Republican Rep. Trey Radel should be very, very glad he was busted and, having plead guilty, convicted for cocaine possession in Washington, DC, and not his home state of Florida. Because he was only charged with misdemeanor possession, he got just a
year of probation. In Florida, he could have faced substantially greater charges and punishment. But Radel's bust raises a question beyond sentencing issues.
Drug-testing requirements for food stamps, unemployment insurance, or welfare are one of the big Republican pushes of the last few years. And at the state level, where many of those bills have come up, Democrats have responded by offering amendments requiring legislators to be tested themselves. Considering the Radel example, it seems like it might be time for Democrats in the United States House to take up a similar push themselves: Radel voted to force people to take drug tests to get food stamps:
The House over the summer approved an amendment by Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) that would let states drug test people on food stamps. The amendment passed by voice vote, meaning members' individual yeas and nays were not recorded. Radel later voted in favor of a broader food stamps bill that included Hudson's measure.
Radel has
apologized for his cocaine bust, issuing a statement that "I struggle with the disease of alcoholism, and this led to an extremely irresponsible choice" and promising to "do whatever is necessary to overcome it, hopefully setting an example for others struggling with this disease." No word on whether he regrets having voted to deny nutrition assistance to people with similar struggles, or believes that members of Congress should be drug tested to get their paychecks.