Children and Welfare

I've written a lot of blog posts lately, and held them back, largely because they're not time-sensitive, about somewhat sensitive issues, or just don't feel complete.  This one is more simple.  According to the NYTimes, a large number of states are considering or moving to require drug tests as a prerequisite of welfare benifits, which is a terrible idea on many levels, but the most important is children.  We can argue all we like about the value of welfare benefits for adults, but letting children go hungry because their parents are poor is something straight out of Dickens, and denying children food because their parents are poor and smoked a joint is nearly as bad.

There are other reasons why this is a terrible idea, but the simple one stands alone: in America we do not punish children for the sins of their parents, and we most certainly do not choose to let children go hungry because their parents make minor bad decisions.  Or so I thought.