Who should we really be drug testing?

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has signed a series of bills into law that will require some welfare recipients in Michigan to be drug-tested. Meanwhile, other states are considering following in Rick Snyder’s footsteps.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is on the record saying that he also wants to make drug testing welfare recipients and applicants a law. And, according to Think Progress, “In 2014, at least 18 states introduced proposals or addressed bills that would require some form of drug testing or screening for applicants for or recipients of public assistance.”

One of the main reasons why conservatives across America are trying to pass welfare drug-testing laws is to shame and punish poor people. It's really that simple. But they rationalize it by saying they need to "control government costs."

Welfare programs in America include programs like the Women, Infants, and Children program, or WIC, and food stamps. And, as Lou Colagiovanni over at Examiner.com points out, in 2012, a married person with one child making $50,000 per year paid just over $36 in taxes for “food and nutrition assistance” programs like food stamps and WIC. That’s just 10 cents per day!

While conservatives will never admit it, welfare is a mindbogglingly small expense and a very small piece of the pie. On the other hand, the nations biggest welfare recipients - rich people and big corporations - are making out like bandits, because the welfare they take isn't for food or housing - it's to increase their profits and wealth.

Read more here.

-Thom

Tonight on The Big Picture on RT TV at 7pm and 10pm... Will Greece vote to end austerity? (check your local listings for stations or stream at RT or Free Speech TV, and catch past shows on Youtube)

Be sure to check out our new videos: CARBON, LAST HOURS & GREEN WORLD RISING - narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio

Big Picture Politics Panel:
- Hughey Newsome, Project 21 / Move-On-Up
- T. Neil Sroka, Democracy for America
- Scott Greer, The Daily Caller

Best of the Rest...Will Greece vote to end austerity?
- Dr. Richard Wolff, Economist / Democracy At Work

Tuesday's Daily Stack

Site: Hunter School

Article: "Top 50 Most Influential Marijuana Users" by April M. Short.

Article: "Syriza lead over Greek conservatives narrows to three points - poll" by Reuters.

Article: "Emails and Racist Chats Show How Cops and GOP Are Teaming Up to Undermine de Blasio" by Max Blumenthal.

Article: "Police Funeral: Moving Words, and a Call for Respect" by New York Times.

Site: Common Dreams

Site: Alternet

Site: TruthOut

Site: Freepress

Site: OpEdNews

Article: "Dynamic Scoring of Tax Bills: How Big a Deal? " by David Wessel.

Article: "Arrests plummet 66% with NYPD in virtual work stoppage" by Larry Celona, Shawn Cohen and Bruce Golding.

Article: "Raw Story’s worst cops of 2014 — and there are a lot of them" by David Edwards.

Article: "Zephyr Teachout, Hands Up United and John Oliver Made Our 2014 Progressive Honor Roll. Who Else Made the List?" by John Nichols.

Article: "Worst Flooding In Decades Forces Evacuation Of More Than 100,000 Malaysians" by Kiley Kroh.

Article: "Pilot’s request to climb nixed before AirAsia plane vanished" by Joe Tacopino.

Article: "Quantum entanglement".

Article: "Arizona minimum wage headed 15 cents higher in January" by Ronald J. Hansen.

Article: "Chilling legal memo from Obama DOJ justifies assassination of US citizens" by Glenn Greenwald.

Article: "Dynamic scoring" by Wikipedia.

Book: Cannery Row by John Steinbeck.

Site: NutritionFacts.org.

Video: "Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death" by Michael Greger.

Hour Two: A special year end edition of "Brunch With Bernie"... the honorable Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) joins Thom with all the news from our nation's capitol and as always he'll be spending the hour taking your calls and answering your questions too...
Follow Bernie: campaign site.

Article: "The Week in Review Friday, December 26, 2014" by Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Article: "Fight for Our Progressive Vision" by Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Article: "Some 95% of 2009-2012 Income Gains Went to Wealthiest 1%" by Brenda Cronin.

Article: Inequality, exhibit A: Walmart and the wealth of American families by Josh Bivens.

Article: "How the Chained CPI Affects Social Security Payments" by Emily Brandon.

Article: "New polling suggests a vote on Social Security expansion could help Democrats hold the Senate" by Joan McCarter.

Law: "Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act", 2010.

Article: "Sanders Appointed Ranking Member of Senate Budget Committee" by Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Article: "‘Cromnibus’ Highlights: IRS Cuts; No Raise for Biden; Break on School Lunches" by Siobhan Hughes.

Article: "American Skin (41 Shots)" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Employee Retirement Income Security Act" (1974) by Wikipedia.

Article: "Voodoo economics".

Article: "Ted Cruz is right, the Markeplace Fairness Act is bad for business" by xcergy.

Law: "Tillman Act of 1907".

Site: Move to Amend

Article: "14th Amendment, July 9, 1868 (citizenship, representatives, public debt)

Talk Radio News Segment:
- Bob Ney

Article: "AirAsia QZ8501: Officials say debris is missing plane" by BBC.

Article: "Congressman Steve Scalise says he 'regrets' addressing white supremacist group" by Andrew Buncombe.

Article: "Exclusive: Lee Atwater’s Infamous 1981 Interview on the Southern Strategy" by Rick Perlstein.

Article: "‘Next speaker please’: Conservatives want Boehner out!" by Carmine Sabia.

Article: "New IRS rules crack down on nonprofit hospitals" by Sarah Ferris.

Site: "Goats for the old Goat".

Site: Governor Free Don Siegelman.

Book: "Sideswiped: Lessons Learned Courtesy of the Hit Men of Capitol Hill" by Robert Ney.

Article: "Federal Reserve Act" (1913).

Case: "Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission" (2010).

Article: "Constitution of the United States", article 3 section 2. "... the supreme Court shall have appellate Jurisdiction, both as to Law and Fact, with such Exceptions, and under such Regulations as the Congress shall make..."

Case: "Roe v. Wade", 1973.

Article: "Cynicism (philosophy)" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Waterboarding Used to Be a Crime" by Evan Wallach.

Article: "North American Free Trade Agreement" (NAFTA) by Wikipedia.

Law: "Glass-Steagall Act", 1933.

Movie: "HEIST: Who Stole the American Dream?".

Movie: "Shadows of Liberty".

Article: "Yale Study Finds Americans Ignorant of Health Impacts From Global Warming" by Anastasia Pantsios.

Article: "Year in review: Genes linked to tameness" by Tina Hesman Saey.

Article: "The Ocean Now Has At Least 700 Pieces Of Plastic Per Person On Earth" by Amelia Rosch.

Article: "How Exercise Changes Our DNA" by Gretchen Reynolds.

Article: "Cuomo Administration Officials: ‘Don’t Frack With NY’" by Cliff Weathers.

Wednesday on The Thom Hartmann Program, 12-3pm ET

Dr. Stephanie Seneff will be here to warn us that half of all children will be autistic by 2025.

And, the best of the rest of the news along with your calls right here on...

The Thom Hartmann Program, Occupying The Media 3 hours a day 5 days a week" for "we the people"

And don't forget...Democracy is NOT a spectator sport...it begins with you...

Please support the Hunter School, a unique therapeutic boarding school for young children diagnosed with ADHD, Anxiety, Sensory, Mood and related conditions...

Should welfare recipients be subjected to drug tests?

Vote here!

How The Kochtopus Is Reaching Out For Our Criminal Justice

Chuck Todd accidentally tells the truth…

This Is Why It’s Time to Abandon Nuclear Power

You Will Hardly Believe How Coal is Poisoning You

Caged Chickens…What's the Price of Humanity & Health?

Geeky Science...Want to live a longer and healthier life?

Full Show 12/29/2014: Modern free press and its ties to big business

In tonight’s show, Thom talks with America’s Lawyer, Host of Ring of Fire Radio, Mike Papantonio about the Koch brothers criminal justice reform play and their growing party power.

Paul Gunter, Beyond Nuclear Director of the Reactor Oversight Project and Kevin Kamps, Waste Watchdog for Beyond Nuclear, discuss the closing of the Yankee Vermont nuclear facility and the future of U.S. nuclear energy and power.

Tyson Slocum, Director of Public Citizen’s Energy Program talks about the Alberta train crash and energy transportation safety. Wayne Pacelle, President and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States talks about the state of California’s decision to increase coop size for chickens and animal rights.

Brunch with Bernie: December 30, 2014

Dynamic Scoring: A Return to Reaganomics...

Caller: Drug Testing on Poor Goes Against Christianity...

Caller: I'm on Disability and Medical Marijuana...

Caller: No Drug Testing for Welfare Benefits!