Representative Gwen Moore doesn’t believe that poor people should be drug-tested to receive welfare benefits. But if Republican legislators insist on putting that barrier in place, then turnabout is fair play. The Democrat from Wisconsin just put forth a bill that would require the rich to be drug-tested for large tax breaks.
The Top 1% Accountability Act of 2016 would require any citizen who files for itemized deductions larger than $150,000 to submit to a drug test, similar to what Republican legislators across the country have asked of welfare recipients. Moore explained the motive behind the bill in a press release:
“As a strong advocate for social programs aimed at combating poverty, it deeply offends me that there is such a deep stigma surrounding those who depend on government benefits, especially as a former welfare recipient. Sadly, Republicans across the country continue to implement discriminatory policies that criminalize the less fortunate and perpetuate false narratives about the most vulnerable among us. These laws serve only one purpose: stoking the most extreme sentiments and misguided notions of the conservative movement.”
Though the drug-testing laws have proven to be a colossal waste of taxpayer money, the idea continues to be popular among conservative legislators at the federal and local level. And hey, if it gets rid of the culture of dependency on tax breaks that’s eroding the foundation of WASP society, we’re all for it.
(Via The Huffington Post)