Judge Declares State Worker Drug Testing Order Unconstitutional

[Frank]

A federal judge declared Gov. Rick Scott's order requiring drug testing for some 85,000 state workers unconstitutional Thursday, saying the governor showed no evidence of a drug problem at the agencies to warrant suspicionless testing.

  The ruling marks the second blow to Scott's proposals regarding drug testing. The governor also suspended a state law he supported that required drug testing for welfare recipients last year after a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union. A federal judge in Orlando has temporarily blocked that law

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http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/Judge-Declares-State-Worker-Drug-Testing-Order-Unconstitutional-149070815.html

The scariest part of this is if you look at the comments virtually all of them are opposed to the judges decision. For a people who claim to value freedom and privacy of paramount importance an awful lot of Americans would appear to be willing to give up these things without so much as a whimper.

[Nick]

You don't understand.  It is freedom for the 1%ters and corporations.  Too hell with everyone else.

[screwtape]

[Frank]

Screw that's a pretty inane contribution.

I'm trying to point out to you the thin judicial line that is all that stands between you and these relentless rightwing attacks on your rights and your privacy or do you agree with these policies? Does your employer make you take regular drug tests?

Where does this kind of thing stop? Should they be able to search your house for drugs? Check what sites you visit on your home PC or mobile/ipad? Am I going too far? Exagerating the problem? Just how much say should an employer have over your private life?

[screwtape]

Screw that's a pretty inane contribution.

What?  Are you trying to tell me this was supposed to be a serious thread?  Please, Frank.  Don't be a goose.

I'm trying to point out...

bollocks, Frank.  First of all, I know how my government works.  I know what the problems are.  I live here.  I don't need some sourpuss Brit explaining it to me from 3,459 miles away, give or take.

Secondly, don't try to tell me you are just trying to point out some interesting point because you are interested to know our thoughts.  That is a lie.  This is just a spring board for you to complain about American and Americans.  If you posted about the shenanigans that get up your nose about politics in the UK, then I might take you seriously.  But you haven't, as far as I can tell.

Third, don't try to tell me you care about my position or thoughts.  That is a lie.  You have visited this forum for nearly as long as I, so if you cannot predict my political position to about 70% accuracy by now, you've not been paying attention.

You know, Frank, I'd be more than happy to have a respectful conversation with you about it.  Unfortunately, you have a history of not being respectful.  If you want to change that, great.  I welcome the change.  But get on it, because you have some work ahead of you. 

So, until you stop acting like D.P. Gumby, you are going to get D.P. Gumby. 

[Poseidon]

Yeah, I have been a resident of Florida for a very long time. Yeah, we have let our glorious leaders make up some real dipshit rules. The drug testing bit has been a real strikeout for the proponents. It has come to pass that the cost of testing has far and away outdistanced the cost of providing welfare assistance to those who have been shown to be users. 

Gov. Scotts intent to test the employees of the state has gotten more than a lot of blowback. Funny thing is that state representatives and state senators are not subject to testing. The citizens of this state are overwhelmingly opposed to this set of rules and other silly assed edicts of this sort. Never mind the feedback that you read in the referenced article.

I have owned and operated a small manufacturing facility for more than 40 years. Over that interval, I have employed many hundreds of people. In all that time and with all those people, I have had a grand total of one who was into the sauce in such a way that it interfered with her work. She sustained a minor injury on the job and was sent to the doctor to get a few stitches. Since it was a workers comp claim the provider required her to pee in a bottle. She refused to do that and one of my valuable employees had to be terminated for cause. The point here is that the drug problem is not  prevalent in the normal workplace. One problem in 40 years was a pretty damned good track record for my people. Unnecessary drug testing is not only costly, it is also a lousy way to treat your employees and it is a cause of diminished morale which leads to diminished productivity. And that is a stupid way to run a railroad, or any other business.  (are you listening to this you skunnion domed Rick Scott?)

[Nick]

Seems like the same idea with voter fraud.  All these laws passed to make it more difficult to vote and the cases of fraud are so small that it makes it look like open heart surgery for a paper cut.

[stuffin]

These right wingers want laws to stop all kinds of stuff and to give themselves freedoms. What they don't realize is; every time the Congress passes a law they have reduced their own freedoms.

[kindred]

Why test for drugs anyways? A person has the freedom to screw their lives. If they choose to do something stupid, nobody has the right to stop them unless said action impinges on the freedom of other people.

The only reason why some drugs are illegal is because improper usage of said drug increases the likelihood of said person imbibing the drugs to impinge on the freedom of other people. If they are currently not screwing anybody's life except their own, than its none of our business.

[One Above All]

If they're not self-employed, then they will affect someone if they're taking drugs while working. However, this is the only reason I can conceive to test for them. Personal objections to drug use are irrelevant, IMO.

[kindred]

If they're not self-employed, then they will affect someone if they're taking drugs while working. However, this is the only reason I can conceive to test for them. Personal objections to drug use are irrelevant, IMO.

See. Thats not exactly a very good reason to justify spending the limited resources that could be allocated somewhere else.