I just sent this LTTE to my local independent rag.

[arbusto_baboso]

And they WILL print it, because they love all the shit I stir up:

So, about a year ago Florida Governor (p)Rick Scott (R - Blatant Criminal) insisted upon instituting mandatory drug testing for Florida welfare recipients, because he insisted that substance abusers shouldn't receive government aid, and that he could save the state a huge amount of money (because obviously everyone on welfare is a drug fiend).

So what happened in approximately the one year that Florida has had this policy?

Well, they spent $178 MILLION in testing Florida cash aid recipients. Only 2% did not pass the tests. That saved the state of Florida $60,000. The net result was a loss of $177, 940,000 to the taxpayers of Florida. (And guess who else supports mandatory drug testing for welfare recipients, but on a national level? Yep, Mitt Romney. Guess the corporate welfare queen, Romney, doesn't appreciate any potential competition from poor people who might want to cut into his tax breaks and shelters.)

But take heart. At least family members of Governor Scott who OWN the drug testing firms made some money. Because when Republicans talk about privatizing ANY government function due to "government waste and inefficiency" all they really intend is to throw huge corrupt profits to their cronies.

[surrealAmerican]

1. Well done!

k & r

[lunatica]

2. I love it!

[Summer Hathaway]

3. Excellent LTTE!

Fact-filled, concise, and to the point!

[arbusto_baboso]

4. Apparently the paper feels the same way, too.

They don't even bother to edit my letters any more. I found one a couple months ago that they seem to have printed without a copy editor's review, as it contained a typo I didn't notice until after I had hit "send".

And thank you.

[Summer Hathaway]

5. You are very welcome.

I've written a few LTTEs myself, and I know how difficult it is to stay exactly on point (when there are a million other things you're tempted to add to the mix).

The fact that you are able to remain focused on the statement you are seeking to make - without hyperbole and/or digression into related topics - is truly an enviable skill.

You would have made an excellent journalist - in the time before such skill was replaced by MSM bobbleheads, as devoid of talent as they are of integrity.

[arbusto_baboso]

6. Wow. Thanks again.

That was actually a goal of mine when I was younger. Life kind of got in the way, though.

The closest I come to journalism now is writing for a beer 'blog.

[Summer Hathaway]

7. And writing excellent LTTEs

You never know who you will reach with a simple letter to the editor - who you will cause to think a bit differently, whose mind you will change for the better, who you will encourage to assess the facts rather than the spew.

Keep fighting the good fight - despite the fact that you'll never know just how many people you
may have reached.

[arbusto_baboso]

8. I needed a pep talk today.

I'm in SoCal; if you're ever down this way, I wouldn't mind buying you a round.

[Summer Hathaway]

10. Thanks.

I needed a pep talk today myself.

Your LTTE went a long way in reassuring me that despite the bobbleheads, despite the mindless MSM spin, despite the endless dangling of shiny objects before the populace, there are intelligent, articulate people who embrace the facts - and aren't afraid to state them in no uncertain terms.

As I said, you never know who you will touch with what seems a simple LTTE - I, for one, feel better for your having said what you did.

[longship]

9. Well done. Very well done!

Calling the jerks out.

Let us know if it gets printed.

R&

[BlueJazz]

11. Absolutely wonderful.

Rick Scott is one of those people that makes life just a little bit more stressful.

[SlimJimmy]

12. Well, they spent $178 MILLION in testing Florida cash aid recipients. Only 2% did not pass the tests

Not exactly. The program costs 178 million a year, not the testing. The savings to the states equals about 60 grand. Hardly worth the effort. But with that said, I think you misstated the facts in your LTTE.

Cost of the tests averages about $30. Assuming that 1,000 to 1,500 applicants take the test every month, the state will owe about $28,800-$43,200 monthly in reimbursements to those who test drug-free.

That compares with roughly $32,200-$48,200 the state may save on one month’s worth of rejected applicants.

Net savings to the state: $3,400 to $5,000 annually on one month’s worth of rejected applicants. Over 12 months, the money saved on all rejected applicants would add up to $40,800 to $60,000 for a program that state analysts have predicted will cost $178 million this fiscal year.

http://colorlines.com/archives/2011/08/98_of_florida_welfare_applicants_pass_newly_implemented_drug_tests_discrediting_governor.html

[arbusto_baboso]

13. A fine point, to be sure.

So, the program altogether costs $178 million as opposed to just the tests. Seems like hair-splitting to me. It's still the COST.

And the benefit is pretty much non-existent.

[SlimJimmy]

14. There is *no* cost to the state for testing. There is actually a net 60K in cost savings.

Not worth the time it took to test in my opinion. But that's not what you represented in your LTTE. You said the cost to the state for testing was $177,940,000. That's not a minor point or hair splitting to me. Anyone who reads that LTTE will come away with the same conclusion that I did. You got your facts wrong, and not in a minor way.

The PROGRAM is not the testing, but the program itself. The testing cost the state net ZERO dollars.

Well, they spent $178 MILLION in testing Florida cash aid recipients. Only 2% did not pass the tests. That saved the state of Florida $60,000. The net result was a loss of $177, 940,000 to the taxpayers of Florida.