Bill To Test Some Welfare Recipients For Drugs

Richmond,VA(AP) The Senate has passed legislation that would require drug screening for those receiving some welfare benefits.

Sen. Roscoe Reynolds' bill applies to the job-training program required to receive welfare. It passed 32-7 Monday.

The bill would require those who apply for, or already receive benefits, to answer questions regarding drug use.

If screeners have reasonable cause to believe the person is using drugs, they can require a drug test.

Individuals who fail a test or refuse to take one would lose their benefits for one year unless they participate in a drug treatment program.

Similar efforts have been unsuccessful in the past because it is estimated to cost more than $1 million for the program.

The bill goes to the House of Delegates.

www.whsv.com

Inmate Labor At Rest Stop Approved By General Assembly In Spite Of Concerns

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Bills allowing inmates to maintain Virginia's rest stops has cleared both houses, but not without debate that doing so could hurt public safety and Virginia's image.

The Senate passed the bill on a 26-14 vote Wednesday after questions by legislators on both sides of the aisle about how the inmates would be supervised and what message it sends to visitors. The House also passed a bill on a 74-24 vote.

Sen. Emmett Hanger said his bill would save the state money. The state currently contracts with private companies to provide the labor, but could pay the Department of Corrections $1.50 per hour for the work.

All work would be outside the rest stops, such as mowing the grass, fixing the roofs and landscaping.
www.wtkr.com

Political Choice - Cat Or Dog?

John Merline

Opinion Editor

AolNews

Elections are supposed to be about politics and public policy and big issues. And this election has its share of all that, given the stakes.

But elections are also about people -- the kind of people who want to run for federal office. And we at AOL News wanted to get a better sense of just who these people are.

So rather than asking a bunch of boring policy questions, we invited candidates for the House and Senate to answer 10 mostly fun questions. We got a response rate of about 5 percent. And while the results aren't exactly scientifically valid, they are still pretty interesting. Here's one of them:

Are you a dog person or a cat person?

According to the results, 61 percent of Democrats said they are dog people, while 37 percent of Republicans candidates said they prefer canines.

Meanwhile, 26 percent of GOPers identified themselves as cat people, compared with just 5 percent of Dems. (Keep in mind that these are not scientifically valid survey results.)

www.aolnews.com Which Political Party Is Going To The Dogs?

The New Senator On Leno

Senator Scott Brown, the new Republican superstar from Massachusetts will make a brief apperance via satellite on the Jay Leno Show. During his appearance scheduled for Thursday Brown will answer 10 brief questions from Leno.

For those who don't know Senator Scott Brown won the election last week and was voted to serve as senator of Massachusetts filling the seat left vacant by Sen. Edward Kennedy.

Gee, I wonder if Leno is hoping Brown will pull him "out of the ditch" and save his show. We'll see.

It's Broke

To President Obama and all 535 voting members of the Legislature,

It is now official—you are ALL corrupt morons:

• The U.S. Post Service was established in 1775—you have had 234 years to get it right—and it is broke.
• Social Security was established in 1935—you have had 74 years to get it right—and it is broke.
• Fannie Mae was established in 1938—you have had 71 years to get it right—and it is broke.
• War on Poverty started in 1964—you have had 45 years to get it right; $1 trillion of our money is confiscated each year and transferred to "the poor"—and they only want more.
• Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965—you have had 44 years to get it right—and they are broke.
• Freddie Mac was established in 1970—you have had 39 years to get it right—and it is broke.
• The Department of Energy was created in 1977 to lessen our dependence on foreign oil, it has ballooned to 16,000 employees with a budget of $24 billion a year and we import more oil than ever before—you had 32 years to get it right—and it is an abysmal failure.

You have FAILED in every "government service" you have shoved down our throats while overspending our tax dollars—AND YOU WANT AMERICANS TO BELIEVE YOU CAN BE TRUSTED WITH A GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM??

Are you crazy, or do you just believe all Americans are morons too???

Truly, the inmates are running the asylum—and what does this say about us, as voters who put such idiots in office?? If we do not vote against EVERY incumbent currently in office—we are ALL morons, regardless of our political leanings.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy Dies

Mass. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy dies at age 77

BOSTON — Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, the last surviving brother in a political dynasty and one of the most influential senators in history, died Tuesday night at his home on Cape Cod after a year-long struggle with brain cancer. He was 77.

In nearly 50 years in the Senate, Kennedy served alongside 10 presidents — his brother John Fitzgerald Kennedy among them — compiling an impressive list of legislative achievements on health care, civil rights, education, immigration and more.

His only run for the White House ended in defeat in 1980. More than a quarter-century later, he handed then-Sen. Barack Obama an endorsement at a critical point in the campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, explicitly likening the young contender to President Kennedy.

To the American public, Kennedy was best known as the last surviving son of America's most glamorous political family, father figure and, memorably, eulogist of an Irish-American clan plagued again and again by tragedy.

Kennedy's death triggered an outpouring of superlatives, from Democrats and Republicans as well as foreign leaders.

"An important chapter in our history has come to an end. Our country has lost a great leader, who picked up the torch of his fallen brothers and became the greatest United States senator of our time," Obama said in a written statement.

"For five decades, virtually every major piece of legislation to advance the civil rights, health and economic well being of the American people bore his name and resulted from his efforts," said Obama, vacationing at Martha's Vineyard off the Massachusetts coast.

Kennedy's family announced his death in a brief statement released early Wednesday.

"We've lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism, and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever," the statement said. "We thank everyone who gave him care and support over this last year, and everyone who stood with him for so many years in his tireless march for progress toward justice, fairness and opportunity for all."

Read more: http://www.bangordailynews.com