Although the idea of drug screening welfare recipients has been held privately for some time, Florida governor Rick Scott signed recent legislation that requires adults applying for government assistance to undergo drug testing.

“While there are certainly legitimate needs, it is unfair for any taxpayer to subsidize drug addiction,” Scott said.

These measures are not necessarily intended to provide help to those found with “dirty” urine.

Bill sponsors have been quoted touting the savings it would provide the respective state, while opponents to these initiatives have deemed them unconstitutional and demeaning.

Other state legislators have begun similar bills — including Kansas, Rhode Island, and Arizona — but all are still in their infancy and have yet to gain steam.

The underlying issue is not race, nor social class.

The bottom line is that most states are operating at huge deficits. Budgets are not being agreed to and state governments are scrambling to save money.

Some budget cuts cause more harm than good, like shutting down schools.

However drug screening welfare recipients is one measure that all tax payers should agree with.

Basically we have a situation in which taxpayers’ dollars are helping buy drugs.

The reason some drug users qualify for welfare is usually children, and what usually happens to the child of a drug addict?

Parental neglect leads to repetition of the parent’s actions in the child.

It would not be cost efficient to continuously test clean recipients because there is obviously some legitimate need, but if the money is being spent on drugs, it is not meeting the child’s needs and that is the main reason for aid.

Bad parenting should not be rewarded with “free money.”

Diapers, food and clothing  are the only acceptable uses of welfare monies awarded to those in need.

Drugs, alcohol, lottery tickets, cigarettes, cable television are not only unsuitable for children, they’re more luxury items that should never be bought with welfare.

We have all seen a single mother more interested in her mobile phone than in her three kids, all of them with a mix of love and hunger in their eyes.

What we need is a program that focuses more on the child of drug addicted welfare recipients, because they are the ones we need to reach.

If we can get to them, and teach the personal accountability that inspires a young person to want to work for what they get, to earn it, then our elected officials would not have to come across as so desperate to save money.