New Facebook Fan Page: Making Drug Tests Required to Get Welfare

Wow! Where to begin...Must I explain this...seriously?? As a former family services worker for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, I must start by saying I do NOT know how the Welfare system works in the other 49 states of the Union, but I AM fairly more familiar than the SIX Facebook "friends" of mine who became fans of this page today. In the Commonwealth of Kentucky (kind of ironic, right? The name "commonwealth" to describe the state where the citizens are so self righteous), there is NO such thing as "Welfare." The government run, social program is called the "Kentucky Transitional Assistance Program" (commonly referred to with the acronym K-TAP, the government just loves acronyms, right??). To qualify for K-TAP, you must be unemployed, not of your own volition, (yes, the family service worker will verify this through your previous employer). You must be the SOLE provider for a child under the age of 6,meaning you cannot be receiving any kind of child support what so ever from the NCP (non-custodial parent), you must be enrolled in a school of higher learning or be willing to volunteer 20 hours a week at a place chosen by the state. So, there you go, you have to meet all of these qualifications for monthly check in the whopping amount of $125. Yep, $125 a month...barely enough to provide diapers, toilet paper, soap, shampoo, detergent, Heaven forbid you have a car, because you won't be able to afford to put gas in it. Those are just some of the essentials needed to care for one child...don't even ask what happens if you have more. Yes, at this impossibly meager income you are eligible for Food Stamps...and to be eligible for those, your friendly family services worker will do a background check to make sure...tah dah...that you have never committed a drug felony. So, why you may ask, would someone even WANT to jump through all those hoops to get that tiny check and a way to provide just enough food for your family to survive?? Well, if you go out and get a part-time job at $7.45/hour and work 20 hours a week that is $149/week and for a child under 1, daycare is going to run $125 week. So after taxes, you are in the hole. What I found so disheartening about the "fans" of this page is that every, single one of them is Catholic!! So, they are pro-life and will judge you for getting an abortion, but they don't care if your child on the outside of your womb has no diapers and starves!! Here's an idea for everyone to try. STOP JUDGING OTHERS! TRY TO PUT YOURSELF IN SOMEONE ELSE'S SHOES AND SEE LIFE THROUGH THEIR EYES. MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, THEIR LIFE IS NOT AS EASY AS YOU THOUGHT IT WAS...