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from the unreasonable-searches-and-seizures dept.
Via Common Dreams, the American Civil Liberties Union reports
[December 3], a three-judge panel at the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that a 2011 Florida law mandating that all applicants for the state's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program submit to suspicion-less drug tests violates the Constitution's protection against unreasonable government searches.
[...]The 11th Circuit panel's order rejects arguments made by attorneys for the State of Florida that government has the authority to require people to submit to invasive searches of their bodily fluids without suspicion of wrongdoing, stating "the warrantless, suspicionless urinalysis drug testing of every Florida TANF applicant as a mandatory requirement for receiving Temporary Cash Assistance offends the Fourth Amendment."
[...]A 2012 review of the TANF mandatory urinalysis program found that the state of Florida spent more money reimbursing individuals for drug tests than the state saved on screening out the extremely small percentage.
(Score: 2) by arashi no garou on Thursday December 04 2014, @05:49PM
I consider any politician, no matter how "nice" or "for the people", to be full of hate, greed, and an insatiable thirst for lying, cheating, and stealing. If a politician does a good thing, I look for the selfish angle behind it. I hate that it's like that, but there is no such thing as an honest politician and if you believe there is, sooner than later you'll be proven wrong.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 04 2014, @05:59PM
No one is honest all the time. The politicians pushing this stuff are representing the will of some of their constituents. Sure those constituents hold some really cruel attitudes but that's life. We are all a mix of good and bad and much of what distinguishes between good and bad is just a question of perspective.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by arashi no garou on Thursday December 04 2014, @06:40PM
I used to feel the same way. I once had hope that there were good people involved in politics and would ignore bad behavior from what I thought of as "good" people. Then I worked for the government for 14 years and I realized the truth: There is no such thing as a "good" person in politics. No matter what good intentions someone has when running for an elected position, they will inevitably feel the slimy hands of greed and power around them and will succumb to that embrace.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by bob_super on Thursday December 04 2014, @06:15PM
The problem, when you're trying to get elected by morons, is that it's a lot easier to show off how you got tough on drug addicts to save tax money (bonus if your opponent didn't), rather than actually fighting for meaningful and nuanced laws which actually improve people's lives.
(Score: 3, Informative) by arashi no garou on Thursday December 04 2014, @06:43PM
You'd be surprised at how many of these politicians aren't just pushing a platform to get elected; some of them live and breathe depravity towards other humans.
These days when people ask me what political party I'm voting for (and I do still vote, it's better than doing nothing) I reply that I don't vote for the party, I vote for the candidate that is the worst liar. That way it's easier to see the bullshit coming from a distance.
(Score: 2) by Hairyfeet on Tuesday December 09 2014, @03:49AM
Bimbo Newton Crosby, try talking to these hardcore Ayn Randiates and you'll quickly find they are really hardcore sadists, they really do find pleasure in the idea of stomping on poor folks.
ACs are never seen so don't bother. Always ready to show SJWs for the racists they are.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 05 2014, @12:31AM
there is no such thing as an honest politician
Actually, there is. An honest politician is one who *stays* bribed.
(Score: 2) by hoochiecoochieman on Friday December 05 2014, @06:39PM
From my personal experience, I know that not all politicians are dishonest. There are very good and valuable people in politics.
But politics is an activity that attracts lots of dishonest people. They want to control resources and can bullshit their way into positions of power. But that's not different from any human activity involving money and power. Management positions in private companies are full of dishonest people. And they make a huge lot more money than politicians. And they're a lot less accountable than politicians.
The thing that scares the crooks the most is that their work is scrutinised by the people that elected them. So, to avoid dishonesty in politics, common people must be involved and active. That's the reason that the "politics is dishonest" meme is so widespread. It appeals to the laziness of the common guy. Instead of demanding more from his elected officials, he will just drop his arms and use the meme as an excuse for inaction. That's exactly what every crook wants. To drive honest people away from politics, so he can rule free.
Stop being a lazy naysayer and get involved. I warn you, it's hard work, and you will be subject to a lot of temptations. If you are honest, you'll give a lot more than you take. But you can sleep at night, because you know the world is a tiny, tiny bit better, because of you.
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
Edmund Burke
(Score: 2) by everdred on Friday December 05 2014, @07:14PM