohol tests. Need to go to court? Drug test. Want to tax advantage of tax credits? Drug test.
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Old 09-23-2012, 08:20 PM   #6
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Fuck it. Drug test for fucking EVERYTHING.

Can't be having anyone throwing parties or livin' it up in skid fucking row.

Sometimes, I don't know what's worse; the oblivious and out-of-touch rich whiteys or the fucking ignorant median working class dogs who buy into the myths of the poor.

Fucking assholes. You can't have Christ and Rand at the same time.
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Old 09-23-2012, 08:32 PM   #7
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Drug tests for tax exemptions.
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Old 09-23-2012, 08:39 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Miss Absynthe View Post
Not to mention the fact that Coles and Woolworths are *the* two big supermarket chains here.. they are putting smaller stores out of business and destroying farmers because they are paying fuck-all for produce.

And they will make ridiculous amounts of money through this scheme.

But fuck it.. it isn't like the unemployed need any sense of autonomy over their lives. Also, compared to other stores (like Aldi) Coles and Woolworths are really expensive.
I am lucky enough to have been able to avoid going on assistance, but I've noticed it really does stigmatize people to have to identify as being on assistance, like I follow the Retail Robin tumblr who typically take down classist memes, but when they slip through its usually someone complaining about someone with a WIC card buying lobster or beer or trying to argue that a "luxury" item should be covered.
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Old 09-23-2012, 09:58 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Miss Absynthe View Post
Not to mention the fact that Coles and Woolworths are *the* two big supermarket chains here.. they are putting smaller stores out of business and destroying farmers because they are paying fuck-all for produce.

And they will make ridiculous amounts of money through this scheme.

But fuck it.. it isn't like the unemployed need any sense of autonomy over their lives. Also, compared to other stores (like Aldi) Coles and Woolworths are really expensive.
Sounds like they're following the Wal-Mart model. Drop the prices to the point that the smaller businesses can't compete and after the little guy's out of business jack up the prices because the consumer has nowhere else to go. I really think that model should be made illegal or carry a huge fine.
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Old 09-24-2012, 01:50 AM   #10
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BB - that's exactly what they're doing.
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Old 09-24-2012, 09:11 AM   #11
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Florida tried it, turned out it didn't do anything except line the pockets of the lab company analyzing the test.

"Funny" part is the states paid out more reimbursing people for the cost of the test when they passed than they saved by not paying benefits out to drug abusers. It would have cost tax payers less to just give people benefits who need them.
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Old 09-24-2012, 04:51 PM   #12
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BUT THEY WILL SPEND IT ON DRUGS!!

[insert classist rhetoric here]
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Old 09-24-2012, 05:50 PM   #13
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Old 09-25-2012, 06:52 AM   #14
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*twitch* I see that shit on fb on such a regular business. I do my best to respond to it in a way that asshole conservatives will understand. They don't seem to care that it is a shitty invasion of privacy, and really shouldn't be done on any sort of wide scale anyway.

I just go striaight for the fact that it ends up costing more than it saves, because drug tests are more expensive than just being a decent society and helping the fucking poor who are not demons, monsters or greedy assholes... just people who don't have enough money for shit like food and shelter. *twitch*

I'm so tired of feeling like a freak, for holding the opinion that we, as a society, should help those who can't help themselves. *twitch*
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Old 09-25-2012, 07:09 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Miss Absynthe View Post
BUT THEY WILL SPEND IT ON DRUGS!!

[insert classist rhetoric here]
Drug tests for Miss Absynthe. She must be high.
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Old 09-25-2012, 07:17 AM   #16
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My behavioral economics book talks about this and how little it would matter even if it were reliable. I'll post what it says when I have the book with me.
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You fucking people [war veterans] are only a step below entitled rich kids, the only difference being you had to do and witness horrible things, instead of being given everything.
real classy
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Old 09-25-2012, 09:40 AM   #17
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Many conservatives are of the belief that people on any form of public assistance should not be allowed anything but the most stringent minimal necessities to ensure life support at its most basic level. Anything beyond that is viewed as a "luxury".
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Old 09-25-2012, 10:15 AM   #18
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Yeah, I remember Fox News putting poverty in quotations because 97% of "poor" people have refrigerators.
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Originally Posted by KissMeDeadly
You fucking people [war veterans] are only a step below entitled rich kids, the only difference being you had to do and witness horrible things, instead of being given everything.
real classy
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Old 09-25-2012, 10:28 AM   #19
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I'll bet those freeloaders have smoke detectors, too
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Old 09-25-2012, 11:34 AM   #20
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I bet those freeloading fuckers have running water. The god damned NERVE!

You know what? This is interesting.

Anyone care to speculate on what a world would look like to a conservative if they had their way?

Should the poor have refrigerators, carpeted floors, smoke detectors, and running water? No.

Even if the conservatives DID perfect a welfare system on their terms; I can't imagine what that would look like to just about every community in America short of some rich communities. o_0 It'd be like shanty towns surrounding mansions.
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Rip off a million poor people and Wall street has no problems. " -Rebecca B
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Old 09-25-2012, 11:35 AM   #21
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Quote:
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Drug tests for Miss Absynthe. She must be high.
Oh clearly. You know I saw her buy some canned food on one of those EBT cards and that woman had the NERVE to buy a six pack of beer with a debit card afterwards.
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Rip off a million poor people and Wall street has no problems. " -Rebecca B
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Old 09-25-2012, 05:03 PM   #22
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Quote:
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Drug tests for Miss Absynthe. She must be high.
Does getting over 80% on a drug test mean that I get an HD?
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Old 09-25-2012, 05:05 PM   #23
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I'm going to have to ask you to refrain from posting until the results come back.
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Old 09-25-2012, 05:08 PM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AshleyO View Post
Oh clearly. You know I saw her buy some canned food on one of those EBT cards and that woman had the NERVE to buy a six pack of beer with a debit card afterwards.
Fuck you!

I would NEVER drink beer.
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Old 09-25-2012, 05:15 PM   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AshleyO View Post
I bet those freeloading fuckers have running water. The god damned NERVE!

You know what? This is interesting.

Anyone care to speculate on what a world would look like to a conservative if they had their way?

Should the poor have refrigerators, carpeted floors, smoke detectors, and running water? No.

Even if the conservatives DID perfect a welfare system on their terms; I can't imagine what that would look like to just about every community in America short of some rich communities. o_0 It'd be like shanty towns surrounding mansions.
They want this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilded_Age

Most of the proponents of think they will look like this:


and not this:
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