It's NOT okay

Here's a comment that is currently making the rounds on Facebook:

Florida is the first state that will require drug testing when applying for welfare (effective July 1st)! Some people are crying this is unconstitutional. How is this unconstitutional yet it's okay that every working person had to pass a drug test in order to support those on welfare? Re-post if you… agree!!! Let's get Welfare back to the one's who NEED it, not those that just WANT it.

Since a lot of my friends are re posting this 'I'm okay with drug testing for welfare' thing, here's my blanket comment to you:

Sure, this SEEMS like a good idea.  Like Rick Scott says, we don't want people getting assistance and then laying around all day watching TV.  But not everyone working has to pass a drug test, trust me on that one. The government obtaining your bodily fluids and violating your privacy without probable cause is against the 4th, 5th, and 14th amendment. It's also been reported that Rick Scott, governor of Florida has ties to a company that makes profits off of drug testing materials. 


Here's another concern, and this is just me stretching my own logic, but it makes sense to me.  If you take a drug test, it's possible that the government COULD extract your DNA.  I know this sounds like a conspiracy theory on the Glenn Beck level, but state governments have said before that they wanted to create a DNA database to assist the police in catching criminals.  With all that the new republican governors have done already this year, is the really such a stretch?  While I'm all for catching criminals in crimes where DNA could be a factor (murder, rape, etc.) obtaining a match with DNA provided during a welfare screening (or any other prerequisite test) could be thrown out due to its constitutionality (see previous sited amendments).  Then that person would most likely get off.


Back to the issue at hand.  The whole reason Rick Scott wants to do this is because of the Florida budget.  This is the same argument that I made in Wisconsin but I'm going to say it again, this is not about the budget.  If it was, the governor would not be suggesting that they pay all of this money to test the people who are asking for assistance.  I'm all for means testing, but all us progressives are saying is do it in a logical way that won't cost the state even MORE money (by paying for the testing).  


This is just another 'big government' solution brought forth by people who ran on 'little government' issues.  Just because hypocrisy coming from the right is constant, doesn't mean we should get used to it.