"Thank You For Your Service To Our Country, Soldier. Now Pee In This Cup, You Bum!"

(The writer is a semi-regular reader of Buster's Blog who resides in the Lone Star State.  He forwarded his article, which appeared in the 3/29/13 edition of the Austin Statesman, thinking I may have some interest.  I do.  Thank you, dear reader!  I'm happy to share it.  O'Mahoney is lucky to live in Austin -- it's probably the only city in Texas with a paper that would dare to publish such a "radical, liberal" piece.)

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It takes more than parades and flags to honor vets

By T.P. O'Mahoney

Special Contributor to the Austin Statesman 

I’m proud to be a Texan for many reasons, but at the top of the list is how we take care of our veterans in the Lone Star State. In the past several years, Gov. Rick Perry and the Legislature have greatly assisted Texas veterans by helping them receive their disability compensation, obtain their education benefits, and by lending them a helping hand when the transition to civilian life is difficult.

Having been a commissioner at two state agencies, I’m proud to have had a role in programs to raise millions of dollars to support veterans’ services and to help our veterans integrate back into the workforce. This isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s good for Texas business, and our veterans are a tremendous resource for our economy.

When it comes to honoring veterans’ sacrifice, Texas is No. 1.

Then why does a bill now being considered by the Texas Senate seek to treat our veterans less than honorably? Senate Bill 21 would require returning veterans who lose their job through no fault of their own to submit to a drug test to receive the unemployment benefits they deserve.

Let’s put ourselves in the boots of a recently separated service man or woman for a moment: They’ve willingly signed up to defend our nation and our way of life. They freely accept their responsibility — often at the risk of putting their careers on hold while straining relationships among friends and family. Leaving home for a faraway place, they place themselves in harm’s way, encounter extreme weather and unfamiliar culture during multiple rotations to war zones. Often under assault from all sides, our heroes lose brothers and sisters in the line of duty every day.

Coming back from war can be difficult.

It’s little wonder that in some categories the veterans’ unemployment rate can be alarmingly higher than the civilian unemployment rate.

Simply put: there’s no logical reason for this bill. Service members must already submit to random drug tests while on active duty. By law, upon being honorably released from active duty, these fine men and women become veterans and may be eligible to draw unemployment benefits.

SB 21 would require a drug test in order for these honorable men and women to receive their benefits.

Coming back from multiple deployments and struggling to adjust to civilian life, many veterans may also face economic challenges.

With this in mind, imagine forcing our returning heroes to undergo the indignity of being asked to subject to a urinalysis to determine if they “merit” the unemployment compensation they may need to feed their family.

How does the veteran deal with a false positive? Given many of our veterans’ personal struggles, having to take time from their job search to do battle again (this time with the State of Texas) to receive unemployment benefits may be a bridge too far for too many.

It is for these reasons that I make a plea to the Legislature on behalf of our proud warriors. Please do not subject Texas veterans to the unnecessary and humiliating rigors of drug testing for unemployment benefits as proposed in SB 21. Please treat our veterans honorably.
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Buster's comment:  Texas SB 21 is undoubtedly a GOP-sponsored bill.  Republicans across the country are genetically hard-wired to oppose every type of government aid, be it Medicaid, food stamps, or unemployment benefits.  They've convinced themselves that all recipients of social services are unworthy, lazy bums -- scammers, criminals, addicts and winos who avoid work while using food stamps to buy liquor and drugs.  (Never mind that food stamps don't work for that.)  The "pee in a cup" test is their brilliant plan to thin this herd of moochers.  Republicans in many states have tried to adopt it into law, usually without success.  It's a mean-spirited, stupid idea in general and when applied to our returning veterans, it's disgraceful.  SB 21 deserves to fail, and the people of Perry-Land should be embarassed if it doesn't.