democracy under the influence

From: Wikimedia Commons

There seems to be a cartoon version of the "other" taking root in the already xenophobic mindset of the Republican Party—or maybe it's been there all along, and the uninhibited influence of the Tea Party (like a few too many drinks at a workplace shindig) has revealed the true colors of the Republican elite.

"The past year has seen an unprecedented wave of Republican bills to drug test the poor and jobless. It also saw a smaller wave of Democratic bills that said in response, 'No, you pee in the cup.'
One of the most recent retorts comes from Georgia, where last month Democratic state Rep. Scott Holcomb introduced a bill requiring members of the local legislature to prove they're not Legislating Under the Influence. Holcomb told HuffPost he came up with the idea because he was struck by a bill from his Republican colleagues to drug test welfare applicants.
     'I was really struck by how awful it was,' he said. 'I wanted to bring some attention to it.'"
— Arthur Delaney, Huffington Post
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"Tallahassee, FL - August 24, 2011 -- About a thousand Floridians who receive temporary cash assistance have been drug tested since July. A little more than twenty failed, far fewer than expected.
     The Department of Children and Families says it’s too early to tell if the 2.5 percent failure rate will hold steady. Some recipients are appealing the results.
     'As far as people testing positive, just because you do test positive there is still an appeals process here and that’s why the numbers are still fluid,' said DCF Spokesman Joe Follick.
But even if the rate doubles it will still be well below the eight percent drug use rate of the general public."
— WCTV
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