Thursday, December 15, 2011
Legislature Ramsey Wants to Drug-Test Even Workers Injured on the Job
Posted by Jeff Woods on Thu, Dec 15, 2011 at 1:23 PM
“I’m in favor of drug-testing for people who are on any kind of benefits, whether it’s unemployment compensation or workers’ compensation, whatever it is, because I don’t think we need to be supporting that lifestyle with government money,” Ramsey told reporters today. “I’m very much for that. I think you’ll see that passed this session.”
What about drug-testing politicians? he was asked.
“Let’s do it. I’ll all for it. My Diet Mountain Dew will show up and that’s about it, I guess,” he said, lifting a glass of his favorite beverage to toast the media in his office.
On other matters, Ramsey said (1) he wants to drag his heels as long as possible before setting up Obamacare’s state health insurance exchange (2) he’s for eliminating the Hall income tax on the elderly in the next session (3) he’s against weakening the state’s Sunshine Law (4) he’s for school vouchers (5) he’s for amending the state constitution’s language on judicial elections (6) he’s against significant new expansion of gun laws.
As for his relationship with Gov. Bill Haslam, Ramsey said, “It could not be better than it is now.” But the Senate speaker conceded the governor battled the learning curve in the beginning.
“He’ll tell you that in two seconds. When he came in, I don’t think he knew that the legislature met from January until the end of May, that you actually have to deal with these legislators to pass a bill. That’s just human nature. When I came down here in 1992, I didn’t understand the process. So yes, absolutely, he understands it better. And I hope I’ve been part of educating him on how the system works. If we’ll work together and stay on the same page, we can make Tennessee a better place to live and I think we’ve proven that.”
On the possibility of a special legislative session on Obamacare:
Ramsey might favor waiting until the end of next year to set up the Obamacare-mandated health insurance exchange in Tennessee. That could happen in a special legislative session only if necessary if Obama wins reelection and if the Supreme Court upholds the law’s constitutionality, he said. He emphasized he has yet to discuss this with the governor or House Speaker Beth Harwell.
“There are a couple of historic events happening next year that could change the whole debate,” Ramsey said. “The reward is not passing something that you hope never happens. I hope it’ll be a moot point” by the end of the year.
On cutting the Hall tax on interest income:
“It’s my goal to do away with the Hall income tax for people over the age of 65. What do we as policymakers want citizens to do? We want people to save for their retirement, put a nest egg back, have something to live on besides Social Security. But in the state of Tennessee, by the way, when you start drawing out that money, we’re going to tax it. That’s completely a wrong message.”
He wants to eliminate the state’s inheritance tax on estates worth at least $1 million in phases, but perhaps not beginning in the upcoming session.
On changing the state’s Sunshine law to allow private meetings of two or more members of city or county governing bodies:
"I believe in open government. Nine times out of 10, the problems you have in life, the problems you have in government is either a lack of communication or miscommunication. Any time you even talk about moving from here to there on that issue, the press goes berserk. ... Man, I am for open government. But there’s got to be some little something somewhere to allow people to talk without the fear that they’ll be prosecuted for it. I’m not going to vote for any weakening of the Sunshine laws in the state of Tennessee, period. But I can see where there’s a technical problem there with it, OK?"
On a state constitutional amendment to delete language on judicial elections:
"I have never, ever been for the election of Supreme Court justices in this state. But I do believe, if we’re going to go with the system we have—and I’m all in favor of that—we need to amend our constitution because our constitution says judges shall be elected by the qualified voters of our state. … I want to propose a constitutional amendment to get those words out."
On changing the Court of the Judiciary, the agency that enforces judicial ethics:
"It’s my gut feeling that we’ll probably have to sunset the Court of the Judiciary and start something else. The bottom line it’s dominated by the judges. And I think the judges have come to this realization. …I think we’ll reconstitute the Court of the Judiciary in some manner, working with the court when we can, to make sure they more accountable to us."
On expansion of gun laws:
"I think we’re a Second Amendment-friendly state now and I can’t think of a whole lot of things we need to do. There is one that I do think is commonsense that I hope passes this year. … If you have a gun carry permit, you ought to be able to keep it in your car, locked, while you’re at work. That would be the only thing that I can think of that needs to be addressed."
On school vouchers:
"I am for a system that will allow on a limited basis, let’s see how this works, that these kids who are in these failing schools and they are trapped, that they’ll have the opportunity to take this money and go somewhere else. In the end, competition lifts all boats."
Comments (22)
Showing 1-22 of 22
“I’m in favor of drug-testing for people who are on any kind of benefits"
Wonder what the fiscal note will be on that little scheme?
like
dislikeTN GOP: Posturing to solve problems that don't exist, in direct contradiction of evidence that such measures cost more money than they save, anyway.
Mock the man all you want libtards! This is a sign Ramsey must be doing something right! And what you are about to read, you read it here first: I have it on good authority that Ramsey will be on the short-list for VP for the Republican Presidential nomination! President Osama won't know what hit him!
Santorum-Ramsey 2012 "A frothy mixture for our future!"
Min,
I agree with you regarding the fiscal note. Unless the employers are required to pay for the tests, which raises other objections.
For me though, the core issue is that worker's compensation benefits are wholly different from entitlement benefits. Workers earn their comp benefits. Those benefits are decidedly not an entitlement.
Do you suppose that Lt. Governor Ramsey (or some his relatives) are now partners in the Any Lab Test Now franchise in Johnson City that is co-owned by his Blountville buddy and Tennessee Regulatory Authority Chairman Kenneth C. Hill and TNGA Rep. Matthew Hill?
Got STDs?: TRA Director Kenneth Hill's & Rep. Matthew Hill's Hush-Hush Lab Testing Franchise Biz
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discu…
A while ago a couple of politians tried to get a bill passed to test welfare recipients. It's a good idea as I see them sell drugs and live on welfare in Old Hickory. It's a Big Problem in Old Hickory, TN and all across the country.
Ron Ramsey leads a rather insulated life up in East Tennessee, and an insulated life when he is working in Nashville. He has no real understanding of what is going on in most of the state, particularly in Middle Tennessee, or in the rest of the country.
But I tell you what, his Diet Mountain Dew explains a lot. By the way, if you can't taste how vile aspartame really is, you are one of the people who lack certain taste buds or have fewer taste buds than some have. No joke. You are in danger of poisoning yourself. In Ramsey's case, it's obvious the substance has crossed the blood-brain barrier, as it is known to do.
Well, Ramsey has both good and bad ideas. I think he is right about amending the state constitution on Supreme Court judges, but don't expect that to pass anytime soon. He is also right about no need for expanding gun laws. He is dead wrong about the sunshine law, and far overstating to the point of ridiculousness the concept of two city councilmen being "prosecuted" for chatting about a zoning change when they meet in the soup aisle at Kroger.
The drug testing stuff is just more GOP anti-black, anti-poor bumper sticker rhetoric. Drug testing for benefits recipients would be astronomically expensive, and where it has been tried has not in fact resulted in significant discovery of drug abuses, nor has it saved any money. I would bet that there is more cocoaine use on music row than in the projects.
And on people drawing worker's comp? Really? Do you think some poor schmoe who just broke his back on a construction job might just test postive for, say, painkillers? If you're on worker's comp, there is good possibility that you are taking drugs, legally, and who is going to make that discernment?
Tell you what, Ron. Add a priority about creating jobs rather than creating wealth for non-productive parasites who run hedge funds and never work at anything other than shifting their assets around to get better returns. If you put those people drawing benefits to work, and get them off the pittance that "welfare" programs actually provide, you won't have to lie awake at night worrying that some guy getting a few dollars in food stamps might be smoking a joint.
I'm sure it's purely coincidental that Tennessee Republicans like Diane Black and Bill Frist are connected to drug testing firm Aegis Sciences. Pigs at the trough, every one of them.
@Angry White Patriot: "Mock the man all you want libtards! This is a sign Ramsey must be doing something right! And what you are about to read, you read it here first: I have it on good authority that Ramsey will be on the short-list for VP for the Republican Presidential nomination! President Osama won't know what hit him! "
Santorum-Ramsey 2012 "A frothy mixture for our future!"
Did you mean to post "Ramsey will be on the short-list" or "sh**-list"?
So this glad fly wants to change the Judiciary? He states one of the injustices
going on right now within our system. The Tennessee Constitution calls for
the popular election of all Judges. He wants to remove those words from our
Constitution, because he and too many others, don't want most of our Judges
elected by popular vote. Guess what Mr. Speaker, our esteemed legislature
illegally changed that 30+ years ago. Since we're not abiding by our constitution
now what's the problem!
For those of us paying the Hall income tax. If you invest in Tenn stocks and
receive your dividends from Tenn Headquartered banks then no Hall Tax applies!
Stopping this Real Estate Auctioneer posing as a Leader should be the first
action of the Senate majority!
So this glad fly wants to change the Judiciary? He states one of the injustices
going on right now within our system. The Tennessee Constitution calls for
the popular election of all Judges. He wants to remove those words from our
Constitution, because he and too many others, don't want most of our Judges
elected by popular vote. Guess what Mr. Speaker, our esteemed legislature
illegally changed that 30+ years ago. Since we're not abiding by our constitution
now what's the problem!
For those of us paying the Hall income tax. If you invest in Tenn stocks and
receive your dividends from Tenn Headquartered banks then no Hall Tax applies!
Working as a claims adjuster for work comp I see way too often the abuse of narcotics. There are injured workers (and doctors) who abuse the system. Drug testa all too often confirm that injured workers don't even have any in their system, yet are being prescribed Vicodin, Oxycontin, and more on a regulare basis.One injured worker has been prescribed 180 Oxycontin every month since 1996. Do you really think they are taking these? Don't kid yourself.Employers suffer through their premiums for this and I applaud random drug testing for all the taxpayers who are footing the bill for this illegal practice.
The old saying that if you're doing the right thing there is nothing to worry about certainly applies.
Rather than drug test people on workers comp, why not go after the Doctors who are prescribing these unnecessary drugs and treatments?
Ramsey---where are the jobs? Didn't you say last spring that you Republicans were focused like a last on jobs? Only yours it seems.
Here's a solution to two of Tennessee's problems - illegal aliens and unemployment.
First pass a law that mandates any employer using illegal aliens must hire an American if an American applies for a job. And then, since Immigration frequently uses a bus to pick up aliens at job sites, Americans seeking work can ride along on the bus. If illegal aliens are found at a job site Immigration can have them trade places with the Americans on the bus. Easy-peasy, two problems solved; I should be running this country.
Let's start by requiring mandatory monthly drug testing for all members of the state legislature. Paid for by them not the taxpayer.
Do persons who receive farm subsidies get drug tested under this plan?
Like many Repubs who like to wrap themselves in the Constitution, Ramsey blithely ignores it when it suits his purposes. Why are so many of those who insist on their second amendment rights so casual about trampling on other peoples' fourth amendment rights? In this case, collecting workmens' comp is clearly not a "probable cause" for a drug test. Even so, drug warriors and sympathetic judges have knocked quite a hole in the Bill of Rights over this one.
Florida and other states have attempted to mandate drug screening for welfare recipients, although a Florida judge has put Florida's law on hold for the time being. The Florida drug screens that were performed found very little incidence of illegal drug use among welfare recipients, but did succeed in passing a hefty chunk of the state's welfare budget to--ta da!--drug testing labs, where the money helped the wealthy rather than the needy.
And the suspicions of several commenters are correct--drug testing labs are, indeed, predominantly owned by Republicans. But wait, there's more! These labs are not only big contributors to Republican political war chests, but also members of ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council, a secretive body whose main purpose seems to be to enable business interests to use the Republican Party as means to pass laws favorable to their business interests. More drug testing is on ALEC's agenda, because it's a way for Republicans to siphon off the welfare budget into their own, already well-lined pockets. This isn't just a Tennessee phenomenon, it's a coordinated national drive.
And lastly, let's recall the proper label for political parties whose main thrust is to put the government at the service of big business.. It's called "Fascism." (In Spain, everybody knows that Republicans are Fascists!)
In the words of FDR, "The first truth is that the liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism — ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power."
"Drown the government in a bathtub," anyone?
So, let's face the facts--since the Republicans repealed the Tennessee Voter Confidence Act, ensuring that there is no way to verify election results in this state, we have effectively been the victims of a Fascist coup, and Ron Ramsey is one of the perpetrators.
As Sinclair Lewis said, "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross.” It CAN happen here--in fact, it already has.
