Congressional drug prohibitionist arrested for possession of cocaine

WASHINGTON — In September, Rep. Trey Radel voted for Republican legislation that would allow states to make food stamp recipients pee in cups to prove they’re not on drugs. In October, police busted the Florida Republican on a charge of cocaine possession.

“It’s really interesting it came on the heels of Republicans voting on everyone who had access to food stamps get drug tested,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told BuzzFeed Tuesday. “It’s like, what?”

The House over the summer approved an amendment by Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) that would let states drug test people on food stamps. The amendment passed by voice vote, meaning members’ individual yeas and nays were not recorded. Radel later voted in favor of a broader food stamps bill that included Hudson’s measure.

In support of his drug testing legislation, Hudson cited the many state legislatures around the country that had considered similar requirements for other means-tested programs in recent years.

“This is a clear and obvious problem in our communities as nearly 30 states have introduced legislation to drug test for welfare programs,” Hudson said. “We have a moral obligation to equip the states with the tools they need to discourage the use of illegal drugs.”
Most of the state legislation was authored by Republicans. Oftentimes, state Democrats responded by suggesting lawmakers should be subject to tests as well. If the government’s going to make sure recipients of taxpayer-funded benefits are clean, the argument went, then why not also make sure the recipients of taxpayer salaries are clean, too?

In June, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) made that very suggestion when he questioned why recipients of crop insurance and other government benefits weren’t also targeted for drug tests like people on food stamps.

“Why don’t we drug test all the members of Congress here,” McGovern said shortly before the drug-testing measure passed. “Force everybody to go urinate in a cup or see whether or not anybody is on drugs? Maybe that will explain why some of these amendments are coming up or why some of the votes are turning out the way they are.”

The fate of the food stamp drug testing provision is in the hands of a House-Senate conference committee hashing out differences between food stamp and farm legislation that passed the two chambers. It’s got a chance. Last year, Congress passed a law to let states drug-test some unemployment insurance recipients.

Radel apologized Tuesday for his cocaine bust and said he’d seek treatment.
“I struggle with the disease of alcoholism, and this led to an extremely irresponsible choice,” he said.

Source

Fuck him. Throw him to the wolves. I'm tired of hypocritical assholes like him. He comes off so self righteous only to a be a sinner himself and the worst kind. Like Lamont Hill said this asshole had no problem taking food out of the mouths of you and your children. He has no problem denying you food because you used medical marijuana to save your life and now that you've come up positive for drugs you are cut off from food stamps. A program you need to feed yourself and your family. This prick asks for love and compassion when it comes to him but he has no problem imposing draconian measures on the rest of us. This clown needs punishment. I say we contact our Congressperson and the Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and let them know of our disgust and that We The People are not going to take it anymore.

Force an up and down vote on the National Right To Work Act

From the National Right to Work Committee:

Big Labor desperately wants to stop a vote at all costs.

In recent months, your emails, petitions, and postcards have flooded Capitol Hill offices, increasing the numbers of cosponsors on the National Right to Work Act, which has been reintroduced in the Senate as an amendment to another bill this week.

Senator Mitch McConnell was on the Senate Floor this morning calling for a vote, but union-label Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is going all-out to block the vote, so we need to turn up the heat.

Please call your U.S. Senators at once and urge to cast every vote in favor of the National Right to Work Act.

The National Right to Work Act gives every Senator the opportunity -- and the obligation -- to fight to restore to American workers the freedom to work free from union coercion. That freedom should never have been stripped from them in the first place. .

But you can bet the Big Labor hierarchy is putting tremendous pressure on every Senator to protect their power.

That's why it's vital you call your U.S. Senators right away, and urge them to vote for the National Right to Work Act on all votes.

Contact your Senators

You see, just getting a vote would be an enormous win/win situation for Right to Work supporters.

Poll after poll shows that 80 percent of Americans support the Right to Work principle.

So if Big Labor's allies in the Senate want to KILL our National Right to Work Act, they'll face the wrath of the voters when they are up for reelection.

Your help has been critical as we've built momentum for our cause.

Now in this critical moment, I need your help again.

And after calling your Senators, please consider chipping in with a contribution of $10 or more to help your National Right to Work Committee keep up the fight against Big Labor.

But most importantly, please call your Senators at once.

Please act right away. There's not a moment to lose.

Sincerely,

Mark Mix

P.S. Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell are making a major push to get a vote on Right to Work on the Senate floor!

It's vital you call your U.S. Senators at once and urge to cast every vote in favor of the National Right to Work Act.