Should Welfare Recipients Be Drug Tested - Journal Article Report - Research Paper Example

? Should Welfare Recipients Be Drug Tested? Should Welfare Recipients Be Drug Tested? An intense debate is currently ongoing as to whether Welfare recipient should be drug tested. The opinion in the country is divided almost in the middle regarding the issue with some in support while others strongly oppose the move. Those championing the idea claim that drug testing of Welfare recipients in the country is needed to prevent taxpayers from paying for the drug habits of the evil poor people (Walters, 2012). Secondly, those in support of the move argue that the bill will ensure that the government provides aid only on the reciprocal obligation basis. The third claim in support of the move is that the move will ensure that the government does not pay someone who has deliberately walked out of the hiring pool. Even though there has been immense support of the drug testing of the Welfare recipient bill, the move has also received a share of criticism. Jonathan Walters is one of the ardent critics of Welfare recipient drug test arguing that even though the arguments in support of the move sound good, they do not hold up under cursor scrutiny. According to Walters, the move itself is an illegality in the sense that it goes against the right to privacy of individuals as enshrined in the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. He maintains that the Fourth Amendment grants every individual the right to privacy and prevents any unreasonable searches or seizer. In his article, Walters elaborate why he considers the bill unacceptable. Additionally, Walters suggests to the authority what ought to be done instead to making such a costly move in the country (Walters, 2012). Intended audience Walters article is intended to a number of audience. Firstly, the article is intended to the House of Representatives and the Congress. This is evident from the fact that the article revolves around a bill fronted by different people in the House of Representatives and the Congress. The bill, according to Walters, concerns dealing with drug addiction in the country. In fact, Walters goes ahead to suggest to the Congress and the House of Representative that passing such a bill may not help much in tackling the problem of drugs in the country. Instead, he suggests that drug addicts in the country only need help. Therefore, Walters advises both the House of Representative and the Congress that the moral thing that ought to be done is to get the drug addicts the much needed help in order to bar them from doing further harm either to themselves or to others in society (Walters, 2012). The article is also intended to the general public, particularly the drug addicts. This is evident from the fact that the arguments in this article revolves around the drug addicts in the country and the move that the Senate intends to make to reduce cases of drug use and addiction in the country. Therefore, Walters intention is to make drug addicts aware of the Senate’s move regarding the bill and how it will impact their lives (Walters, 2012). General problem area The general problem area in this article by Walters pertains to the measures that ought to be taken to prevent addiction or reduce drug use in the country. The intention of the bill discussed in this article is to ensure that Welfare recipients are drug tested in the country to ensure that taxpayers are not contributing for the drug habits of the evil poor people. While there are many people in support of the bill being fronted in the Senate by the Republican wing, Walters is of the view that the arguments in support of the bill only look good but will not yield much in preventing drug use and addictions in the country. As earlier stated, Walters considers that drug addicts in the country do not need such bills to change but help. He claims that drug addicts and the would be drug users only need help and counseling to prevent them from continuing with their addiction habits that may continue harming them and their neighbors (Walters, 2012). Walters is also concerned that isolating drug addicts in the country, which is one of the intention of the bill, does not make any economic sense to help the addicts. Walters argues that the government should be wary that drug addiction costs society huge sums of money, especially in health care, corrections and law enforcement. He gives an example of Texas, a state known for being tough on crime, which has concluded that it is cheaper to treat drug addicts than lock them up in correctional facilities. Walters observed that treating not only put addicts into an effective drug treatment programs but also ensures that they are provided with affordable housing, food and training (Walters, 2012). Walters also refutes the argument by the proponents of the bill that screening people with substance abuse problems out of public welfare saves money. In his view, Walters claims that drug testing is very expensive and costs approximately $35 to $75 to administer. This implies that it will cost $20,000 to $77,000 to get hold of a single drug abuser. Therefore, the move to drug test Welfare recipients, in Walters view is bad to the country economically (Walters, 2012). What does the title lead you to suspect about the article? The title of the article made me suspect that the article explores the debate regarding whether Welfare recipients should be drug tested not. Is the article organized logically and easy to follow? The article is organized in a logical and easy-to-follow format. The article begins with a strong introduction, which introduces the audience to the issue at hand. It then proceeds to the body part where the contentious issue is thoroughly explored. Finally, the article climaxes with a logical conclusion, making the article very easy to follow and understand. What are the author's major findings and conclusion? Walters came up with a number of findings and conclusions in the article. Firstly, he found out that drug addicts need help, not isolation from rest of society. Secondly, he found out that it is cheaper to treat drug addicts than to lock them up. He also concluded that screening drug addicts should only be conducted on those who need help (Walters, 2012). Does the author suggest areas for further research or discussion? It is clear in the article that the author failed to suggest the area that needs further research or discussion. What are the implications of this article for social work practice? The article is very important for social work practice in the sense that it highlights the need to help drug addicts overcome their problems through treatment, as opposed to their isolation in correctional facilities. References Walters, J. (2012). “Should Welfare Recipients Be Drug Tested?” Health & Human Services. Governing. Retrieved from http://www.governing.com/topics/health-human-services/testing-welfare-recipients-drugs.html. Read More