Should individuals recieving state aid (i.e. food stamps, WIC, housing) have to submit to random drug testing?

See the news article

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090326/ap_o...

Yes! The sooner the better!
I am tested regularly in my jobs, so why should someone that is benefiting from my labor not have to be tested to get free tax payers money?
Further, fail one drug test, benefits taken for 30 days
fail a second test, no benefits for 90 days,
fail a third test, banned for life!

For welfare when no effort is made to better ones self, then yes. Most people that is on food stamp and WIC has a job, but their income because they are trying to make do with minimum wage is so low then they need these programs to get by. Also if you go to your states web site for WIC you will see that the income limits are quite high, but with the price of formula most need it to feed a child when breast is not an option (and do not try to say if you can't afford to feed a child then don't have one cause most of you would not be here if your parents had waited till they could afford you). And probably most of the people getting housing is women that are trying to get out of a bad situation, then I would say no, unless she does not make a good faith effort to move on and better herself by getting a job or going back to school for job training.

I totally agree with the sentiment of drug-testing people who receive public assistance, but unfortunately it sounds like it would end up costing more than it would be worth. For those of you who think that it is harsh to kick people off welfare for failing a drug test, ask yourself just how far your sympathy would go if you had to support someone who kept ruining their lives and yours through drug addiction. Even family members have to turn their backs on addicts at a certain point. Otherwise they are just enablers.

That being said, let's not characterize all welfare-recipients as drug fiends who will stoop to anything for their next score. Most of them genuinely deserve sympathy.

In December, more than 31.7 million Americans were receiving food stamp benefits, compared with 27.5 million the year before.

And it's probably higher now, because obviously drug testing 35 million people is an economical solution

Sure--let's deny benefits to people with addiction problems and their children. That'll teach 'em. Benefits programs are to assist people to improve their situations and take care of their families, not to punish children and keep them impoverished.

Why not? I, for one, do not want to pay for some drug addicts house, while he or she sits on their butt doing drugs. Let the honest people who actually are trying to get ahead receive the assistance.