Hello Matt,   
      
    MM> Recently politicians have had an urge to drug test   
    MM> individuals on public assistance programs, but one   
    MM> congressman in Florida had to give up his seat in 2013   
    MM> due to his cocaine addiction after being a public   
    MM> advocate for drug testing food assistance recipients.   
      
   Oh, come now.  The first rule of politics   
   is to get elected.  The second rule of politics   
   is to get re-elected.  No politician worth his   
   or her salt would dare violate either of those   
   two cardinal rules.   
      
   The politician who gave up his seat in 2013 was   
   obviously a sissy, having learned his lesson from   
   George W. Bush, who refused to give up his office   
   after being outed by a pretzel for drinking on   
   the job.  And Bill Clinton, we all know how he   
   got that black eye and a broken nose - it wasn't   
   from Ms. Lewinski.   
      
    MM> I have a proposal that should be introduced in California   
    MM> for any public official for state, county and local   
    MM> offices who are elected. In exchange for receiving any   
    MM> pay raise the legislator would be drug tested twice a   
    MM> year randomly like professional athletes. These   
    MM> individuals are representing the general public and their   
    MM> actions affect vital public policy issues.   
      
   I have a better idea.  Amend the state constitution   
   to reflect Amendment 27 of the US Constitution - so that   
   no pay raise increase can occur until after the next   
   election.  That way, politicians can honestly claim   
   they are not voting for pay raises for themselves.   
      
    MM> In my county we had a former supervisor who was addicted   
    MM> to meth which caused him to miss many days of work. We   
    MM> also have a current supervisor who allegedly has drug use   
    MM> issues as well which makes it inconsistent with law and   
    MM> order issues that deal with his tribe.   
      
   Many people are addicted to prescription drugs.  Far more   
   so than people who are addicted to illegal drugs.  Should   
   we ban drugs, or ban people/politicians from taking drugs?   
   If we did that, many people would die - needlessly.  And   
   nobody would want to serve the public in government service.   
      
    MM> In the state of Kansas they actually do drug test the   
    MM> state government executives, but perhaps we should   
    MM> introduce this as a state law or a ballot proposition.   
      
   Former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan David Duke   
   wanted to test all welfare recipients for drugs, as   
   well as have all women on welfare neutered so they   
   could no longer reproduce like rabbits.  I guess it   
   was okay with Duke for the guys to keep pimpin', as   
   he never mentioned anything about that.  At the time   
   Duke made those proposals, he was a Louisiana state   
   representative and candidate for governor - engaged   
   in a runoff with Edwin Edwards.   
      
   Louisiana residents had bumper stickers on their   
   cars that read "Vote for the crook, it's important"   
      
   Both Edwards and Duke wound up going to prison.   
      
    MM> This reform will not happen in San Bernardino County,   
    MM> since one of the wealthiest members of the board will   
    MM> block these reforms. However, we have to take this on the   
    MM> state level. I encourage my local elected officials to   
    MM> propose this as a reform   
      
   Politics is an honorable profession.  As such, we should   
   not disparage those who give of themselves to serve the   
   public in ways most people would never contemplate doing.   
      
   Most politicians are good, honest, law-abiding citizens   
   who honestly try to help those whom they have been elected   
   or appointed to serve.  Only a handful have misused or   
   abused their positions in order to enrich themselves, or   
   act in ways unbecoming of what people expect of them.   
      
   We should not make the assumption that all politicians   
   are bad or evil people.  After all, government is "we the   
   people" - meaning government is us.   
      
   --Lee   
      
   --- MesNews/1.08.05.00-gb   
    * Origin: news://felten.yi.org (2:203/2)