Truckers who failed drug tests still driving

I have zero tolerance for anyone who drives impaired at anytime! I don't want them on the highway close to any of my kids or grandkids.

I also believe anyone that collect .01 of any government money, welfare, grants, or any other type of my taxes should have to take and pass a drug test before cashing the check.

 

Who's gonna pick up the tab for drug testing millions of people every month --- before they cash the check and receive your tax monies?

It might be less expensive to just continue turning a blind eye
and pretend that the government has it all under control.

Are those receiving government assistance somehow inferior to
those who don't? Are they considered second-class citizens?
Are they not entitled or allowed to enjoy simple pleasures?
Would it be better to just cut 'em all off and let 'em figure out
how they're gonna survive?
Keepin' in mind that the devil haunts a hungry man and desperate
people do desperate thangs, --- often to other people.
Maybe even you.

 

I left OTR and just got a job working local and had to take a drug test yesterday. Yes for a local job.

I would love to see them drug test the welfare group just to see what happens. I'll bet over 80% would fail.

 

I think you may have misunderstood the context of ..."need I say more"....
I'm meaning it in the way that you understand the consequences of your actions and can expect to be drug tested and therefore disqualified from driving for a period of time...perhaps for life...depending on the severity of the action.
And yes..there is a bit of acceptance I suppose. Acceptance of the fact that if I were to partake while off duty and not in the truck...then I must ACCEPT the consequences of my actions.

 

I work in an office environment and have to do drug testing to work for them. I've had to do this for several years. I have no problem with drug testing, as I don't take illegal drugs. I've been working since I was 18 (12 if you count babysitting). Most companies any more also do a credit background check on you before they will hire you.

I finally had to apply for food stamps in the past month due to being out of work for about 6 months. I didn't have to do a drug test for that, but believe me, they want to account for every penny, all property, etc that you have. I have no kids, always pay my bills on time, do without meds so I can afford to buy groceries. They might as well make me take a drug test; it couldn't make me feel any less worthless for trying to provide for myself without assistance all these years.

I feel it's more invasive to be questioned about my worth for a pittance of food stamps than taking a drug test for a job. It doesn't matter that my work history has been consistent until the past year, I'm left feeling guilty for asking for assistance when I've been "paying my dues" for 20+ years.

 

Yeah, I am always seeing the Viagra rep in my Dr.s office, and he always has this funny smile on his face and a bulge in his pants.

What's up with that?

 

When you look at the testing of people who are on welfare it's not a waste of money!

They fail they receive no more welfare.
They were stealing from you to get high to begin with.
I also bet the gooberment will get a discount on those tests as well as with all things gooberment it's the lowest bidder who wins so they do not pay what a regular testing kit does or I freaking hope they don't!

Anyway, those drug users are gone and word gets around real quickly! You'll have to clean up before you get any, then they should have to go in just like us killer drugged up truckers do on a moments notice for that random.

Several things happen:
With all those that got dropped due to paying for drugs on tax payer money there is a big savings. That test and the associated cost does not come close to what they were getting and will still be less that the total welfare payments for all of them.

Those who do qualify for welfare will be spending that money on what it needs to be spent on. Yeah the alcoholics will still be there BUT that can be worked on also! It's not a must have to do unless you have a problem then those with that problem can be dropped off the lists also!

It's not like they will be getting tested every month! The first test will "weed' the users out for a very large savings that will be way less that just handing them money!

Those people will be thrown out and left to scavage however they can to survive. No big deal. If children are involved they can be put in a home where drugs aren't a factor!

Those who really need the help and play by the rules who can't get work and believe me, unless you are disabled you have to actually look for work and log this search each week or month with your case worker. It's NOT a free ride as many people think it is. If you log you went to XYZ Inc and filled out an application and your case worker calls XYZ and they have no record you're off of welfare or unemployment!

Play by the rules.

Yes, work is getting scarce. Look at that new thread about Great Dane again laying off people! Solo here in my town finally shut completely and put 430 people out to pasture and next Feb 2012 We lose another 140 when a pickle plant shuts it doors!

Harley Davidson is or did plan to close the York, PA plant and move it to guess where? CHINA, because there is a market there? That's great send that job to China! If there is a market build it here and float it across as apparently it's pretty cheap and part of the out sourcing plan to kill America! Ships do it cheaper! Out source and sell it cheaper to make a few bucks!

Not to mention we still have jobs getting out sourced to cheaper labor in other countries!

Welfare and unemployment have rules to follow. Drug use is against those rules not to mention the law, and I for one do not think any tax money should be spent on any illegal drug and 2 legal ones called tobacco and alcohol!

You are out of work or on a welfare roll it's time to quit WASTING that tax payer money on a pathetic addiction! I don't care if it IS legal to smoke or drink! You aren't working then you can't afford at the least that $4.50 for 1 pack a day! That's a meal! That's almost 2 gallons of gas or part of your rent! Or whatever a beer costs even though right now beer IS cheaper than a gallon of gas! Me I'm on the disabled list. I had to quit enjoying a beer when I started radiation and chemo as my taste buds went off line. I got to have one when I was given a gift card to a resturant. My beer taste is back BUT because I take a gooberment scheck paid for by what I put in from taxes and from you taxpayers now I can forgo that want for a beer as it would be wrong. I can do it so can anyone else!

Drugs are for weak willed people!
I for one do not have a use for these who abuse a system then scream that it's not our problem when if it's coming out of MY pocket it IS my problem and my business!

And those moron drug dealers in Mexico and world wide will go broke faster if not killed first! We cut the drug trade down!

 

The gov't will tell the bad points about pot and a pot smoker will tell you the good points. Truth is, neither one will tell you the whole truth. They are both fighting a cause. A smart person can sit back and see both sides. The reason for drug testing is some can't seperate their private life with their work life.

I'll never understand someone that uses drugs will want to get a job that drug tests and they try to beat the system? Then wonder what to do when they get caught?
Why not take responsibility when you want a job that drug tests and quit? There is life without drugs that is just as fun. If you want to party and work, go get you a construction job or somewhere that doesn't test.

They ought to test those getting gov't assistance. You fail, you get cut off and have to pay restitution. I can't count the poor country people around here that get a check and life is one big party come the 3rd of the month. The other 3 weeks they are broke. The ones that don't party their check up, sell their pills for more money. 90% of them are able to work. This is our tax dollars at work. There's people out there that will deliberately have children so thay can get more money. It's rediculous. Sure there are people that really need help, but there are alot more out there that abuse the system.

Not on my dollar. They can go fishing, camping, etc. Getting messed up isn't the only way to have fun.

 

In other words, the gov't tells us none of the good points about pot, and the pot smoker tells none of the bad points?
Does that make you curious as to why that is?

Ever wonder why they're "fighting" at all in the first place? Is it even a fair fight? Is the fight justifiable?

I see.

I "see" that you're inclined to believe what the gov't. puts forth and presents as fact for the reason(s) known only by those who intentionally misrepresent known truths for reason(s) not openly revealed, but that evidence seems to suggest the reason(s) were, and are, motivated by greed and the desire to remain in possession of the power to control the masses through intimidation, misinformation and outright lies, while continually emphasizing that the government is just lookin' out for our best interest, and promises to continue to do so at all costs. Unfortunately, the costs are paid for by the citizens the government tells us they're protecting.

In all the government's infinite wisdom, they've created a situation where the absolute worst thing that could possibly happen as a result of indulging in smokin' pot is the punishment received if they're discovered indulging. If a pot smoker is never caught, they experience no harm. On the flip side, the opposite is the case. The punishment is far worse than the (alleged) crime, --- a victimless crime, by the way. No one is actually harmed in any way as a direct result of any one person smokin' pot. Yet they're routinely arrested, charged with a crime as serious as a felony, tried, and either convicted or take a plea bargain, then sentenced to either probation, ..... all the way to serious prison time where, upon their release from incarceration, they have a prison record to carry with them for life to deal with.
All because they broke a law that shouldn't even be a law because the reason(s) for the law are NOT, in any way, based on ANY fact, or any actual real-life examples that prove what the government claims to be factual. No tests. No studies. No research even allowed by the same government to prove, or disprove the outlandish claims put forth by those elected to protect our rights.
If there's a good, legitimate reason for that, I haven't heard it, ...... yet.
I'm still waiting though.

Marijuana wasn't always illegal.
There was a time when smokin' pot wasn't considered a crime in this country, as the act of smokin' pot was causing no problems. So, what's the problem now? Are you aware of the reason it became necessary to invent a problem so the government could look good when they eliminated the (alleged) problem that they themselves created?
Do you know why the government was motivated to do that?
Please answer, yes or no.

Fast forward about 60 years --- to today.
What have the laws making marijuana illegal accomplished?
Let's see, .................................
The courts and attorneys are pleased as defendants spend small fortunes attempting to prove their innocence by convincing a jury of their brainwashed peers that there's been no harm, no foul.

The prison guards and their union are pleased that the prisons are bursting at the seams due to the over-crowding of warehoused inmates. Business is so good that judges have ordered the prison system to release prisoners to relieve the deplorable conditions created by the money-making, over-crowded conditions that have gone unchecked for years.
Of all those incarcerated within prison walls and bars, what percentage would you guess are there for marijuana related offenses?

The court-ordered attendance of rehabilitation programs at the expense of those ordered to attend makes those who run such programs happy when they count the receipts, separate their take from what the courts lay claim to, and smile all the way to the bank. One reason why their smile is so big is because they know that there's a never ending supply of law breakers that the court can order to attend another program with a very high percentage of repeat attendants to cough up more money to keep a program alive, that would otherwise be recognized for what it really is, ---- that being a failure. But a profitable failure for those who continue to profit from failure.
Of course, there are those who are comforted by the false feeling that the war on drugs is actually making a difference in anything other than the money to be made that, every year, we're informed, is insufficient, and even more money is necessary for our own protection.
Example of the results of the war on drugs?
Mexico.

How comforting is it to know that it was our laws against marijuana that started the ball rollin'? For every action, there is an opposite, and equal, reaction.
Who could have seen, realized or predicted that outcome?
Probably no one.
Now that it's come full circle, what excuse is there for not seeing the writing on the wall? It's time to step up to the plate and acknowledge that a great wrong has been done, and start correcting that wrong until they get it right.
Fact: there are those who are wrong who prefer to remain wrong, rather than admit that they were (wrong), thinkin' that's the right thing to do. For many, it's gonna be next to impossible to come to grips with the truth. The truth is, our government lied to us, and continues to do so in light of the facts that have been revealed through legitimate studies and research conducted in the last 30 to 40 years in other countries, which sheds some light on the reason(s) our government would not allow ANY studies and/or research be conducted in the United States, at ALL.
Fear?
No doubt.

The repeated warnings by our government as to the chaos that would run rampart should marijuana become legal, have been effective. Yet, in countries that don't criminalize marijuana, none of the adverse effects claimed by our government have been observed.
Rather odd, ...... don't you think?
I have yet to hear an explanation for that fact.
Is it remotely possible that the U.S. wouldn't experience any ill effects either, just like the other countries where marijuana isn't illegal?
Or, is it better to ignore what happens elsewhere if it contradicts what we'd rather believe, and instead, --- just to be "safe", continue to prosecute those who indulge, and sentence them to prison time, where they'll have to be content purchasing drugs from the prison guards at escalated prices? Another result of the war on drugs.
Are we winning, ............ yet?

And why, when marijuana is being discussed, are the worst-case scenarios presented as the norm, when, in truth, the worst-case examples are but a drop in the ocean, comparatively? Cases that, upon closer examination, are not caused by the the use of marijuana, but rather a pre-disposition by the accused to do anything/everything that isn't allowed. If they were required to smoke pot, they probably wouldn't for that very reason.
Defiance.

Do you understand freedom?
Do you understand why people fight and die for freedom?
When our government creates a situation based on untruths and outright lies, and the situation created tromps on the rights of the citizens who elect those who are entrusted with the duty of protecting the rights that they're stomping on for their personal gain, who is really trying to "beat the system"?
Is it too much to expect our government to do the right thing?
Does pointing out the government's errors automatically reduce those who do the pointing to pot smokin', hippy weirdo freaks, incapable of grasping reality and wouldn't know right from wrong, even when the government tells them what to think?

"Caught"?
Caught for what?
Tokin' a joint while on vacation for 2 weeks, a week ago, meaning that toke occurred three weeks prior to bein' tested?
Oh gee whiz.
The test comes back positive and it's treated as though the toker was under the influence of a controlled substance, puttin' everyone near by in grave danger while drivin' a Big truck, even though that isn't the case at all. What transpired three weeks prior has no effect at all on the day of testing. What happened three weeks ago is not diminishing that driver's ability to operate a Big truck safely three weeks later.
So what's the big deal?
Busted for doin' something that has no effect on performance?
No test to prove or disprove whether or not a Big truck truck driver is experiencing any undesirable effects that would negatively affect their ability to safely operate a Big truck, ...... or any vehicle for that matter?
If that's the case, I'm thinkin' that ol' sayin', "Presumed to be innocent until proven guilty" is obsolete. Perhaps, Assumed guilty until a high-priced lawyer presumes their innocence?

Ignore the fact that THC remains in the system for weeks, even months after ingestion, long after the effects are gone. In short, they're normal, --- same as one who doesn't smoke pot.
I'd like to see the reaction if a means of detecting alcohol consumed three weeks prior were to be made available and implemented as a routine test. Anyone testing positive would be subjected to the same treatment as one who tests positive for THC.
Can't say that wouldn't be fair under the current rules.
Unless, .......... the case can be made that the current rules aren't fair.
If y'all wanna drive a Big truck, y'all have to give up smokin' pot, consuming adult beverages, and we might as well include tobacco use as well. All are said to be dangerous to self and those around self.
Fact: using drugs, consuming alcohol, and/or use of tobacco is not necessary to sustain life. A person could live to be 100 years old without ever touching marijuana, alcohol, and/or tobacco products.
Therefore, following logic, convoluted as it may well be, there's absolutely NO reason for any of those things to be legal. Why not protect us from ourselves before it's too late? Outlaw ANYthing not necessary to keep us alive.
And tax the rest.

I'm sure those who consume adult beverages and/or smoke tobacco will understand and accept that it's for their own good.
If the government can't take good care of us, ........ who can?
Certainly not us.

"Responsibility"?
How responsible is it for our government to continue to prosecute people for doin' something that said government has claimed to be harmful, with no proof, and that legitimate research has proven that what the government has claimed to be true is, in fact, not true?

All those who choose not to use marijuana --- go back to sleep.
Sweet dreams.
Staying awake is such a bummer; watchin' all those, otherwise, law abiding individuals gettin' popped for hurtin' no one.
Serves 'em right though. Just don't ask me to explain why.
All I care is I'm not involved. Why should I be concerned simply because others are having their rights abused? Better that I just go along with what's wrong, don't make waves or rock the boat. Why should I bother to risk standing up for EVERYone's rights when I'm not involved?

On the other hand, if the tables were turned and it's my rights being stomped on, and me being convicted for committing a victimless crime that would automatically and immediately disqualify me from ever again gaining employment with any company that submits to kissin' the government's buttox in mock support of a bogus law put into place to protect the investments of a greedy multi-millionaire with powerful political influence, well, ............ by golly, ..... that's a different story. Anybody who doesn't stand up to cover my bee-hind is UN-American.

Vewy twue.
That is, ....... as long as "fun" isn't deemed to be harmful weeks after the fun has been had, and declared illegal. It's possible to live life without havin' any fun. Fun is a waste of valuable time. Time that could be better spent makin' money to pay more taxes to pay for the implementation of the laws that the government forces us to abide by, ....... or suffer the consequences.
Fair?
Who said life would be fair?

YeaH!
Go find another job where the truth is known.
Amazing how easy it is to just sweep things under the rug and pretend it doesn't exist.
Can y'all imagine that what's considered to be unsafe in one place, isn't considered to be unsafe in other places? You'd think that those places that don't drug test would be obviously more dangerous than places that do have a drug testing policy. But statistics don't seem to indicate much, if any, difference.
Strangely enough.

Let's see if I understand your proposal, ---
Those who receive gov't assistance because they live in poverty and could not otherwise support themselves, should be mandated by the gov't to be drug tested at tax payer's expense.

If they test positive, they're cut off from any and all of the gov't assistance that, in the past, has made it possible for them exist, --- without resorting to other means to obtain their necessities.
On top of that, those with little to no money will be expected to pay restitution.
Sorta like squeezin' blood out of a turnip?

I can imagine that would help turn our economy around by employing thousands of bounty hunters to round up the deadbeats, bring 'em back to face the music in front of a judge who will then, ............ do what?
Further the overcrowding in debtor's prison,
at the taxpayer's expense?
How many problems would doin' that solve?
How many problems would doin' that create?

Man-0-Man!
I had no idea that you're so concerned about where our tax dollars are being spent/wasted. I'm overwhelmed by your desire to prevent wasteful spending of our tax dollars. I'm impressed, ---- and perplexed at the same time. What a strange feelin'!

Perhaps you can help remove some of what perplexes me?
With such concern about how the government spends our tax monies, I can't help but wonder why you're not up in arms about the billions of dollars demanded every year to fight the loosing war on drugs. Not to mention the billions of tax dollars needed to pay for the incarceration of those caught engaging in a victimless crime. Or the billions of dollars spent prosecuting those caught, and the billions of tax dollars spent for probation officers to keep an eye on non-violent pot smokers, who will be finding it next to impossible to find a descent job that'll pay the bills. Without a job, it ain't too likely they pay ANY taxes.
Then there's the countless hours of paperwork required for the records, and the storage for future reference, if needed. All that adds up to the amount we all pay for through taxation.
Does any of that concern you?

Don't look now, but,..........
People with very little, if any, disposable income, aren't able to go fishing, camping, etc. to have fun. More than likely their fun consists of misery. But don't think for a minute that they aren't aware of the fun that you're enjoying. Probably bugs 'em a tad. Jealousy can be a destructive emotion. Combined with desperation and a little anger on the side, it all becomes a bubbling brew ready to explode.

The devil haunts a hungry man, and desperate people do desperate things. Are you ready to handle the probable results?
What do you think the crime statistics will do?
Go down, remain the same, or escalate beyond our wildest imagination?
If the latter, what solution would you propose, and who's gonna pay for it?
I'm thinkin' the cheapest method would be to forgo any speedy trial and go straight to the punishment phase. How much does one cartridge cost? I bet Utah would know.
Perhaps they could just shoot 'em all, even if they're only suspected of committing a crime. Why worry 'bout who's innocent or who's guilty? Cap 'em all and let God sort 'em out.
Besides, it's really hard to get a good aim on the chest area when the aiming eye is buried in the sand, still connected to a head with an under-used brain.

I'd ROTFLMfoolAO if a scoundrel managed to put a round square in buttox of an executioner about to squeeze off a round in revenge. I think it could then be said that they got the point, ..... unless it was a round-nosed projectile being launched.
That might hurt.
But there are those who would consider that havin' fun without the aid of drugs.
Desperate people do desperate things to have a little fun.

Ahhhh, ...... but why simplify matters when it's so much easier to let things remain too complex to even attempt to comprehend what's right and wrong?
It is what it is until the government sees fit to make matters worse. They're pretty darned good at doin' that, ..... right or wrong. Who in their right mind would even attempt to question any decision the government makes? Who knows? Doin' that could affect one's health in ways that health insurance doesn't cover.
There oughta be (another) law passed in an effort to prevent that.
Ya reckon.

 

WHEW!!!!!!