HARRIS SHOULD BE TESTED FOR COMPASSION

Leading with the nose once again, Iron Mike Harris fearlessly proposes
another provincial ploy that guarantees blood and ballyhoo from all sides,
left, right and center.

Courageously daring to go where no politician has dared to travel, the
Harris clan has once again set their sights on Ontario's welfarians. Only
this time they're asking welfare recipients to roll up their sleeves for
another purpose.

First proposed in November, the wave of controversy surrounding mandatory
drug testing for welfare recipients has yet to wash up on the shore of
public opinion in Chatham-Kent. But it's only a matter of time.

What should be made clear is the outcome for recipients who test positive.
Only those who refuse treatment will be denied eligibility for social
assistance. What isn't clear is the motive behind the proposal.

Like many, we suspect that under the guise of "help", Harris and Company
are once again furthering their mandate to drastically reform the
province's social assistance program. Much like "workfare", the drug
testing strategy once again places a humiliating flashing light on the
heads of all welfare recipients, regardless of their personal circumstance.

Without question, welfare abuse exists in the backyard of Queen's Park.
=46ew would have sympathy for those who would be exposed and banished from
the dole. But simple math and an ounce of compassion clearly points to a
proposal that judgementally baskets all welfare recipients, including
single moms and others who have temporarily fallen through the cracks.

We suspect liberal-minded taxpayers will not be the only ones opposed to
the drug-testing plan. For an entirely different set of reasons,
harder-hearted conservatives may also object to a plan that offers up tax
dollars to rehabilitate those who enter treatment to keep their eligibility.

The Harris train will continue to roll despite the voices of special
interest and those who occasionally oppose his tune of "the end justifies
the means." We believe that, in this particular circumstance, that train
should slow down enough to consider changing tracks while moving in the
right direction.