Welfare Recipients Are Actually Mostly White And Less Likely Than The Average American To Use Drugs

justinspoliticalcorner:

Gov. Voldemort Rick Scott (who, not coincidentally, has a financial interest in a drug testing facility; he just transferred legal ownership of it to his WIFE) decided to drug test welfare recipients. This cost taxpayers millions of dollars and lined his wallet, and they found that only 2% of all welfare recipients tested actually tested positive for drugs. Of that 2%, ALL of them had family members who were eligible for welfare, so NO welfare money was saved by attempting to deny it to people on drugs. (I’ll also note that I heard nothing about getting people who tested positive into a rehab, or any concern for innocent minor children who rely on welfare to, you know, not starve.)

Now considering that data exists that has found that 5% of Americans use illegal drugs (that’s the LOWEST percentage I have found; other data puts it at 22 million people, or 9% of the population), that means that, according to the findings in Florida where only 2% of the tested population tested positive, people on welfare are LESS LIKELY to use illegal drugs. In fact, people on welfare are anywhere from 3% to 7% LESS LIKELY to be using illegal drugs than the general population as a whole.

Also, let’s not pretend that there are not “false positives” when drug testing, because there are. Your legal doctor-prescribed medications can show up as opiates or other “illegal” drugs. You can eat a poppyseed bagel and have a false positive. If there is a possibility that a test could be WRONG and deny a family some needed assistance so they can EAT, there is something gravely wrong with the idea.

Furthermore, you can’t buy non-food items, which is fair, because it is FOOD assistance, not Food and Toiletries Assistance…but that means that someone who can’t afford to eat without enduring the shame and hassle and difficulty involved to request food assistance (meager as it is) probably can’t afford other things like: pet food, diapers, toilet paper, shampoo, toothpaste, soap, tampons or sanitary pads, shaving razors, aspirin, vitamins, and so on.

In some places, you can’t use food stamps to buy hot food (like a roast chicken from a grocery store’s deli section), prepared food (like pre-made sandwiches, which are, oddly, sometimes cheaper than buying all the bread, condiments and fillings separately), frozen food, and so on. Guess what? People who have never been on food stamps get very angry if folks buy, say, a birthday cake (allowed) or soda pop or chips (allowed, but people have the nerve to bitch about it, because you’re not allowed to eat junk food EVER if you’re on food stamps). No, you deserve your suffering because you’re asking for help that YOUR TAX DOLLARS help pay for. Now that YOU have fallen on hard times, you better make sure your cart contents meet with everyone’s approval because they all think it is 100% THEIR tax dollars paying for that pint of store-brand ice cream that you should be ASHAMED of yourself for purchasing with food stamps.

It is “unfashionable” to point out that a lot of these drug testing schemes, in addition to being very profitable for certain corporations and individuals with a financial stake in those businesses, operate on the old and well-debunked Reagan-era myth of the “Welfare Queen” who is always presumed to be both a person of color and someone taking advantage of a broken welfare system to avoid working for a living. In truth, the average welfare recipient is a white mother in the suburbs who remains on welfare about two years and is actively searching for employment (and this is partially true because there are more white people in general). Why is it unfashionable: Because when you say something sounds problematic and racist, conservatives clutch the pearls and act offended. Well, boo hoo. Stop being racist, then. Problem solved!

The idea is that “lazy people of color” are using “your” taxpayer dollars (it is always assumed that these people do not also pay taxes) to avoid work while getting high on illegal drugs, but the truth is that this is bunk and it is not-so-thinly-veiled racism.

h/t: Lorilei at AddictingInfo.org

(via karethdreams)

Source: justinspoliticalcorner

Disabled? Pregnant? Trans? Here’s a guide to airport security for those with additional/different needs.

under100ml:

[All these apply to UK airports only. Some airports may differ slightly even in the UK. Contact your travel agent or airline before flying for more information.]

Medical issues

  • If you require a wheelchair, contact your airline in advance. They will be able to arrange special assistance for you at the airport.
  • UK airports will have wheelchairs and people to push them on hand, as well as escorts for the blind/deaf, or other people who need them.
  • Wheelchairs are not just for people who cannot walk at all, they will be provided to those who can walk but can’t walk long distances/stand for long.
  • Most airports will also provide panic buttons to be worn by disabled people who don’t have escorts.
  • In case of fire or evacuation, several UK airports that don’t have stair wheelchairs operate a ‘savehaven’ scheme, in which disabled people who cannot manage stairs are placed in fire-protected stairwells with a chair and a phone so emergency services can collect them if necessary.
  • If you’re in a wheelchair, you will need to be hand searched.
  • If you have medication that’s over 100ml, needs to be with ice packs, or has needles with it, bring a prescription and/or a doctor’s note.
  • Liquid medicine that has been prescribed but is available over the counter will likely not be allowed without clearance from a manager. If you can buy it, buy small, or leave it at home.
  • Medicine must be in it’s original packaging. Medicine decanted into a water bottle will be treated as any other prohibited liquid.
  • If you use a cane, try and bring a collapsable one.
  • You don’t need to take off your shoes if you can’t. If you alarm the gate and you’re asked to take your shoes off, tell them you can’t and they will swab them instead.
  • If you have metal joint replacements, you may alarm the gate depending on the age of the replacement joint. Older ones always alarm, newer ones composed of titanium composites tend not to.
  • If you have a cast, talk to a doctor before flying, air pressure can cause issues with casts. It will be swabbed by staff.
  • Most airports will have an assistance lane especially for the disabled and those with small children. Contact the airport or check their website before you fly.
  • If you have a pacemaker, or other electrical medical implant, bring your card as evidence. You will not be required to go through the metal detector, but you will be hand searched if you go around.
  • If you have a colostomy bag, or other such medical situation, mention it before you are patted down to avoid damage.
  • You have the right to a private search.
  • You have the right to a private bag search.

Pregnancy

  • Metal detectors are perfectly safe for pregnant people and do not emit radiation.
  • Security (body) scanners come in different forms. Millimetre wave scanners are considered safer than backscatter scanners.
  • You may ask to go around the metal detector if you so wish but you will be patted down.
  • Being pregnant does not entitle you to bring through more/larger liquids than anyone else unless prescribed by a doctor (see medical section).
  • If you are unable to stand for long periods of time, book flights for very early/very late hours to avoid queues, or contact the airline for information on getting a wheelchair provided by the airport. (see medical section)

Trans

  • You have the right to ask for a private search, though you will be asked to explain why (this can also be done in private).
  • You have the right to ask for your bag to be searched in private too.
  • You may bring a witness of any gender with you. You do not have to know them.
  • The security officer searching you will also bring a witness of the same gender as themselves.
  • If you alarm the metal detector, walk towards the person you would rather be searched by. There will be a male and a female officer.
  • If you are not comfortable with the staff member you are dealing with, ask for another member of staff.
  • Bring medical paperwork with you if you are carrying prescription hormones (see medical section)
  • You will unfortunately be likely to encounter bigoted staff members. All I can do is encourage you to exercise your right to request another member of staff and put in a complaint.
  • Some UK airports use security (body) scanners like the US ones that show a naked body. Some use ones that show a ‘gingerbread man’ image with highlighted areas. If you are uncomfortable with the naked style scanners, research UK airports that use ‘gingerbread man’ style scanners. Manchester (to my knowledge) uses the nudity ones, Gatwick uses the gingerbread man ones.

(via )

trebaolofarabia: victusinveritas: greekamazon: ancientpeoples: Gold Ring Roman 1st-3rd Century AD A child’s gold good luck ring with a phallus in relief. I always love these things. “Hey kid, good luck with kindergarten, have a dick.” “I’d like to make sure my garden grows well, better put a gnome with an enormous cock in it.” “How can we keep the temple safer? Of course! Put more dicks in it!” “Vandals in the night? What did they harm? Oh god, not the dicks!” Chariot running slower than it used to? Put a dick on it.Gladiators not giving it their all in the ring? Make them fight with dicks.Tired of resting on your laurels? Rest on your DICK LAURELS! “oh god, not the dicks”
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trebaolofarabia:

victusinveritas:

greekamazon:

ancientpeoples:

Gold Ring

Roman

1st-3rd Century AD

A child’s gold good luck ring with a phallus in relief.

I always love these things.

“Hey kid, good luck with kindergarten, have a dick.”

“I’d like to make sure my garden grows well, better put a gnome with an enormous cock in it.”

“How can we keep the temple safer? Of course! Put more dicks in it!”

“Vandals in the night? What did they harm? Oh god, not the dicks!”

Chariot running slower than it used to? Put a dick on it.
Gladiators not giving it their all in the ring? Make them fight with dicks.
Tired of resting on your laurels? Rest on your DICK LAURELS!

“oh god, not the dicks”

(via threedifferentways)

Source: ancientpeoples

tenaflyviper:

Can we just take a minute here to appreciate opals?

From top left:

  1. Boulder opal.
  2. Ethiopian opal.
  3. Black crystal opal (considered the “Holy grail” of opals).
  4. Andamooka matrix opal.
  5. Yowah nut opal.
  6. Mexican fire opal.
  7. Mezezo opal.
  8. White harlequin opal.
  9. Panel boulder black opal.

(via threedifferentways)

Source: tenaflyviper

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