[New York, NY] The Daily Show With Jon Stewart is certainly the best in the topical comedy television biz at skewering the policies of politicians and general news makers of all stripes.
The show‘s latest target is the ideologically driven insistence of Gov. Rick Scott and the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature that has the State of Florida drug testing welfare recipients via a law that was put into place last year.
In the bit seen above (that aired on Thursday), Luis Lebron – the 35-year-old Navy veteran who needed assistance, challenged the law and was successful in getting it temporarily halted – is interviewed along with State Rep. Scott Plakon (R-37/Longwood), a steadfast supporter of the law.
The hilarious bit points out how the statistics don’t justify drug testing welfare recipients and how it has already cost the state $200,000, which should be a concern to those budget cutters looking to trim billions from Florida’s bloated budget.
The law was originally applauded by most conservatives and Tea Party types across the state. Too bad it was deemed to be possibly unconstitutional by a judge in Orlando and most likely will not hold up to U.S. Supreme Court scrutiny if it ever gets that far.
See, Michigan tried a similar thing back in 1999 before it was ultimately shut down due to it being ruled unconstitutional and setting a “dangerous precedent.”
On Dec. 7 of last year, The Daily Show With Jon Stewart correspondent Aasif Mandvi crashed a Gov. Scott press conference and asked him to pee in a cup in reference to the drug testing welfare recipients requirement.
That now-classic scene is part of the segment above.
By: Mark Christopher/Sunshine Slate
Related reading:
Drug testing for welfare benefits proposed in Utah (Daily Herald) Although the proposed law is similar to ones that have been found unconstitutional in Michigan and Florida, Rep. Brad Wilson, R-Kaysville, said he avoids those constitutional pitfalls by narrowing the number of people who would have to take a drug test …
drug testing welfare
I love it when liberal’s shorts get wadded. You can feel the hatred when common sense ideas are put forth.
Your definition of common sense is what makes me laugh. You can’t seem to think beyond your narrow mindedness, that cutting off addicts of their only source of $, will not deter them from doing drugs. Also, you and the rest of the ignorant tea party know nothing of the power of addictions (Try picking up a book). Ultimately what will happen is that homelessness and crime rates will rise, which will lead to a higher cost in Police enforcement that costs more than the piddly tiny amount of $ that is on a welfare cheque. Good luck with the backwards thinking and lazy politics Florida.
OMG when I saw this the other night, I was like, you guys at the Slate have to post this. Great job.