2014 Florida Governor's race: on Welfare & Poverty

Rick Scott: Require drug testing for receiving welfare

That's understandable as far as it goes, but an unsavory--and, as it turns out, inaccurate--corollary to this notion is that those in need must possess an inherent moral deficiency, otherwise they wouldn't be poor.

The Legislature passed the law in 2011 and Scott signed it, his stated reasoning being that he was protecting taxpayer funds--and the children of welfare recipients--from abuse. It contained a particularly cruel twist--applicants needed to pay the $25-to-$45 testing fee up front, to be refunded by the state if they tested negative. For someone counting every dime, this amounted to a staggering hardship.

Ultimately, only about 2% of welfare recipients tested positive for drugs (possibly because they couldn't afford them). This compares to roughly 8% in the general population.