Missouri Republicans are on a roll, bringing back old ideas in the form of shiny new legislation. Making the rounds this year is H.B. 73<\/a>, recently passed by the Missouri House 121-37. Sponsored by Missouri Rep. Ellen Brandom (R-160), the bill would require welfare applicants be screened for illegal drugs. If there is \u201creasonable cause\u201d to believe said applicants are using drugs, that is. What is reasonable cause and why only welfare recipients?<\/p>\n Well, we know reasonable cause does not include prior drug convictions. Conviction for any drug-related crime is an automatic disqualifier for welfare in Missouri. However, proponents suggest the bill will help ensure government money is spent the way it was intended. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch quoted<\/a> Rep. Ellen Brandom as saying, “I don’t know of any entry-level job where you don’t have to take a drug test. Taxpayers do not have any sympathy at all for using tax money to subsidize others’ drug use.”<\/p>\n If that is the case, I have to wonder why Republicans aren\u2019t calling for regular and mandatory sobriety testing for other taxpayer subsidized institutions\u2014such as our legislative bodies. We want our representatives in government making potentially life-altering decisions with clear, sober heads. Let\u2019s face it: some of the decisions being made on the Hill boggle the coherent mind.<\/p>\n Former president Bill Clinton admitted to smoking marijuana in his youth. George W. Bush admitted to being a chronically heavy drinker and implied in taped conversations [later reported on<\/a> by the media] that he too smoked marijuana. Even President Obama wrote [in Dreams From My Father<\/em>] that he tried marijuana and cocaine. There have been numerous scandals involving public officials under the influence of alcohol, drugs, and the scantily clad. Should we just take their word for it that those days are gone? That the joints were smoked in a time of youthful exuberance, the partying is over? Or do we have reasonable cause<\/em><\/a> to suspect they may be under the influence?<\/p>\n